@£#§*:-^..                                          ..^-:*§#£@
#@£#§*:-^.                                          .^-:*§#£@#
@£#§*:-^..                                          ..^-:*§#£@
£#§*:-^...                                          ...^-:*§#£
#§*:-^....                                          ....^-:*§#
§*:-^.....         # -------------------- #         .....^-:*§
*:-^......         : 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.       ¨¨¨,,-~:*£
&@$*»:¨¨,,                                          ,,¨¨:»*$@&
#@£^†»~,,¨                                          ¨,,~»†^£@#
@¶#§**=^¨,                                          ,¨^=**§#¶@
####£*^».,                                          ,.»^*£####
@@¤¤§^~.¨,                                          ,¨.~^§¤¤@@