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