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Coffee Break Story

Final Bout

By XP Author

Zoe "Stormer" Forgrove sat, her eyes closed, her focus only on the music thumping in her earbuds. The sounds of the crowd were drowned out by the heavy guitar riffs and thumping drums of the hard rock song playing. The kangaroo finished wrapping the athletic tape around her hands while she sat, flexing each fist as she did. She tapped her large feet several times, each also wrapped like her hands. It was more a ritual than any kind of warm up. She had already done stretches, limbered up, gotten herself as ready as her body would.

As the song neared the end, she stood, bouncing a little on her toes. She opened her eyes and looked in the mirror within her personal changing room. Brown fur, short black hair, and bright blue eyes. These were the things most saw about her first. That, and her well toned build. She was a fighter, and looked the part. A tight, dark blue Under Armour shirt clung to her torso, keeping her ample breasts squashed close so they did not swing and bounce about during a fight. Her white shorts hung loose to just above her knees.

Just as the song in her ears was ending, there was a knock at the door. A male voice from the other side spoke. "It's time, champ! Crowd's ready!"

Zoe took a breath. "Alright. Let's do this." She pulled the earbuds out of her ears, setting the mp3 player down on her bag. She pulled a long, silky coat off of a hanger beside her, throwing it over her shoulders. It was a bright blue and green thing, garish by design, with 'STORMER' emblazoned upon the back in bright red, bold letters. With one last look in the mirror, she nodded, then turned to walk out of the room.

The sound of the crowd echoed down the concrete hallway. A cacophony of noise and cheering and excitement, but there was an undertone to the feeling that she was still not used to feeling. This crowd was not just here to see a fight, but to see blood. To see death. This was not a normal boxing match. This was a death match.

Zoe had officially retired from fighting after her third championship win. At 33, she had been feeling her age creeping up on her. However, retirement had not sit well with her. Only two years later, she was itching to fight again. She would not go out silently, a shadow of her former glory. If she was to go out, she would do it in style. So she looked up some of the seedier contacts she had made in her time as an up-and-coming fighter, and offered them her fighting prowess in these illegal games. They jumped at the chance to have a three time world champion on the roster. At first, she was not sure she could actually go through with it. Kill someone in the ring. Now she was on her way to her fourth match.

The moment she stepped out of the hall and into the little runway to the ring, the crowd's excitement grew even louder. The booming sound of the announcer's voice echoed around the stands, belonging to a gruff but clear toned hyena. "LADIES AND GENTLEMAN! Welcome to tonight's fight!" The man stood in the center of the ring, a square with a metal box-like fence around it. Typical set up for a cage match. The man held his hands up. "Introducing, all the way from Sydney, Australia! The thunder from down under! STORMER!"

Zoe smirked at the familiar titles and introduction. She threw her hands up as she approached the stairs leading up onto the ring itself. She did a slow spin in place, turning to wave and pump her fists at the onlookers. The crowd ate up all of it, of course. So did she. This was what she lived for.

"And now, the man who chose to challenge the storm herself!" The hyena motioned to the other side of the ring, to a similar little path leading from a hallway opposite the one she came in. "A local star on the rise! A shining sun on the horizon of glory! "SOLA~ARIS!" A tall, well built tiger walked up the stairs. The orange of his fur was so bright, Zoe was sure he must dye it. His shirt was similar to hers, only a bright yellow, his shorts a vibrant red. He did not bother with the silky robe like she had, but he still had 'Solaris' emblazoned upon the back of his shirt.

Zoe had heard of him, of course. Saul "Solaris" Vertian. He was 25 and already making a name for himself within the underground ring. He had managed to score six victories in the cage so far, earning him the right to challenge someone of her status. She had seen him fight before, too. He was good. Quick and nimble, unlike most tigers that favored raw power over finesse. His physique was similar to hers as well. Quite well toned, but not overly muscular, leaving him mobile and nimble, at the cost of punching power. He would be a challenge, for sure.

She stepped into the middle of the ring, Solaris doing the same. She was surprised when he held out a hand to her. "It's an honor to fight you, Zoe." He spoke loud enough that she could hear him, but not so loud that anyone else could. His voice was honest, and his face showing an excited smile, like he was standing in front of his hero.

She chuckled and shook his hand. "I'll be sure to give you a good fight, then." She smirked a little as they parted to get to their sides and wait for the bell, Zoe slipping her robe off and tossing it onto the floor outside the arena. It was unusual for a fighter in these matches to be polite. Normally they came out all hot stuff, throwing insults at her age or gender. It was always good to take those idiots down a few pegs before their humiliating end.

The announcer spoke again as he made his way out of the cage. "A quick recap of the rules for anyone new! Once the cage doors close, only one fighter will be walking out alive. No weapons are allowed other than those you had popping out your mamma's womb! Teeth, claws, fists, feet, all allowed! Hitting anyone is a-okay! We're not here for a clean fight, after all, are we!?" The crowed shouted 'no' or some variation back at him in excitement. "Of course not! We're here for BLOOD!" Once he was outside the cage, the doors slammed shut behind him, locking the two fighters inside with each other. "Without any further delay! LET'S! GET! FIGHTING!"

The bell rang loud and clear, and the sound of the crowd faded away. They were still shouting and cheering, but the only thing the two fighters inside could see or hear anymore was each other. Both stepped closer, hands up and ready. They started to slowly circle each other, gauging and measuring their opponent. In a sudden movement, Solaris slid forward and threw a quick jab at her. She raised her arms to block it, along with the follow up punch. She caught the shift in his weight and ducked just in time for his leg to soar over her head.

With his leg up, she used the momentary opening to launch into an assault of her own. Her fists lashed out in a blur of motion. He managed to just block the first two hits, but her assault continued and broke through his hasty defense. Her right fist connected with his chest, then her left, then again but hitting his face. She struck again and again, each blow not doing much on its own, but it was a relentless flurry of hits that sent him stumbling back. This was how she got her nickname, raining blows like a storm upon her opponents. She would wear down their stamina, piece by piece, until they simply could not fight back anymore.

A foot suddenly jammed into her belly, sending her several steps backwards. She let out a cough, but managed not to get her breath knocked out by the unexpected hit. When she rose back up, she was ready for his counter, but it did not come. He just took several steps back away from her, keeping distance and shaking his head quickly to clear it. "Seen that a bunch of times, but it's something else to feel it!" He laughed a little as he seemed to get his wind back. "C'mon then! Show's not over yet!"

Zoe smirked at his bravado and sense of flare. "If you insist, kid." She dashed forward, only to feint left, avoiding a straight punch. She used her momentum to lash her leg up, catching him in the chest and sending him sprawling backwards. He landed on his back, only to roll backwards and spring back to his feet gracefully. He then crouched down, hands on either side of his legs and touching the ground. It reminded her of a sprinter ready to charge off. Not exactly a normal fighting stance.

Solaris suddenly dashed forward, launching himself towards her. He was fast, for sure, as he was suddenly beside, and then behind her. Before she could properly turn, he had used the cage behind her to pivot off of, kicking off with one leg, only to bring it down against her back hard. She cried out and struggled to maintain her balance. Then a fist was suddenly under her chin, the uppercut smashing her jaw shut and rattling her skull. She stumbled back several paces, her back hitting the cage behind her.

It was her turn to be under assault, the tiger suddenly against her, raining punches against her much like she had done. She did her best to block them, but each stung and hurt as she was hit. She managed to keep from being struck in the face again, but more hit her belly and sides. Then a knee slammed into her gut, this time knocking the wind from her momentarily. Her legs trembled and again threatened to give out.

Just as she was afraid of crumpling to her knees, a hand grabbed the back of her head and slammed her face down against the hard mat under her. She heard a crunch as her nose broke, not the first time she had felt that particular pain. Her face bounced off the mat, leaving a splatter of blood against it. She rolled to the side quickly, just in time to avoid a foot slamming down where her back had been a moment earlier.

She ended up on her back, staring up as the tiger lunged at her. He realized his mistake too late. The 'roo got her large feet under him before he could land, and with a mighty kick of both legs, slammed into his front. He was sent airborne for a second, only to slam face-first onto the mat himself with a THUD. She was pretty sure she heard something crack, too. Probably a rib, if not broken, definitely bruised pretty bad.

Solaris was less graceful getting back to his feet this time, clutching at his chest for a moment before raising his guard again. She had definitely done some damage. Zoe pushed herself up as well, snorting a little to clear her nose of the blood still running slowly. She found herself smiling wide at him, the tiger grinning as well. Both were clearly having the time of their life beating the shit out of each other. The crowd loved every moment of it, of course. Every blow, throw, and kick was met by cheering.

The two fighters started to circle again, closing the distance slowly. This time, it was Zoe who struck first, sending her fist into his chest hard. When he winced, she smirked and struck again. She pummeled his chest with her signature flurry of blows, aiming at his already damaged ribs. It was clearly working as he could not get his guard up to block her effectively. She finished the flurry with a hard right hook, sending him staggering backwards several paces. She slid forward to follow up with another flurry.

That was her mistake. Before she could land another punch, he suddenly brought his hand around, slashing at her with his claws. She had walked right into the trap, and cried out as pain lanced at her own chest. She slid back several paces, daring to look down at herself. Three neat slashes cut through her shirt, blood starting to flow from the matching slashes across her now partially exposed breasts. She winced as the stinging feeling hit her a moment later. "Fuck... I'm getting slow in my old age..."

She decided not to worry about being exposed in the ring, though. It would only be a distraction to her if she tried to cover up all the time. When she looked back at the tiger, he gave her a sheepish smile, but had his hands up and eyes meeting hers. He would not be distracted, either. Both fighters started to close again, and both were panting pretty heavily now. Neither one had taken any serious damage, but enough minor that it was starting to wear on them.

Solaris was suddenly upon her again, his claws out to slash at her more. She instinctively raised her arms up to block and regretted it the instant later. Claws slashed into her forearms, opening fresh cuts. She cried out and instead just tried to dodge his attacks. She managed to keep away from most, but another swipe caught her across the cheek, opening more cuts on her. She grit her teeth and ducked under another. She thumped her thick tail against the mat and used to spring herself forward. Her foot slammed into his chest hard, her powerful leg muscles sending him flying away again.

His back smashed against the cage, bouncing him off of it to crash to the mats again. He clutched at his chest, rolling on the ground in pain. A little blood splashed across his lips as he groaned. She had definitely broken several ribs this time. She took a step forward to follow up, only for sharp pain to lance up her left leg, the muscles giving out the moment she put weight on them. She tripped over herself and tumbled to the mats. When she looked down, she saw two sets of long slashes running down from her thigh to her calf on either side of the leg. He must have grabbed at her when she kicked, his claws slashing down her leg when he was sent flying away.

Zoe tried to push herself up anyway, but again cried out the moment she put weight on her leg, falling to one knee. Blood drooled from the gashes. They were not deep, but deep enough that standing on the leg had become a problem. She groaned and tried again, but once more failed to stand properly. She panted heavily, wincing from the pain. She had lost quite a bit of blood from the various slashes, too. Her shirt had fully torn open at this point, her tits hanging free and dripping blood from the gashes, more of it running down her cheek, and of course her arms and leg.

She was about to try to stand once more when a fist suddenly caught her cheek. Her vision momentarily blanked out, flashing bright sparks in front of her eyes before coming back again. She struck the mat on her side, the world suddenly refusing to focus. There was a ringing in her ears that she could not identify, like the announcer had left the mic too loud and was feeding back into her head. She groaned and tried to push herself up, only for the fist to catch her again, smashing into her and sending her head crashing to the ground. Several teeth felt like they got knocked loose, her jaw threatening to dislocate again, like it had years earlier.

A foot shoved her side, rolling her onto her belly. There was a sudden weight on top of her, then an arm around her neck from behind, another hand gripping her head. She heard the heavy panting of the tiger behind her, but his grip trembled a little. He was hesitating. She coughed, tasting blood in her mouth. "D-do it... kid..." She felt him tense up, but he still hesitated for some reason. "Do it! Let me... go in... glory!"

Solaris grit his teeth, his grip on her tightening again. He spoke softly. "It... was an honor." Then he suddenly wrenched her head to the side. Zoe felt as much as heard the sharp CRACK, her body jerking under him. Then her eyes rolled back as the world quickly faded away to darkness, taking the pain with her. The last thing she heard was the renewed adoration of the crowd. Her last moment in the spotlot.

Her head hit the mat hard when it was let go, eyes rolled back and blank, jaw open and slack. The tiger slowly got off of the 'roo, getting to his feet unsteadily. She had given him more of a beating than he had felt in a long time, his chest aching and burning with pain. His hand was raised by the announcer, who called out the winner's success. He only had eyes for the fallen woman at his feet, though. He silently thanked her for the fight, then put on a smile for the crowd.

* * *

Solaris stood beside Zoe's body, fresh bandages wrapping his chest. She had indeed cracked several ribs, and he would need to take some months off to recover. Her body had been carried out of the arena and left on a table in the back room. It would be disposed of later, but for now, he was allowed to spend a last moment with her alone. Her face was still a mess of swollen bruises and opened cuts, fur matted with her blood. Her chest was still exposed, and her leg was soaked from the gashes he cut into her.

He reached out to gently brush his fingers against her uncut cheek. "Sorry we had not met earlier, Zoe. I would have liked to have known you more personally." He trailed his touch down, feeling how her neck felt odd with the bones inside broken. His fingers brushed against one of her exposed breasts, feeling the soft tissue under his touch. "Mmm... doubt you would have let me do more than admire you, though." He gave the breast a gentle squeeze, then let his hand fall away. "Guess we'll never know now."

He leaned down to give the woman's bloody lips a gentle kiss, wincing as he stood back up again as pain lanced through his chest. "I think this fight will be remembered for a while. I certainly won't be forgetting you any time soon." He chuckled softly. "You died well." He turned and slowly walked away. "Until we meet again, Stormer."

* * *