.....»\=$@                                          @$=\».....
....»\=$@@                                          @@$=\»....
...»\=$@@@                                          @@@$=\»...
..»\=$@@@#                                          #@@@$=\»..
...»\=$@@@                                          @@@$=\»...
....»\=$@@         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         @@$=\»....
.....»\=$@         \ the wolf pool exists \         @$=\».....
......»\=$         \ 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#¶   $;~^¨¨¨¨¨,
,,,,,.¨^=/  ##where@they@came,##@####and#then####   /=^¨.,,,,,
,¨..¨¨.¨,«   #####the#feeling#of#this=knowledge;~   «,¨.¨¨..¨,
¨¨¨,,¨.¨.~   «=being = stolen -« from «-« them. .   ~.¨.¨,,¨¨¨
¨.¨.,¨¨.-~          «~ ,  === ,  ~,  ,~  «          ~-.¨¨,.¨.¨
,¨¨,,¨,,«†    ^   ,,          -                ¨    †«,,¨,,¨¨,
¨.¨¨..,==$        ,      ¨          ¨      †        $==,..¨¨.¨
.¨¨.,-~*§%                                          %§*~-,.¨¨.
¨,,.:-*=%&                   .#¨                    &%=*-:.,,¨
,,,^»*%¤#£                                          £#¤%*»^,,,
¨.:»^=%££@                   and,                   @££%=^»:.¨
,.«†^§#@##                                          ##@#§^†«.,
,.,=\$¤###  now the reach of the pool has widened.  ###¤$\=,.,
,¨¨:~†$%§£       now its wolves see further.        £§%$†~:¨¨,
,.,¨~~;=%£                                          £%=;~~¨,.,
,..,,,»=†¤                                          ¤†=»,,,..,
,¨,¨,.:-^§                                          §^-:.,¨,¨,
,¨¨.,,¨-=:                                          :=-¨,,.¨¨,
¨.¨,,.,,^-                                          -^,,.,,¨.¨