¶£*†^~:,,,                                          ,,,:~^†*£¶
#¶£*†^~:,,                                          ,,:~^†*£¶#
##¶£*†^~:,                                          ,:~^†*£¶##
#¶£*†^~:,,                                          ,,:~^†*£¶#
¶£*†^~:,,,                                          ,,,:~^†*£¶
£*†^~:,,,,         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         ,,,,:~^†*£
*†^~:,,,,,         ^ 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#     .¨..~*†%¤£
¤@%=«:..¨. #$of&£exactly@#how§they@had#traveled,@#  .¨..:«=%@¤
*%=»-¨...¨  #¤of@the¶way£home@@to#the#time#from@¶   ¨...¨-»=%*
*^=,¨.,,..   #£where#they#came,@@#####and@then#@@#  ..,,.¨,=^*
§^†~,..,..   #####the#feeling#of#this*knowledge=»   ..,..,~†^§
#¤=†~-¨.¨,   ~~being ~ stolen «= from =«» them. ¨   ,¨.¨-~†=¤#
#£$*=«-¨¨¨          ~« .  »«~ ¨  =¨  ~~  -          ¨¨¨-«=*$£#
#@§£**«:.,    ~   ,:          ~                ¨    ,.:«**£§@#
##@#§**-.¨        .      ¨          ¨      §        ¨.-**§#@##
#£@@*==-¨.                                          .¨-==*@@£#
#@**/»,¨.¨                    .#,                   ¨.¨,»/**@#
¤%*;=^¨..¨                                          ¨..¨^=;*%¤
&%†«,,..¨¨                   and,                   ¨¨..,,«†%&
^:--..,,¨.                                          .¨,,..--:^
@*=-,,,.¨¨  now the reach of the pool has widened.  ¨¨.,,,-=*@
@¤*†=^.,,.        now its wolves see further.       .,,.^=†*¤@
£@%†:~,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,~:†%@£
#¶¤£%=~-¨.                                          .¨-~=%£¤¶#
##¶#§*^«.,                                          ,.«^*§#¶##
#@£§†==.,¨                                          ¨,.==†§£@#
@£$%†~~¨¨.                                          .¨¨~~†%$£@