..@@@.@@.@ @@@.@.@@..
..@..@@.@@ ...@@@@.@.
..@@.@.@@. @..@...@@@
@.@.@@@@.@ @@.@@..@..
@@@@@...@@ @.@@.@.@@.
@....@..@. # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # @@@.@@@@.@
.@...@@.@@ \ 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. ¨#,§,¤.¨£¨
§..&,¤§&.£ .&¤££,¤@
¨§.&§¤..#& ¤&.¨,,¨¤§,
¨#£§..#.@, ¨¨@,¨,,¤¨#
&¤¨,#.@@&¤ @.#@¨.,£#&
¨.#¨&¤#¨.¨ .##.@¨.§.,