¨^~~~///£#                                          #£///~~~^¨
¨^~/$£@###                                          ###@£$/~^¨
¨^~/$£####                                          ####£$/~^¨
¨¨¨¨^/$£##                                          ##£$/^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~$£@#                                          #@£$~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~/£@         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         @£/~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~/$£####         / the wolf pool exists /         ####£$/~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨~$$£#         / in a stale timeline, /         #£$$~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~~$$@         /  branched way back   /         @$$~~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨^~/$$££@         /  when kirugu vargir  /         @££$$/~^¨¨
¨^~/$£@###         /  was almost barren,  /         ###@£$/~^¨
¨^~/$@####  comprised mostly of rock and arid soil, ####@$/~^¨
¨^~/$££@@@  and plants were only starting to grow,  @@@££$/~^¨
¨^~/$£@###         /        at all...     /         ###@£$/~^¨
¨^~/$£@###         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ###@£$/~^¨
¨.¨,,~;§£@                                          @£§;~,,¨.¨
....^~»:££     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.       §££^^\*-,¨
..,¨,~~$¤@                                          @¤$~~,¨,..
....-=$$@£                                          £@$$=-....
¨,,,,-*$¤@                                          @¤$*-,,,,¨
¨,-†*¤@@##                                          ##@@¤*†-,¨
¨:~/$£#£##                                          ##£#£$/~:¨