#@¶¤£%/=,.                                          .,=/%£¤¶@#
@¶¤£%/=,..                                          ..,=/%£¤¶@
#@¶¤£%/=,.                                          .,=/%£¤¶@#
@¶¤£%/=,..                                          ..,=/%£¤¶@
#@¶¤£%/=,.                                          .,=/%£¤¶@#
@¶¤£%/=,..         # ==================== #         ..,=/%£¤¶@
#@¶¤£%/=,.         / 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.        .,-~/%$¤##
#@@£*%/--¨                                          ¨--/%*£@@#
#@@§*/-~.,                                          ,.~-/*§@@#
#@@¤$=*»,¨                                          ¨,»*=$¤@@#
@##§^=~,,¨                                          ¨,,~=^§##@
##£#@^^~-.                                          .-~^^@#£##