..^:%£@£##                                          ##£@£%:^..
...^:%£@£#                                          #£@£%:^...
....^:%£@£                                          £@£%:^....
.....^:%£@                                          @£%:^.....
......^:%£                                          £%:^......
.......^:%         # ==================== #         %:^.......
......^:%£         : 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.       ##@¤§^,.,,
,.:††¤¤@##                                          ##@¤¤††:.,
¨^†^$££###                                          ###££$^†^¨
,,,*%*£###                                          ###£*%*,,,
,,,~/†¤#¶#                                          #¶#¤†/~,,,
.,¨..†*%#@                                          @#%*†..¨,.