£&*††«:...                                          ...:«††*&£
@£&*††«:..                                          ..:«††*&£@
#@£&*††«:.                                          .:«††*&£@#
@£&*††«:..                                          ..:«††*&£@
£&*††«:...                                          ...:«††*&£
&*††«:....         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ....:«††*&
*††«:.....         † 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.       .,,.,.,~/§
%%†~~¨,.¨,                                          ,¨.,¨~~†%%
#£§;»-¨¨.¨                                          ¨.¨¨-»;§£#
@§@%;-,,,.                                          .,,,-;%@§@
##§£$:~^,,                                          ,,^~:$£§##
###§%*;~..                                          ..~;*%§###