¨¨¨¨.~/%$£                                          £$%/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.~/%$£@                                          @£$%/~.¨¨¨
¨¨.~/%$£@@                                          @@£$%/~.¨¨
¨.~/%$£@@#                                          #@@£$%/~.¨
¨¨.~/%$£@@                                          @@£$%/~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~/%$£@         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         @£$%/~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~/%$£         / the wolf pool exists /         £$%/~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~/%$         / 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.       ^=:,...¨¨¨
¨¨¨.,,¨¨.«                                          «.¨¨,,.¨¨¨
.,.,,...,,                                          ,,...,,.,.
¨,.¨¨¨¨,..                                          ..,¨¨¨¨.,¨
,¨,¨¨¨¨,,,                                          ,,,¨¨¨¨,¨,
,.,.¨.,,,¨                                          ¨,,,.¨.,.,