##@¤§§/»~.                                          .~»/§§¤@##
#@¤§§/»~..                                          ..~»/§§¤@#
@¤§§/»~...                                          ...~»/§§¤@
¤§§/»~....                                          ....~»/§§¤
§§/»~.....                                          .....~»/§§
§/»~......         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ......~»/§
/»~.......         / 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.       ,.,,..¨,,,
,.¨¨..¨¨.,                                          ,.¨¨..¨¨.,
,¨¨,.¨.¨,.                                          .,¨.¨.,¨¨,
,¨.¨¨,,...                                          ...,,¨¨.¨,
-,..¨¨¨¨¨,                                          ,¨¨¨¨¨..,-
=»^,¨..,.¨                                          ¨.,..¨,^»=