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