¨,«\%£¤£££                                          £££¤£%\«,¨
¨,«\%£¤£##                                          ##£¤£%\«,¨
¨¨¨,««%¤££                                          ££¤%««,¨¨¨
¨,«\%£¤¤£#                                          #£¤¤£%\«,¨
¨,«\%£¤£##                                          ##£¤£%\«,¨
¨,,««%%££¤         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ¤££%%««,,¨
¨,«\%£¤£##         \ 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.       ###¤¤=†~,,
,,=*†§£#¶#                                          #¶#£§†*=,,
.-=/=£¤¶@@                                          @@¶¤£=/=-.
.¨¨,,.^/^#                                          #^/^.,,¨¨.
,,¨.,†£@@@                                          @@@£†,.¨,,
.-~/%¤####                                          ####¤%/~-.