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