#£@*$\=~..                                          ..~=\$*@£#
##£@*$\=~.                                          .~=\$*@£##
#£@*$\=~..                                          ..~=\$*@£#
£@*$\=~...                                          ...~=\$*@£
@*$\=~....                                          ....~=\$*@
£@*$\=~...         # ==================== #         ...~=\$*@£
#£@*$\=~..         \ the wolf pool exists \         ..~=\$*@£#
##£@*$\=~.         \ 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.        ..¨,«/^§@@
#£=;».,,..                                          ..,,.»;=£#
£&@=*«,¨,,                                          ,,¨,«*=@&£
@#&§=:~~.¨                                          ¨.~~:=§&#@
####&^=».,                                          ,.»=^&####
#£§%$==,,¨                                          ¨,,==$%§£#