¨:«^^%&&@@ @@&&%^^«:¨
¨:«^%&¤@@# #@@¤&%^«:¨
¨:«^%&¤@@@ @@@¤&%^«:¨
¨:«^%&¤@@# #@@¤&%^«:¨
¨¨¨¨¨:^&@@ @@&^:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨::^&¤ # «««««««««««««««««««« # ¤&^::¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:«^&&¤ ^ 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, ##@&$%^~-¨
¨^»;†*§@## ##@§*†;»^¨
,,~/%@£### now the reach of the pool has widened. ###£@%/~,,
,,=/*%£¶## now its wolves see further. ##¶£%*/=,,
¨,-*%¤££@# #@££¤%*-,¨
.--/%§£@@# #@@£§%/--.
¨:=/%%¤### ###¤%%/=:¨
¨:~:§*¤@## ##@¤*§:~:¨
.:=-:=$£@@ @@£$=:-=:.