#@¤¤@**~^¨ ¨^~**@¤¤@#
¤¤@@@**~^¨ ¨^~**@@@¤¤
###¤@**~^¨ ¨^~**@¤###
##@¤@**~^¨ ¨^~**@¤@##
##@¤@**~^¨ ¨^~**@¤@##
##@¤@**~^¨ 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. ¨^~**@¤¤¤¤
@@@*^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^*@@@
##@¤@**~^¨ ¨^~**@¤@##
@@@¤@**~^¨ ¨^~**@¤@@@
#¤*~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~*¤#
###@@**~^¨ ¨^~**@@###