It was six minutes past eight in the evening and a smothering heat lay thick upon the wrestling ring as the latest match neared its conclusion. Within the very center, Anne and a wide-hipped brown tanuki wearing a purple top&trunks combo were locked in a contest of strength with their hands intertwined. Though the wooly fighter had been battered a considerable amount, her opponent looked far worse for wear as her face, legs and body were covered in dark bruises and she had a busted lip - not that it hampered the tanuki’s fighting spirit. For a moment it seemed as though their struggle would last for a while, but in a sudden turn of events the sheep threw herself backward and used her great weight to drag the fluffy wrestler along. Anne’s back hit the canvas and while the tanuki managed to stand on her own two feet still, she soon felt a wooly ankle force itself against the throat while the sheep’s prosthetic leg hooked around the back of her neck. The tanuki gasped and tried to rise, but then the cloven wrestler grabbed her head to keep the fluffy opponent in check while her thick tail stood out straight.

  “Oh my god!” a large bear screamed from the commentator’s desk. “Anne’s trapped Paula in the Yan-Tan-Tethera! And that means…”

  “Yan, tan, tethera!” the audience chanted.

  “Pethera, pimp, sethera!”

  Paula’s rear was shaking as she struggled to break free…

  “Lethera, hovera, covera!”

  Her legs trembled and she dropped to her knees…

  “Dik, yan-a-dik, tan-a-dik!”

  She grasped at the wooly ankle and tried to lift herself with the other hand against the canvas…

  “Tethera-dik, pethera-dik, bumfit!”

  The tanuki’s strength faded and she slumped down…then tapped out.

  *DING, DING, DING!*

  “And it’s over! The Reapette fought valiantly, but she was simply no match for the highland sheep!” the bear commentator exclaimed. “Anne Horndale is just too strong! Isn’t that right, Pablo?”

  Next to the bear, a blank panther nodded with calm eyes. “That’s right, Boarus. Paula’s endurance and strength is admirable, but she’s just a few levels too short against the likes of the ‘Water Fist’ herself. She gets an A for effort though.”

  Back in the ring, Anne released the tanuki with a grin. “Damn, you’re quite stubborn.” she chuckled. “Most tap out much earlier~”

  “Th-thanks…” Paula rubbed her sore throat. “And you’re strong… Like, REALLY strong.”

  “But not strong enough to knock you out.” the sheep replied before giving the tanuki’s belly a light bump. “Your core’s pretty damn solid.”

  The canine awkwardly stroked the back of her head. “Aww shucks, you’re too kind…”

  Anne wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Just speaking the truth. Now, I have a very important question for you…” Her lips curled into a wide grin. “What’s your favorite food~?”

  —------------------------------------ 10 days later ------------------------------------------

  Anne stretched as she stood in the ring, caramel skin basking in the scorching sun as she looked upon the many colorful swimsuits surrounding the premise. As for the sheep, she was wearing her usual white bikini and was more than happy posing for the curious eyes, putting her muscular body on full display until she heard the sound of shifting sand nearby. Paula approached the ropes dressed in a pure white one piece swimsuit complete with a wool collar and her waist was adorned with a black belt which had a red skull-shaped buckle in the center. She was holding an imposing scythe in hand and casually leaned it against the corner outside, then gave it a couple pats before climbing into the ring with raised arms. The tanuki was quite the looker, Anne had to admit, and those hefty hits were the ones to blame. With outfits like these, being downed by those was more welcoming than imposing to the sheep, truth be told. Nevertheless, she had agreed to Paula’s challenge and was not about to disrespect the tanuki’s wishes by getting distracted.

  “Well Paula, I’m surprised you challenged me so soon.” Anne said with a smile. “You don’t strike me as the beach wrestling type.”

  “Neither did you.” the tanuki chuckled before pointing at her opponent’s shaved body. “Though that was mostly because of the wool. Now that it’s gone, or most of it at least, you do look the type.”

  Anne raised a brow and smirked. “I sure hope you don’t think flattery will make me go easy on you, tanuki girl~ That route’s a one-way trip to Dreamland.”

  The canine blinked and quickly waved her hands in a defensive gesture. “Oh no, no, that’s not what I meant. I was just saying, well, you look good in that swimsuit is all.”

  Amused by the bashful Paula, Anne leaned in with flirty eyes. “Why thank you. You look pretty fine yourself.” She gave a wink and turned to walk with a sway of her hips. “Just try to last longer than eight minutes this time okay~?”

  “I’ll do my best.” The tanuki lowered a hand to clutch the wristband on her other arm. “Mark my words.”

  “Sounds good!”

  Now that both wrestlers were situated and ready, Pablo leaned his back against a folding chair and spun a tiny hammer between his flexible fingers. The black panther was dressed in nothing but red swimming trunks and after giving himself a long stretch, he rang the bell.

  *DING!*

  Anne raised both arms and got ready for some good old grappling action when the tanuki suddenly charged forth and threw herself at the sheep with a ferocious Superman Punch out of nowhere. With no time to dodge, she held her arms in a crossguard and blocked the punch with a grunt as the force made her take a step back. She gritted her teeth and went for a tackle, but Paula slid past the charging sheep and wrapped both arms around the waist, then arced her back to slam her into the sand-specked canvas with a German Suplex that shook the ring. Grains of sand bounced off the white surface as Anne made contact with a loud grunt and while the sheep was busy trying to gather her thoughts, the canine had already begun charging into the opposite ropes. Paula did a swift spin to throw her back against the rope and rebounded with an eager smile before smashing the sole of her foot into her kneeling opponent’s face with a mighty punt. The blow threw Anne’s head back and her upper body soon followed to hit the ground, though she was given no respite as the tanuki used the momentum to let herself fall upon the muscular wrestler with an Elbow Drop to the gut. As the sharp blow struck her core, saliva spat from the sheep’s mouth with an audible “oouufff!”, but she managed to recover in time to grab Paula’s wooly collar and slammed her face first into the canvas.

  The sheep sat upon the dazed, fluffy canine with a huff. “Such aggression… This is completely unlike…our first match!” she said before grabbing Paula by the chin. “But now it’s my turn!” A smirk brewed as Anne did a strong pull to perform a Camel Clutch. “Let’s see you endure this, girl!” Judging by the cries of pain and the toes kicking at the ground, she could tell the technique was effective. “Heh, maybe tapping out again might be the right call here-...oof-!” An elbow struck her side and the sheep winced. “Alright, that might have been rude of-...nnngh-!” Another elbow sunk into her ribs and she spat. “Tch.”

  Realizing it was too early for a surrender, she released Paula and rolled aside to watch the tanuki rise to her feet with a groan. Like in their match prior, the tanuki was a hardy gal who could take plenty of punishment, but just like in that very same match she had limits just like anyone else. Anne stretched and popped her neck with a competitive glint in her amethyst eyes as they locked with the tanuki’s crimson rubies, then watched the brown-furred foe charge with her arm outstretched. She ducked below the Lariat as it swooshed overhead before countering with a Spinning Elbow Strike to the solar plexus which forced out a hollow gasp, only for a pair of hands to suddenly grab her golden horns. Through a swift turn of her hands, Paula offset the sheep’s balance and made her stumble with a yelp, then rammed a knee into the gut as payback which was then followed by a second for good measure. Anne blushed as her gut was pierced for the third time and grasped at the furry menace’s arms in a desperate attempt to wrench herself free, but this only rewarded her with a third knee strike that made her spit with a hoarse gasp.

  (“Sh-shit… This is bad…”) Anne thought to herself as her legs began to quiver. (“If this keeps up…I might lose myself…”)

  Driven by an absolute need to avoid any further abuse, Anne focused all power into her legs and hips as she pushed with all her might, displaying enough force to make the tanuki’s feet slide against the floor. The sheep grabbed Paula’s waist and kept pushing with the intent to start running as the canine wouldn’t stop sliding towards the corner at a dangerous pace. However, the tanuki was perfectly aware of her surroundings and soon made good use of the sheep’s superior might as she steered her head aside before letting go, causing the cloven wrestler to accelerate towards the turnbuckle. Paula turned to witness the inevitable crash but gasped as her opponent pressed a hoof against the corner to “walk” upwards before slamming the hard tip of keratin toes into the canine’s jaw. Her head snapped sideways in a spray of saliva and sweat, eyes wide in shock as she stumbled before a sudden Dropkick barreled into her gut. She gasped and dropped to her knees with a hoarse wheeze, but Anne soon lifted the tanuki’s head to rest upon her shoulder before bringing her to a sudden drop to perform a devastating RKO which sent her bouncing like a crash dummy.

  “Oooof!!” Pablo exclaimed with a wince before climbing into the ring. “Yeah, she’s gone. No way she’s getting up from that one.” When Anne got on top of Paula and hoisted her leg in the air for a pinfall, he slapped the canvas. “One…” He slapped a second time. “Two-...”

  Paula kicked out in a sudden burst on adrenaline and struck the sheep with a clean forearm strike, only for a sudden hand to block her vision as it grabbed her face. The crushing vicegrip made the tanuki groan in pain and grasp at the forearm, but Anne soon slammed the back of her head into the floor and swung her muscular arm in an arc to fling the furry ragdoll into the corner. When she hit the turnbuckle with a loud bang, the tanuki’s scythe jolted for a moment before beginning its descent towards the sand - about the same time, Paula pressed her back against the corner and used what strength she had in those shaky feet to force herself up, hazy ruby eyes catching the faint visage of a growing shape approaching. Anne’s stomping hooves shook the ring and the scythe tilted ever so slightly before its blade dug into the hot sand…just as the Reapette speared herself into the sheep’s abdomen. Without the sheep’s knowledge, Paula had used the corner to springboard herself forward and the ensuing impact struck like a cannonball as Anne’s body jackknifed around the shoulder in a spray of saliva and spit alike. The tanuki let out a deafening roar and stabilized her footing as she did a brief spin and slammed her opponent into the canvas with a HEAVY Snap Suplex which folded the large, muscular woman in on herself. Several beachgoers and even Pablo himself winced at the impact as he fell on his rear in shock, but the black feline still did his duty as the canine held Anne down for the pin.

  He slapped the floor once, “One…” Twice, “...two…” Aaand… “thr-”

  The sheep’s legs threw themselves up and she escaped the pin before scrambling to her feet, but as she stumbled to the corner and leaned against it with heavy breaths, Paula rammed into the taller wrestler’s spine with a heavy Shoulder Tackle that crushed her against the padded surface. While Anne was stunned by the impact her opponent groaned as she lifted the heavy sheep atop the corner, fastened her grip and threw herself back to slam her into the cruel canvas with a brutal Brain Buster. Despite her great weight, she bounced off the ground upon impact and did a brief roll before laying sprawled out at the ring’s center, glossy eyes looking to the blinding sun. Anne’s chest did slow heaves while she lay there, consciousness fleeting as she fought to regain control of her body. Her fingers twitched as Paula approached and when the tanuki made another pinning attempt, the sheep shot up in a sitting position to slam a steel-like skull into her snout. The impact pushed her snout inward as the Headbutt drew blood and knocked the rattled tanuki on her big rear with dazed eyes of confusion.

  “I said I wouldn’t…go easy on you…” Anne said with a faint smile as blood trickled down a gash from her forehead. “Even if you are…quite formidable now…”

  “Likewise…” the tanuki replied with heavy breaths while covering her snout. “I have a lot of…respect for you…Anne…”

  The sheep ascended to her feet with a heavy groan. “I’ll get you a juicy burger…after this…”

  Temptation circled the Reapette’s mind and she forced herself to stand. “Oh yes…a burger sounds nice…”

  The pair met each other with a smile and charged forth with whatever remained in their tanks, shouting their hearts out as they were primed to strike at any moment. Once they were mere inches away from one another, Paula’s leg gave in and she faltered just as Anne swung a Haymaker towards the face at full force. Time seemed to move in slow motion as the sheep’s giant fist traveled towards her face, but the tanuki’s survival instinct kicked in and she used her brief drop to go even lower, ducking below the devastating punch by a hair’s breadth before ramming a knee deep into the sheep’s vulnerable abs. The forward momentum of her punch combined by the Reapette’s desperate burst of might shattered the sheep’s core and saliva gushed from her mouth as tears poured from the corner of her eyes. A shock bulge appeared on the sheep’s back and she doubled over with a moaning wheeze, her mind momentarily stuck in a trance-like state as it struggled to differentiate between agony and delight. Paula didn’t want to take any chances and stepped forth before doing a sudden forward hunch, then spun around to slam her hefty hips into the sheep’s face from below which struck very much like an Uppercut…just with far more surface area. Anne’s half-lidded eyes burst open in an instant as her face was crushed by the massive hips, sending the large woman’s mind flying on a one-way trip to Dreamland before she hit the canvas with a loud bang. Yet, despite having taken such a direct hit, the sheep didn’t seem to mind at all as she lay there with a weak smile and glistening eyes, almost as if she enjoyed it. And so, with her opponent down and out, the exhausted tanuki climbed the corner with heavy breaths, sweat pouring as she took a moment to hear the audience’s cheers. She raised her finger to the sky with the most passionate smile she could muster, took aim and flung herself off the ropes to send her big ass on a collision course with the smiling sheep.

  As the shadow grew from above her, Anne’s smile wouldn’t go away. “A-ah…shiiit…”

  Paula struck like an atomic bomb and the sheep’s lower body jolted upwards as the cloven wrestler was crushed underneath. While the tanuki sat atop her twitching foe, she brandished her wristband in the air, revealing the initials “R.I.P” with a satisfied smile. With the sheep trapped underneath the canine’s rear, Pablo went low and slapped the floor with a “one, two, three” before waving his hands to signal the end. A nearby beachgoer hit the bell and the tanuki rose to her feet with laborious breaths to safe her defeated foe from suffocating - when she looked down, she saw a very squished Anne lay there with a weak smile and blushing cheeks.

  Well…at least she didn’t seem to suffer.

  And so, Pablo raised the tanuki’s arm in the air. “And today’s victor iiiis… ‘The Reapette’, Paulaaaaa!!”

  “Yeeeaaaaaaah!” The tanuki let out a loud victory cry. “The hamburger…iiisss…miiiin…”

  Exhaustion finally caught up and her mind grew hazy as she wobbled, only to soon collapse on the floor with a goofy grin. She had gone past her limit and the body’s payment was way overdue as her mind drifted away, though it was all worth it in the end…

  She had most definitely earned her hamburger today!