¨¨¨..~~%@¶                                          ¶@%~~..¨¨¨
¨.†%*@¶###                                          ###¶@*%†.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~~%@                                          @%~~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~††**@#                                          #@**††~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~%@¶#                                          #¶@%~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.†*@¶¶ 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.       ###¶@*%~.¨
¨¨¨..†%%%@                                          @%%%†..¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~%@                                          @%~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~†%*@¶##                                          ##¶@*%†~.¨
¨.~†%*@¶¶¶                                          ¶¶¶@*%†~.¨
¨¨..††**¶¶                                          ¶¶**††..¨¨