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