¨¨.~:*$£¶#                                          #¶£$*:~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~:*$£¶                                          ¶£$*:~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~:*$£                                          £$*:~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~:*$                                          $*:~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.~:*                                          *:~.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~:         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         :~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~         : the wolf pool exists :         ~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~:         : in a stale timeline, :         :~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.~:*         :  branched way back   :         *:~.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~:*$         :  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.       ##¶¤@†;~^¨
¨.-=\=@&£#                                          #£&@=\=-.¨
.¨.,~:$$££                                          ££$$:~,.¨.
,¨,,,~*=££                                          ££=*~,,,¨,
¨..,,.-\†¤                                          ¤†\-.,,..¨
,.¨¨¨,-~/†                                          †/~-,¨¨¨.,