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