¨~~/†£§@## ##@§£†/~~¨
¨~~/†£§@## ##@§£†/~~¨
¨~~/†£§@## ##@§£†/~~¨
¨~~/†£§@## ##@§£†/~~¨
¨~~/†£§§§@ @§§§£†/~~¨
¨¨¨~~/†££@ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # @££†/~~¨¨¨
¨~~/†£§@## / 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. ##¤§£†:~..
¨¨¨.¨-;;¤£ £¤;;-¨.¨¨¨
¨^»*§&¤@## ##@¤&§*»^¨
,~»=*&¤### ###¤&*=»~,
.,~†$£@#@# #@#@£$†~,.
,~:,^†%¤&£ £&¤%†^,:~,