###£@††~^.                                          .^~††@£###
¶@@@†~....                                          ....~†@@@¶
¶¶¶£@††~^.                                          .^~††@£¶¶¶
#¶¶£@††~^.                                          .^~††@£¶¶#
££††~~^...                                          ...^~~††££
##¶£@††~^.         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         .^~††@£¶##
##¶£@††~^.         † 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,                   ..==*%@###
#@££@=†-,,                                          ,,-†=@££@#
@§££%$;«,.  now the reach of the pool has widened.  .,«;$%££§@
#£$^»=»:..        now its wolves see further.       ..:»=»^$£#
##¶§%%/»-,                                          ,-»/%%§¶##
#@@@$*/-:,                                          ,:-/*$@@@#
£%§-~«»^..                                          ..^»«~-§%£
##@@%%\~,¨                                          ¨,~\%%@@##
###¶£%;«-.                                          .-«;%£¶###