¨,-†*£¤###                                          ###¤£*†-,¨
¨¨,-†*£¤##                                          ##¤£*†-,¨¨
¨¨¨,-†*£¤#                                          #¤£*†-,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,-†*£¤                                          ¤£*†-,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,-†*£                                          £*†-,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,-†*         # -------------------- #         *†-,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-†         † 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.       ¤%†=»~....
.,,:~:§*¤@                                          @¤*§:~:,,.
¨¨,=**£&##                                          ##&£**=,¨¨
¨^-**%&@##                                          ##@&%**-^¨
.,-«:†@@¶#                                          #¶@@†:«-,.
¨¨,-~=^%@@                                          @@%^=~-,¨¨