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