##@¤£%†--,                                          ,--†%£¤@##
##@¤£%†--,                                          ,--†%£¤@##
#¤¤%††---,                                          ,---††%¤¤#
##@¤£%†--,                                          ,--†%£¤@##
##@¤£%†--,                                          ,--†%£¤@##
##@¤£%†--,         # -------------------- #         ,--†%£¤@##
@££££%†--,         † 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@#   ,.«\%¤$%@@
###££%:~^¨  #£where@they@came,###@###and@then####   ¨^~:%££###
§#¤@^†,¨,.   #####the#feeling#of#this^knowledge:=   .,¨,†^@¤#§
@@%&&%;-,¨   ~~being ~ stolen ~- from -~= them. .   ¨,-;%&&%@@
&&\»..¨¨,¨          »« .  -~» ,  -.  .=  =          ¨,¨¨..»\&&
##@@**†-,,    ~   ~-          ^                ,    ,,-†**@@##
###¤%§\~-¨        ,      .          ¨      %        ¨-~\§%¤###
###¤§§=«:,                                          ,:«=§§¤###
#@¶§%^*».,                    .#¨                   ,.»*^%§¶@#
@$^~=-=,,¨                                          ¨,,=-=~^$@
#£§^^\-.¨,                   and,                   ,¨.-\^^§£#
####§$;»,,                                          ,,»;$§####
##£&£%†-^.  now the reach of the pool has widened.  .^-†%£&£##
¶%&:^¨¨.¨,        now its wolves see further.       ,¨.¨¨^:&%¶
##£§§†;»:.                                          .:»;†§§£##
@##§$**~,.                                          .,~**$§##@
##@#%*:~,.                                          .,~:*%#@##
##@§%†=--¨                                          ¨--=†%§@##
§@:~»=,..¨                                          ¨..,=»~:@§