§^~,......                                          ......,~^§
$§^~,.....                                          .....,~^§$
#$§^~,....                                          ....,~^§$#
@#$§^~,...                                          ...,~^§$#@
#@#$§^~,..                                          ..,~^§$#@#
##@#$§^~,.         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         .,~^§$#@##
#@#$§^~,..         ^ the wolf pool exists ^         ..,~^§$#@#
@#$§^~,...         ^ in a stale timeline, ^         ...,~^§$#@
#$§^~,....         ^  branched way back   ^         ....,~^§$#
$§^~,.....         ^  when kirugu vargir  ^         .....,~^§$
§^~,......         ^  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.        ,¨¨.,¨¨..,
«,,,¨.¨.,¨                                          ¨,.¨.¨,,,«
/«,¨¨..¨,,                                          ,,¨..¨¨,«/
%:»:¨¨,.,¨                                          ¨,.,¨¨:»:%
$%;»,,¨,,,                                          ,,,¨,,»;%$
§%*;-.¨,,,                                          ,,,¨.-;*%§