##@@£%/~..                                          ..~/%£@@##
###@@%/~..                                          ..~/%@@###
##@@£%/~..                                          ..~/%£@@##
@£/~......                                          ......~/£@
@£%~~~....                                          ....~~~%£@
@£/~~.....         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         .....~~/£@
##@@£%/~..         / 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.  ..,¨,,~*&£
#£$%*=¨¨.,        now its wolves see further.       ,.¨¨=*%$£#
§*»=»~.¨¨,                                          ,¨¨.~»=»*§
#@£§**:»~,                                          ,~»:**§£@#
#¶&*§==~.¨                                          ¨.~==§*&¶#
£=~«~~.,.¨                                          ¨.,.~~«~=£
££*=-¨¨,¨¨                                          ¨¨,¨¨-=*££