"Enough," Scar snarled, his voice guttural, rattling the very air. "We tried the easy way… now we bring her in by force."
His eyes gleamed, feral and hungry, claws half-shifted, muscles coiled like a spring.
Sarah's lips curled, not quite a smile — more like a blade drawn in warning. "Try it," she hissed, "and I'll bury you both right here."
Hunter darted between them, one arm outstretched. "Scar, no! We can—"
Scar shoved him aside like dead weight and lunged, fist like a hammer aimed straight at her skull.
The room itself seemed to hold its breath, the air thick with the crackle of violence about to erupt.
Sarah didn't flinch. Not even a blink.
The moment he closed in, she caught his wrist mid-swing, her grip iron. With a smooth pivot, she twisted, dragging his momentum with her — then drove her elbow into his ribs.
CRACK.
Scar's body folded around the blow before being launched backwards, crashing into the far wall hard enough to rattle the frames. Dust rained down as he hit the floor in a heap, wheezing.
Hunter's eyes went wide. "...Holy shit."
Sarah straightened, her glare fixed on Scar. "Next time, I won't hold back."
Scar coughed, buried in the dust and rubble. Slowly, he pushed himself up, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth.
"You haven't lost your touch," he growled, teeth bared. His eyes gleamed with a savage light.
Then his body began to shift. Bones cracked, skin tore, fur burst through in thick, black tufts.
His frame doubled, then tripled in size until he towered over her — a hulking silhouette of raw violence.
Red light burned in his eyes like embers in a furnace. Claws scraped the floor, leaving gouges in the wood.
Hunter's voice trembled, but his warning was too late.
"Scar… don't."
The beast grinned with jagged fangs. "Now, Luna… let's see if you can still bury this."
Sarah stepped back, her lips curling into a fierce grin.
"Our little Scar finally grew up…" she taunted, her voice low, resonant with power.
She flexed her hands — claws bursting through her fingertips, gleaming under the dim light. Her fangs pressed against her lips, golden fire igniting in her eyes. Yet she didn't fully shift.
She didn't need to.
Scar let out a guttural laugh that shook the walls. "Still holding back? You insult me."
He lunged, a blur of black fur and muscle.
Sarah met him head-on. Their clash cracked like thunder, claw against claw, strength against precision. Scar's size gave him brute power, but Sarah's strikes were sharper, faster — every movement carrying the weight of experience.
Scar swung wide, aiming to cleave her in two. She ducked beneath, sliding forward and raking her claws across his side. Black fur split, and a spray of blood hit the floor.
He roared, the sound rattling the house to its foundation.
"Is that all?" Sarah spat, her voice calm, deadly.
Scar's glowing eyes narrowed. He wasn't smiling anymore.
Upstairs
Jake had no clue the house was shaking beneath him.
Headphones snug over his ears, he was sprawled across the bed, one leg dangling off, the soft blue glow of his phone screen lighting his face.
The bass thudded in his ears — drowning out the faint crashes and snarls echoing through the walls. To him, it was nothing more than the old house creaking.
He scrolled lazily, thumb flicking, eyes half-glazed.
The floor beneath him vibrated again. He frowned.
"…the hell was that?" he muttered, glancing toward his door.
But then he shrugged and shook his head.
Downstairs, the roar of Scar split the air like thunder.