@@$$*~,,,,                                          ,,,,~*$$@@
##@&$*^~-,                                          ,-~^*$&@##
##@&$*^~-,                                          ,-~^*$&@##
@&**^-,,,,                                          ,,,,-^**&@
&&*~,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,~*&&
##@&$*^~-,         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ,-~^*$&@##
##@&$*^~-,         ^ the wolf pool exists ^         ,-~^*$&@##
##@&$*^~-,         ^ in a stale timeline, ^         ,-~^*$&@##
&&$***^~-,         ^  branched way back   ^         ,-~^***$&&
&$^~--,,,,         ^  when kirugu vargir  ^         ,,,,--~^$&
##@&$*^~-,         ^  was almost barren,  ^         ,-~^*$&@##
&**^^^^~-, 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.       ¨^-;§*@£@#
###¤$%^-~¨                                          ¨~-^%$¤###
###£&%=~,¨                                          ¨,~=%&£###
##@@$$:-,,                                          ,,-:$$@@##
##@@§*:»,.                                          .,»:*§@@##
##¶£@*/-,.                                          .,-/*@£¶##