The male topples, but others arise. Two males come at her together and then it’s too late to stop. The smells of violence speak to instinct. Black-striped fur the color of blood sweeps up from her waist and over her face and down both her arms. Her hands grow claws and her upper body swells with muscle. She hurls one male through a window and smashes another to the floor. Others scream and shout and the stink of fear draws back her lips to bare her lengthening fangs. A shotgun roars and something impacts her left hip. The gore streaming from the wound slows to a trickle and then stops. A female screams loud and shrill with terror. The male behind the bar hastens to reload. Tikki charges, flings herself over the bar and hits the male dead on, and drives him down to the floor, pounding his head and chest.