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The Heart of an Animal

Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright

Yesterday

A night gone thing

A sun-down name.

-- Langston Hughes

The last dinner check slid across the counter top into the elderly cashier's hand, the youthful couple before him bearing satisfied grins and warmth in their eyes. The old man smiled in return. He'd been getting a lot of smiles like that lately, always stemming from the same thing: a good meal and a good time.

"Did you two enjoy your dinner tonight?" The old man asked with a courteous bow.

The couple nodded with gusto, hugging each other close.

"Oh, yes!" the young girl replied gleefully, giving her blond-haired boyfriend a peck on the cheek. "I can't believe I had doubts when you told me about this place."

The boyfriend chuckled sheepishly and gave his girl a light squeeze of his arm, a bit red in the face. "I told you this was a great place, hon. They've got the best soup here."

The cashier chuckled back and passed their change across the counter. "Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed your meal so much. Here's your change."

The boyfriend smiled down at the girl wrapped up in his arms and shook his head. "Nah, keep it," he said. "You guys earned it. Give our compliments to the chef."

The cashier nodded. "Will do. Have a nice night now."

"Oh, we will," the girl replied in a mischievous tone, giving her man's arm a light tug and winking suggestively up to him. He winked back at her, and then the happy couple hurried out the exit, their playful giggling echoing in the tiny restaurant as the door slowly closed behind them.

The elderly man sighed heavenly as he watched them go and then walked around the counter to the entrance foyer, flipping around the "Open" sign hanging on the window to "Closed". Turning around leisurely, he surveyed over the tiny restaurant. The place was a mess. Every table had mounds of empty dishes and ashtrays were full of used filters. Chairs sat haphazardly around the tables and littered the aisles. The old man had nearly tripped over five of them in a single hour. A new record for him, not that he minded. The more happy customers there were, the better business was. In fact, business hadn't been this great since... well... ever. Not since the new cook came along, at least. What a godsend he was!

The owner navigated through the maze of chairs with a skip in his stride, the sounds of the clattering dishes as the busboys cleared off the tables and smooth lounge music filling his ears. Walking into the kitchen, he spotted the cook, briskly cleaning off the counters of stray morsels of food and appliances.

"More compliments for you, Long," the owner loudly called out to the young man over the din of his cleaning.

Long glanced over his shoulder, a small grin spreading over his lips. The owner never understood Long's motives very well; he was very out of place in a place like this. Long was a handsome lad and looked to be in his late twenties, but the owner knew he had to be much older. He was just too wise and philosophical to be that age. Long's attitude was something the owner really enjoyed: calm, collected, and smart. Working in a tiny restaurant kitchen at warp-speed would wear down anyone at some point, but Long never even seemed to run out of steam. Certainly a man who can stand up under heavy pressure.

Long donned a pair of round-rimmed glasses that sat low on the bridge of his sharp nose, making him appear even more intellectual. His long dark brown hair was pulled back into a long ponytail that ran down his back. He wore a simple dress shirt and slacks over his medium build and a white apron. A bit too classy for this joint, but the owner couldn't convince him otherwise. He certainly seemed to be able to handle himself. The way he walked gracefully about the kitchen at rush hour showed signs of a hidden strength in his youthful frame. Maybe he had once been a boxer or a dancer of some sort.

Yet the most striking aspect about the young man was his eyes: green pools of emerald that sparkled just like the jewels themselves. They were piercing and absorbing, yet always warm and friendly. But the owner didn't want to even imagine how they would appear if Long was ever angry. The owner knew it would scare the living daylights out of him, that was for certain.

"Thank you," Long replied simply and busied himself placing a few utensils in a nearby drawer. The old man nodded at Long's turned head.

"You know," the old man continued. "Now that the restaurant is back on its feet again— very much due to your excellent cooking, by the way— You don't need to work pro-bono. I can pay you now."

Long chuckled at the owner's words and shook his head politely, slipping his apron off and turning to face the owner. "No, that is quite all right. I enjoy working here; I don't need payment for such a fulfilling deed. But thank you regardless," Long replied with a respectful grin. The owner laughed to himself and shook his head in defeat.

"If you say so, Long. But may I have one simple request?"

"Hmm?"

"Lose the suit"

Long glanced at his clothes briefly. "What's wrong with my attire?" he asked, truly confused, placing his apron on the hook next to the freezer door. The owner tilted his head.

"Nothing really, it's just that this isn't exactly one of the fanciest places in the city to dine at. It's not like the mayor is going to eat here or anything. You don't need to wear a dress shirt and pressed suit pants. You can be yourself in here." Long shrugged and placed a hand in his pocket idly.

"Trust me sir, what I regularly wear would bring more attention to me than what I have on right now."

"Oh? And that would be?"

"Something other than a suit," Long replied with a small grin, and the owner chuckled, putting his hands up in surrender.

"Okay, okay. I won't pry. You can come to work wearing a tutu for all I care, and I'd still let you cook back here."

"You give me more gratitude than I deserve, sir. I am merely a novice chef expanding upon my culinary skills."

"Well, novice or not, the way you cook food is like how Picasso paints." The owner kissed the tips of his fingers with a big "Mwah!" and followed up with, "Soon enough you'll be hosting a prime time cooking show and advertising toothpaste on TV"

Long chuckled. "I don't know about that, sir. I just like what I do."

"You do it well, Long. Now hurry and finish cleaning up in here, we need help with the tables. It's a class five disaster area in there."

"Alright, sir. I'll be in there as fast as I can."

"Gotcha, sonny. And Long?

"Yes, sir?"

"Stop calling me 'sir'. I'm not a drill instructor."

"Yes, sir."

The owner paused, then laughed. "You're something else, kiddo."

It was about half past eleven by the time they finished for the night. The place was spotless, not a single thing out of place. Every tabletop shined like a mirror and all the chairs and stools placed in their proper position. It looked just as spotless and clean as it had been on the very first day it opened. All the busboys, waiters and the owner were exhausted, yet Long looked ready for round two, standing like a man made of iron, straight-backed and alert as always.

"Nice job, guys!" the owner yelled and gave everyone a big, hearty pat on the back, including Long. It probably wasn't the best idea. The guy not only had a stone posture, but was as hard as one too.

"Ow..." he said, rubbing his hand. "What are you made of, kid, brick?" Long looked at him and shrugged. The owner laughed and turned to the other employees.

"How's about it, fellas? Let's all go to the bar down the street. I'm buying! We're closed tomorrow, so you all can get as drunk as you want to tonight!" A round of cheers came from the mob of employees and they hastily began to file out the doorway. The owner chuckled deeply, heading for the door himself. "You coming, Long?" he asked, looking over his shoulder. Long shook his head.

"No, but thank you, sir. I have some recipes I'd like to test out in the kitchen, with your permission of course." Long's emerald eyes gleamed, something the owner noticed whenever Long was excited. Most folks would go to the movies or visit some friends. But Long, he would cook. So why deny him such a simple pleasure? The owner nodded.

"Have fun, kid. Don't forget to lock this place up when you leave and don't make a mess, you hear?" Long grinned gratefully and bowed.

"I won't, sir. Thank you." The owner just shook his head at Long, and waved over his shoulder.

"Stop calling me sir, kiddo, this place wouldn't have been half as good as it is now without you. See you Thursday." The owner stepped through the doorway and shut the door behind him, the lock clicking into place with a loud snick!

Long relaxed his shoulders and sighed in relief, gazing over the now empty restaurant. Finally, some peace and quiet.

When he first started cooking at the restaurant, the owner didn't have the money to spare for the additional stock that would allow him to practice. But now that place was back on its feet, there was more than enough surplus. He considered practicing at his home in the city, but he didn't have the necessary appliances and utensils. He could buy them, of course, but he knew he would need to move again eventually. It would be such a hassle to bring them with him each time, much too complicated. Besides, working in the actual kitchen of a real restaurant felt more genuine, a proper place to hone his skill. Here he could just focus on his newfound trade and relax. Not like he had much else to do anyways.

Long didn't have much of a social life. The only person Long would actually travel to see was his Master who lived in the mountains next to his shrine, and although lately he hadn't been able visit as often as he wanted to with the new job, he knew Master would understand and approve of his current situation. It was honorable work.

Obviously, he didn't do it for the money. He still had enough funds saved away from when worked as an assassin for Tylon. Blood money, he acknowledged bitterly… So he didn't need to be taking hard-earned money from good people who truly deserved it. It wasn't much, but maybe in this small way, by providing good food and giving back to his community, he could begin to compensate for his past and make up for some of the pain he caused. Even if it was just a little, it was a start.

Long wandered back into the kitchen, reflections from years ago whirling through his head again. Every day, he wished he had never made the mistake of working for Tylon. But what's done was done. It couldn't be changed, no matter how much he wished. Now it was his burden to carry. But now, he currently had a nice mushroom risotto recipe he had been aching to try out, and he figured that now was as good a time as any. Long reached for his apron with a devilish grin, taking it from the hook on the wall.

"Hello again, Long. You're a hard man to track down."

Long froze in his tracks. He knew that voice like he had heard it all his life. A deep, smooth voice, one that had carried such dark undertone it made him shiver. One that sounded just like his own.

"Shenlong..." growled Long, tone firm and rife with detest, slowly turning toward the figure at the back of the kitchen. So it was true. He had survived.

There Shenlong stood, arms crossed and leaning against one of the metal storage cabinets, a sly grin etched into his face. He wore a leather jacket over a white muscle shirt and black jeans, a leather belt with a gold buckle and black combat boots. His hair, much like Long's at one time, was now cut short and spiked up.

He looks… different. Long thought to himself as he gazed at the rugged figure impassively, waiting for his counterpart to respond.

Shenlong raised a hand and waggled his fingers in child-like greeting, pushing himself off of the cabinet and walking forward. Long tensed, more than ready for whatever his clone had planned, though it seemed Shenlong didn't have much on his mind at that moment. His body was relaxed and demeanor was smug, nothing like stony expression he wore when they last met.

Shenlong took his sweet time making his way over to Long. His wine-red eyes danced about the place, absorbing the scene. He glanced at a large empty soup pot to his left and lifted a ladle out with an index finger.

"You're a chef now?" he asked in disbelief, letting the utensil swing on his digit. "I didn't expect that from the reclusive monk of the mountains."

"What do you want, Shenlong?" Long asked sternly, not in the mood to play games.

"Oh nothing much..." Shenlong glanced at the apron in the grasp of the young cook's hand. "Nice apron," Shenlong complimented, half-mockingly.

"Nice hair," Long countered. Shenlong's expression didn't even falter, his smug grin simply widening.

"You like?" he asked, combing his fingers through his hair.

"No," replied Long coldly.

Shenlong shrugged and then dropped the ladle back into the pot, a heavy clang soon following. He walked up to where Long stood until they were face to face, and leaned even closer until their faces were barely an inch apart, his unnervingly red eyes locking onto Long's.

"Why don't you just take a swing and get it over with. I can see you want to." Long took a step back from Shenlong and tossed his apron on a nearby counter.

"I won't fight you here. If you want a duel, we'll continue this out back."

"I don't want to fight you at all."

"Then what do you want?"

"To talk."

Long paused for a second uncertainly. "About what?" Long asked gratingly, wondering why his counterpart was stalling.

"About old times. About new times. Whatever suits my fancy," Shenlong leaned against the island stove in the center on the kitchen, retaining his trademark grin. Long scowled at the remark.

"I have nothing to talk about with the likes of you," he uttered at Shenlong.

"The likes of me?" Shenlong retorted. "In case you've forgotten, I am identical to you. We're more alike than you think."

"I am nothing like you!" Long shouted in anger, his face beyond dead serious. Shenlong's sly grin faded into one of faux sympathy.

"Aww, tsk-tsk, Long. Do you still think I am the same man you met when I was with the Zoanthrope Liberation Front? That I'm still a ruthless monster? An incarnation of your past?"

"Shouldn't I?"

"Nuh-uh, brother, I've changed."

"Why do I have a hard time believing that?"

"Hey, I'm a new man. I even got a new job. I'm a bouncer, making a life of my own."

Long frowned, unconvinced. Shenlong laughed at Long's expression, opting to lean up against the island with his back instead of his side now, arms crossed.

"Whether you choose to believe it or not, bro, it's true.

"Stop calling me 'brother', Shenlong. We are not related."

"Hmph, whatever you say, tiger. But can't you just take my word that's I'm not the same as when you first met me?" Shenlong asked with hopeful optimism, an emotion Long didn't expect Shenlong to be capable of.

"Fine. You are a new man. But someday you would have to prove it to those who you have wronged and do right by them," Long's face shifted into a fierce scowl. "And you know as well as I that you do not care what side of righteousness you are on as long as you benefit from it."

Shenlong agreed with a carefree upward glance. "What's wrong with that? Is it so bad to look out for one's own ass?"

Long glared at his counterpart and balled his hands into fists, knuckles crackling. "In a world where so are many suffering, it is a crime to think only of one's self."

Shenlong's gleaming red eyes flashed, the typical arrogant grin reforming on his face. "At least I don't live in the past. Or pretend like it never happened at all, brother."

A beat of silence followed, Long simply staring at his clone with a blank expression, though his emerald eyes spoke volumes, telling Shenlong a different story.

"Is that what you came here to say?" Long asked quietly. Shenlong sighed loudly.

"I don't judge who I am now by who I was back then, but it seems you still judge a person by their past."

"You kidnapped and killed so many, why shouldn't I judge you?"

"I wasn't in the right mind. And I never said it was just me you were judging."

Long winced and looked away, his eyes closing and breathing shallow. Inhale. Exhale. Focus. Calm the pulse, control the anger. Long forced his fists to stop clenching, mentally scolding himself. He was supposed to be disciplined, he knew better than to let his emotions get the better of him. But Shenlong's words stung. Eventually, Long's eyes opened and glared at Shenlong, finding the man still facing him, but he was glancing away also, and seeming rather… regretful. Maybe Shenlong knew that was harsh, even for him.

Shenlong scratched the back of his head. "Look... I'm sorry. I went out of bounds there, brother."

Long winced again, containing a flare of rage, eyes averting away. "Will you stop insisting we are brothers? No brother of mine would say such cruel things."

Shenlong slipped his hands into his jacket pockets and joined Long in staring at the spotless white tile floor. Moments passed and neither of them said a word, then Shenlong cleared his throat.

"Alright, look. I may not be able to prove I'm a new man to the world, but at least I can prove it to you. Tonight, when you finish... whatever you were planning on doing here, I want to duel. The small dojo at your condo should do the trick, don't you think?"

Long raised his eyes to Shenlong in his sudden surprise. "How did you know about that?" he asked sharply.

"I saw it when I picked the lock on your door and walked in."

"You broke into my home? How did you find where I stay?"

"I asked Uriko."

"Uriko?! You kidnapped her mother and she told you where I live?"

"Hey, I told her that I've changed my ways. She believed me unlike a certain hard nosed monk I know."

Long shut his eyes and rubbed his temples. What a night this was turning out to be... "So be it. I take you up on your challenge. Now just leave."

Shenlong's grin returned and his posture relaxed again, clearly pleased with the outcome of their talk.

"Great," he said, turning and striding toward the rear entrance of the kitchen. "Now we'll see if your new hobby has slowed those quick reflexes of yours, old friend."

A sharp metallic scrape and the wisp of the air being cut suddenly rang in Shenlong's ears, and with a tremendous THUNK, a thin butcher knife buried itself deep into the wooden frame of the doorway right in line with Shenlong's head, stopping him dead in his tracks. His grin merely widened and he glanced over his shoulder. Long stood right where he had been before, arms at his sides and a look of pure concentration on his face, green eyes glaring forward intensely. Long had made his statement loud and clear: he was neither slow nor old, and no one had better think otherwise. Shenlong's smile morphed into a big, white-toothed grin and he winked back at Long, fixing his jacket briefly before pushing the door open and stepping outside.

"See you soon, brother," he sung over his shoulder, and the door slammed shut behind him, marking his exit in his usual reckless manner. Long sighed deeply and calmly walked over to the door, locking it just in case, and yanked the knife free of the wooden frame, rubbing his thumb over the tip to feel if it had dulled.

Damn you, Shenlong... Now I'll have to resharpen this.

Long didn't get around to cooking that night, too deep in thought to focus on it. He merely sat at one of the tables in the restaurant and leafed through an old newspaper for recipes, finding none this time. He didn't exactly want to fight Shenlong when he returned home. It was a tiring day already, but thankfully since he didn't have work the next morning, he could rest as much as he liked after the duel and have plenty of time to nurse his wounds. Shenlong had a nasty habit of using his fangs and claws as much as possible in a fight. That's one thing he knew personally about Shenlong: he fought dirty. Chances were he had something up his sleeve for this confrontation.

It was half after midnight by the time he reached his front door. He already knew Shenlong would be inside so he tested the door knob. As expected, it opened with ease. Long stood in the doorway, unmoving while his eyes scanned the inside of his condo, ready for any cheap tricks Shenlong could pull. But he relaxed when his eyes came to rest on Shenlong's familiar form lounging on the living room couch, his legs propped up on the coffee table and a lit cigarette hanging from his lips as he mindlessly watched the droning television before him. Long stepped inside quietly, silently closing the door behind him. He walked behind the couch, Shenlong too transfixed by the TV to notice his presence apparently. Long placed a hand on Shenlong's shoulder, causing his duplicate to jump slightly and spin around, quickly snatching the cigarette from his mouth.

"Christ, you're too stealthy for your own good, you know that?! Took you long enough to get here…" he said, flustered. Long was unfazed.

"There is no smoking in my home. Either extinguish it or go outside." Shenlong paused for a moment, then gave Long a brief once over, and realizing he was serious, relented with a shrug, taking one last drag and blowing a plume of smoke from his mouth. Bringing his foot up to rest on the thigh of his other leg, he dabbed the burning end on the cigarette in the rubber sole of his boot, a small puff of ember and smoke signaling the end of the tobacco-filled nuisance. Long scowled as Shenlong rose to his feet with a loud grunt, idly dropping the used filter into his coat pocket as he turned to face an obviously appalled Long.

"Besides there being no smoking around here, there doesn't seem to be any channel surfing either. There must've been an inch of dust on that thing," he stated loudly, thumbing over his shoulder at the big screen behind him.

"I have no use for television; it is here for my guests to enjoy, and as you can see, I don't get many guests." Long said with the same calm expression he had most of the time. Shenlong furrowed his brow and glanced about the room in a skeptical manner.

"Don't you get bored living like this? All alone with nothing to do?" he asked honestly. Long stared at him blankly.

"A man of discipline has no use for such things," he replied simply. Shenlong returned the blank gaze.

"Sometimes I have a hard time telling if you are a saint or a lunatic," he admitted confidently. Long didn't know why, but he fidgeted slightly, looking away from Shenlong's staring red eyes.

"Shenlong, did you come here to teach me how I should live my life, or did you come here to duel?" he asked, exasperated.

"Duel," Shenlong answered like a little child answering a teacher's query, making Long want to sneer at him.

"Then go to the studio down the hall and wait for me while I change."

Shenlong tilted his head and raised a brow. "What's wrong with what you have on right now?" he asked.

"It doesn't suit me for battle," Long replied simply, per usual. Shenlong blinked.

"How in the hell did I ever come from your DNA?" he stated rather sardonically. Long couldn't help but crack a smile in return.

"I wonder that myself, Shen." Long replied, then disappeared into one of the bedrooms, leaving Shenlong staring at where Long had been standing moments before.

"Aw, he called me Shen," he said to himself with a snicker, and started down the hallway to the studio with a little skip in his gait.

"Unbelievable..." Long mumbled, tossing his dress shirt and pants aside. How did he get himself into this mess? He knew it was a bad idea to allow Shenlong into his home, in fact it was probably one of the poorest decisions he'd ever had the displeasure of making, yet oddly enough, he enjoyed the cocky man's presence nonetheless. In contradiction to what he said before, Long really did like having company once in awhile, even if it was someone as much of a pain in the ass as Shenlong was. Maybe the brash young man had changed. But that still didn't explain why he let Shenlong just waltz into his home...

I must be losing my instincts. Letting my guard down. Too much time alone will do that.

Long took his newest outfit from the closet, a royal blue robe-like oriental-style shirt that was elongated in the front and rear, the edge of the heavy cloth brushing his shins and calves when he wore it. A yellow stripe of cloth ran down the chest in the front to conceal the buttons and similar strip was sewn into the back along the spinal column, panels embroidered with golden flowers and delicate ornate swirls common to classical Asian design. A simple pair of baggy, cloth pants and a red sash around the waist made the outfit complete. He made it himself, having just finished sewing the final stitch days before— an earlier hobby he became fond of before moving on to cooking.

He dressed quickly, not wanting to delay the inevitable fight any longer, then donned a pair of slip-on shoes as an afterthought. Giving himself a quick once over in the mirror mounted on top of a large dresser, he adjusted his outfit slightly and placed his glasses on the side table next to the door. Last thing he needed tonight was a pair of broken glasses to go with a set of broken ribs.

Long entered the small studio in silence. He had converted the small media room when he first moved into his condo. He padded the floors like a small gym and installed a few mirrors along the walls. In training, those always helped to see if one's stance and movements were properly executed. Long never really needed them, but it never hurt to have them in case anyone else who used the place needed them. Lord knows how much they helped Uriko when she occasionally stopped over for self-defense advice. The walls were also made of soundproof materials, useful for not annoying people on the floors above and below. A happy neighbor was mindful neighbor, Long always felt.

Long took a step forward into the studio, and his slipper-like shoes bumped into something. Glancing at his feet, he found Shenlong's jacket, shirt and boots piled carelessly on the floor in front of him. A lengthy sigh escaped Long as he raised his head to search for where Shenlong had gone off to. He found him all right, staring into one of the mirrors and fixing his hair, preoccupied with his own looks, typical cocky grin plastered on his mug. Long knocked on the wall, snapping Shenlong out of his trance, his head quickly turning to greet Long's stereotypical poker-face. His grin widened with pleasant surprise.

"Ah! My date has arrived," he called out in mock joy. "You got changed pretty quickly. You're not going to wear that outfit this time are you…? It's so dated."

Long shook his head, ignoring the ill-mannered joke. "Shenlong, I understand why you removed your shoes, but please explain why you also took your shirt off."

Shenlong half-shrugged and strolled away from the mirror into the middle of the small dojo, pointing a finger at Long. "I, unlike you, don't have several hidden bank accounts stashed around the world. Money doesn't grow on trees for me. And when I go tiger-mode on you, I don't want to rip my clothes. That's an expensive jacket."

Long stepped over the discarded apparel and then wordlessly walked up to Shenlong, stopping approximately five feet away from him, a decent distance to begin a duel. His eyes wandered over the man in front of him. Shenlong's frame was structured quite like his own, even the same chest width and taut abdominals looked the same, not a bit of hair and smooth as a marble sta...

Long's jaw tightened. Let's just get it over with already…

"Shall we?" asked Long, shifting into a ready stance. Shenlong looked down briefly and shuffled his feet. For a moment, Long began to think Shenlong was considering backing out of the fight, given how long it was taking him to respond. But soon enough, his counterpart nodded and got into his ready stance as well, much like Long's: left leg and arm forward, legs spread, and head tilted downward.

Shenlong's smirk spiked abruptly. "Let's," he replied, then moved in the blink of an eye, darting forward and throwing a fist at his opponent's chest. Long blocked with crossed arms, but the force of the blow threw him off equilibrium, sending him reeling backwards.

Stupid! Long scolded himself. He should have grounded his feet to the floor better in preparation for such a move and now he was staggered, giving his opponent the upper hand. Which Shenlong used full advantage of, hopping midair and swinging his bent leg around in a spin, sending a knee crashing into the side of Long's skull. A shockwave of pain radiated through Long's entire body, his teeth clattering and vision blurring as he stumbled off to the side.

Then Long felt a strike at his heels, and his legs were cleanly wiped out from under him by a low, sweeping kick. He landed hard on his back, leaving him winded and vulnerable. Long recalled bitterly that this was Shenlong's style, laying in his attacks fast and targeting his opponent's balance, and once said opponent was downed, he'd hammer them relentlessly into unconsciousness, giving no quarter. Not too different from his own style, back when he worked for Tylon... Long knew if he didn't move now, Shenlong would seize the opening to thrash him all over the dojo.

Long's quickly regrouped and regained his sight— just in time to see Shenlong's foot descend to stomp his head to the floor, pinning him down. Long cried out sharply, more from surprise than pain, and grabbed the limb's ankle on instinct. He glared up sideways at his nemesis, who looked back at him grinning as smugly as ever, hands idly resting on his hips.

"So do you still think you'll win this time, brother?" Shenlong laughed brutally, bending his knee to apply more pressure onto Long's skull.

That word again... A burst of uncontrolled rage coursed through Long. He released a deep, ragged roar of a battle cry, dug his fingers into the ankle he held and twisted with all his might. Shenlong let out a shocked yelp, knee and leg following the twist and throwing him off his feet into a mid-air twirl, then coming down hard to collide face-first with the padded floor below. Shenlong quickly rolled to his side and got to his feet clumsily, dazed, and the next thing he felt was a flying kick to the center of his chest, sending him hurtling backwards and tumbling end over end until he impacted the wall at the opposite end of the room, his head thumping against the plaster and leaving a deep gouge.

Growling and cursing, Shenlong slammed a fist angrily into the wall beside him and leapt back onto his feet, then promptly dashed forward, sprinted headlong at his twin. The monk waited until Shenlong was upright before charging forward as well, gearing up to clash with his rapidly approaching clone. A straight punch felt in order, given that he'd used his legs for offense so far, the change up might catch Shenlong off guard.

They closed the distance within milliseconds, but once Long was in range for a potential attack, he hesitated. Something caught his eye. Shenlong was smiling wildly at Long, crimson eyes filled with excitement, not appearing enraged or unfocused, but genuinely enjoying himself, like he was having the best time of his life. Long ignored it and threw his punch, but his fist met nothing but empty air.

Long realized his folly too late. Being of the same mind, Shenlong knew how to fight him better than anyone else, and if anyone could read Long like a book, he could. Shenlong predicted Long would mix things up, and adjusted accordingly, waiting for Long to strike before making his move. Ducking low, Shenlong curled his arm back and slammed a vicious full body uppercut into Long's gut, the force so powerful that Long was launched up and over Shenlong's head, crashing behind him onto the mat with a powerful Thud!

Long swiftly rolled to the side into a crouching position, still having the sense to keep his adversary in sight while clutching his chest as he gasped and gagged for air. Shenlong chuckled at his hunched-over duplicate, drained so quickly from one hit, and obviously very proud of his work. He dusted off his hands and calmly strode to where Long was, then abruptly grasped his opponent by his the blue-clad shoulders and yanked the exhausted, rag-doll body of the monk to his feet.

Suddenly, Long went rigid and his head lifted sharply, faster than any normal man could move, emerald eyes flashing with fury. The surprised of the rapid transition reflected clearly on Shenlong's face. Just when he thought he had Long all figured out, he never expected the honorable monk to consider playing possum. Then Long head-butted him directly in the nose, the loud crack resonating in the room sounding tinny in the brash clone's suddenly ringing ears. Stunned, Shenlong lost his grip on Long's shoulders. Then he was shoved back, wobbly legs struggling to keep him from toppling over as his head throbbed in pain. Shenlong threw his arms up in a defensive configuration protecting his face and neck, expecting the blows to rain down on him while he recovered. Surprisingly, none came, confusion washing over Shenlong's features as his balance stabilized once again. The clone shook his foggy head clear and his vision came back to him quickly.

When he looked forward, he could see for himself why Long was holding back— for a pair of feline eyes enshrouded by orange and black fur stared back at him, pupils as tiny as grains of black sand floating in dual oceans of glowing jade-green seawater. Shenlong was within mere inches of the snarling, enraged tiger-form of Long, looking more pissed off than he had ever seen him before, tail lashing behind him like a striped whip. An elegant orange pelt with black stripes had sprouted from where every bit of exposed flesh had been moments before, and his body almost doubled in size, stretching the fabric of his clothing to the point of nearly tearing, but stayed intact for the moment. His shoes however did not survive the transformation, his feet expanding and bursting free as they grew into massive rear paws, pant legs riding up his elongated ankles when they morphed into a digitigrade shape. The nails on his toes were extended and sharp, much like the ones on his flexing paw-like hands, fingertips sporting deadly sickle-like claws capable of maiming someone to an unthinkable degree. His ears now rested atop his head, rounded like a cat's, themselves orange-furred with a brown-black color around the edges and white fuzz lining the inner ears, both folded back in anger. Thin black feline lips were curled back and trembling, baring his deadly white fangs and incisors. Guttural growls rumbled from his broadened, heaving chest, unnaturally deep and completely laden with violence.

All in all, tiger-Long in a handbag. Shenlong froze, rooted to the spot.

"Oops," Shenlong squeaked, somehow sporting a stupidly nervous grin despite knowing he was going to be hurting really badly really soon. Long's cat-eyes narrowed as he responded in his own way. He crouched swiftly and rammed his shoulder into Shenlong with all his might, Shenlong shouting out in pain from the resulting blow. The clone was thrown clear across the room, the wall ending his one-way flight with a deafening BOOM!

Shenlong fell lifelessly from the crater his body punched into the wall to the matting below. After lying there for a few moments, Shenlong grunted in agony and gradually crawled onto his trembling hands and knees, grabbing onto the leg of a small end table that had been knocked over to prop himself up. Then a wide, orange-furred mitt grabbed his wrist, squeezing hard enough that his bones creaked and yanked him to his feet. The large tiger paw twisted sharply, spinning Shenlong around with his arm bent behind his back, the clone making a sharp shout of pain as the dagger-like claws sunk into the flesh of his arm. Long placed an open palm between Shenlong's shoulder blades, and with the force of a cannon blast, launched the defenseless man to the other end of the room, his body crashing front-first into a pair of mirrors, the polished glass shattering and scattering everywhere in a shower of glittering shards. Shenlong collapsed to the floor in a heap, face down upon glass-strewn mats, unmoving

Long waited at the ready, studying Shenlong's prone form for any sign of movement, and when none came, he felt confident enough that the blow had rendered his rival unconscious. Calmly but very cautiously, Long padded over to where the young clone lay sprawled out among the shining remnants of the mirrors. Shenlong didn't seem cut from the glass at all, thankfully, but he couldn't be sure until he got a better look.

"Fuckin' mirrors..." Shenlong mumbled in frustration, and Long stopped in his tracks. "Seven... no, fourteen years bad luck... Who the hell puts goddamn mirrors in a training room…?" He sat up slowly and leaned back against the wall where the mirrors were once anchored, rubbing his brow in a daze. He tired to rise onto shaky legs, bracing his hands along the wall to guide himself during the ascent, but instead fell down to the padded flooring once more, rolling onto his back and breathing heavily, glass crunching underneath him.

Long stood at Shenlong's feet and shook his head sympathetically. This fight was over. He knelt next to Shenlong, offering his clawed hand out to him. Shenlong looked at the extended hand/paw blankly, then chuckled in surrender, eyes averted humbly. He reached out and took Long's hand firmly in his own.

"Guess I lose this round, huh?" Shenlong lamented. Long agreed with a huff and tugged back on Shenlong's arm, careful to not accidentally dislocate the man's shoulder with his zoanthropic form's strength. But then Shenlong suddenly yanked back, bringing the orange tiger down to his level, hand nearly crushing Long's with newly gained might. Shenlong made eye contact with Long, smiling wickedly, gazing forth with solid, blood-red eyes with beady black pupils at their center. "Good thing there's always round two!"

"What?" Long barked at his counterpart in shock, and then came face to face with what he had hoped to avoid the most. Shenlong's body vibrated with power, and in an instant, hair sprouted over Shenlong's bared upper body, cascading down his skin a wave of blue and black striped fur. A blunt feline muzzle pushed out from his face in a piercing crackle, claws grew from under his nails, and at the same time, an agile striped tail punched through the rear of his jeans below the belt to snake along the glass-strewn mats. Shenlong let out an unnatural groan as his muscles flared and expanded, chest and back widening, thighs and lower leg stretching the denim fabric at such speed that everything from the knee down shredded to bits. His hands shifted into a feline-human shape, claws pinpricking Long's wrist, and even as his face shifted into its regal bestial shape, Shenlong's wild grin still remained, inches-long growing fangs and sharpening incisors making his smile appear even more sinister.

Then he lunged forward and grabbed Long's wrist with his other hand, joining the first and locking up tightly. Instinctively Long reared back, but the blue tiger held firm. Shenlong acted quickly, bringing a knee up to his chest, cocking his foot back, and thrusting his leg forward, jamming the clawed extremity under Long's chin in a devastating kick. Long roared and wrenched his arm free of Shenlong's vise-like grip, leaving thin cuts in the flesh under his pelt as he hopped back away from the fellow tiger-man, holding his aching jaw. He could taste blood.

Dirty trick!

Suddenly, Shenlong leapt at Long — a full-on tiger pounce, letting loose a soul-shaking roar. Long had no time to react; he could only take the hit. Shenlong tackled him at the midsection, his blue-furred hands seizing Long's wrists once again as the two of them entangled upon the padded ground. They grappled and rolled until Long wound up on his back with Shenlong over top of him, Shenlong pinning his twin's arms down by the wrist and knelt directly on top of Long's knees, leaving him exposed. Whatever attack Shenlong had planned, now he had all the time in the world to deliver it in any way he saw fit.

Long struggled fiercely to free his arms and legs, his whole body roiling mightily, hoping against hope it would be enough to weaken his opposite's hold on him. No such luck. Shenlong gazed down at the helpless Long squirming underneath him, relishing in his dominance over the "stronger" version of himself. A deep purring chuckle oozed from his throat, vibrating through his entire being. Long snapped his jaws at Shenlong in aggravation, and in a last move of desperation, threw his head against Shenlong's in a harsh headbutt. Shenlong took the hit square on the muzzle, his head lurching back and from the strike. But his grip never let up, pinning Long to the matted ground just as firmly as he had from the start. Shenlong snarled and glanced back down at Long, a thin stream of blood running down his nose to seep into the white fur above his upper lip. The blue tiger looked far from angry, though.

Shenlong looked ecstatic, his purr growing even louder as his barbed tongue flicked out to lick the blood from his lips, his head slowly descending until their wet cat noses were mere millimeters from touching, red eyes locked onto the green of his counterpart's in an unwavering, deathly stare. Shenlong's inhaled deeply, drinking in his twin's scent. Long visibly scoffed. Was Shenlong trying to smell his fear? If so, he would be disappointed. Long wasn't afraid of this man, or any man for that matter. The only thing that truly scared him was the ghosts of his past coming back to harm those he cared about, and as long as it was himself pinned to this floor instead of them, he gladly accept his fate. Just like the eve when the ZLF fell, when Shenlong had him by the neck about to kill him, he was at peace with dying. This time was no different.

"Get it over with," Long growled, his deep, basso voice reflecting his finality of his defeat.

But to Long's surprise, Shenlong's crazed smile softened back into his trademark over-zealous, cocky grin, his eyes soon following suit to become less wide with primal excitement to more relaxed state and filled with, as what Long can best describe it as, hunger. Long shuddered and squirmed more, still finding no slack under Shenlong's grasp. It was uncanny how even in his beast form Shenlong could still convey such emotions with such clarity, Long thought. It was also unnerving. The way Shenlong was looking at him now somehow even more unsettling than the look he got when his zoanthropic form took over, sending a spike of foreign uncertainty into Long's heart.

Shenlong chuckled condescendingly, resounding thickly alongside his purr. Then Shenlong tilted his head away, exposing his unprotected neck to Long.

"Bite me," he goaded, voice deep and sultry, rumbling out several octaves lower than in his human form. Long laid there in silence, ears folding back in confusion. "Go ahead," he continued. "Bite down and rip my jugular out. You'll win the battle and take out your archenemy in one go, so why hesitate?"

Long did hesitate, his mind racing. What exactly was Shenlong trying to prove here? Did he have a death wish?

Shenlong relaxed his neck, going back to gazing back down at his twin smugly. "You can't do it, can you?" Shenlong crooned, the question more of a statement. "Wanna know why, brother?"

Actually, yes, Long did want to know Shenlong's demented reasoning, in the same way that someone would morbidly wonder at what height a tumble out a window would need to be for it to to be fatal, that little odd spark of curiosity lit.

But in the blink of an eye, Shenlong's expression switched from boisterous to absolute dead seriousness, eyes narrowing and fangs revealed again. "Because we're not monsters. Not you, not me. I could have easily killed you the second you let your guard down, but I chose not to. Just like how you chose not to kill me just now. I know you'll never forget what you did working for Tylon. I'll never forget what I did in the ZLF, those I've hurt… especially you. Our pasts can't change, but people do, Long. We do. I want you to remember that, if not for me, then for yourself."

Shenlong sighed heavily, glancing away. "Neither of us asked for this life," he muttered softly.

Long couldn't hide his surprise even if he wanted to. Shenlong meant every word he just said, Long could feel the sincerity in his clone's tone and bearing. Had that been what this fight was all about? Just to prove he had truly changed, and not only to the world, but to the person he believes he did the most harm? Long clenched his jaw. Maybe… Shenlong really was a different, possibly better man.

Shenlong spoke again, breaking Long's train of thought. "So I propose this: a fresh start. From this day forward, we leave the history between us behind and start anew. That's all I ask for," Shenlong gave his twin a hopeful look. "Deal?" Long swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat from hearing his once-sworn enemy pour his heart out so bravely.

"I see," Long replied softly. "Yes, we have a deal. You have my word. You can get off me now."

Shenlong's grin returned, curling at the corners of his muzzle. He didn't move. Long eyed the blue tiger up and down, sneering.

"Get off me, Shenlong," he ordered, but Shenlong's grin merely widened in response. "Get off me right now!" he demanded again, his anger getting the better of him. Then Shenlong swiftly lowered his head to tap his nose against Long's, startling the orange tiger.

And slowly, as if he took immense pleasure in saying so, Shenlong gave a deep, throaty, "No."

Long immediately began struggling again, still to no avail, Shenlong's pin still held as solid as ever. No small measure of panic began to well up in Long's chest, knee joints beginning to suffer pain from the pressure Shen was putting on them. Try as he might, he knew he there was breaking free. Long let out an aggravated wail, then slumped against the mats in surrender, the sight making Shenlong's thundering purr flux sharply.

"Shen, what is the meaning of this? Are you going back on our deal?" he exasperatingly asked at the blue tiger looming over him, and was about to go on another tangent again, but his voice died in his throat when his eyes drifted up to meet his clone's. Shenlong gazed down at him intently, but his cocky grin had long since faded, replaced by a simpler smile, one Long was unfamiliar with seeing on his counterpart's face. Long didn't know how to describe it exactly, but it seemed almost… caring? Somehow, it reassured Long, and the panic he felt before melted like ice under a warm summer sun. And those eyes, so vibrant and crimson… they were almost hypnotic...

It was then that Long became acutely aware of how close Shenlong's face was to his own, so close that he could feel his fellow zoanthrope's heated breath wafting past his whiskers. Long's feline nose wiggled, picking up an odd smell. Distinctly Shenlong's personal scent, like clean leather and citrus with a hint of cigarette smoke, only richer, more heady and a little spicy. Long couldn't quite put his finger on it. But it was familiar on a primordial level, something he should recognize, but just can't.

He returned his attention to Shenlong, finding his double's smile had all but faded, replaced by an almost neutral expression, but his gaze… It was consumed by hunger. Long felt his heart skip a beat. What was this look?

Then Shenlong's muzzle dipped, placing a quick yet simple kiss upon Long's dark feline lips. Long's eyes widened into saucers and he gasped against Shenlong, unwittingly opening his mouth. Shenlong's muzzle opened in kind, slowly turning his head and he eased his azure muzzle over Long's, deepening the kiss. Shenlong's barbed tongue slid wetly inside Long's mouth, brushing over the sensitive maw inside and feeling over the sharp teeth within.

Long too was shocked to even move. His clone was kissing him, just like a lover would, soft and sensual, and what was even more crazy was that Long was allowing him do so. He didn't hate it or feel disgusted like he thought he should, his mind just became numb, overwhelmed, as his counterpart tasted him, savored him. And Long could taste him back, like tobacco and mint with the slightest coppery tinge of blood drawn during their battle, the favor spiking when Shenlong swept his sandy tongue over his own.

Then as fast as the kiss came, it left, Shenlong breaking away with a wet, satisfying click as their muzzles parted ways. Long swallowed the taste Shenlong left in his mouth, lying there silently with his muzzle half-open in a fitting reflection of his surprise. His world had just been flipped upside down, so caught up in the moment he didn't even notice Shenlong had released his grip on his wrists and removed his knees from atop his own. Shenlong sat back with his hands resting on his thighs, licking his lips clean as he waited for Long to collect himself with a little self-satisfied grin etched into his face. Eventually, Long realized he was no longer pinned and gradually sat up, looking like a he'd been emotionally run over by a bus. Long stared ahead dumbly, seconds ticking by until came to his senses and shook the cobwebs from his head.

Long's drunken eyes found Shenlong sitting at his side soon enough, and he said the first thing came into his blown mind. "Why..." Long's voice was dry, gravely after their encounter. He cleared his throat. "Why did you... do that?" he asked just above a whisper.

"Kiss you, you mean?" Shenlong clarified. "Because you're handsome, even as a tiger. And I knew you'd let me," he answered with typical smugness.

"I…" Long was at a loss for words, so naturally, Shenlong kept right on talking.

"Sorry for moving so fast, I couldn't help myself." Shenlong got comfortable, relaxing into sitting cross-legged on the matted floor, observing in amusement as Long's brain struggled to restart. "You're fun to kiss as a tiger."

"Uh… Thank you?" Long blinked at the blue copy of himself and idly rubbed his sore wrists.

"So, how was it?" Shenlong eagerly asked, like a teen on his first date. Long's feline ears perked up and his jade eyes widened. Honestly, he couldn't say he didn't, but he wasn't exactly sure how to put what he felt right then into words...

"It was… interesting," Long replied, glancing away.

"Good!" Shenlong proudly bellowed. "I knew you would. I could sense it."

"Sense it?" Long asked, genuinely perplexed.

"Yeah," Shenlong stated matter-of-factly. "Don't ask me how, must be a zoanthrope thing, but I could feel you needed it. You've got these tense vibes all over you like bad cologne. I guess all those years being a monk have left you pretty touch-starved, huh?"

Long couldn't deny that was true. It'd been years since he'd he had any intimacy in his life, physical or otherwise. Not since his time at Tylon, when he was much younger… "I suppose so," Long admitted, stripy tail curling around his side and flicking nervously.

"Wanna do it again?" Shenlong asked quickly, almost cutting Long off by how rapid-fire it was.

"Fight or kiss?" Long dumbly asked the first question that popped into his mind, mentally kicking himself as soon as the words left his mouth. Of course he knew what Shenlong was asking, he just hadn't come to terms with everything that happened just yet. Shenlong's eyes narrowed irritably and his ears flattened back like an annoyed house cat.

"Kiss, stupid," Shenlong deadpanned. " Though, I prefer the term 'making out'. You did like it, right?" Long fidgeted in place, feeling pressure to respond now, his big hand-paw rubbing the back of his head as his ears swiveled anxiously.

"I think… I did. Yes." Long's answered honestly, if not a tad sheepishly. But, there was one thing that was bothering Long, a little itch of a mystery in the back of his brain that demanded to be appeased. "But I don't understand," Long said, Shenlong's feline head tilting in intrigue. "Why me?"

An abrupt haughty laugh filled the room, Shenlong looking at his counterpart even more like a Cheshire cat. "Seriously? Look at you. You're sexy as hell, in both forms. I'm a sucker strong, muscled guys like you," he accented his words with low sultry growl. "Plus you got the personality. Kind and honorable. Good morals, too. Kinda naive, but I can look past that." Long curled a lip to bare a fang in offense, but the blue tiger kept going.

"And you're always trying to improve yourself. It's admirable." Shenlong snorted out an embarrassed laugh. "I can only hope to be that kind of man someday."

"Oh." Long didn't know what to say, so he just stayed silent, knowing that if he were in human form he'd be blushing beet red at the overwhelming flattery.

"So are you going to answer my question?" Shenlong bluntly stated, Long snapped to attention by the impulsiveness.

"About… making out again?" Long asked, and Shenlong nodded resolutely. The orange tiger swallowed heavily, unsure for only a moment, before his sudden wants overcame reason. "Yes," he said with finality. "I want to."

"Finally," Shenlong breathed, then began a slow, methodical crawl, like a real, four-legged tiger in the wild, stalking prey through the dense underbrush of a tropical jungle, muscles undulating with precise, raw power under the azure black-striped pelt as he moved, focused crimson eyes shimmering as they focused squarely on their quarry. He climbed over Long's legs, still going as his head passed over his midsection, until his lower body settled into Long's lap. He touched noses with his companion, insistently nudging his nervous companion to lie back.

"I've been wanting to do this since I saw you in an apron," the blue tiger spoke softly, his voice overflowing with need, coming to rest chest to chest on top of Long as the orange feline carefully placed his wide paws along his clone's sides. Then without further ado Shenlong leaned forward and sealed his muzzle over Long's.

Long's eyes widened to a lesser degree this time when Shenlong's tongue went to work, tasting and feeling inside his humid maw, and even though he knew he wanted this, nerves tingling with familiar warmth once again, he still felt overwhelmed. Like he should do something. Anything. He couldn't think.

But then he realized… all he did was think. He was so tired of thinking all the time, about everything, constantly planning, laying low each and every day. He couldn't stand it. For once, he decided not to think, and freed his desires from their cage to take the wheel.

Long clamped a hand behind Shenlong's neck and pulled him down into their embrace. This time, Long's tongue went to battle with Shenlong's, brushing against it's supple form, dancing along the sharp fangs and teeth just like how Shenlong did to him, reveling in the warmth he felt there. Shenlong let out a pleasantly surprised Mmm! into the kiss, his own hand snaking behind Long head and cradling. Long explored every nook and cranny inside Shenlong's inviting mouth, his partner's delving into his own to do the same. Lovely wet sounds echoed in the tiny training room, the purr of the two interlocked tigers rising steadily in sync to make the symphony complete.

That rich, spicy scent Long picked up earlier grew sharply in his nostrils, which he now understood was the smell of Shenlong's lust. Long wondered if smelled the same way to Shenlong. What's more, he could feel this… this energy coming off Shenlong, emitting from under his blue striped pelt and traveling through to Long's rounded finger pads, broiling and teeming with passion. Is this what Shenlong meant by "sensing"? Whatever the case, it was calming, Long wanting to bask in its glow it for as long as possible.

Then suddenly, Shenlong broke the kiss, panting and eyes glassy. "More?" he asked in a low, needy rumble.

"More," Long replied in an instant, placing his paws on Shenlong's shoulders and urging him back.Shenlong moved aside and Long sat up, the monk immediately starting to untie the burgundy-colored sash around his waist, letting it fall away and allow his top to slacken around his torso. Long debated taking time to undo the buttons of his shirt and remove it the traditional way but quickly abandoned that idea, opting instead to take the faster route by pulling the loose garment off over his head, momentarily lifting his rear off the mat so the tailing on the back could be slid out from under him. He tossed it away without a care.

"Oh, wow…" Shenlong whispered, eyes raking over Long's creamy-furred chest and stomach. As Shenlong was an exact clone of himself, Long knew their body structures were virtually identical, both in and out of beast form, but Long rarely if ever ripped clean out of his clothes during transformation, while Shenlong had no problem shredding his outfit when the change occurred. That meant this had to be the first time Shenlong had seen his counterpart's torso bared and open to him.

Long felt oddly self-conscious for a moment. He never ruminated about his own sex appeal, not nearly narcissistic enough about his appearance for the thought to ever cross his mind. But now, looking at Shenlong from a position of attractiveness, he felt his blood surge. The man was… truly quite handsome.

They shared the same wide pectorals and rippling abdominals, hard muscles and contours clearly visible even under the layers of downy white fur, a perfect a mirror image of one another, discounting the color difference obviously. The way the tiger clone's pupils dilated into big black saucers and his breath hitched, exhaling louder through his nostrils, told Long everything he needed to know about what Shenlong thought of his own freshly exposed body. The cobalt zoanthrope's legs shifted into a more comfortable position, and Long could see the outline of his shaft at the crotch of his jeans under the black denim. He couldn't take his eyes of it. Long couldn't help but imagine how it looked, about how it would feel in his hands... God, what is happening to me?

Shenlong released a rugged growl and immediately climbed back over Long. His muzzle sought the crook the orange tiger's neck and nestled in, wetly mouthing and nibbling the spot lavishly. Long gasped and laid back, titling his head to give Shenlong as much access he desired, heart racing and pulse thundering in his ears, bright feline eyes drifting half-shut as he surrendered to his one time enemy. Long's member grew firm, the sensitive head brushing against the insides of his cloth pants. Without a doubt, he knew that it was tenting out the front of fabric, and more so, that Shenlong could feel its thickness riding up alongside his own concealed manhood. He picked the wrong evening to forgo wearing undergarments, Long lamented…

"You want this bad," Shenlong breathlessly muttered against his orange-striped neck, steadily grinding his hips down into the radiating heat and sudden rigidity building up at Long's crotch .

"I do," Long murmured back, barely audible. Shenlong took a moment to glance directly into the corners of Long's half-lidded eyes, finding the green jewels lost in carnal ardor. He chuckled softly, head lifting to place another tender peck to the front Long's muzzle, and was surprised when his unexpected lover's semi-open mouth softly closed upon his own to suckle upon the blue tiger's sleek lower lip in return. Shenlong gladly reciprocated, firmly pressing his mouth against his tangerine-furred partner. It was short and sweet, but enough to make heat surge to his loins, growly purr reaching a crescendo. Once their kiss broke, Shenlong lowered his muzzle to drag a long, wet lick from Long's throat all the way up to his chin, the tiger moaning lowly back at him. The blue tiger's muzzle drifted from Long's neck to along his collarbone, nose huffing hot, damp breath through the soft pelt, taking in Long's uniquely exclusive scent. He moved lower, hovering over the sternum to give a long, pebbly lick between the taut chest muscles.

"I-I never imagined in a million years…" Long rasped. "How did we get to this point?"

Shenlong chortled deeply. "No idea. But I regret nothing," he said, exhaling into the valley of muscle and fur.

"Neither do I," Long replied honestly.

"Gooood," Shenlong rumbled with a lusty growl, and splayed wide padded palms out over Long's broad pectorals, squeezing the firm flesh. Claws curled out from his fingertips to furrow through the velvety white fur, hard muscles vibrating with immeasurable strength under his touch. A thumb sifted through the pelt around the corner of Long's chest, searching intently, until a clawtip discovered hardened nub hidden under the fleece. Long sucked a breath through his teeth as a shocking bolt of searing, tingling fire coursed from the spot directly to the junction between his legs, his entire body constricting and ears folding back. His cock swelled in an instant, lurching so suddenly between their joined pelvises that Long unconsciously shifted his hips, but found little relief.

In a haze, Long's glanced down his body, just in time to see Shenlong dip his striped head and latch onto an uncovered nipple, sucking upon the flesh and running his bristly tongue over the sensitive bud. The orange tiger threw his head back with such force it thumped loudly against the matted floor, releasing a snarl of passion. Without thinking, he cupped a soft-pawed hand behind Shenlong's head and pulled him down against his pec, arching his back to push his chest harder into cloying heat of Shenlong's muzzle. Electric currents of arousal blasted his nerves in droves, making his feet kick and tail twitch on their own accord.

Shenlong nursed the flesh eagerly, occasionally taking the nipple between his teeth in tiny nibbles between hearty suckles. Meanwhile, his other hand sought and quickly found the nipple on the opposite mound of Long's chest, thumb pad circling the disk of flesh in calculated swirls until the area hardened and raised at the touch. Shenlong's muzzle popped free of Long's breast, then promptly went to the other and sealed his ebony lips around the neglected teat. He gave it the same treatment as he did the first, only this time his mouth worked upon it more wantonly, full sweeps of his tongue dragging along the surface. Blue furred fingers took over where Shenlong's mouth left off at the first assault of tongue and teeth, digits flicking over the tiger's newly saliva-soaked nipple and chest, a clawtip carefully tracing the ringed edge. Long swallowed heavily, throat suddenly dry. It was then he realized he too was purring, the deep rumble astonishing him its ferocity. Never in his life had he ever experienced anything as intense as this. He was melting like an ice cube in an inferno under the beast-man's hands.

Suddenly, Shenlong broke away, cool air wafting over the now damp areas of Long's chest, leaving the orange tiger to shiver at the loss of his warm, doting mouth. Wordlessly, Shenlong licked his way down Long's torso, pausing over the defined abs to lash his tongue over the hills of furred muscle, then descended lower. Long tensed, unsure if he was really prepared for this moment, then immediately reprimanded himself for being so dense. It mattered little. Whether he liked it or not, his azure doppelganger was on a mission to unwrap what was hidden in those pants, and Long wasn't about to stop him.

Shenlong hooked his claws inside the fringe of his opposite's cloth pants, and without ceremony, shimmied them down midway around orange, stripy thighs. Long's nerves rattled sharply, and he clapped his paw-like mitts over his face in a vain attempt to hide as his shaft was freed of it's cotton cage, so rigid it sprung back to thump against his lower belly. How shameful he must've looked.

"No underwear, huh? Nice." Shenlong approved.

"They limit mobility," Long blurted out, the insides of his ears glowing a deep pink. Out of curiosity, he peeked between his fingers, and there he was, completely exposed and aroused before his rival, who looked as thrilled as the literal cat that caught the canary. Long's eyes immediately darted down to his member, throbbing readily amid a thatch of snowy white pubic fur. He'd never seen himself naked as a tiger before, no less with a rock-hard erection. It looked so strange, yet still very similar in some ways, and surprisingly, overall seemed rather appealing. It easily doubled, if not tripled in length and thickness, the tip easily reaching his navel, which itself had tapered to an almost conical head, and it was adorned with these tiny little… bumps, maybe? Nodes? Whatever they were, they were also on the upper part of the shaft as well. They were wonderfully sensitive. In fact, the entirety of his maleness was more sensitive than usual; Long could swear he could feel each and every follicle of fur against the angry red, veiny flesh.

"Looks just like mine," Shenlong murmured, enthralled by the hard cock mere inches from his nose. Then the blue tiger's head ducked low, barbed tongue emerging from his muzzle to give a greedy lick under the the silky ballsac, moving steadily up and over the pouch before wetly sliding along the underside of the cock all the way up to the very tip. Long inhaled so sharply it sounded like a hiss, and his hands flew away from his face to slap against the ground at his sides, fingers spreading out and claws sinking into the matted flooring in loud pops. It was insane how good that felt, euphoria crashing over him like a tidal wave. But even in his lust-addled mind, he knew he should be more concerned about what was about to happen, having such sharp teeth so close to such a delicate organ. But he didn't care anymore. It was a risk he was willing to take. He wanted, needed to keep going…

Shenlong's wine-red eyes became consumed by hunger, and not wasting another second, he lifted the pillar of feline meat upright, placed the tip against his lips, and let his head drop. Long's cock submerged into a world of liquid heat, talented tongue coiling about the shaft and urgently taking it in deeper, right to the back of his throat where is slid down without resistance or hesitation. Shenlong swallowed with a loud gulp, and Long just about screamed, jaws locked open in a silent howl. His sapphire lover immediately set to work, broad tiger head bobbing up and down, ensuring the shaft in his maw got the royal treatment as nimble tongue slathered about the hard flesh wildly, hands cupping the balls and rolling the heavy sac into his padded palm. Shenlong moaned around the cock in his mouth, gravely voice pairing with his rampant purr to vibrate down the pulsing shaft.

The blue-furred tiger tilted his head at an angle, elongated incisors gently brushing along the meaty pole, cradling them in a dangerous embrace each time his head came and went. Shenlong's head bobbed and weaved, ebon lips kissing the base of the shaft, taking Long wholly with every motion. Then his paws joining in, cruising over Long's firm stomach and claws furrowing through the white belly fur before combing back down to settle atop his pubic region. Four fingers of each hand spread out into the crotch fur above the base of the shaft while the thumbs hooked under between balls and base, pads kneading the flesh and guiding the firm rod into his drooling muzzle.

Long was quickly reduced into a moaning, trembling mess. He couldn't take his eyes off the cobalt tiger sucking his cock, transfixed by the erotic display. Shenlong was so good at this.Too good. Almost like he had practiced this before, in beast form. Long had to wonder who the lucky guy was. Was it someone he knew? Shenlong ran in different circles than he did, but zoanthrope cliques and communities overlapped at times. There was a good possibility Long may have met one or two of Shenlong's former flings in passing, and that realization sent a spike of red-hot lust into his heart. Did others find his beast form sexy as well? Long grunted, lying his head back, and decided not too dwell on it. He was learning too much for one evening.

With a wet smack of his lips, Shenlong let's the orange tiger's cock pop free of his mouth. He wrapped a big paw around the shaft, slowly pumping up and down to keep it hard while twisting his wrist to cover more ground. Even with a mitt as big as his, it could barely wrap all the way around it, several inches still sprouting from the top of his fist. Shenlong gazed up Long's body, eyes riddled with desire, licking his lips clean before giving the head of the cock a lavish final lash of his tongue. He released Long's cock from his grasp, rising up and scooting back to kneel astride over Long's legs, sitting back on his haunches and leaving the orange tiger's spit-shined cock flagging in the air. Long nearly whined at how Shenlong abandoned him so suddenly.

A wide blue paw rubbed over the front of his jeans, fingers tracing the outline of his own member raging against the fabric, claws clicking along the denim.

"Wanna help me out?" he asked through a growl, sly grin returning with a lusty edge. Long nodded without a second thought. Shenlong chuffed an eager sound of approval and reached for the button above his zipper, but abruptly Long sat up and eased Shenlong's paws away.

"Let me," he offered, and Shenlong, pleasantly surprised, couldn't look any happier. Long's thick feline fingers moved with unprecedented nimbleness, quickly undoing the buckle of Shenlong's belt and batting it aside before popping the button at the waist of the jeans and hooking a clawtip into the little hole on the end of the zipper. He tugged it down with unbecoming urgency, the ratcheting sound of it splitting apart deafeningly loud inside the little studio.

Long was no virgin, even though he had been regrettably acting like one for most of their encounter. He decided to cut himself a little slack in that regard. He was going through a lot of firsts for one night. But it wasn't like he hadn't had sex before. In fact, he was quite a stud during his Tylon Corporation days, experimenting with both men and women, but that felt like ages ago. So maybe he was a little rusty. It had been quite awhile since he'd done anything remotely romantic with anyone. At least not since he decided to become a monk, though there were no vows of chastity involved with his particular teachings.

Thank god for that, Long thought he parted the flaps of Shenlong's fly, the blue tiger's erection already eager to breach the barrier. But Shenlong's cock was still constrained by underwear of some kind, cottony and black like his jeans. With an annoyed grunt , Long hastily shimmied the bothersome pants down around Shenlong's thighs, midway like his own, and came face to face with a hard tiger cock restrained by…

"A jock?" Long asked, surprised.

"Hey, it works for me," Shenlong said defensively. "It's good for keeping things in one place. And you're one to talk, you go commando."

Long admitted he had a point. Underwear or not though, it was in the way. And as much as Long wanted to simply rip them apart to get at what he wanted, he felt a little payback was in order. Shenlong made him squirm, now it's was Long's turn to return the favor. Shooting a sly little grin of of his own back up at his clone, Long slipped the blunt, claw-sheathed fingers of one hand over then under the waistband of Shenlong's underwear, wrist turning to press his upturned palm flush to furred lower belly, then slithered the rest of the paw in soon after. Digits descended through the downy fur of his pubic thatch, over the top of the searing curved flesh of his cock until the soft-padded hand soon cupped the silken sac hidden within the cotton jock, delicate pouch resting in his palm. The velveteen fuzz of his balls felt marvelous against his sensitive paw pads, and the way the heavy, full twin eggs tightened from just a mere touch sent waves of satisfaction through Long. He gave his lover a few tender squeezes of his hand, fingertips rolling over the loose, remarkably warm sac.

Shenlong's reaction was instantaneous. Long felt the hard flesh laying bent against his wrist spring to life, thickening and throbbing with the beat of his heart, shaft filling with boiling blood and veins bulging as it quickly grew until it poked out the top of the waistband by a few good inches. Shenlong groaned and trembled, the scent of his need rising heavily in the air, spicy and masculine. The blue tiger definitely fidgeted and panted, much to Long's gratification. This was going better than he expected.

Hah! How do you like that, my rival?

He glanced up at Shenlong, craving to see his face, to view how his ministrations affected double. His lover's large, feline head was lolled back, chin tilted high and fearsome jaws parted, growl-like moans rolling off his barbed tongue with abandon. Long couldn't see it, but he imagined his counterpart's eyes closed tightly and a look of pure ecstasy painted all over his face. No wonder Shenlong got such a kick out of teasing him…

Suddenly with a sharp snarl, Shenlong swatted Long's hand away, and in one quick motion, jammed his thumbs into the waistband of the jock and shoved it down his thighs in line with the jeans, his erection bouncing forth in freedom. Then Shenlong grabbed Long's shoulders, holding him in place as the blue tiger climbed over his lap, planted his knees on either side Long's hips and pushing down with his hands. By the time Shenlong eased up, Long was almost completely supine, the orange beast only able to prop himself up by his elbows. It happened so fast, Long barely had time to blink. One moment he had Shenlong by the balls, quite literally, and then the next, Shenlong's cock was tapping against his lips, tip fervently prodding for a place to sink in.

Oh my… Long had wondered if Shenlong's tiger-formed phallus looked anything like like his own, and now he could see it most certainly did. Just as long and thick, with nubs around the head and upper shaft, flesh as red as the devil's hide.

A preliminary stab of his counterpart's hips missed the mark, the cock tip grazing Long's chin, and his wet feline nose bumped into Shenlong's pubic fur. It felt as soft as it looked. But his scent— it was overpowering, and so… intoxicating. Saliva began to build up in Long's maw as if in anticipation of a sizzling, fresh steak dinner, prepared just for him. Long's lips parted, and Shenlong took the initiative. Clamping his hands onto tangerine-furred skull, he practically rammed his length fully into Long waiting mouth.

Long eyes went wide, expecting to gag, but instead felt the cock glide over his tongue and right down his gullet with ease. No gag reflex in beast form? Is that why Shenlong was able to handle him so efficiently before? Incredible, who would've guessed— Long didn't have time to marvel over his newfound discovery. Shenlong's paws locked behind the orange tiger's striped head and yanked him down onto his cock, a breathy, rumbling groan escaping him. Flavor assailed Long's tongue, hot flesh rich and tangy against his taste buds, the little nubs on the head tickling the writhing wet muscle.

Shenlong began to thrust like a creature in heat, hips smacking into Long's muzzle at a dizzying pace. Long's elbows and arms could barely hold him up, big orange paws grasping the denim bunched up around Shenlong's knees to keep himself from being completely lain flat out. The cock in his maw copiously drew saliva each time it retreated, slicking his lips and dampening his chin, wet clicks and smacks enriched by muffled sounds of surprise. But the astonishment didn't last, and Long drifted back into a cozy state of relaxation, eyes drifting shut as tongue and throat went to task. Coiling, barbed tongue wrapped around the shaft like a serpent, constricting and undulating whenever he swallowed head and shaft into his gullet.

The blue tiger growling enthusiastically, gazing down upon his unexpected lover with lips curled back into a dangerous smile, deadly fangs gleaming. Shenlong's muzzle wrinkled in a snarl, lust welling up in his belly as he began to feel Long's muzzle move forward in time with his thrusts, requiring less and less effort on his part as Long picked up the slack. At some point he let go of Long's head, and the orange tiger gratefully took over, turning and twisting his muzzle just like Shenlong had done to him, slurping and gulping relentlessly, his broad striped head bobbing with striking tenacity. Shenlong interlocked his hands behind his head, jutted his hips out and watched the show. His throbbing cock leaked a deluge of salty pre into Long's suckling maw, tongue slathering the viscous fluid under the shaft before the tiger greedily drinking it down. Long was ravenous, devouring the hard cock like a starving animal. Then he pressed his muzzle flush to Shenlong's groin, nose buried in that wonderful smelling fur as he swallowed heavily around the fleshy staff, holding there until his breath ran out and he was forced to retreat and suck in a breath of much needed air around it.

Shenlong gave a satisfying shiver at the chilly intake of breath, and his next one came when Long's hands snaked behind his thighs to pull him forward, muzzle burying into the blue tiger's crotch. Claws raked up and down the striped haunches until his spread fingers cupped the underside of the glutes, sinking into the plush fur covering the rounded, plump muscles and kneading them whenever they flexed. Long swallowed the tiger's meat to the root, encasing it inside his rippling throat, lips nursing the base of the shaft that leaked pre directly into his esophagus, yearning for more and more. Humid, trembling puffs of air rushed from Long's nose, wallowing in his personal scent dense within the satiny fur of Shenlong's pubic area. Then a bristled tongue snaked out from under the seal of his spit-gleaming lips, lapping at the silken ballsac resting against his chin. The appendage had reach, effortlessly curling beneath the underside and hefting the balls up to pin them against Shenlong's perineum, grinding up against the full orbs. It was as if the orange beast-man was attempting to draw out the flavorful milk inside them by force. Shenlong grit his teeth in wonderful agony, his growls sharply rising in pitch and frequency.

As the blue tiger's body grew tighter with each ripple of throat, each dash of tongue, Long knew that Shenlong was on the verge of erupting any second. All he had to do was keep at it…

But Shenlong must have read his mind. He rumbled gutturally, then scooted back out of Long's reach, the tiger's mouth following suit until he couldn't keep it between his lips any longer, only a strand of saliva bridging the two before it also broke. Long glanced up at his counterpart in query, sitting up when Shenlong went into a crouch. But instead of standing, the blue tiger reached down, hooked his hands under Long's armpits, and hauled his fellow beast to his feet with him. Shenlong released Long carefully, and the orange tiger wobbling unsteadily on weakened legs.

While Long got his bearings, Shenlong took the opportunity get the rest of his clothes off. He turned aside and bent forward, casually slipping his fingertips into the waistbands of both jeans and jockstrap banded around his knees, then with a sultry smirk directed at his counterpart, shimmied them the rest of the way down until they pooled around his ankles. Sighing in relief, he promptly stepped out of them, stretching his powerful legs. Then in typical Shenlong fashion, placed his hands on his hips and purposely stuck out his pelvis to proudly display his impressive cock, length bobbing freely and steadily drooling a wisp-like thread of pre. Long's couldn't stand any straighter at that point.

"So," Shenlong's grin widened. "Where's your bedroom?"

Long didn't need to think twice. He grasped the blue tiger's paw in his own, tugged his pants up with the other, and made a mad dash out of the dojo while dragging Shenlong behind him, the sapphire beast doing his best to keep from tripping over his own feet. Past the living room and down the hall, Long kicked the door open to the bedroom, luckily left ajar otherwise it would have been knocked clean off the hinges.

Due to his night vision in tiger form, the dark room was hardly a challenge to his eyes. The inside was clean yet simple, sparsely decorated but suited to Long's basic needs. The walls were barren, no photos to be seen, and other than a few pieces of furniture, the place was mostly barren. There was a wooden side table next to the door where Long set his glasses earlier, and a wide oak dresser with a large mounted mirror. Next to that in the corner sat sat a small desk and chair, his trusty sewing machine stationed on top. On the opposite of those was a built-in closet. However, the centerpiece of the space had to be the gigantic king-size bed near the balcony windows. Long chose not to own many worldly possessions, finding little use for excess in his life. But when it came to beds, he gladly spent the money. A good nights rest was a luxury Long always afforded himself, worth its weight in gold to him. But tonight was the first time the bed was going to have it's sturdiness tested.

Suddenly, Shenlong gave Long a hard shove in the back, sending the orange tiger flying onto his front upon the neatly made bed. The sheets muffled Long's surprise, barely having time to orient himself before Shenlong snagged his fingers into the sides of Long's pants. But he paused.

"What's this?" Shenlong asked.

"Uhn?" Long replied in a stupor. The blue tiger replied by sticking his forefinger into a sewn eyelet in the seat of Long's pants just above where the tangerine-furred tail was threaded though, and inadvertently poked Long right above in the tail bone. The tiger shuddered on contact and said stripy tail lashed, swatting Shenlong's paw away.

"That's… I made these pants. I added a slit in the back so my tail could grow without tearing them," Long answered sheepishly, ears flattening back at the sudden attention to his sewing prowess, and by extent, his rear end. Shenlong made no attempt to hide how he hungrily ogled the concealed, rounded cheeks before him, crimson eyes only momentarily distracted from their main target.

"Sounds handy," Shenlong decided. "Maybe I can talk you into making a pair for me sometime. Anyways."

He instantly resumed shuffling the pants down over Long's ass, and inch by inch, the fabric peeled away to reveal a pair of orange-furred, perfectly sculpted globes of muscle, taut and supple, streaked with lines of midnight black stripes and a valley of snowy white in between. Shenlong rumbled in approval, eagerly pulling the garment the rest of the way off Long's legs and feet before discarding them over his shoulder.

"Let's get you ready. I pitch, you catch," Shenlong laid out his strategy with unnerving casualty. Long startled, quickly glancing over his shoulder in trepidation at the blue tiger, his ears folded back as far as they could go.

"Wait," he said with atypical fear. "I don't have any… uh, lubrication, for such things. I— Oh!"

Shenlong responded by clambering up on the bed and lying down with his chest resting atop Long's prone legs, then promptly parted the stripy cheeks to expose the tiger's pucker, much to Long's chagrin. The blue tiger licked his chops like he had a full-course meal before him.

"Let me worry about that. You're gonna love this," he said, then extended his tongue and swiped a wide, saliva-filled lick through Long's lightly furred perineum and up, laving over the tense ring of muscle. Shenlong delved in, fitting his muzzle between the furry globes, indulging in his feast. Long jolted and tail puffed out like a feather duster, ass lifting up into Shenlong's persistent mouth, knees spreading and thighs widening unconsciously to grant the azure feline as much access as desired. Mortified, Long buried his face into the bedding.

"Holy shit," he whined, and Shenlong replied with a resounding chuckle.

"You're cute when you swear," he rumbled, humid breath washing through the velvety trench, then continued to bathe the region wet, tongue squishing and prodding. The agile muscle lapped against the clenched opening, urging it to loosen and yield while Shenlong's large hands kneaded firm mounds luxuriously, tension melting from Long's mind and body with each lick and squeeze. Orange tiger tail arched into a perfect Fibonacci spiral and Long moaned in passion, clawed hands fisting into the sheets futilely. Soon, he gave in under Shenlong's touch, tight resistant muscles relaxing, and the nimble tongue slipped past the loosened gateway, sweeping around the canal of Long's ass, warm saliva spread around in wide, twirling strokes. Whenever the passage clenched upon the probing invader, the blue tiger seemed to take it as a challenge and redoubled his efforts to wedge more tongue inside, until there was no more resistance to be had. Strangely, The sandpaper-like texture of the raspy muscle didn't bother Long at all, not like he thought it would. If anything, it felt amazing, the steady brushing sensation tingling his insides like he'd never felt before. His dick throbbed so hard, it almost hurt.

Shenlong pulled away, departing with sated sigh. "That oughta do it," he gloated, proud of his work. Then he placed a playful pat upon the prized striped rump and sat back. Placing a hand on Long's hip, he rolled the stunned tiger's lethargic body over onto his back, spire-like cock standing straight like an arrow embedded in the earth.

Long blinked, eyes regaining night vision after having been screwed shut and buried in bedding. There, at his paw-like feet, Shenlong sat, perched on his haunches like a giant house cat, his red eyes, glimmering like polished rubies, danced over the fiery-colored tiger's naked form in feral glee. Long's hair stood on end. As primordially intimidating as the sight was, it was immensely erotic at the same time. In all honesty, he'd never been so turned on in his entire life, his cock lurching and a stream of precum drizzling down the shaft. One of Long's rounded ears flicked, striped appendages swiveling forward at full attention.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Shenlong joked, scarlet gaze hungrier than ever, then casually reached down and moved Long's thick legs apart, bending them at the knee to open up the spit-shined entrance to him.

This was it. No turning back. But Long didn't feel even the tiniest sliver of trepidation. He wanted this as much as Shenlong, desired for nothing more than for the cobalt tiger to take him, and whether it came hard or gentle, it mattered not. However it would happen, he'd embrace it with open arms.

Shenlong's gaze met Long's, and he crawled his way between the open legs. He paused to grasp his cock, nudging the nubby head against the willing ring of flesh, and it slipped in easily. Long gasped at the familiar sensation, something he hadn't experienced in for years. But he didn't flinch, determined to see it through. He could take it. The blue tiger released his member and climbed even further over Long, letting his closing movements feed the rest of the shaft deep within the hot, cloying tunnel.

Shenlong came to rest chest to chest atop Long, the big beast-man's heavy weight upon the latter comforting and safe, meaty shaft pinned between them. The creamy fur of Shenlong's front merged with his own, bodies fitting together like lock and key, and Long reached up to furrowed his claws along Shenlong's cheek, admiring his graceful feline features. Impulsively, Shenlong sealed his sable lips over Long's muzzle, the two kissing briefly before the sapphire tiger's purr hiked and he broke away.

"I want to watch you while we fuck," he rasped huskily, and Long nodded enthusiastically, granting permission to begin.

Shenlong reeled his pelvis back, and fucked himself back into Long in a solid push. Long's head tilted back and he cried out in ecstasy, purr becoming so fierce it almost drowned out Shenlong's with his own. Not missing a beat, Shenlong began a steady roll of his hips, sinking himself over and over inside the moaning tiger. After several thrusts, the tangerine tiger's moans quickly devolved into desperate mewls, strong encouraging arms wrapping around his twin's back. Shenlong heard the demand of his partner, and decided to meet it head on, picking up his pace and savagely plowing into Long's ass while he nipped and nibbled under Long's chin and along his Adam's apple. The monk nearly squealed at the touch of his mouth, head thrown back and eyes rolling back, his world narrowing down to that incredible cock splitting him open.

In mere seconds, the two tigers were fucking like animals— growling, snarling creatures of lust. Long's muscled legs lifted on their own accord, allowing the cobalt tiger to delve even deeper into his clenching, searingly hot canal, stuffing fully into its depths to claim him completely. Amid it all, Shenlong managed to wedge a hand-paw between them, quickly finding Long's unattended and neglected maleness, fleshy staff twitching at his touch. He stroked and tugged, thumb pad pressing to the sensitive underside of the head, weeping gobs of thick pre to seep between his thick fingers to slick the rod.

Long let out the most ferocious growl Shenlong had ever heard, the orange tiger totally lost to the rapturous fire building up within him, and then he lurched upward to snap his jaws at Shenlong's shoulder. The blue tiger pitched back just in time, the bite a hair's length away from connecting. The shock on Shenlong's face was short-lived, quickly shifting into the demented smile of a madman. Now this was more like it! The nature of the beast was taking over, and while Shenlong had experienced such powerful urges during previous amorous encounters in tiger form, this was Long's first time, and it was rapidly consuming his normally calm and aligned mind. Long was now more dangerous than ever, and Shenlong grrrowled at how unspeakably hot it was to be the reason the tiger writhed under him.

"You missssed," Shenlong tauntingly dragged out, spurred on even more by the act, and slammed his pelvis down in a suddenly powerful thrust, grinding lewdly against the soft-furred rump. Long yowled in return, claws sinking into his fellow tiger's striped back, almost but not quite breaking the skin under the striped pelt. Shenlong hammered Long's trembling body at a fervid pace now, dealing a sliver of punishment for the little infraction against him. The bed frame rocked and creaked, sounding like it could collapse at any moment, but they were too lost in their hedonistic combined universe, keeping their stride. Broken bed or not, the two were going to carry their intimate union to the final act.

"Oh, fuck…" Long gasped, and Shenlong growled ferociously, head darting down to lick lewdly over Long's muzzle and jowls.

The sapphire tiger absolutely pounded the feline under him, their furred bodies matted down with a thin layer of sweat, mixed scents mingling in their noses. Long wrapped his legs around Shenlong's hips, pulling him harder onto him, holding him tight to keep the fully seated swelling tiger flesh inside him whenever it reached a particularly sensitive spot. Tails swayed and listed, the white tips wagging madly and whapping against the bedsheets, eventually entwining like a braid, cold blue against rusty orange.

Long's strangled cries becoming loud and louder with each resounding impact on his backside. Soft yet sonorous pelt-on-pelt claps, wet slides of flesh into flesh, mouths to lips— the sounds their bodies made against each other were exquisite, and were only getting louder. Shenlong released a strangled whine, every inch of his shaft massaged by his counterpart's milking passageway, ring shuddering around the base each time their pelvises collided. It was like Long's body was unconsciously trying to keep the blue tiger's cock from escaping when Shenlong's hips would roll backwards, tunnel undulating in despair at the loss.

"Oohrrrggrraawd, I can't hold it much longer," Shenlong ground out between clenched teeth against Long's muzzle, delving in to suckle the striped pelt covering the jugular. Long clamped a paw behind the blue tiger's neck and pulled him close.

"As one. Please…" Long begged. Long actually begged him. Him— the mighty Shenlong, his rival and equal, to cum inside him. Shenlong's eyes flashed blindingly red in the dark and sheathed himself fully into the writhing tiger under him. But his didn't orgasm yet, instead he suddenly pushed himself up by one arm, suspending himself above the orange while the hand of the other stroked Long's maleness furiously, eyes screwed shut as he used every last bit of strength he had left to keep from cumming, holding out for his double to release first so he could mercifully join in.

Long stared up at Shenlong in amazement, jaws agape in silent awe. The sapphire tiger wore an expression of unrefined euphoria, features contorted in blissful agony and chin trembling, his purr so loud it had to be painful to emit. Long had never seen someone so racked by pleasure to make such faces. And it was all due to himself— He reduced this regal warrior into an wild, debased animal using only his body and endurance. He couldn't believe how inexplicably erotic it was to wield this kind of power.

"C-Cum for me," Shenlong desperately implored— no, begged Long, sweat-beaded visage contorted in a rapturous grimace.

That's what Long needed to witness, to feel, to set him off. The dam broke, and he roared with such intensity the windows rattled, the sound a perfect blend of his own wailing voice and the unmistakable bay of a giant jungle cat. Paws balled into fists in the sheets, claws sheering fabric to ribbons, and he bucked hard into Shenlong's hand, back arching so greatly his spine nearly snapped in two. His cock pulsed, head flared, and a surge of white, thick seed flowed from the tip, jetting over his curved body to splatter directly between his broad chest muscles, rapid fire volleys of rich cum following right after to drench his abs and belly, the molten liquid's brilliant color lost in a sea of white fur.

The moment Long came, his passage clinched so firmly upon Shenlong's cock that it became stuck inside, locked down and unable to do more than hold there, but the tightness was so unparalleled, so world-shattering that it sent him over the edge. Shenlong's back arched just like the tiger under him and roared out in time with Long, his bellowing his cry to the heavens combining with his twin's in an earsplitting symphony. He came with the force of a train careening into a brick wall, cock spasming and pouring forth to fill the tiger's ass to the brim with just the first few streams of piping hot semen. Instincts dropped onto him like an anvil, and it took all his might to not lose control and lunge forward to sink his teeth into Long's tender, unprotected throat, that primal need to claim his lover nearly overwhelming him. Shenlong buried his free hand into the dense fur of his scalp and grasped the hair so hard it hurt, desperately restraining himself as one of the most powerful orgasms of his entire life crashed over him.

Long wasn't faring much better. His hips became a blur as his fucked himself into the hand clutching his dick and then back onto Shenlong's staff on the return thrust, his ass greedily enveloping his fellow tiger's pulsing cock. Cum spattered against his stomach and abs, load after load raining down until the flow began to taper, drooling like a faucet to puddle around his pubic area.

Shenlong couldn't stop cumming, balls lurching and producing more and more to pump and deliver. Long's vise-like passage couldn't to keep all that sticky goodness inside, rivulets of it leaking from around the shaft and dribbling down to the sheets below. Shenlong's trembling arm suddenly gave out and he fell forward, crash landing into Long's cum-strewn chest with a messy slap, the hand still wrapped around Long's sputtering cock sandwiched between them, but even so, he still kept humping and braying low roars of ecstasy into the orange-striped crook of Long's neck. Pleasure continued to rock every atom of his being, Shenlong determined to empty every drop of pure tiger jism into the spasming tiger beneath him, coating his insides.

Shenlong felt the ebb of the tide quickly approach. His member made its last bobs of life, and his softening, cum-drenched maleness slipped out with a wet sucker-pop from Long's battered hole, a torrent of white gushing out in a deluge to pool on the bedding beneath them.

Long groaned lowly as the warmth and fullness left him, his own tap finally running dry, yet electric jolts of orgasm still barraged his senses. He felt like he was still peaking though he had nothing more to give, a few final empty thrusts signaling the last throes of his climax. Every muscle in Long's body screamed for relief, completely sapped of strength, and his body collapsed into to the mattress, limbs sprawled out and head lolling as if he'd been leveled by a haymaker.

With his last ounce of energy, the exhausted blue tiger rolled off to the side to flop onto his back next to Long with a robust sigh, both of them left panting and gasping. It felt like hours before either caught their breath and the adrenaline evened out in their blood, cool air wafting over their sweat-damp bodies.

"That was…" Long murmured, finding no words to describe how magnificent the experience was, how wonderful he felt. He touched a hand-paw to his belly, feeling the soggy texture of his fur. It was still warm.

Shenlong made an agreeing sound but said nothing more. Long's neck muscles ached as he turned his head to finally check on how his partner was doing. Shenlong looked like a massive sated house cat that just ate the best meal of its life and was about to take the most deserved of naps, whiskers flicking happily and tail curled up next to him in a coil, tip flicking on occasion. His tongue was sticking out a bit. Kind of adorable really. It was an odd contrast from Shenlong's usual kingly and menacing form, but still one that made him smile.

Long hadn't felt this relaxed in years, and while most of it had to due to the afterglow, some of it came from a different source. Maybe it was because for once Long wasn't alone in bed. He'd forgotten how comforting it was to feel the weight of another next to his own while he slept. It had been years since he last experienced such a gift…

A light snore whistled past Shenlong's fangs, bringing Long back to the present. The big tiger was out like a light. Long could hardly blame him.

"Right. Good idea," Long concurred, feeling himself enter that warm, fuzzy state right before sleep. But before he could drift away, Shenlong rolled over with a gruff sigh, draping an arm over Long's chest and pulling his orange counterpart close to him. A pang of emotion struck Long like an lance. He felt strangely honored by that somehow, but his exhausted wouldn't allow him ponder on the matter much more. Long's stamina began to fail him, his eyelids becoming heavy and consciousness slipping into dreamland. Long closed his eyes, head resting on the pillow next to Shenlong, and wrapped a paw-hand around the snoozing blue tiger's wrist in solace, giving it a squeeze before he joined him in slumber.

Long's eyes slowly cracked open when a beam of sunlight filtering through partly draped windows crossed over his eyes. He lay on his belly, warm and cozy, well-rested albeit rather sore from a strenuous workout. Then memories from the night before flooded back to him and he sat up with a start, eyes darting about the room. He was alone, no sign of his clone anywhere.

For a moment, he wondered if everything had been a dream, until his eyes fell upon the bedding. The sheets around him were torn to shreds, barely able to wholly cover his body with all the holes ripped in them. Long lifted the remaining sheets covering his stomach. He was back in human form, nude as the day he was born and dried… stuff all over his belly and groin. So it really did happen. Unbelievably, he had spent all night having unbridled sex with his rival in a fit of reckless passion, and as a beast of all ways! But what surprised him the most of all was… he loved every second of it. He felt no shame or remorse in the slightest. Definitely one hell of a time

Long caught a glimpse of himself in the dresser mirror. He looked about as one would expect after such an evening, his hair all mussed up and once elegant ponytail tangled and frayed. His eyes were still heavy with sleep and rapidly healed scratches cross-crossed various parts of his body, yet he had the smallest of dumb smiles stretched across his face. He'd never seen himself this way before, so carefree and so, well… happy. Who would have thought…

A clattering sound came from the hallway outside the bedroom, emanating where the bathroom would be. Long perked up. Shenlong was still here?

Long shuffled hurriedly over to the edge of the bed and swung his legs over, eyes scanning the floor for his pants. Now where in the hell did they…? He quickly stood— and his legs gave out on him, a terrible ache shooting up his calves and thighs to the base of his spine. He doubled over, feet slipping until he stumbled back onto the bed with a soft thud. Long let himself lie there in silence and sighed irritably. It had been decades since he felt this wiped out, this sore from a confrontation. And he knew exactly who to blame

"Shenlong!" Long shouted in aggravation.

"What?" A voice called back from the bathroom.

"I can't walk due to you!"

Shenlong's head poked around the door frame, likewise still naked and appeared just as disheveled as his twin, toothbrush stick protruding from his mouth and clutching Long's custom-made pants, idly examining the stitchwork with his fingers.

"Awh," he said, briskly removing the toothbrush from mouth and waving it in the air. "Fucked into a paralytic state, eh? Been there before, man. Bet it's double bad since we went at it all beast-mode. But ya gotta admit, it was super fun that way. Once, I knew this chick who didn't want anything to do with me unless I was a tiger. I saw her two weeks later and she still had a limp!" Shenlong guffawed like a fratboy. Long groaned and rubbed his temples, then noticed the color of the handle jutting from the man's mouth.

"Is that my toothbrush?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Mm-hmm," Shenlong confirmed. "I don't know why you're worried, you had worse things in your mouth last night." Then he popped the toothbrush back into his mouth and disappeared back into the bathroom, the faucet turning on and water splashing as he rinsed.

"Fair enough. When you are done, could you help me get to my feet at least?" Long ruefully pleaded, and seconds later his short-haired doppelganger came striding back into the bedroom wearing nothing but the smug grin on his face and a glass of water in each hand. Long thought he would be used to seeing Shenlong naked after everything they did, but he hadn't seen Shenlong out of his clothes in human form yet. If Long thought they looked alike as tigers, that meant nothing to how they looked now. Besides having identical body types, muscle structures and heights, Long also noticed that even the length of their flaccid members seemed to be the same length and adorned with a similar dark patch of pubic hair. But while Long was circumcised, Shenlong was not. Long exhaled the humor of this discovery through his nose. Finally, a way to tell them apart other than hair length and attitude.

"See something you like, tiger?" Shenlong asked slyly, offering a glass to Long, who took it with a nod of thanks. He noticed Shenlong's chest was clean and a fresh scent lingered on the man. He must have showered already, Long figured, and after taking a glance at the man's short, chocolate-brown hair, he saw it to be damp still, confirming this theory. Long realized he really must have been worn out from their romp. He slept right through the noise of a shower running in an apartment so soundproof that if there was so much as a moth in the room, Long would be woken up by the beat of its wings. He supposed he earned it, though.

By the time Long had taken so much as a sip, Shenlong tipped his glass back downed entire thing in a single go. "Ah, good stuff," he sighed in relief. Long just gave his counterpart a blank stare and looked at his own glass. Then he shrugged, placing the rim of the glass to his lips and gulping his water down the same way as Shenlong had. He too sighed after the glass was drained, same tone and pitch as Shenlong. For once, when he noticed how their voices echoed one another, he didn't feel irked him this time as it had so many times before. At this point, it almost felt like camaraderie.

"I think you already know the answer to that, Shen," Long answered the question, and Shenlong retorted with an exaggerated shiver.

"Oooh, I love when you call me that," Shenlong chortled and collected both their glasses, turning on his heels to place them on the dresser. Long took the moment to get a nice eyeful of Shenlong's bare backside, and yes, like his own, it was just the right shape and muscled to perfection. Long averted his eyes. He shouldn't be ogling too much, it was almost like second-hand narcissism given their relationship.

Shenlong turned to regard Long, leaning against the dresser in his ever cocky manner. "Hey, I'd love to stay longer, but I gotta get dressed. The club I work at wants me there before opening. Places to be, people to maul, you know how it is." he chuckled and with a quick about-face, trotted out the doorway.

Long rolled his eyes. To be honest though, he didn't expect Shenlong to hang around after their little tryst. The bawdy man was the living embodiment of the bad boy persona, so him dropping by for a quick fling and sneaking out the morning after was not an unreasonable notion to indulge. Shenlong stayed to say goodbye though, breaking expectations. Long was impressed and, oddly, a little proud. His clone… his brother was really changing for the better, truly free and comfortable with who he was. Perhaps, one day Long himself could say the same, and he hoped their truce was the a step toward that goal.

The numbness in Long's legs was fading. He wiggled his toes and tried again to stand, this time righting himself with ease. The water helped. Amazing what just a little hydration can do, but his legs were still a little weak. Carefully, he edged his way along the side of the bed and out into the hall. There he spotted the customized pants Shenlong had been fiddling with earlier hung over the bathroom doorknob, left there for Long to find.

"Thank you," Long murmured quietly to the absent Shenlong, donning the baggy clothing and waddling into the bathroom. The fine hair and skin of his belly and chest, trapped in dried semen, pulled uncomfortably when he moved. Long clicked his tongue in distaste, knowing a shower was called for, but decided to wait. Actually, now that he looked closer, he expected there to be more of the stuff present, though there was still a fair sum. It must of flaked off when he shifted back from beast form into a human again during the night. It would explain why there wasn't much in certain unmentionable areas, and why his backside didn't hurt as much as he expected. He soaked a face towel in hot water and scrubbed his front and rear generally clean, tossing it into the hamper before stepping out into the living room.

He followed the sounds of Shenlong tussling with his clothes and found him inside the dojo, currently looping his belt into his jeans. Long watched the clone cursing under his breath as he tired to find a way to position the belt over his rear end to conceal the hole his tail had ripped through the back, grumbles and mutterings getting louder as he found the opening too big to cover without getting a few awkward glances on the way to his job. Never mind that everything below the knees was shredded, perhaps he could write that off as a fashion statement.

"Having trouble?" Long called to him teasingly, and Shenlong's annoyed, reddened face turned to greet him.

"Yeah," he admitted, tying his muscle shirt around his waist and draping the excess over his butt to hide the rip. "Guess this will have to do. Never had a walk of shame like this before…" he lamented, throwing his hands up in defeat.

"You can have a pair of mine," Long offered, a proposition that Shenlong looked rather surprised by, garnering a shrug for the monk in return. "Something tells me they will fit you."

Shenlong rubbed the back of his head bashfully and glanced aside. "Sure, that'd work," he said. "I'll bring them back later."

"Keep them. I made plenty."

"Oh. Okay then… uh, thanks," Shenlong uttered, folding his arms and turning his back to Long in awkward indignity. "Just so you know," he said sternly while glancing over his shoulder. "What happened last night doesn't make us boyfriends or anything. I'm not the lovey-dovey type and I won't be tied down to anyone until the day I die."

Long nodded understandably at Shenlong, leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed in mimicry of his twin.

"I figured that wasn't exactly your style," Long stated. "But for what it's worth, you can come back here whenever you like, and as long as we stay on good terms. But still no smoking in the house, remember that."

Shenlong chuckled and nodded in agreement, then turned and pointed a finger at the boots next to the door at Long's feet, motioning the monk to toss them over. Long bent down, snagged the heavy things up by the laces and flung them to the man in the middle of the dojo. Shenlong managed to catch one of them, but the other boot soared past him, bouncing to a stop a few feet beside him. Shenlong raised his hands as if to say seriously? Then shook his head and and walked over to where the lost boot laid, bending down to pick it up with an exasperated grunt.

"Nice throw, Long. That was a pretty sloppy even—" Shenlong's hackles raised. When was Long EVER sloppy at anything?

Shenlong didn't even have time to blink before he felt a body tackle him from behind, boots flying into the air as the two forms crashed to the ground. Shenlong thudded onto his front on the matted flooring, the weight of what hit him swiftly rolling off. Shenlong turned onto his back with a groan, a bit winded by the force of the grapple, blinking his vision clear... and found a pair of glowing, green feline eyes gazing down at him. Long loomed over him in tiger form, arms folded and a predatory glint in those jade gemstones.

"You think you won that fight last night, don't you?" the big tiger asked astutely with a familiar rumbling in his voice. Shenlong simply barked a laugh at the question.

"Of course I did! I trounced you, amateur!" Shenlong grinned priggishly. Long's feline features grew bolder, a confident grin spreading over his muzzle.

"Oh ho? That's not how I remember it, tiger. Care to find out who is really the best?" Long's smugness was contagious. Shenlong cracked his knuckles, ready to meet the challenge.

"And what do you propose?" Shenlong gandered playfully. Long crouched down, tapping Shenlong on the nose and making the man blink.

"We duel. Whoever wins gets to do whatever he pleases with the loser for an entire night," Long grinned toothily. Shenlong raised a brow in intrigue.

"Think you can handle me again, foolish monk? I'll make you beg for mercy," Shenlong countered, and now it was Long's turn to guffaw.

"We shall see!" he bellowed, hopping to his feet. Long and Shenlong's eyes connected and a mischievous gleam grew between them in unison.

"So what say you?" Long asked, exposing every fang in a devilish smile. "Rematch?"

Chapter 1

~Fin~