##@£$*:«~.                                          .~«:*$£@##
@££$*«....                                          ....«*$££@
##@£$*:«~.                                          .~«:*$£@##
###@£*:«~.                                          .~«:*£@###
##@£$*:«~.                                          .~«:*$£@##
#@$$:~.... ««£                                  £«« ....~:$$@#
##@£$*:«~.                                          .~«:*$£@##
##@£$*:«~.           the road is blocked.           .~«:*$£@##
£$*«««~~.. two  creatures,  alive,  and  a  burning ..~~«««*$£
@@£*:«~...    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.  .~~««::**£
@££*««....                                          ....««*££@
###£$*:«~. ««£                                  £«« .~«:*$£###
##@£$*:«~.                                          .~«:*$£@##
£$$$:::«~.                                          .~«:::$$$£
#@@£$*:«~.                                          .~«:*$£@@#
££**:~~...                                          ...~~:**££
##@£$*:«~.                                          .~«:*$£@##