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