»,........                                          ........,»
=»,.......                                          .......,»=
^=»,......                                          ......,»=^
£^=»,.....                                          .....,»=^£
§£^=»,....                                          ....,»=^£§
£§£^=»,...         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ...,»=^£§£
#£§£^=»,..         = 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.        ¨¨.^-†=%@£
##@$%/«-.¨                                          ¨.-«/%$@##
#@¶@@=:-,¨                                          ¨,-:=@@¶@#
##§¤%\=:,.                                          .,:=\%¤§##
£#%*=~~¨.,                                          ,.¨~~=*%#£
¤&%:«,,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,,«:%&¤