.....~/^£&                                          &£^/~.....
......~/^£                                          £^/~......
.......~/^                                          ^/~.......
........~/                                          /~........
.........~                                          ~.........
........~/         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         /~........
.......~/^         / 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.       @£&%^~~¨.¨
,.¨.^~=§*#                                          #*§=~^.¨.,
.,,¨..-/§$                                          $§/-..¨,,.
,,¨,,.^«\=                                          =\«^.,,¨,,
¨,.,,¨,,=†                                          †=,,¨,,.,¨
,.¨,,,.¨~~                                          ~~¨.,,,¨.,