,,.~††££##                                          ##££††~.,,
,,,.~††££#                                          #££††~.,,,
,,,,.~††££                                          ££††~.,,,,
,,,,,.~††£                                          £††~.,,,,,
,,,,,,.~††                                          ††~.,,,,,,
,,,,,,,.~†         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         †~.,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,.~         † 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.       †~^,¨,,¨¨.
.,,...,¨^»                                          »^¨,...,,.
,,¨..¨¨¨¨~                                          ~¨¨¨¨..¨,,
¨,,¨.¨,¨,=                                          =,¨,¨.¨,,¨
,.,¨.¨,:»†                                          †»:,¨.¨,.,
.,¨,¨,:~=†                                          †=~:,¨,¨,.