~^,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,^~
:~^,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,^~:
^:~^,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,^~:^
£^:~^,,,,,                                          ,,,,,^~:^£
@£^:~^,,,,                                          ,,,,^~:^£@
#@£^:~^,,, 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.       ,,,,^~:^£@
£^:~^,,,,,                                          ,,,,,^~:^£
^:~^,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,^~:^
:~^,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,^~:
~^,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,^~
^,,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,,^