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