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