,,~††$#@##                                          ##@#$††~,,
,,~†††$###                                          ###$†††~,,
,,~††$@###                                          ###@$††~,,
,,,,~~~††#                                          #††~~~,,,,
,,~††$#@##                                          ##@#$††~,,
,,~††$####         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ####$††~,,
,,~†††$###         † the wolf pool exists †         ###$†††~,,
,,~††$#@##         † in a stale timeline, †         ##@#$††~,,
,,~††$#@##         †  branched way back   †         ##@#$††~,,
,,~††$#@##         †  when kirugu vargir  †         ##@#$††~,,
,,~††$#@##         †  was almost barren,  †         ##@#$††~,,
,,~††$#@##  comprised mostly of rock and arid soil, ##@#$††~,,
,,~††$@###  and plants were only starting to grow,  ###@$††~,,
,,,~~†$$@#         †        at all...     †         #@$$†~~,,,
,,,,,~†$@@         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         @@$†~,,,,,
,«;*$&@###                                          ###@&$*;«,
,,=^**¤@§@     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.  &¤%;*~,.,.
,^=/$§¤¶@#        now its wolves see further.       #@¶¤§$/=^,
,...~»:@§£                                          £§@:»~...,
.~~:=§&###                                          ###&§=:~~.
.,,,¨¨:^*¤                                          ¤*^:¨¨,,,.
¨-»†^%¤¶##                                          ##¶¤%^†»-¨
¨.-/%££¶##                                          ##¶££%/-.¨