@¨¨@@¨¨@@¨                                          ¨@¨@¨¨@@@¨
@¨@¨@¨@¨@¨                                          ¨@¨@¨@¨@@¨
@¨@¨@¨@¨@¨                                          ¨@¨@¨@¨¨@¨
@¨@¨@¨@¨@¨                                          ¨@¨@¨@¨@@¨
@¨@¨@¨@¨@¨                                          ¨@¨@¨@¨¨@¨
@¨@¨@¨@¨@¨         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ¨@¨@¨@¨@@¨
@¨@¨@¨@¨@¨         \ 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.        .#.£.#¨§@¨
&.§,§¨§,£,                                          ,@¨£.#¨,@¨
&.£.&.£.@.                                          ,@¨#¨&¨@#¨
§¨¤¨£,¤.§,                                          .§,¤¨&..#.
£,§,¤¨&.¤.                                          .&¨&,£¨&§.
£.#,@¨¤.§¨                                          .@¨#.&¨.£.