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