.:»\†$£#@#                                          #@#£$†\»:.
....:\†£££                                          £££†\:....
.:»\†$£#@#                                          #@#£$†\»:.
.:»»»»»\$£                                          £$\»»»»»:.
....:\\$££                                          ££$\\:....
....»†$$#@         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         @#$$†»....
....:»†$$#         \ the wolf pool exists \         #$$†»:....
.:»\†$£#@#         \ in a stale timeline, \         #@#£$†\»:.
.....:\\†£         \  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.        ##£#**:«,¨
,.»:†@#@##                                          ##@#@†:».,
,,»=%**¤@@                                          @@¤**%=»,,
¨,«:§$&£##                                          ##£&$§:«,¨
.,..«^=/=&                                          &=/=^«..,.
,.~**%£¶##                                          ##¶£%**~.,