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