..§§.§..§§ .§...§..§.
..§§..§.§§ ..§...§..§
§.§§§...§. ...§...§..
..§.§§.... ....§...§.
....§§§... .....§...§
§...§.§§.. # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ......§...
.§....§§§. ^ 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. ¨,.¨¨,.¨#¨
,,¨§.,,¨&§ ¨¨.¨.,,¨¨&
§¨,¨#.¨¨&¨ .¨¨¨,¨¨..,
,#.,.&,,¨. ,,.,¨,¨,..
¨,&¨,.§.¨, ¨¨,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨.£.¨,¤¨. #¨¨,¨.,¨..