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