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