##¶@$%^~-¨                                          ¨-~^%$@¶##
#@¶@$%^~-¨                                          ¨-~^%$@¶@#
#@¶@$%^~-¨                                          ¨-~^%$@¶@#
@@@$%^~~-¨                                          ¨-~~^%$@@@
##@¶@%^~-¨                                          ¨-~^%@¶@##
#@¶@$%^~-¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨-~^%$@¶@#
@@@%~---¨¨         ^ 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.       .,.¨,,~%@£
#&#&$*=-^¨                                          ¨^-=*$&#&#
###£@*^-.¨                                          ¨.-^*@£###
£*\;:....¨                                          ¨....:;\*£
@#@@@*\--.                                          .--\*@@@#@
####£%\«~,                                          ,~«\%£####