&.&....... &.&.&..&..
&&&&...... &&&&&&.&&.
&...&..... &.....&&.&
.&..&&.... &&....&.&&
&&&.&.&... &.&...&&&.
&..&&&&&.. # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # &&&&..&..&
.&.&....&. : 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. ,.,¨¤&£,£¤
¨.,,.§¨.#, ,¨.,¤¨¨§¤,
...,¨@&¨¤@ ¤¨,¨££,@,@
@..,.£¨§#¨ ,@¨.@¨@¤&&
¨§..¨&@§¨@ ,##.&#§..¨
¨#§,.£,,@@ ,£.#§,.£¨.