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