##@¤£**«.¨                                          ¨.«**£¤@##
¤¤£*.¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨.*£¤¤
##@¤£**«.¨                                          ¨.«**£¤@##
##@¤£**«.¨                                          ¨.«**£¤@##
##@¤£**«.¨                                          ¨.«**£¤@##
#¤*««.¨¨¨¨         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ¨¨¨¨.««*¤#
¤***«««.¨¨         * 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.        ¨-~†§%£###
§£=^.¨,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,¨.^=£§
#%*$=~:,,¨                                          ¨,,:~=$*%#
&§\:,,¨¨,,                                          ,,¨¨,,:\§&
###¤£%*=:,                                          ,:=*%£¤###
#&&*:;~:¨¨                                          ¨¨:~;:*&&#