&*;~...... ......~;*&
£&*;~..... .....~;*&£
££&*;~.... ....~;*&££
@££&*;~... ...~;*&££@
#@££&*;~.. ..~;*&££@#
@££&*;~... # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ...~;*&££@
££&*;~.... ; 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. .,..,.¨...
.,,.¨.,,¨. .¨,,.¨.,,.
¨¨,¨..¨,.. ..,¨..¨,¨¨
¨.¨¨,¨.¨,¨ ¨,¨.¨,¨¨.¨
,¨,,,...,. .,...,,,¨,
-¨,,,.,.,. .,.,.,,,¨-