¨¨¨,»*%£@@                                          @@£%*»,¨¨¨
¨¨,»*%£@@#                                          #@@£%*»,¨¨
¨,»*%£@@##                                          ##@@£%*»,¨
¨¨,»*%£@@#                                          #@@£%*»,¨¨
¨¨¨,»*%£@@                                          @@£%*»,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»*%£@         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         @£%*»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,»*%£         * 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.       ¤*^^=-.¨.,
¨.¨^-/§%@@                                          @@%§/-^¨.¨
,.:«:%£&@#                                          #@&£%:«:.,
.,»;§%¤###                                          ###¤%§;»,.
¨.,-==%&@#                                          #@&%==-,.¨
,,,.~;%¤&#                                          #&¤%;~.,,,