#¶¶§¤*:«~,                                          ,~«:*¤§¶¶#
###¶§¤*:~,                                          ,~:*¤§¶###
¶¶§§¤*:«~,                                          ,~«:*¤§§¶¶
#§§¤:«,,,,                                          ,,,,«:¤§§#
#¶¶§¤*:«~,                                          ,~«:*¤§¶¶#
¶§§*:~~~,, in  the  endless  winter  day,  on   the ,,~~~:*§§¶
#¶¤*:«~~,, crystal white  plains... we trudge along ,,~~«:*¤¶#
###¶§*:«~,  the train tracks... themselves slowly   ,~«:*§¶###
##¶§¤*:«~, snowed  over, in the  still hours  since ,~«:*¤§¶##
§*«,,,,,,,          the last supply train.          ,,,,,,,«*§
##¶§¤*:«~,                                          ,~«:*¤§¶##
§*«««,,,,,     bell-like sounds of the blinding     ,,,,,«««*§
##¶§¤*:«~, ground.  rifles attached  to  our wrist, ,~«:*¤§¶##
###¶§¤*«~, sharing in our  bloodstream.  my  husky, ,~«*¤§¶###
#¶§§¤*:«~,      my warm-coffee-in-cold-snow...      ,~«:*¤§§¶#
##¶§¤*:«~,                                          ,~«:*¤§¶##
##¶§¤*:«~, the  first  five  shots  you  can  spend ,~«:*¤§¶##
§¤¤¤:::«~, indiscriminately, they hurt  but deal no ,~«:::¤¤¤§
###¶¤*:«~, long  time damage  to  the shooter.  the ,~«:*¤¶###
#¶§¤¤*:«~, next  five you  must  spend wisely, they ,~«:*¤¤§¶#
§*:«~,,,,, will take  days to heal. the final  five ,,,,,~«:*§
§¤**:«,,,, you    must    not    spend   at    all. ,,,,«:**¤§
§§¤**::«~,                                          ,~«::**¤§§
##¶§¤*:«~, weeks earlier, in the weak  autumn dawn, ,~«:*¤§¶##
###¶§¤*:«~ in  the  blue-gray  fog...  something is ~«:*¤§¶###
§*:«~~,,,, burning  with  a   deep  crimson  flame, ,,,,~~«:*§
##¶§¤*:«~,       untameable by water or wind.       ,~«:*¤§¶##
##¶§¤*:«~,                                          ,~«:*¤§¶##
§¤¤*«,,,,,                                          ,,,,,«*¤¤§
#¶§§¤*:«~,                                          ,~«:*¤§§¶#
##¶§¤*:«~,                                          ,~«:*¤§¶##
§§*:~,,,,,                                          ,,,,,~:*§§