As she began her molt, Vasili scanned the room, finally realizing that it had been mostly cleared out. Only Elias, Cassie, Maranda, and a few trusted staff members, including the bouncer, remained.
He took a deep breath and started pestering the Ram for answers, his thoughts swirling with questions. 'Why did that random Chimera attack me out of nowhere? And why did she seem so... weak?'
Looking down, he noticed her skin began to take on a golden hue, more and more scales emerging across her body.
To Vasili, it appeared as if she were assimilating into his form, yet the gouge in her forehead remained. He questioned why he had done that, but it felt instinctual, something he couldn't explain—similar to a man's first boner, you just 'knew' what to do with it.
By 'marking' her with his own 'Crown', he claimed her as a member of his... 'What should I call it? My pack? No, Werewolves use pack.'
Thinking for a moment, he decided to halt his decision on a term, as there were so many better terms for a group- a murder of crows, a pride of lions, or a parliament of owls.
He wasn't sure what to call their group, but she was 'His' until he died or released her. Vasili realized he had effectively "Blooded" her in their species' unique way.
Her body began to emit a bright glow, similar to the one Vasili emitted, as her scream pierced the silence, filling the air with terror.
Passers-by seemed to stop and look for the source for a moment before their expressions would 'blank', then they would continue walking like they hadn't heard a damn thing.
Vasili realized some form of magic was being used on them, also, noting that his amulet wasn't damaged in the fire which had scorched the floor around him, resembling a rocket's blackened launch pad.
He knew her screaming was something that would pass, she wasn't like him-she wasn't born to the power she now possessed. Shaking off the thoughts of her pain, he reached inside, noticing that something had changed. There was a thumping within his chest, but it wasn't coming from the usual left side, but the right side. A structure had been built by his body, a formless thing in which a stream flowed, brimming with power, he felt the stream ending inside of his body, granting him greater strength.
It was his Essence.
----------------------
A few minutes later, her screams declined to a 'reasonable' level of crying. Elias knew that whatever was happening in front of him, would need to be kept under wraps, which is why he had made sure nobody intervened and had activated every ward on the block. He made sure nobody they didn't want to see, would notice this event-the strongest 'disinterest spellwork' available was active.
Waves of power emanated from Vasili, ones he noticed when his brother had clutched his chest while appraising the rubble.
The eruption of Dragon's Fire from every pore that followed was unprecedented, leaving Elias baffled and concerned. He knew he had to contact his father for guidance.
Elias quickly sent the video he had been recording to his Father's 'War Council' group chat, grateful for his generation's instinct to 'Film the end of the world through the lens of an iPhone.'
With the upload complete, Elias returned his focus to Vasili, who appeared bewildered as he stood over the girl who had, moments ago, tried to kill him.
Her sobs stopped and she began to stir because Maranda had the speaker on her phone at full volume, the voice on the other end screeching, "WHAT IS GOING ON THERE?! I AM ON MY WAY, DON'T DO ANYTHING UNTIL I GET THERE!"
As the one-sided conversation ended, Maranda could finally focus on what was happening.
Vasili knelt down on one knee, her terror visible after she accidentally looked into his red irises. Immediately, she averted her gaze while trembling with fear, avoiding eye contact again at all costs.
He issued a silent command to her, demanding an explanation.
She broke down without a hint of resistance, her stammered words filled with confusion spewing out of her, "I-I-I-I felt you, Alpha," she began, "I felt... different... I don't know what happened, but I look like a monster now, yet I don't feel like one." She had changed, just like him.
Once sporting fur, her entire body was now covered with golden scales, combining the torso of a lion and the lower body of a ram. It was an unusual sight, but to Vasili, it felt natural, because this was what made their kind feared.
With a gentle brush of his talons along her scales, he noticed they were softer than his own.
She squirmed under his touch, but not in revulsion, as her laughter suddenly pierced the tension, "HAHAHAHAHAHA!" she giggled uncontrollably.
The laughter shattered the oppressive atmosphere. Taking the opportunity, Vasili introduced himself, "Hi, my name is Vasili."
She stopped laughing and managed to return his gaze without fear, before offering, "My name is Maya Sanchez, I live a few blocks over..." She drifted off as she realized the situation she was in, then added, "Did I attack you?"
Her face was a mix of confusion and disbelief at her own actions, but Vasili wasn't going to hold a grudge, she was just a kid.
Before long, loud footsteps approached, and Vasili looked up to see a somewhat out-of-shape Werewolf and an aquatic being sprinting toward them at full speed.
The man dropped to all fours and roared, "GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER!!" as he leaped over the wall.
After landing beside her, he was shocked by her altered form but acted as if their lives depended on him. He grabbed his daughter and threw her into her mother's arms over 20 feet away.
As she flew through the air, Maranda thought about intervening but she recognized Vasili's readiness to handle it, going as far as stopping their group's intervention by putting a hand up to them all.
Elias' group watched as the Werewolf moved at a blistering pace, punching out at Vasili, only for it to be effortlessly dodged.
Mr. Sanchez then swung an open hand, trying to get some form of damage onto Vasili's body before he retaliated, only to find his claws skidding across the Chimera's naked form with no effect.
There was no effort to dodge now, as Vasili had even more confidence in his scales than before. He was sure they would stop any man-made ballistics caliber, let alone the claws of a pack-less Wolf.
Vasili stood there, taking a few swipes, when the father finally made an intelligent move by swiping UP.
His eyes widened as he evaded the attack on his 'family jewels,' only to be greeted by the voice of the girl's mother. She began an ethereal song, its form adapting to various tempos and rhythms, and sang a single word, "Stop." The song compelled her Werewolf husband to come to a standstill.
The 'fish lady' as Vasili referred to her, approached slowly, demonstrating a level of deference to Vasili's power that he hadn't expected, while simultaneously guiding her absent-minded husband away without making eye contact.
Vasili sensed her fear as he appraised her "subservient" outward expression. He still felt like himself-his actual 'self', not the unfeeling machine he had become for a while.
He tried to disarm the situation with a friendly gesture, reaching out his hand and flashing a warm smile as he spoke, "Hi! I am Vasili."
She was broken out of her trance-like motions by that, clearly expecting more violence or some sort of retaliation for her husband's assault. She bowed and spoke, "I apologize for my husband's actions, Sir Alpha, please, I beg for his forgiveness, as he cannot feel your power like I can."
Vasili blinked a few times in confusion, eager to understand what she meant but realizing the importance of diffusing the situation.
He raised his hands in a non-threatening manner and began, "I'm not upset, I promise! Oh, and sorry about the whole 'no pants' thing. I was kinda', well, 'on fire' a few moments ago, like, really blazing."
He scratched the back of his head, noticing that his casual tone had an immediate effect as she stood to full height, realizing she was taller than her 6-foot husband.
She nodded, "I have no issue with your 'magnificent appearance', Alpha," she looked back at her daughter's wide eyes, internalizing that she had taken to this 'man's' form in the few minutes that she had been out of their grasp.
Not knowing what that meant, she asked, "Alpha, would you mind explaining what has happened? I only ask because I have no knowledge of Chimeras." Her tone lowered, making it clear that it was a simple request and not a demand for information.
He shook his head, "I don't have a clue, not really. One moment I was feeling like myself again, then I had a panic attack, then I heard a voice telling me to, "claim her", so I guess that is what I did."
He was trying to get more information out of his Ram, but the thing was being as stubborn as a mule, making it clear that this was something he had to figure out on his own.