The drumbeat shakes the snow piles, causing snow from the slopes of the mountains on either side to fall from time to time, startling bears, wolves, dogs, and deer...
In the white world, six brown-gray columns march in sync with the drumbeat and trumpets.
Occasionally, someone might slip and fall or suddenly lose strength due to exhaustion, but nothing stops this team's march.
On the foothills, through the canyons, across frozen streams, snake-like columns of marching troops keep moving forward.
They pant heavily, rhythmic puffs of white steam exhaling from their mouths and noses.
This is the breathing technique; in the Holy Alliance Army, one cannot leave the training camp without reaching at least the basic level of this breathing technique.
If after two terms one still cannot achieve even the first stage of breathing technique, they might be sent back home.
That would be a lifelong stigma, though it won't be recorded in the files.
