¨^=/**#### ####**/=^¨
¨¨¨^^//*## ##*//^^¨¨¨
^=/**##### #####**/=^
¨¨¨¨¨¨^=*# #*=^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨==*### ###*==¨¨¨¨
¨^=/**#### 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. ####**/=^¨
¨^=/**#### ####**/=^¨
¨^=/****## ##****/=^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^/*# #*/^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^=/**#### ####**/=^¨
¨¨¨¨¨==*## ##*==¨¨¨¨¨