"Happy birthday?"

"That is correct. Thanks."

"Now time for the birthday punches!"

Ricky rolls his eyes and smirks, taking off his shirt and tossing it aside so he is now in just his cargo shorts. He rolls his shoulders and put his paws to his hips after they both climbed into the ring. "So, how ya wanna do this ol' man?"

"Could just upgrade the whole thing to a spar, if that's how you feel about it, heh."

"Eh, I know you're rearing to beat on me so..." He slaps his chest with his hands. "I'm giving you some freebees."

"I'm half-again your weight. You really thinkin' this through?" The lion cracks his knuckles anyway.

The tiger chuckles nervously. "Just uh...don't go too hard on me, ok?" He tightens up his muscles as best he could.

"I'll be...reasonable. So, how many are on order, tigs?" Not quite waiting for an answer, the lion ducks in for a quick one-two to the belly to start off.

Ricky covered his abs with his paws a brief moment as he felt the wind rush out his lungs, grunting and hissing at the impact. He kept himself upright despite almost getting knocked back a little. He then put his paws up and behind his head, making himself fully exposed to the stronger lion.

Zander raised a brow at the confident gesture, then shrugged. "Gonna be a shame to bury you on your birthday," he teases, fists clenched as he launches a pair of cross jabs at Ricky's chest.

Ricky tensed up his chest just before Zander jabbed it. He winced and huffed and groaned a little, feeling himself get knocked back a bit, and decided to keep his legs spread apart to keep his balance. It was hard for him to not instinctively lower his paws to protect himself as he began to pant. But he just chuckled at the lion and grinned.

"Four down," Zander grinned, eyes tracing where to bat his paws at next. A quick right-right-left to the chest snaps at Ricky's pecs before he winds back for a low hook to the abs, adding some power to it.

Ricky gasped and hissed at the chest shots, making sure to keep that area tight. He made sure to keep his arms up despite being knocked back some. But soon enough, he felt a sudden fist slam into his abs that doubled him over quite a bit and made him jump a little. "Hhhhnnggg!" He screamed and moaned, his arms starting to go weak as he wanted to let them drop. He was still bent over some as he tried to catch his breath, his arms slowly moving to protect his abs.

Zander waits patiently for Ricky to recover. "We're what, a third of the way in? Don't fall to pieces on me yet, Rick. Though, I suppose any punches left off the account could equal ten seconds in a torture rack." The lion peels a sadistic grin.

Ricky takes a moment before slowly standing up, panting, his paw gently rubbing his abs. "I mean...it doesn't have to be...strikes you know..." He chuckled nervously "Or a...torture rack, hehe."

The lion shakes his fingers loose, raising a brow curiously. "No? I mean, I'm open to suggestions. I'm not normally in the business of being needlessly cruel."

Ricky took a moment to catch his breath, still nursing his abs some. He chuckled. "If that's the case..." He raised his free paw while lowering his other, trying to ignore the pain in his abs. He pointed to his raised paw. "You can try and earn it."

"Now you want to spar?" The lion grins, boots widening apart as his paws came up, slowly edging in to grip his big mitts with the tiger. He doesn't go full bore into the clutch yet, but he offers plenty of resistance.

"Well, I was willing to let you beat on me, but since you're not the type..." Ricky grinned, focused on trying to push back against the lion. He breathed hard through his nose as he kept his legs spread apart and his feet planted for balance and reached up with his other paw for the lion to grasp. He gave a playful glare at the old lion.

Zander grinned in return, paws clasps as he slowly put on the pressure, muscles flaring as he tried a game of mercy to get the tiger down to a knee. "I'll admit, this'll be more fun."

Ricky felt his arms shake a little and tried pushing back as hard as he could. He gritted his teeth and breathed heavily through his nose as he tried to overpower the clearly stronger lion. He could feel himself lowering to his knees, but tried hard to keep himself standing. Even though he knows he's weaker against bigger guys, he always likes to show them what he can do.

Zander was well aware of his size advantage, keeping things sporting for his club-mates in general. He knows he has the clench, so he changes up, stepping in and trying to pull the tiger into a side headlock for something else to struggle against.

Ricky was too focused trying to push Zander back before he found his head wrapped underneath the lion's armpit. He grunted and instinctively grabbed at that big arm around his neck. He had to take a moment to think and tried wrapping a leg around the lion's to try and trip him up and release him.

Zander's grip loosened a bit as he adjusted his footing, though he quickly resorted to manhandling the tiger by his head. "Almost, Rick. Get some momentum and give a good shove. That ought to help get you loose." He couldn't resist his urge to coach, especially on a guy's birthday.

Ricky grunted, part in frustration of getting out of the hold. He heard Zander's tip and tried again, really pressing his leg back against the lion's and pulled hard at his big arm at the same time.

Zander keeps steady for a bit, trying to impart the flow of momentum as he works on his footing. That plus having to keep a secure hold wear away at the headlock, his arm slipping loose as he stumbles a few steps. "Hah, good!"

Ricky felt the lion give a little and kept trying to push himself out. If successful, he would try to spin himself out from under that arm and try to twist the lion's arm into an armbar.

"Yach! Nice one..." The lion grins as he muscled back against the tiger, bulling his weight to test Ricky's confidence in the hold.

"Than-woah!" The tiger instinctively planted his feet and twisted back harder to try and counter the lion's sudden resistance, not wanting to find out what he had in mind. Knowing the lion was bigger, and Ricky being weaker plus having some damage to his chest, in a risky move he would try to pull Zander closer and try to go for an armbar takedown.

Not fully balanced after his own shoves, a good lock and twist gets a sharp snort out of him as he tumbles forward, chest down on the mat and shoving up against the hold. "Grrgh, good technique, Ricky."

Ricky grunts loudly as he made the throw, panting hard after he pressed his weight down on the lion. He managed to chuckle. "Thanks...coach...hehe." He pulled up on the lion's arm while trying to keep Zander from lifting him off, but he knew he couldn't keep this up for too long after earlier and the throw taking a lot of energy out of him.

Zander risks the strain on his arm to twist to his side. Making an awkward bid to escape, he lifts a big leg and tries to hook it around the tiger's muzzle yank him back, maybe even into a headscissor.

Ricky grunted as he felt the lion shift under him, but soon found himself getting rolled off and starts to let go. But he soon found a large leg covering his face, and his head ended up between the lion's calves. He had to take a moment to catch his breath as he loosely grabbed at the thick leg holding his head in place.

Calves not being the best pressure for a scissor, Zander made what he could out of the turnabout, mainly by leaning in and swiping for a few good open-palm smacks at Ricky's belly. Birthday smacks were still on, after all.

Ricky winced and screamed a little after hearing those large paws smacked against his semi-taught belly. Trying to will what little energy he had left, he tried pushing himself out of the headscissors before Zander started to beat on him some more.

Without getting a grip on Ricky's head to pull him closer, there isn't much the lion can do to fight off leverage and a wriggling head. When Ricky pulls free, he rolls the other way, gathering himself to his feet while he keeps an eye on the tiger.

Ricky quickly gets up, wincing a little at the pain in his chest and abs. He shakes his head a bit and takes a deep breath, then crouches low in a wrestling stance, watching the lion for what he might pull.

"Still goin'?" The lion grunts, circling for a moment before he opts to come in slow, arms up to grapple. He lunges for a collar and elbow, trying to back Ricky toward a corner by raw strength.

Ricky circled around the lion, inching closer and closer until they were in the lockup. He quickly tried planting his feet and shoved against the lion with any strength he could muster. "Y-You've...still...got a few...hits...to make on me...I think." He started to find himself getting pushed back into the turnbuckle, but kept his counter shove.

"Well, in that case..." The lion huffs as he can't hope for a clean break while the tiger fights back, so instead he retreats a step and balances to ram a knee forward for Ricky's gut.

"GAAAHHH!" Ricky screamed as the knee shot him back some and doubled him over. He instantly let go of the hold to cover his belly with his paws. He stood there for a moment bent over, knees buckling a little, panting heavily. He slowly tried to stand himself up, wincing a little as he did.

Zander gave a bully-shove to back Ricky into the corner, a hand going to the tiger's chest, trying to straighten him up and get his chest exposed. He twists and lifts a hefty arm, winding up for a huge pec chop in the corner.

Ricky soon felt his butt bump against the turnbuckle and soon found a big lion paw pressed against his chest. He then screamed and gasped as the lion chopped right into his pecs, instinctively protecting that with his paws post-impact.

Zander reaches to hook a paw behind Ricky's neck, fingers bundling some fur and scruff to start pulling the tiger from the corner. With a bit of distance, he reaches down low, trying to scoop Ricky up and hoist him up high into military press position.

Ricky grunted and groaned at being pulled by the back of his neck and soon felt a lion paw grab at his junk and lift him up, really waking him up and making him flustered. But it was too late and he was soon above the lion staring straight up at the ceiling, thankful that his back isn't getting tortured this time, just the old man being a showoff.

"Enjoying the view up there?" Zander called up to the tiger. He was indeed being a showoff with the lighter feline in his grip. Beyond a litany of cruel things he could do from that position, he just shoves up enough to dump Ricky behind him and let him sort out his landing.

Ricky felt the rush of himself falling, his entire back splayed hard on the canvas. He grunted a little and began to stand back up, resting the back of his paw on his back. He breathed heavily, wanting to try find any remaining strength to try and fight back. But right now, he just hoped the lion will spare him a bit.

"Hanging in there, Rick?" Zander asked as he closed in. For a friendly enough spar, he wasn't going to ruthlessly smack the tiger around. "Or, had enough birthday beatin's?"

Ricky panted, feeling practically every muscle in his body ache. He stood there, legs wobbling some, as he held his chest gently with a paw. "I think...I think I'm good...you made it...to 24?" he chuckled.

"To be fair, after that beating, you barely made it to 24," the lion snickers, looping an arm chumly around the tiger's shoulders. "If you still have it in you, I could give you a couple of free hits. Y'know, to call it even."

Ricky took a deep breath, trying hard not to let his aching muscles bother him. "I think I have...a little bit in me left." He chuckled.

Zander gives Ricky a firm clap on the back, hopefully not enough to tip the tiger over. Stepping in front, the lion turns and lifts his paws behind his head, his abdominals clenching in what ends up looking like a typical bodybuilder pose. "Hff, ready for you, birthday boy."

Ricky chuckled and smiled. He loosened himself up and quickly massaged his aching muscles before getting into a tight boxing stance. He then starting things off with a few quick jabs to Zander's abs.

Zander passes a few snorts as he keeps that furry brick wall tensed. "Forgot, you a boxer too? Looks like you have some good form."

"Thanks. Just something new I've been trying out." He took a breath and decided to return the favor from earlier, giving the lion a quick 1-1-2 to his chest, but adding a hard uppercut after a hook to the lion's abs.

Zander nodded, thick pecs tightening up in response to the quick stings. Lighter punches are met with almost taunting flexes, but that unexpected uppercut forces a groaning breath through the lion's teeth as he bends toward the blow.

"Ooooo!" Ricky beamed and chuckled. "I'm starting to break through to ya! I'm going to assume you're willing to go a little more? hehe."

Zander blows a huff of air. "Bring it on, tigs. I got abs for days." He arches his back for a moment, stretching the muscles of his torso before he rights himself into a tight stance again.

Ricky started to feel a little more confident, even though he could feel everything ache. He pressed on and went for a few more jabs, throwing them right into the lion's abs as hard as he could.

Each jab made the lion tense with anticipation, stiff huffs blowing from his teeth as he kept his resistance strong. "You get free hits from a DILF coach lion and you're not going in hard?" he teased with a grin.

"Tryin' man!" Ricky took a deep breath, starting to feel tired out but still fueled by the adrenaline rush. He threw a mix of jabs and hooks the lion's abs and chest, trying to work over the lion as hard as he could with what energy he had left. He ended his attempted assault with a driving uppercut to Zander's abs, throwing any and all remaining energy he had left into it.

Zander snorts and huffs with each bat of knuckles, his muscles twitching and body twisting a little with those blows. He puffs up with a growl, determined to wear the tiger out with himself as a punching bag. The uppercut slams him deeply at the end, his muzzle wrinkling up as his body bends around that fist, his legs unbuckling for a moment before he catches himself and bars an arm over his middle. "Gmmf...Good shot...Really felt it that time."

Ricky pants heavily again, dropping his arms after using up the rest of whatever fight he had in him. "Thanks...Honestly...I've been thinking...of trying out...boxing...a bit." He started to rub at his aching muscles and managed a chuckle. "But don't expect...any...facepunching...matches from me any time soon." He gave a small smile.

The lion rumbled a laugh, hooking an arm over Ricky's shoulders again. "It's not fun, I tell you. I don't box enough to make it worth it for me, so I'm kinda...bad at it."

Ricky chuckled and weakly wrapped an arm around Zander's back. "Well, I may have to spar with you again sometime. You're a really good wrestling coach." He gently patted the lion's abs.