,,,,,,,«$¤                                          ¤$«,,,,,,,
,,«†$$¤£££                                          £££¤$$†«,,
,,«†$$¤£@#                                          #@£¤$$†«,,
,,,««††$¤¤                                          ¤¤$††««,,,
,,«†$$¤£@#                                          #@£¤$$†«,,
,,,«††$$¤@         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         @¤$$††«,,,
,,,,«†$$£@         † the wolf pool exists †         @£$$†«,,,,
,,,,,«$$$¤         † in a stale timeline, †         ¤$$$«,,,,,
,,«†$$¤£@#         †  branched way back   †         #@£¤$$†«,,
,,«†$$¤@##         †  when kirugu vargir  †         ##@¤$$†«,,
,,«†$$¤£@#         †  was almost barren,  †         #@£¤$$†«,,
,,,«««$¤¤¤ comprised mostly of rock and arid soil,  ¤¤¤$«««,,,
,,,,««$$$£  and plants were only starting to grow,  £$$$««,,,,
,,«†$$¤£@#         †        at all...     †         #@£¤$$†«,,
,,,,,,,«$¤         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ¤$«,,,,,,,
.,«$££@###                                          ###@££$«,.
,¨¨,~-†££@     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.       ####£†;»^¨
..~\§@####                                          ####@§\~..
.~«*=%§@¶@                                          @¶@§%=*«~.
.,~†*%£@#@                                          @#@£%*†~,.
¨:«=%£#@@#                                          #@@#£%=«:¨
.¨,¨,~/$£@                                          @£$/~,¨,¨.