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