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