¨¨¨¨^~;%@#                                          #@%;~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~;%@                                          @%;~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^~;%                                          %;~^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~;                                          ;~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^~;%                                          %;~^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~;%@         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         @%;~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~;%@#         ; 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. ¨   @££=\«:¨,¨
,.,¨~«:%%§          -- ,  ~~- ,  «¨  -«  «          §%%:«~¨,.,
,,.¨,~~=**    ,   :~          ^                .    **=~~,¨.,,
,¨¨¨.¨,-=$        ,      .          .      *        $=-,¨.¨¨¨,
,,..,¨.,~^                                          ^~,.¨,..,,
,¨¨¨¨.^»^%                   ¨#,                    %^»^.¨¨¨¨,
.,.¨.~»\*¤                                          ¤*\»~.¨.,.
.,¨.,=/=%&                   and,                   &%=/=,.¨,.
,.,.~:§$#@                                          @#$§:~.,.,
,,~«*%%§@#  now the reach of the pool has widened.  #@§%%*«~,,
¨--\§&£###       now its wolves see further.        ###£&§\--¨
,¨-~†§$###                                          ###$§†~-¨,
,¨.,~/=£&@                                          @&£=/~,.¨,
.¨,,:~†§$£                                          £$§†~:,,¨.
,¨..¨^~†=$                                          $=†~^¨..¨,
¨,,¨.¨,~:%                                          %:~,¨.¨,,¨