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