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