¨¨.~:§&&¶#                                          #¶&&§:~.¨¨
¨¨¨.~:§&&¶                                          ¶&&§:~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~:§&&                                          &&§:~.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~:§&                                          &§:~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.~:§                                          §:~.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~:         # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #         :~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~         : 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.        @#*=†~:,,.
¨,,~*%&£@#                                          #@£&%*~,,¨
,~~=%%#¶##                                          ##¶#%%=~~,
.,~=/$&###                                          ###&$/=~,.
¨,¨:»=*%§£                                          £§%*=»:¨,¨
.¨,,~»=%@@                                          @@%=»~,,¨.