&&&¨&&&¨&& &¨¨&¨¨¨&&¨
&¨&¨&¨&¨&& ¨&¨¨&¨¨&&¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&& ¨¨&¨¨&¨&&¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&& &¨¨&¨¨¨&&&
&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨ ¨&¨¨&¨¨&¨&
&&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¨¨&¨¨&¨¨¨&
¨&&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ^ 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$-^¤a£sudden*&awareness# .,,.,.@,
¤,,§.£§,¨. #@of%¤exactlyhow£they#had@traveled,$# .,¨,,,..#£
£§.¨,@&@,¨ #£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. #&.¨£¨¨§.¨
,¤.@&,¨... £&£,,@¨.§¨
.,.¤#¤,¨,. £.#&¨¨£.,#
§,¨&,§&,., ..&§¤.¨§,.
¨£.,¨@#£¨, .,&.¤@.¨&¨
.,&..#¨#¤, ,¨¨,##£.,&