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