#**-¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨-**#
#@£#*=*~-¨                                          ¨-~*=*#£@#
#@£#*=*~-¨                                          ¨-~*=*#£@#
#=~~¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~=#
£#**~~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~~**#£
###**~~~-¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨-~~~**###
##£#*=*~-¨         * 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.  .¨¨,,.~%$&
@£§¤%§*=~¨        now its wolves see further.       ¨~=*§%¤§£@
£@@**/*~,.                                          .,~*/**@@£
§%-...¨¨.¨                                          ¨.¨¨...-%§
£$*/:~~~:¨                                          ¨:~~~:/*$£
###£&†/~,.                                          .,~/†&£###
##@&*$*=,¨                                          ¨,=*$*&@##