¨--*%§£@##                                          ##@£§%*--¨
¨¨--*%§£@#                                          #@£§%*--¨¨
¨¨¨--*%§£@                                          @£§%*--¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨--*%§£                                          £§%*--¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨--*%§                                          §%*--¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨--*%         # -------------------- #         %*--¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨--*%§         * 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,                   $%:»~..¨,,
¨,.,,~/=$&                                          &$=/~,,.,¨
¨,¨.~=%§§@  now the reach of the pool has widened.  @§§%=~.¨,¨
..:»†=%§##        now its wolves see further.       ##§%=†»:..
,,»^$¤£###                                          ###£¤$^»,,
..-==^¤¤@#                                          #@¤¤^==-..
.¨..«\%@¤#                                          #¤@%\«..¨.
¨,.,-»^%%#                                          #%%^»-,.,¨
,.¨..:~†§@                                          @§†~:..¨.,