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