¨:~\†$¤@@@ @@@¤$†\~:¨
¨:~\†$¤@@# #@@¤$†\~:¨
:~\†$¤@@## ##@@¤$†\~:
¨¨::::~\†¤ ¤†\~::::¨¨
¨¨¨¨:\$¤¤@ @¤¤$\:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:\$$¤ # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ # ¤$$\:¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~\†$¤@@# \ the wolf pool exists \ #@@¤$†\~:¨
¨:~\$¤@@## \ in a stale timeline, \ ##@@¤$\~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:\$¤ \ branched way back \ ¤$\:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~\†$¤@@# \ when kirugu vargir \ #@@¤$†\~:¨
¨¨¨~~\\$$@ \ 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. #£==«,¨.¨¨
¨~«^^§&#@# #@#&§^^«~¨
¨:«*†$¤@@# #@@¤$†*«:¨
.,-\§¤¤@@# #@@¤¤§\-,.
.~-/§$£@#@ @#@£$§/-~.
¨.-\$¤££## ##££¤$\-.¨