..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ..........
..........         = 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.        ;~,,.,¨¨¨.
¨...¨.¨¨,~                                          ~,¨¨.¨...¨
,¨.,,¨,.,^                                          ^,.,¨,,.¨,
,¨¨¨,,¨,,¨                                          ¨,,¨,,¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨.¨¨¨¨,                                          ,¨¨¨¨.¨¨¨¨
,.....¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨.....,