####*%:~.¨                                          ¨.~:%*####
££##*%:~.¨                                          ¨.~:%*##££
#%~~~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~~~%#
##£#*%:~.¨                                          ¨.~:%*#£##
##***%:~.¨                                          ¨.~:%***##
##£#*%:~.¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨.~:%*#£##
#%:~¨¨¨¨¨¨         : 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*$$     ,,~*†%#@##
##¶#£%*».¨   into*the*pool,%their*thirst^flaring=   ¨.»*%£#¶##
#@@@*%/«..     *$^bright=-§$a%sudden£$awareness#    ..«/%*@@@#
@¶#@£^*~^. #%of§@exactly#@how@they@had£traveled,¤#  .^~*^£@#¶@
###§%†:=^,  #&of§the£way£home#@to@the@time#from@@   ,^=:†%§###
###%%~,,¨.   #¶where#they#came,#@@@#@@and#then@###  .¨,,~%%###
##@¤£^*»,.   #####the#feeling#of#this^knowledge^-   .,»*^£¤@##
#££%†^¨,.,   ~«being « stolen »~ from ~-« them. ¨   ,.,¨^†%££#
¤%*//\^=^,          «- ¨  ~«» .  »,  :-  -          ,^=^\//*%¤
##£§&$/~.¨    ,   ,.          ^                ,    ¨.~/$&§£##
#@@#$§:~.,        ¨      .          ,      =        ,.~:§$#@@#
##@£¤§†^.,                                          ,.^†§¤£@##
#%$†=*»=:.                    .#¨                   .:=»*=†$%#
@@#£&^=»,¨                                          ¨,»=^&£#@@
###&*$;~,.                   and,                   .,~;$*&###
#@#£%^/«:,                                          ,:«/^%£#@#
@&*~...,,.  now the reach of the pool has widened.  .,,...~*&@
£#@&£††=,.       now its wolves see further.        .,=††£&@#£
¶£%††*~¨,,                                          ,,¨~*††%£¶
##¶§$$=~-.                                          .-~=$$§¶##
#@£#£†=~,¨                                          ¨,~=†£#£@#
#@¶££%*~~.                                          .~~*%££¶@#
#@#§%%;«,¨                                          ¨,«;%%§#@#