....^==££#                                          #££==^....
..«^$£@###                                          ###@£$^«..
..«^=$£@##                                          ##@£$=^«..
..«^=$£@##                                          ##@£$=^«..
.......«=£                                          £=«.......
..«^=$£@##         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ##@£$=^«..
..«^=$£@##         ^ the wolf pool exists ^         ##@£$=^«..
..«^=$£££#         ^ in a stale timeline, ^         #£££$=^«..
.....^^^$£         ^  branched way back   ^         £$^^^.....
..«^=$£@##         ^  when kirugu vargir  ^         ##@£$=^«..
....««=$££         ^  was almost barren,  ^         ££$=««....
......«==£ 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.        ##¶#§^†-,.
¨~~^=@££##                                          ##££@=^~~¨
.,,,.,;=*£                                          £*=;,.,,,.
,~/*£§####                                          ####§£*/~,
.^»/%§¤¶##                                          ##¶¤§%/»^.
.,~:%%¤###                                          ###¤%%:~,.