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