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