##£¤$%:»,.                                          .,»:%$¤£##
#££¤$%:»,.                                          .,»:%$¤££#
###£¤%:»,.                                          .,»:%¤£###
£¤$:,.....                                          .....,:$¤£
##£¤$%:»,.                                          .,»:%$¤£##
#¤$$%»....         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ....»%$$¤#
##£¤$%:»,.         : the wolf pool exists :         .,»:%$¤£##
###¤$%:»,.         : in a stale timeline, :         .,»:%$¤###
¤$%:»»»»,.         :  branched way back   :         .,»»»»:%$¤
£$%::,....         :  when kirugu vargir  :         ....,::%$£
###£¤$:»,.         :  was almost barren,  :         .,»:$¤£###
##£¤$%:»,.  comprised mostly of rock and arid soil, .,»:%$¤£##
£¤¤%%»,...  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,                   .,«=%$§@@#
##£¤£$:~^¨                                          ¨^~:$£¤£##
§§£&/«,,,,  now the reach of the pool has widened.  ,,,,«/&£§§
@@¶££*^=:,       now its wolves see further.        ,:=^*££¶@@
##@¶#£*=«.                                          .«=*£#¶@##
#@@¤£†==-.                                          .-==†£¤@@#
@$^/~:.¨¨.                                          .¨¨.:~/^$@
@#£#%%:~.¨                                          ¨.~:%%#£#@
#@*§§§:-^.                                          .^-:§§§*@#