##@#£†\-,.                                          .,-\†£#@##
##@#£†\-,.                                          .,-\†£#@##
@#†\,.....                                          .....,\†#@
#@££\\,...                                          ...,\\££@#
#£££†\,...                                          ...,\†£££#
###†-,,...         # -------------------- #         ...,,-†###
##@#£†\-,.         \ 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$sudden*&awareness#     .,~;=%%%#@
####¤£†^»~ #%of&¤exactly§#how@they&had&traveled,¤#  ~»^†£¤####
@§::^^»«,.   #£of&the£way#home¶¶to£the#time¶from@#  .,«»^^::§@
#@#@£=/~~,  ##where#they@came,@#@####and@then#@@#   ,~~/=£@#@#
#@%«,¨¨,.¨   #####the#feeling#of#this§knowledge==   ¨.,¨¨,«%@#
###£§^;»..   -»being = stolen -= from »~~ them. ¨   ..»;^§£###
#@@@$†;~,.          ~» .  ~~~ ,  -¨  .-  ~          .,~;†$@@@#
#@¶£@§:~.,    -   .~          ,                ¨    ,.~:§@£¶@#
£*^»,....¨        .      .          .      *        ¨....,»^*£
###§@$:»,¨                                          ¨,»:$@§###
##§¤$%;»-.                    .#.                   .-»;%$¤§##
##@£¤%;~,¨                                          ¨,~;%¤£@##
###§**/«,¨                   and,                   ¨,«/**§###
&£$§$%:»..                                          ..»:%$§$£&
###@¤¤;«~.  now the reach of the pool has widened.  .~«;¤¤@###
###¤*%†~,,        now its wolves see further.       ,,~†%*¤###
#£@@£^\~-¨                                          ¨-~\^£@@£#
##¶#§$*~.,                                          ,.~*$§#¶##
####%§=«-¨                                          ¨-«=§%####
¤^=-..,,.¨                                          ¨.,,..-=^¤
¶#@=*-,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,-*=@#¶