Many students were starting their senior year at WSA quite different from how they were when they first started. Of course, that's quite natural for high schools, students growing into their maturity over their four years in school. Though with Animalians, that maturing could happen a lot sooner than four years. Sometimes these students find bond-mates they're interested in and go through the process of being double-dosed so that they can reach their sexual prime. Jeff was quite a notable example of that, thanks to hooking up with Zoe. Though some students preferred to grow up the natural way.
Elizaveta Nozdrin was a very different girl from the awkward Russian girl who came to America two years ago. Elly (or Ellie, she wasn't particular about the spelling) had suffered from a hormonal imbalance caused by a benign tumor, giving her a much taller and bustier body than she felt comfortable with. Her conversion into a rhino Animalian didn't make her smaller. On the contrary, it made her taller, but at least her breasts were now in better proportion to the rest of her body.
Elly has been able to find new purpose in herself now that she wasn’t an object of ridicule among Russian peers. Her new body was clearly gifted for athleticism. Rhinoceroses aren’t simply built for strength. The average white rhino can run up to 31 miles per hour, which puts their horns to very good use. So Elly didn’t just sign up to become a bodybuilder, but also for track and field. Of course, track and field isn’t just running. There was plenty of throwing, including shotputs, hammers, and javelins. And Elly had gotten quite good at it too.
Two years of training, practicing, and competing definitely showed when Elly started her senior year. She had quite visibly bulked up since her conversion, but not appealingly so. But the real change to her was her confidence. No longer was she the awkward, shy girl who wanted to avoid attention. She finally felt like her body reflected her inner self and was proud to show it off. The breasts that had been such a burden before were now something she carried proudly. It certainly helped that her enhanced muscles made them much firmer and easier to carry. More than anything, Elly knew she was not going to be a pushover anymore. Just ask Rod when they first met.
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Ellie had the benefit of being forewarned. A Horizon agent had informed her of telling her of the new Type-A rhino Animalian. Rod had been one of the people who had used the discount of Pride Month to convert. And like many men regaining their youth, he was showing signs of RHS. Though Rod's case, it was manifesting as aggression and egotism. Male rhinos can be rather aggressive and the growing shift in his sexuality was probably putting him on more edge than before.
Ellie was doing some laps around the field when Rod showed up. He was recognizable by the flame tattoos on his shoulders, though why he'd want flames there she couldn't guess. Like other rhino Animalians, he was a large fellow, though not as large as the likes of Sudan. As she got close to him, he stepped out in front of her. A rhino's sense of smell isn't as sharp as a canine's, but Ellie was able to perceive particular scents that would escape a human's notice. What she was not smelling was any arousal coming from Rod and she noticed the aggressive stance of his shoulders and feet. Rod wasn't here looking for a mate, he was looking for a fight.
Ellie came to a stop in front of Rod and asked, "Can I help you vith something?"
"So you're the Russian who's been sent here to spy," said Rod with a low rumble.
"Spy? Me? You must vatch too many movies," said Ellie.
"Oh, I know how you Russians work," said Rod, "You've been infiltrating our infrastructure for years, weakening us from the inside. And now the Russians want their own Animalian super soldiers so they sent you to get them samples."
Ellie gave a small snort and said, "You are confusing Russia vith North Korea. And North Korea's plan already fell through."
"But Russians are trickier, aren't they?" accused Rod, "Every single one of you is an agent wanting to spread the will of your oligarchs, undermining democracy and capitalism with your treacherous ways."
Ellie snorted angrily before she backed up. Rod was arrogant enough to think that she was submitting. If he had been thinking of less of a Russian and more of a rhino, he'd realize she was getting some running distance. If Ellie had wanted to be really aggressive, she would have charged Rod with her horns. But still, a running shoulder check was more than enough to knock Rod onto his back.
"Now you listen here," said Ellie, "You have problem vith Russian government? Fine, I don't blame you. Russian government has earned bad rep. But you vill not blame the Russian people. Ve are no more fond of the people in power than you are. Ve are bigger wictims of their cruelty than you are. At least your government has checks to balance out idiots' influence. If you think I vould help ruin this country, your head must be even thicker than it looks."
Rod couldn't really much of a rebuttal to this speech except to wheeze out a weak, "Ow."
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Knocking the wind out of Rod also knocked some sense into him. Elly made it quite clear that he couldn't throw his new weight around. It would still take some time to get a firm grasp on his hotter temper, but at least Elly was trying to help him out. So far, their relationship was just platonic. Rod was still getting to grips with becoming bisexual and Elly did not get a good first impression from him. If there was any chance of becoming bond-mates, there would have to be a lot more development first.