.........«                                          «.........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
.........«                                          «.........
........«;         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ;«........
.......«;*         ; 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.       %=*-:,¨.,,
¨.,,¨,,«:^                                          ^:«,,¨,,.¨
¨..¨.,,-~=                                          =~-,,.¨..¨
¨.¨.,,..:»                                          »:..,,.¨.¨
...,¨.,¨,.                                          .,¨,.¨,...
¨,¨¨.,,,.¨                                          ¨.,,,.¨¨,¨