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