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