¨§¨§¨¨§§¨¨                                          ¨¨§¨§¨§§§¨
§§¨§¨§¨§¨§                                          ¨§§¨§¨¨§§¨
¨§¨§¨§¨§¨¨                                          ¨¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
§§¨§¨§¨§¨§                                          ¨§§¨§¨§¨§¨
¨§¨§¨§¨§¨¨                                          ¨¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
§§¨§¨§¨§¨§ 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.       ¨¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
§§¨§¨§¨§¨§                                          ¨§§¨§¨§¨§¨
¨§¨§¨§¨§¨¨                                          ¨¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
§§¨§¨§¨§¨§                                          ¨§§¨§¨§¨§¨
¨§¨§¨§¨§¨¨                                          ¨¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
§§¨§¨§¨§¨§                                          ¨§§¨§¨§¨§¨