.,~/%¤¤@##                                          ##@¤¤%/~,.
..,~/%¤¤@#                                          #@¤¤%/~,..
...,~/%¤¤@                                          @¤¤%/~,...
....,~/%¤¤                                          ¤¤%/~,....
.....,~/%¤                                          ¤%/~,.....
......,~/%         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         %/~,......
.....,~/%¤         / 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.  £@$%;«.,,,
..^=**§@#@       now its wolves see further.        @#@§**=^..
,,~\†%####                                          ####%†\~,,
,.-»*=§¤¶#                                          #¶¤§=*»-.,
¨..:~;§§£#                                          #£§§;~:..¨
..¨¨~==%£¤                                          ¤£%==~¨¨..
,.,¨,~=\=$                                          $=\=~,¨,.,