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