¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~« «~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«: :«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«:£ £:«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«:£& &£:«~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«:£&@ # «««««««««««««««««««« # @&£:«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«:£&@@ : 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. *\-~¨.¨¨¨.
.,,¨.,~\@& &@\~,.¨,,.
¨¨,,.-;@@£ £@@;-.,,¨¨
.¨¨.-;¤&¶@ @¶&¤;-.¨¨.
,..»:¤¤£## ##£¤¤:»..,
¨,=^@@@### ###@@@^=,¨