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