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