¨:~/^¤§@## ##@§¤^/~:¨
¨:~/^¤¤§@@ @@§¤¤^/~:¨
¨:~/^¤¤¤§# #§¤¤¤^/~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~^§ §^~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~/^¤§### ###§¤^/~:¨
¨:~/^¤§@@@ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # @@@§¤^/~:¨
¨:~/^^¤¤@# / 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. §%:«¨,¨.¨,
¨,-;*%#### ####%*;-,¨
¨-~==%¤¶## ##¶¤%==~-¨
,«;†$&#### ####&$†;«,
,~-†%@###@ @###@%†-~,
¨.»/%%§&@£ £@&§%%/».¨