,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨         # ==================== #         ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨         \ 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.        ,¨.¨,,.,,,
.¨¨,,,,,.,                                          ,.,,,,,¨¨.
,...,,¨¨,¨                                          ¨,¨¨,,...,
,,.¨¨,..,,                                          ,,..,¨¨.,,
-~.¨,,¨..¨                                          ¨..¨,,¨.~-
:~^..¨¨,.¨                                          ¨.,¨¨..^~: