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