£$§^«,....                                          ....,«^§$£
#£$§^«,...                                          ...,«^§$£#
##£$§^«,..                                          ..,«^§$£##
###£$§^«,.                                          .,«^§$£###
##£$§^«,..                                          ..,«^§$£##
#£$§^«,...         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ...,«^§$£#
£$§^«,....         ^ the wolf pool exists ^         ....,«^§$£
$§^«,.....         ^ in a stale timeline, ^         .....,«^§$
§^«,......         ^  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.       .¨...,¨-«/
*/~^.¨....                                          ....¨.^~/*
$**»^,..,,                                          ,,..,^»**$
§§$:«,¨,.,                                          ,.,¨,«:$§§
#¤¤**«,.¨¨                                          ¨¨.,«**¤¤#
##&$=^»~,¨                                          ¨,~»^=$&##