......,~†§                                          §†~,......
.......,~†                                          †~,.......
........,~                                          ~,........
.......,~†                                          †~,.......
......,~†§                                          §†~,......
.....,~†§£         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         £§†~,.....
....,~†§£#         † 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.       *=^~,,.,,,
,¨,¨,.:=:*                                          *:=:.,¨,¨,
..,..,¨,«†                                          †«,¨,..,..
¨¨¨¨..¨.~-                                          -~.¨..¨¨¨¨
¨.,.¨¨,:-=                                          =-:,¨¨.,.¨
¨,,,¨¨-~/†                                          †/~-¨¨,,,¨