###¤£$†~,¨                                          ¨,~†$£¤###
#£$~~,,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,,~~$£#
###¤£$†~,¨                                          ¨,~†$£¤###
###¤£$†~,¨                                          ¨,~†$£¤###
####¤$†~,¨                                          ¨,~†$¤####
#¤$†,,¨¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨¨,,†$¤#
####¤$†~,¨         † the wolf pool exists †         ¨,~†$¤####
###¤£$†~,¨         † in a stale timeline, †         ¨,~†$£¤###
##£$††,¨¨¨         †  branched way back   †         ¨¨¨,††$£##
###¤£$†~,¨         †  when kirugu vargir  †         ¨,~†$£¤###
##¤££$†~,¨         †  was almost barren,  †         ¨,~†$££¤##
###¤£$†~,¨ comprised mostly of rock and arid soil,  ¨,~†$£¤###
####¤$†~,¨  and plants were only starting to grow,  ¨,~†$¤####
###¤£$†~,¨         †        at all...     †         ¨,~†$£¤###
¤££†~~¨¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨¨~~†££¤
##@¤$$^«-.                                          .-«^$$¤@##
@@@&%*/-:,     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.        ,-«:*†*†*#
##¶@@§^-^¨                                          ¨^-^§@@¶##
##@£#*=*.¨                                          ¨.*=*#£@##
###@@%†«^.                                          .^«†%@@###
###£&£%«:,                                          ,:«%£&£###
#^~,¨.,.,,                                          ,,.,.¨,~^#