"So, you wanna give this a go?" Zen asked, holding up the kick pad fastened to his left arm. The blonde held a steady pose, knees slightly bent and shoulders relaxed.

"You bet!" His friend, Nackle, responded with a grin.

The two of them were making the most of their trip to Japan. They wanted to try everything! That included a martial arts experience at a famed garden. Water from small, trickling streams filled large pools. These were spanned by beautiful wooden bridges between islands hosting tall acer trees. The friends had undergone simple training and were now left to experiment with what they learnt, sparing back and forth upon a grassy lawn.

"Haha, great technique!" Zen called out. He leant forwards and absorbed the energy of Nackle's punch into the kick pad.

Bouncing on his toes, Nackle felt a surge of energy, unlike anything he'd felt before. A desire for motion and by implication speed, agility, and finesse. These feline traits became apparent physically as striped tiger fur spread up his calves. He turned on a heel, scuffing away his shoes to reveal feline paws. Arms up, ready for attack and defence. The breeze ruffled his lengthening hair shifting colour from black to brunette. Like a tiger ready to strike. Or perhaps tigress — given Nackle's slimming figure and swelling breasts. The fabric of his clothing morphed to accommodate his additional height and progressively voluptuous figure, settling into a white robe.

Opposing them on the garden lawn, their friend had discarded the kick bad in favour of just their spotted paws. The snow leopard was shorter, though they made up for it with grace, speed, and a tomboyish energy that kept the sparring match chaotic and exciting. Something about the tigress' friend was different, though she was far too busy fending off the spritely feline who increasingly used their bigger, floofier tail to their advantage.

Both of them stepped back, puffing and panting from exertion.

"Wow, Nara!" The tigress swept her hair from her eyes with a paw, relaxing the other on her hip. Her tail flicked from the excitement. "You're great at this."

"Not as great as you, Mayumi." They replied with a cheeky grin. The spotted feline adjusted the robe around their bosom, retying the knot of their black belt around their narrow waist. Nara's muscles were sore in the best way possible. "What do you say, another round? Best of three?"

"You bet!"

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This artwork was created by Rosemary, on Discord. Thanks so much for bringing our idea to life!

Nara:  Zen~
Mayumi:  n4ckl3