£§£§†=~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~=†§£§£
§£§†=~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~=†§£§
£§£§†=~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~=†§£§£
@£§£§†=~¨¨                                          ¨¨~=†§£§£@
#@£§£§†=~¨                                          ¨~=†§£§£@#
@£§£§†=~¨¨         # ==================== #         ¨¨~=†§£§£@
£§£§†=~¨¨¨         † 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.        .,--;=&#@#
###£@**«~.                                          .~«**@£###
#£&@*^»~.,                                          ,.~»^*@&£#
@§@*=~,.¨¨                                          ¨¨.,~=*@§@
£§§†-.¨,,.                                          .,,¨.-†§§£
@¤*%*»,...                                          ...,»*%*¤@