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