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