£#£==».,,,                                          ,,,.»==£#£
#£#£==».,,                                          ,,.»==£#£#
##£#£==».,                                          ,.»==£#£##
#£#£==».,,                                          ,,.»==£#£#
£#£==».,,,                                          ,,,.»==£#£
#£==».,,,,         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ,,,,.»==£#
£==».,,,,,         = 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.        ,¨.....=:*
§^;~-,¨,,,                                          ,,,¨,-~;^§
§£†^~,.,,,                                          ,,,.,~^†£§
¶¤%%†~,..,                                          ,..,~†%%¤¶
#@§*†/-^..                                          ..^-/†*§@#
#@@§%†^~,,                                          ,,~^†%§@@#