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