..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ..........
.........,         ^ 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.        =,,¨¨,¨,,.
¨,¨,¨,¨.¨,                                          ,¨.¨,¨,¨,¨
¨,.,¨.¨.,,                                          ,,.¨.¨,.,¨
,¨,.¨.,...                                          ...,.¨.,¨,
.¨..¨,,.¨.                                          .¨.,,¨..¨.
¨,¨,¨.,¨,¨                                          ¨,¨,.¨,¨,¨