,@,@,,@,@,                                          ,,,,,,@,@,
@@,@,@@,@,                                          ,,,,,@@,@,
,@,@,,@,@,                                          ,,,,@,@,@,
@@,@,@@,@,                                          ,,,@@,@,@,
,@,@,,@,@,                                          ,,@,@,@,@,
@@,@,@@,@,         # »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» #         ,@@,@,@,@,
,@,@,,@,@,         ; 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.        ,££¨&¨#¨§.
¨§.#,.&¨&¨                                          ,,&.§.¤¨£.
¤§.@¨@§.£¨                                          ¨¤§,§.¤,@.
.¤.&¨.¤¨#,                                          ..¤.#¨&¨£¨
££.§.@§¨&¨                                          ¨&&¨&,&¨@¨
,@¨#¨.&,&,                                          ,¨#.£.@¨£,