¨¨¨^»*^$#£                                          £#$^*»^¨¨¨
¨¨^»*^$#£#                                          #£#$^*»^¨¨
¨^»*^$#£##                                          ##£#$^*»^¨
¨¨^»*^$#£#                                          #£#$^*»^¨¨
¨¨¨^»*^$#£                                          £#$^*»^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^»*^$#         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         #$^*»^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^»*^$         * the wolf pool exists *         $^*»^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^»*^         * in a stale timeline, *         ^*»^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^»*         *  branched way back   *         *»^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^»         *  when kirugu vargir  *         »^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^         *  was almost barren,  *         ^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ comprised mostly of rock and arid soil,  ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨  and plants were only starting to grow,  ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨         *        at all...     *         ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨,¨.¨..,.                                          .,..¨.¨,¨¨
¨,,.¨.¨¨¨¨     misplaced explorers traverse the     ¨¨¨¨.¨.,,¨
.¨,¨,¨¨,.¨   landscape, searching for a way back,   ¨.,¨¨,¨,¨.
,¨¨,¨,¨.¨~ finding instead only stone and dirt and  ~¨.¨,¨,¨¨,
.¨.,,,,¨~«   roots that are as hard as the ground.  «~¨,,,,.¨.
,.,..¨.-=;   it's getting dark, they are thirsty,   ;=-.¨..,.,
.¨¨.,¨:«;=     and about to find the wolf pool.     =;«:¨,.¨¨.
..¨.,,-;%%                                          %%;-,,.¨..
¨,¨.~«†*$@                    .#¨                   @$*†«~.¨,¨
..¨.«:^§#@                                          @#§^:«.¨..
¨,-«*%£&##    the pool lies in a small meteorite    ##&£%*«-,¨
,-~:%£§¶@#    impact crater, sixty meters across.   #@¶§£%:~-,
¨¨.~;*@¤##   it's surface is pitch black and even   ##¤@*;~.¨¨
.,.^-†%¤#@  though it's not well protected, it is   @#¤%†-^.,.
..¨.,=;†£§           undisturbed by wind.           §£†;=,.¨..
¨,¨..-=^*¤                                          ¤*^=-..¨,¨
¨.¨.,.^-/%                    ¨#,                   %/-^.,.¨.¨
,..,..¨,»:                                          :»,¨..,..,
,.¨¨,¨.,:~     as they stumble on the pool, the     ~:,.¨,¨¨.,
.,.,..,,¨,  explorers first believe it to be water, ,¨,,..,.,.
¨,¨,¨...¨¨    which is something they all desire    ¨¨...¨,¨,¨
¨¨¨.¨...¨.    greatly at this point. they fail to   .¨...¨.¨¨¨
.,.¨,¨.¨,¨ notice that the stars do not reflect on  ¨,¨.¨,¨.,.
.¨¨¨,.¨.¨¨   its surface. one of them crouches to   ¨¨.¨.,¨¨¨.
,¨,,..,,,.    drink, forms a cup with his hands,    .,,,..,,¨,
.¨¨,.,...¨      lowers the cup into the pool.       ¨...,.,¨¨.
.¨¨..,.¨.,                                          ,.¨.,..¨¨.
.,..,¨,¨., he tries to resist at first, but is too  ,.¨,¨,..,.
.¨,,,.,¨-»  close, and he quickly gives up as the   »-¨,.,,,¨.
,..¨¨,¨~-= liquid flows into his mind. the others,  =-~¨,¨¨..,
¨.,...:~*§   = not understanding the=danger, move   §*~:...,.¨
¨...¨^«†§%       closer to help their¨friend.       %§†«^¨...¨
.,,¨^»†=§#       ,      «    ~            ~ ,       #§=†»^¨,,.
¨¨,.~=§£¤¶    and,then.the,pool,announces,itself    ¶¤£§=~.,¨¨
..,~/†£¤#@      to.them¨-.sudden.,¨thoughts.of,     @#¤£†/~,..
,:»=$$&¶@#    ..«dark-wolves«.climbing~out:of,,:=   #@¶&$$=»:,
,¨.«;**#@#    ~=-the-pool,«surrounding:them;-::;    #@#**;«.¨,
¨¨¨:=/^%§#     :sudden†thoughts:of~«/climbing/*§    #§%^/=:¨¨¨
...,,«;^§#   into$the=pool,=their=thirst%flaring$   #§^;«,,...
....,-»*%§    *^$bright$-^@a¤sudden§¤awareness#     §%*»-,....
¨,..,,.=\*  #$of&¤exactly¤#how¤they#had@traveled,£# *\=.,,..,¨
..,.,,¨,-:   #£of§the@way@home@@to#the@time@from@£  :-,¨,,.,..
.,.,,,,¨,»  ##where@they#came,@####@#and#then@@@@   »,¨,,,,.,.
.¨,¨.,,.¨,   #####the#feeling#of#this^knowledge*»   ,¨.,,.¨,¨.
.,,,,¨,,,,   =«being - stolen ~» from =~= them. .   ,,,,¨,,,,.
¨,,¨.¨,¨..          ~- ¨  -«« ,  ~¨  -»  «          ..¨,¨.¨,,¨
¨¨.¨,¨¨¨¨¨    ^   .^          ~                .    ¨¨¨¨¨,¨.¨¨
¨.¨,,,¨¨.,        .      ¨          ,      *        ,.¨¨,,,¨.¨
.,,¨¨¨,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,¨¨¨,,.
.¨¨,.¨¨¨¨.                    .#¨                   .¨¨¨¨.,¨¨.
¨¨,,.,.¨.,                                          ,.¨.,.,,¨¨
....,¨,¨¨,                   and,                   ,¨¨,¨,....
,,¨¨¨,,,.»                                          ».,,,¨¨¨,,
,,.¨.,,.«=  now the reach of the pool has widened.  =«.,,.¨.,,
,¨.¨.,,~/†       now its wolves see further.        †/~,,.¨.¨,
,,¨¨¨~«†§£                                          £§†«~¨¨¨,,
,¨,.,-/$¤#                                          #¤$/-,.,¨,
,,,~«:^%¤@                                          @¤%^:«~,,,
¨¨--=$£&##                                          ##&£$=--¨¨
.,«\§%####                                          ####%§\«,.