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