........:~ ~:........
.........: :.........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ~~@ @~~ ..........
.......... ..........
.......... 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. =:~:......
.....:~:=% %=:~:.....
....:~:=%@ ~~@ @~~ @%=:~:....
...:~:=%@# #@%=:~:...
..:~:=%@## ##@%=:~:..
.:~:=%@### ###@%=:~:.
..:~:=%@## ##@%=:~:..
...:~:=%@# #@%=:~:...