,^~†$§§£##                                          ##£§§$†~^,
,,^~†$§§£#                                          #£§§$†~^,,
,,,^~†$§§£                                          £§§$†~^,,,
,,^~†$§§£#                                          #£§§$†~^,,
,^~†$§§£##                                          ##£§§$†~^,
,,^~†$§§£#         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         #£§§$†~^,,
,,,^~†$§§£         † the wolf pool exists †         £§§$†~^,,,
,,^~†$§§£#         † in a stale timeline, †         #£§§$†~^,,
,^~†$§§£##         †  branched way back   †         ##£§§$†~^,
,,^~†$§§£#         †  when kirugu vargir  †         #£§§$†~^,,
,,,^~†$§§£         †  was almost barren,  †         £§§$†~^,,,
,,^~†$§§£#  comprised mostly of rock and arid soil, #£§§$†~^,,
,^~†$§§£##  and plants were only starting to grow,  ##£§§$†~^,
,,^~†$§§£#         †        at all...     †         #£§§$†~^,,
,,,^~†$§§£         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         £§§$†~^,,,
.,^~^§%£##                                          ##£%§^~^,.
.^~^^££#@#     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.        @£¤&=^»,¨,
,¨.^~:§£##                                          ##£§:~^.¨,
.,,~=*@&@@                                          @@&@*=~,,.
.^~\*@£¶##                                          ##¶£@*\~^.
¨¨~~/†$#£#                                          #£#$†/~~¨¨
,,¨.»;†$&@                                          @&$†;».¨,,