¨¨¨=;††&&& &&&††;=¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨=†&&¶ ¶&&†=¨¨¨¨¨
¨:=;†%&¶## ##¶&%†;=:¨
¨:=;†%&¶## ##¶&%†;=:¨
¨:=;†%&¶## ##¶&%†;=:¨
¨:=;††%%&# 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. &††=:¨¨¨¨¨
¨:=;†%&¶## ##¶&%†;=:¨
¨¨¨¨¨:;%&¶ ¶&%;:¨¨¨¨¨
¨:=;†%&¶## ##¶&%†;=:¨
¨¨¨¨¨=†&&¶ ¶&&†=¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:;%¶ ¶%;:¨¨¨¨¨¨