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