.....¤¤... ......¤¤..
¤¤¤¤....¤. ¤¤¤¤¤....¤
¤¤¤..¤¤... .¤¤¤..¤¤..
.¤......¤¤ ..¤.......
...¤¤¤¤..¤ ¤...¤¤¤¤¤¤
.¤..¤¤.... # «««««««««««««««««««« # ..¤..¤¤¤¤.
.......¤¤¤ : 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. ¨.§¤@#£§&,
£¤¤#&..£&& §..¤££#&..
¨#&@..¨.§@ ¨,,.&£&.¨¨
¨.§,,@#.,& .&&¨,§,.&§
¨¨,¨,..¨¨¨ .¨...,,.,¨
§§§#¤£§##@ ¤&@@#¤¤#