.........^ ^.........
........^- -^........
.......^-/ /-^.......
......^-/$ $/-^......
.....^-/$% %$/-^.....
....^-/$%& --& &-- &%$/-^....
...^-/$%&@ @&%$/-^...
..^-/$%&@# the road is blocked. #@&%$/-^..
.^-/$%&@## two creatures, alive, and a burning ##@&%$/-^.
..^-/$%&@# car. the windshield is shattered, #@&%$/-^..
...^-/$%&@ from outside. @&%$/-^...
....^-/$%& &%$/-^....
.....^-/$% --& &-- %$/-^.....
......^-/$ &---------------------------& $/-^......
.......^-/ --& &-- /-^.......
........^- -^........
.........^ the womans name is -lynne-, she heads ^.........
.......... from the peninsula of kola - called ..........
.......... there long ago by the depth of the ..........
.......... boring hole, now again returning to ..........
.........^ denser civilization. but she is not ^.........
........^- human. she has long claws with which -^........
.......^-/ she picks out the flesh of her prey and /-^.......
......^-/$ tears at it with her teeth, blood $/-^......
.....^-/$% dripping onto the dirt road. she does %$/-^.....
....^-/$%& not look up from her killing. &%$/-^....
...^-/$%&@ @&%$/-^...
..^-/$%&@# her steed is -hornblende-, a dark #@&%$/-^..
.^-/$%&@## horse, a glowing panther. she's an ##@&%$/-^.
..^-/$%&@# extremely digitgrade thing, with a #@&%$/-^..
...^-/$%&@ polite face. while her regular (and now @&%$/-^...
....^-/$%& disinterested) mouth is responsible for &%$/-^....
.....^-/$% eating plant matter (mostly fatty %$/-^.....
......^-/$ fruits like avocado) her tail is $/-^......
.......^-/ carnivorous and has a mouth (and will?) /-^.......
........^- of its own. the entire tail is hollow -^........
.........^ and juicy, and feels wonderful inside. ^.........
.......... ..........
.......... --& &-- ..........
.......... ..........
.........^ ^.........
........^- -^........
.......^-/ /-^.......
......^-/$ $/-^......