¨,«†%¤¤£##                                          ##£¤¤%†«,¨
¨,«†††††¤¤                                          ¤¤†††††«,¨
¨,«†%¤¤£##                                          ##£¤¤%†«,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨««%¤                                          ¤%««¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«†%¤¤£##                                          ##£¤¤%†«,¨
¨,«†%¤¤£##         # «««««««««««««««««««« #         ##£¤¤%†«,¨
¨¨¨¨«†%%¤¤         † 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.       #@#&%%;~~.
¨,~\==&§%¤                                          ¤%§&==\~,¨
,¨^«~:**¤§                                          §¤**:~«^¨,
¨¨¨¨~:.»*&                                          &*».:~¨¨¨¨
¨¨,:/%†$$@                                          @$$†%/:,¨¨
¨^»/*%*&¤¤                                          ¤¤&*%*/»^¨