#@£#&%;~:,                                          ,:~;%&#£@#
#@£#&%;~:,                                          ,:~;%&#£@#
#@£#&%;~:,                                          ,:~;%&#£@#
£#%%%%;~:,                                          ,:~;%%%%#£
##@£&%;~:,                                          ,:~;%&£@##
@@£#&%;~:,         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ,:~;%&#£@@
@@£#&%;~:,         ; 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.        ,,.¨.,~*££
@#¤&**\»..                                          ..»\**&¤#@
¤&%~,,,.,¨                                          ¨,.,,,~%&¤
#@=~¨.,.,.                                          .,.,.¨~=@#
##¶¤§*=~..                                          ..~=*§¤¶##
###¤%§:-.¨                                          ¨.-:§%¤###