#@£=/«:...                                          ...:«/=£@#
##@£=/«:..                                          ..:«/=£@##
###@£=/«:.                                          .:«/=£@###
##@£=/«:..                                          ..:«/=£@##
#@£=/«:...                                          ...:«/=£@#
@£=/«:....         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ....:«/=£@
£=/«:.....         / 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.       ,,¨,,~:*£§
#&%$^-^,,.                                          .,,^-^$%&#
###£$=»^,¨                                          ¨,^»=$£###
###£*$\~~,                                          ,~~\$*£###
##§&^†-:,¨                                          ¨,:-†^&§##
@§$†;=^...                                          ...^=;†$§@