Everything seemed to move so fast but, so slow all at the same time as things fell into chaos. For the first time since Cora was born, she could not turn to her brother in her time of fear. As Finnick was what she feared at that moment. With each passing second, the boy became unrecognizable. He grew another foot and a half, his muscles made him seem twice as big, and his already fierce features became even more prominent. His Canines became fangs that stuck out from his upper lip. His eyes and hair were stuck on a brilliant red that screamed danger to the shivering man before them. What he once called hands were now long claw-like extremities ready to tear their false Father apart.
"Shetter, you have the worst luck of anyone else in this village. You must be mad to willingly approach me on the day I found out the truth. That you just could not keep your filthy hands off of my little sister when I was not here to protect her." the words sounded truly animalistic as they spewed angrily at the disgusting nymph who had stopped in his tracks. Before anyone could speak, Finnick had the older man by his throat and up in the air.
"I… I do-don't und-unders-stand!" the greasy-haired nymph squeezed out as he clawed at the arm holding him in place.
"You are far more stupid than I thought. How do you not understand what you did to her?" Finnick growled into the man's face before he dropped him to the ground. His, much larger than normal, foot plunged into Shutter's stomach and sent to the older man flying backward.
Coridella was routed in place, fear permeated her very being. In front of her was a brother she loved but no longer recognized and the man who stole every ounce of her innocence. While she hated her false father, it was her brother who scared her the most. He was not inebriated as thrust his fist into the other man's face; unlike Shetter who was always on something when he acted.
Cora wanted to call out to her brother. She wanted to tell him that it was not worth it. That they were about to leave and they would never see the sleazeball again. However, the words got stuck in her throat as she watched Shetter hit one of the large trees of the forest. When she looked at her brother, the words would not go past her lips.
Just then, a new figure entered the clearing. His features were similar to the Finnick before his odd transformation. Galick had a primitive crossbow in his hand as he watched from the sidelines. Galick and Cora made eye contact and something on her face had him on edge. Something told her that he knew just as much as Finnick about the situation.
Galick was beyond pissed off when he arrived at the small clearing. Cora had been left alone on the front porch. Finnick was nowhere to be seen as two figures battled it out on the front lawn. One he identified as Shetter, the slimy son of a bitch who touched his little girl. The other looked much like a beast. One that he thought had long died out from the elven bloodline. He raised his crossbow and aimed it at the battling duo but was quickly shut down.
"NO! Galick! That thing is Finnick!" Coridella shouted as desperate tears ran down her face. Galick could not contain his shock as his mouth dropped open and his eyes bulged out of his head.
Instead of focusing on the fight, Galick made his way to the crying girl. However, that was quickly stopped by an upset Finnick. He moved, protectively, in front of Cora. If Galick had not been sure that the boy was his son before, he was then. It was an extremely rare trait of the elves to have another form when their loved ones were in danger, felt extreme anger, or were about to lose a battle. Galick guessed that Finnick felt two of the three at once as he protected his sister.
"Cora, you have to be the one to calm him down. You are the one he is trying to protect." Galick announced and Finnick glowered at the elf. His fangs bared in a fierce snarl aimed only at the worried Elf.
Cora was wracked with fear as she looked at her brother. He had always been large but the sheer size of Finnick sent a chill down her spine. Finnick was crouched in front of her, his sights set on their next target. Cora tentatively reached out a shaky hand and placed it on her brother's back. Deep red eyes turned to her in a flash with a glare. However, it quickly turned to worry at the enhanced Finnick recognized her. He pulled her into his large chest and held her to him like a mother would their baby.
"Finnick?" the words were so quiet that Cora wondered if her brother heard her query. However, Finnick adjusted her in his arms and raised a clawed hand to her face. He moved slow and wiped away the tears that had fallen one after the other from her eyes.
Cora took a deep breath before she looked into Finnick's eyes. She gasped when she saw their color. One of his eyes was still red as his anger and need to protect was very much still at the front of his mind. However, his other eye was a mix of various blues mixed together. The light blue showed his loyalty, the dark blue showed his trust in the person he looked at, and the navy blue showed that he wanted her to depend on him. They were the color mix he only showed when he was concerned for her.
"Finnick, you need to come back to your senses. Shetter is gone, he can't hurt us anymore."Cora said and refused to look at his unmoving form in the meadow a few feet away.
Galick watched the two in fascination as Finnick cuddled his little sister to his chest. His eyes had changed and something about them made Cora calm down. The fear she once held for Finnick in his new form was no more. The two were in their own little world as Cora helped Finnick come back to his senses.
"Wha-at happened?" Finnick rasped, his voice still holding its animalistic nature. Galick looked up in concern and found Finnick in control of himself. The teen's body had already started to deflate, his fangs and claws retracted, and his one red eye turned grey as exhaustion ate at him. In a matter of a few minutes, Finnick had returned to his normal size and cradled his sister to him.
"Finnick, there is no longer any doubt that you are my son. You just showed a trait of the Elves that is thought to be extinct except for me. It is called the Spori trait. When you are overcome with anger, the need to protect, or survival your body becomes enhanced. Our senses become heightened, our bodies become stronger, and anything that can be weaponized is. It also explains your hair but, not your eyes. For an Elf with the spori trait, our hair won't settle on a color before we have our first Brume (change). Your hair will stay that color now." Galick explained slowly, his brown eyes glued to Finnick.
Finnick was shocked but not as much as one would expect. He had already guessed the Elf was his sire. He was more shocked to learn of the Spori trait and that it was a part of him. It scared him as he remembered what he had done. He had scared Coridella, the one person he had always sworn to protect from everything. Finnick looked down at his sister with a sorrowful look on his face.
"Finnick, I can tell what you are thinking and it's not possible. The Spori trait at the end of the day is a defensive trait. It is meant to protect you and those you care for. If you are still worried, I can train you to control it at will. That way, it would be less like a carnal beast who runs on your dangerous emotions." Galick offered, his eyes sad as he spoke. Finnick didn't speak at first, just sighed as he took in his surroundings.
"Sounds good but, please tell me that I killed that slimy son of a cunt bugger." His eyes flickered various shades of red as they landed on Shetter's unmoving form.
"We have not had the chance to check and see if he was dead. You were the one that did that to him." the reprimanding tone was hard to miss as Galick spoke to the boy. However, Finnick was not in the mood and glared at the large man.
"When that man rapes your little sister in an inebriated haze between the daily sexual abuse, then we can talk." Finnick spat as he hugged his sister to his chest. Her head over his heart as he cradled her to him.
Time seemed to freeze for the Elf as the words seeped into his mind. Galick looked at the two with shock clear on his face. However, it was quick to change into pure hatred and anger. It ate away at him until he strutted over to the motionless body of Shetter. Nothing was said as Galick reeled his leg back. When he released the powerful kick, Shetter's head landed several feet away from the body. It had remained at the feet of its beheader.
"Damn," Finnick muttered as Galick paced back and forth in front of the house. He muttered unintelligible words as he walked the same path back and forth.
"Galick?" Finnick called out to his now-known father. Yet, it did nothing unlike the other times he found himself in the same position.
"Father!" the boy tried again with a slight cringe. He had not called the man father since he was a boy. He had called Galick father by accident and even then the Elf grinned like there was no tomorrow. It had the same effect and Galick turned to Finnick with a raised eyebrow.
"Finnick? Is there something wrong? Was I doing it again?" Galick shot off one question after the other. Finnick sighed in relief to see the brown-haired man back to normal. Finnick nodded as he rubbed Cora's back.
"Yeah, you spaced out a bit and were muttering again. We need to get inside and pack before I can take Cora to the shopping district." Finnick replied before he stood with the girl still in his arms.
Cora was content to stay right where she was as she listened to the heartbeat that always calmed her down. It had been a long day and it had only then reached noon. She just wanted to feel safe and know that her loved ones were fine for a bit longer. Finnick didn't seem to mind as he rocked her back and forth.
"Right, I came out here to tell you Sera and her mate wanted to come with us. I know you already bought a carriage but I didn't know how big it was. So, I brought some extra coin and figured you could either buy another small one or get one bigger one." the Elf explained and plopped a large mix of silver, copper, and gold in front of the boy. It landed there with a heavy thunk and both of the sibling's eyes grew large.
Neither man was prepared for the high-pitched squeal that escaped Cora. She bounded off of her brother's lap and did a small happy dance. The only person besides Galick that the siblings cared for was Sera. She had been a Godsend when their mother passed. Her simple apothecary was like a second home to them. The forge was the same, a home away from home.
"Hmm, I think we should all fit in the Vardo Caravan. They hold six and there is only five of us. I also bought three horses to pull it and a spare to ride." Finnick responded thoughtfully as he tried to return the money for the extra space. Vardo carriages were small living courters that were pulled by horses. They were meant to only hold one or two people. However, a Vardo Caravan's were for larger groups that needed one carriage.
"Keep it and consider it payment for the extra baggage," Galick said before he winked at the flabbergasted hatchling. Before Finnick could argue, Galick had used his magic and disappeared from sight. Finnick shook his head at the elder male before he followed his sister into the house.