..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
.........~                                          ~.........
........~=         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         =~........
.......~=§         = 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=-$$a¤sudden$&awareness#     #*†*~,¨¨,,
.,¨.,-~†=§  #§of&@exactly@#how#they§had£traveled,*# §=†~-,.¨,.
..¨¨,,^»/§  #£of§the£way#home##to@the#time#from##   §/»^,,¨¨..
¨,,..,¨,~/  #@where#they#came,@#@#@@#and#then####   /~,¨,..,,¨
.¨.¨.¨,¨.=   #####the#feeling#of#this%knowledge†~   =.¨,¨.¨.¨.
¨,.,,¨,.¨.   ~~being » stolen ~» from --- them. .   .¨.,¨,,.,¨
.,,,....¨.          «~ .  ~-- ,  ~.  :-  «          .¨....,,,.
¨...,,¨,..    .   ,.          -                ,    ..,¨,,...¨
¨,¨.,.¨..,        .      ,          .      %        ,..¨.,.¨,¨
¨¨¨¨.¨.,.:                                          :.,.¨.¨¨¨¨
,,.¨¨¨¨.,~                   .#¨                    ~,.¨¨¨¨.,,
¨,,¨..¨:»/                                          /»:¨..¨,,¨
..¨¨¨.^»**                   and,                   **»^.¨¨¨..
¨,,.,:=†=%                                          %=†=:,.,,¨
...¨,=;=%§  now the reach of the pool has widened.  §%=;=,¨...
¨¨..-==§§#       now its wolves see further.        #§§==-..¨¨
,,,~;*§@##                                          ##@§*;~,,,
,~~;%$&###                                          ###&$%;~~,
.¨-=*$$###                                          ###$$*=-¨.
,,¨.-=*$#@                                          @#$*=-.¨,,
.¨¨¨,=:%£&                                          &£%:=,¨¨¨.