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