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