#¤£%:-:¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨:-:%£¤#
¤£%:-:¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨:-:%£¤
£%:-:¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨:-:%£
%:-:¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨:-:%
:-:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:-:
-:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨         # -------------------- #         ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:-
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨         : 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.        ,,,.,.¨¨,=
,.,..,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,..,.,
«:,,¨..¨.¨                                          ¨.¨..¨,,:«
:~,¨,,,..¨                                          ¨..,,,¨,~:
†:=-.,,,,¨                                          ¨,,,,.-=:†
£†;=^¨¨...                                          ...¨¨^=;†£