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