#@¤$~~~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~~~$¤@#
###@¤$*~^¨                                          ¨^~*$¤@###
###@¤$*~^¨                                          ¨^~*$¤@###
###@¤$*~^¨                                          ¨^~*$¤@###
###@¤$*~^¨                                          ¨^~*$¤@###
##@$~~~¨¨¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨¨¨~~~$@##
###@¤$*~^¨         * the wolf pool exists *         ¨^~*$¤@###
###@¤$*~^¨         * in a stale timeline, *         ¨^~*$¤@###
#@@¤$$*~^¨         *  branched way back   *         ¨^~*$$¤@@#
###@¤$*~^¨         *  when kirugu vargir  *         ¨^~*$¤@###
@@¤**^¨¨¨¨         *  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.       ,.»^$£@###
@@@@¤†*»-.                                          .-»*†¤@@@@
###&£%†-.,                                          ,.-†%£&###
##@¤%†/=^¨                                          ¨^=/†%¤@##
£$*==†,...                                          ...,†==*$£
##@&&†:«,.                                          .,«:†&&@##