.......«:$                                          $:«.......
......«:$@                                          @$:«......
.....«:$@¤                                          ¤@$:«.....
....«:$@¤¶                                          ¶¤@$:«....
...«:$@¤¶#                                          #¶¤@$:«...
..«:$@¤¶##         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ##¶¤@$:«..
...«:$@¤¶#         : 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.       ¤†/»:,,¨¨.
¨,....:-;%                                          %;-:....,¨
.,,,..,~«:                                          :«~,..,,,.
,,..,¨¨¨^=                                          =^¨¨¨,..,,
¨¨,,¨¨¨¨.-                                          -.¨¨¨¨,,¨¨
,...,¨,¨,,                                          ,,¨,¨,...,