¤$:~^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^~:$¤
&¤$:~^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^~:$¤&
£&¤$:~^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^~:$¤&£
#£&¤$:~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~:$¤&£#
##£&¤$:~^¨                                          ¨^~:$¤&£##
###£&¤$:~^ in   the  endless  winter  day,  on  the ^~:$¤&£###
##£&¤$:~^¨ crystal white plains... we trudge  along ¨^~:$¤&£##
#£&¤$:~^¨¨   the train tracks... themselves slowly  ¨¨^~:$¤&£#
£&¤$:~^¨¨¨ snowed over,  in  the  still hours since ¨¨¨^~:$¤&£
&¤$:~^¨¨¨¨          the last supply train.          ¨¨¨¨^~:$¤&
¤$:~^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^~:$¤
$:~^¨¨¨¨¨¨     bell-like sounds of the blinding     ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~:$
:~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~:
$:~^¨¨¨¨¨¨ indiscriminately, they hurt but deal  no ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~:$
¤$:~^¨¨¨¨¨ long time  damage  to  the  shooter. the ¨¨¨¨¨^~:$¤
&¤$:~^¨¨¨¨ next five you  must  spend wisely,  they ¨¨¨¨^~:$¤&
£&¤$:~^¨¨¨ will take days to  heal.  the final five ¨¨¨^~:$¤&£
#£&¤$:~^¨¨ you    must    not   spend    at    all. ¨¨^~:$¤&£#
##£&¤$:~^¨                                          ¨^~:$¤&£##
###£&¤$:~^ weeks earlier, in  the weak autumn dawn, ^~:$¤&£###
##£&¤$:~^¨ in  the  blue-gray  fog...  something is ¨^~:$¤&£##
#£&¤$:~^¨¨ burning  with  a   deep  crimson  flame, ¨¨^~:$¤&£#
£&¤$:~^¨¨¨       untameable by water or wind.       ¨¨¨^~:$¤&£
&¤$:~^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^~:$¤&
¤$:~^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^~:$¤
$:~^¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~:$
:~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~:
~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~