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