##¶£$%/~^¨                                          ¨^~/%$£¶##
##¶£$%/~^¨                                          ¨^~/%$£¶##
¶¶$$//~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~//$$¶¶
##¶£$%/~^¨                                          ¨^~/%$£¶##
££%%/^^^¨¨                                          ¨¨^^^/%%££
##¶£$%/~^¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨^~/%$£¶##
££%%%%/~^¨         / 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.  ¨^»†$%@£##
#@#&@*=~:,       now its wolves see further.        ,:~=*@&#@#
##@§%*†=~.                                          .~=†*%§@##
@§¤;«~,,,,                                          ,,,,~«;¤§@
##£#§§;-.¨                                          ¨.-;§§#£##
##£&$*\»,.                                          .,»\*$&£##
@£^~.¨....                                          ....¨.~^£@