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