.:~:†¤@¶##                                          ##¶@¤†:~:.
....:::~†@                                          @†~:::....
...::†††@@                                          @@†††::...
....:~~~†@                                          @†~~~:....
.:~:†¤@###                                          ###@¤†:~:.
.:::::¤¤@# 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.       ##¶@¤†:~:.
...:::¤@¶#                                          #¶@¤:::...
.:~:†¤@###                                          ###@¤†:~:.
.:~:†¤@¶##                                          ##¶@¤†:~:.
......~:¤@                                          @¤:~......
....:::¤¶¶                                          ¶¶¤:::....