&&§/~-¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨-~/§&&
&§/~-¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨-~/§&
§/~-¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨-~/§
/~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~/
~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~
/~-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-~/
§/~-¨¨¨¨¨¨         / 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,                   ,,,~/%%@@#
##@¤£%*=~,                                          ,~=*%£¤@##
##¤¤$;»...  now the reach of the pool has widened.  ...»;$¤¤##
#£$§==,,,¨        now its wolves see further.       ¨,,,==§$£#
#%*:-^¨,..                                          ..,¨^-:*%#
&^:-~.¨¨¨.                                          .¨¨¨.~-:^&
**~,,¨.¨,.                                          .,¨.¨,,~**
*~^,,.¨,¨.                                          .¨,¨.,,^~*
«,,,,¨¨,¨,                                          ,¨,¨¨,,,,«