,#,##,,,#, ####,,##,,
,###,#,,## ,,,,#,#,#,
,#,,###,#, #,,,######
###,#,,### ##,,#,,,,,
#,,###,#,, #,#,##,,,,
##,#,,###, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ,####,#,,,
#,###,#,,# ; 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. #£¤.,¤¨.@,
#.¨@,§,,#& ,.¨¤.£@.§£
¨§.#¤£@¨¤¨ ¨,¨&&#¨@¤,
,&&&¨,,££@ #.,¤,¨£§,&
§§¨.&.,¤,. ¨#¨#§¨&,@@
,¨¤¨¤§,§@. #§££¨@¤£@¨