.......~*§                                          §*~.......
.^~†*£§@@#                                          #@@§£*†~^.
.^~†*£§@@#                                          #@@§£*†~^.
.....^†*§@                                          @§*†^.....
.^~†*£§@@#                                          #@@§£*†~^.
.^~†*£§@@#         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         #@@§£*†~^.
.^~†*£§@##         † 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.       ##¶@@*†~^¨
¨¨.¨.=\&@£                                          £@&\=.¨.¨¨
.,.~^~»*§@                                          @§*»~^~.,.
¨--†*@¤£@#                                          #@£¤@*†--¨
,.«*†&@@##                                          ##@@&†*«.,
..=\%*†%&#                                          #&%†*%\=..