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