@¨¨¨¨¨@¨¨¨ ¨@¨¨@@¨¨¨¨
¨@¨¨¨¨¨@¨¨ ¨¨@¨@@@¨¨¨
¨¨@¨¨¨¨¨@¨ ¨¨¨¨@¨@@¨¨
¨¨¨@¨¨¨¨¨@ ¨¨¨¨¨¨@@@¨
¨¨¨¨@¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨@¨@@
@¨¨¨¨@¨¨¨¨ # ==================== # ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨@@
@@¨¨¨¨@¨¨¨ \ 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. &.¨,..,¨¨.
£,&¤.¨.¨&¨ ,@,¨...,¨¨
.¨¤§#,,¨.£ ..§¨,,,,¨.
.,¤,#£,¨., ¤¨¨&,,.,,¨
¨.¨.&££.¨¨ ¤&.¨&.,,,.
.¨¨.&¨@£,¨ ,&£¨¨#,.,¨