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