¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-«†                                          †«-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-«                                          «-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-                                          -¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨         † 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.       #£**»-¨¨,¨
¨,.,¨^~^*%                                          %*^~^¨,.,¨
,.¨,.¨,-^=                                          =^-,¨.,¨.,
..,.,,.^»=                                          =»^.,,.,..
¨,¨.¨,,¨.»                                          ».¨,,¨.¨,¨
.¨.,.,¨,.,                                          ,.,¨,.,.¨.