@¨@¨¨¨@@¨@                                          ¨@¨@@¨¨¨¨¨
@¨@¨¨@¨@¨@                                          ¨@¨¨@¨¨¨¨@
@¨@¨@@¨@¨@                                          ¨@¨@@¨¨¨@¨
@¨@¨¨@¨@¨@                                          ¨@¨¨@¨¨@@¨
@¨@¨@@¨@¨@                                          ¨@¨@@¨@¨@¨
@¨@¨¨@¨@¨@         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ¨@¨¨@¨@¨@¨
@¨@¨@@¨@¨@         \ 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.       ,@.¨§,&¨¤.
§,#.@&.#¨@                                          ¨&.#£,¤¨@,
@¨@.,#,¤.#                                          ¨&.¨§.¤.¤¨
@¨@,§@,@.#                                          .§,§#¨¤.@.
@,@..@,¤¨&                                          ¨¤..£,@.§¨
§¨#,£&,¤,£                                          ¨@,¤§,£,#,