£§\=,.....                                          .....,=\§£
@£§\=,....                                          ....,=\§£@
#@£§\=,...                                          ...,=\§£@#
##@£§\=,..                                          ..,=\§£@##
###@£§\=,.                                          .,=\§£@###
##@£§\=,..         # ==================== #         ..,=\§£@##
#@£§\=,...         \ 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.       ..¨.,...^~
†~~.¨.¨¨¨,                                          ,¨¨¨.¨.~~†
&^-:.¨¨,,,                                          ,,,¨¨.:-^&
&£\«:¨,.¨¨                                          ¨¨.,¨:«\£&
@££†=,.,,,                                          ,,,.,=†££@
#@§£:~:¨,.                                          .,¨:~:£§@#