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