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