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