TITA'S CHALLENGE By C. James A true fight to the finish. Aside from the pain of her badly bruised ribs, and some residual puffiness around the eyes and lips, it was Tita's ego that had taken the brunt of the beating from War Star. And the proud and powerful Hispanic Amazon wasn't about to forget or forgive. As the only female officer on Scofield's tiny police force, Tita felt as if she'd been as much a victim of a "setup" as their supposed target, War Star. She had gone along with the dubious operation only because she had been informed that the "subject" was a notorious drug dealer who was using the safety of the reservation to spread her poison on the innocent children of Scofield. Of course, had Tita known the truth, she wouldn't have agreed to the setup scheme to begin with. The entire community, including the cops, the mayor and the city council were intent on ridding themselves of their most defiant and troublesome Indian. Tita resented being lied to by her employers, but she resisted the urge to resign. Regardless of their reasoning, the entire ploy had backfired in Tita's face, and the only thing left for her to do was find some way to exact some measure of revenge. Besides, she too was a newcomer both to Scofield and the police department, and her "blown" assignment had prompted much in the way of criticism from within and without the police force. Her only recourse was now to redeem herself for what everyone perceived as a public humiliation. Tita was released from the hospital after spending the night for observation. And every muscle in her body ached from her ill-fated encounter with the famed War Star. It was nearly a week before the majority of the pain finally passed. A lesser woman would have been thoroughly demoralized by such a thrashing, but not Tita. And that's because she remained confident in the knowledge that she was more than equal to War Star. 2 It was no longer a matter of doing her duty or following misguided orders. It was now a deeply personal matter of pride. So, during the course of the next month, Tita worked furiously to regain her prowess. She spent hours in the gym improving her already imposing physique. At 5'4 and 165 pounds, Tita was physically about the same size as her Indian adversary, but their were not so subtle differences in their respective structures. Take those massive 20 inch biceps which had caused War Star to gawk in awe prior to their first go around. Tita could bench 300 pounds for reps in the gym, not to mention about half that much weight in preacher curls. While pumping the heavy iron, Tita would often shake her shaggy dark hair and curse under her breath when she remembered having released War Star from that headlock in their first fight. She should have easily squeezed the Indian unconscious with that hold. In Tita's mind, she had been too honorable, too willing to give the War Star a fighting chance. Not only that, but she had seriously underestimated the Indian's cunning and will to win. Sure, she may have possessed the bigger, stronger body, but War Star had turned the course of the battle with sheer will and determination. A simple elbow to the side of the head and a couple of punches to the face had turned the tide in the warrior's favor. Tita realized that if she was to avenge her defeat, she would have to become as ruthless and treacherous as her opponent. Sweat poured off Tita's body as she pumped the last rep in a series of preacher curls with 150 pounds. Then she went to work on the leg-press and her powerful 26 inch quads nearly snapped the machine's pully mechanism as she slammed out a dozen reps with a thousand pounds of iron plates. Then she vented her frustrations on the gym's heavy punching bag. Donning a pair of boxing gloves, Tita pummeled the canvas bag with the thought of War Star ever on her mind. 3 Moving to the speed bag, Tita concentrated on delivering quick, sharp punches and honing her reflexes. Tita understood that War Star's quickness had given her a definite edge in their first meeting and she was anxious to enhance her speed and coordination. Sheer brute force wouldn't be enough to defeat the Indian. Tita realized that she must become a more versatile and complete fighter. After nearly six weeks of this arduous regimen, Tita felt she was ready to issue a challenge. She delivered it in the form of a full-page advertisement in the SCOFIELD DAILY MIRROR as she had no intention of keeping her personal challenge a secret. TITA DEL RIO WANTS WAR STAR IN THE RING The challenge was simple and straightforward as it proposed a kind of "ultimate fighting challenge" with no-holds-barred. Tita made certain to make the challenge a potentially lucrative one by putting up a $5,000 out of her own pocket as a winner-take-all purse. That meant a considerable jackpot for the winner. War Star's reply came within a short time as she personally phoned the Scofield cops and asked to speak to her "challenger." "So, what's this, another clever trap by your friends to lure me off the reservation?" War Star's voice was cool but Tita could tell by her rapid breathing that she was rather nervous. "Not at all. This has nothing to do with the police. I'm making this totally personal, just between us girls," she said lightly. "Huh, then you mean that you've recovered enough from the last time? You know, honey, if I get my hands on you again, I'm liable to really do some damage. Maybe you've got time to have the paper print a retraction." "Listen, Pocahontas, our first little altercation was a fluke, and I'm serious about proving that to everyone. But this time, I want to make it worthwhile. That's why I'm willing to pony-up the five-grand." 4 "Hey, that's fine by me. I don't have a problem taking your money." "Good. So, I take it that you're accepting my challenge." "Absolutely. Just tell me where and when and I'll be there with bells on." "Feathers will be fine," Tita said sarcastically. An uncomfortable silence followed before War Star finally responded in kind. "You know, until now, I haven't stooped to your level with the ethnic insults, but from now on, you're just another cheap Mexican whore to me," fumed War Star. "Hey, now you're getting the spirit," Tita said calmly. War Star practically pulled the phone line out of the wall as she hurled the phone angrily across the room. If that Mexican bitch wanted another shot at her, so be it. And she couldn't be morally responsible for the consequences if she put the bitch out of commission for good this time. Still, there were those who suspected that the Indian warrior was once again being setup by the local cops. Many warned her not to take the "bait." But War Star wasn't about to backdown at this point. She was furiously determined to punish Tita for her taunts. But she was also mindful that the bigger woman was probably better prepared this time. And that served to bolster her resolve as she went about her daily workouts with an even greater level of intensity. Over the next several weeks, arrangements were made for what was soon to be touted as the FINAL SHOWDOWN between the two Amazons. And War Star used the extra time wisely to condition herself to the fullest. She'd defeated Tita once before, but she realized that she would have to make some positive changes to ensure a second victory. So, during the next month, as the day of the fight approached, War Star felt herself progressing toward her goal. Speaking of changes, no one could have guessed just how monumental those changes could be. 5 But when that day finally arrived, a transformed War Star stood ready to meet Tita's challenge. After much negotiation, the women finally agreed to meet in Scofield's National Guard Armory. A seventeen foot "ring" had been erected for the combatants, and when War Star stepped through the ropes to face the hated enemy, she felt confidence oozing from every pore of her revitalized body. And what a tremendous body it had become. The Indian girl had actually added some fifteen pounds of solid muscle. Now she weighed in at a rock-solid 180 pounds which gave her a twenty pound weight advantage over Tita. Even more remarkably, War Star had managed to substantially increase the size of both her arms and legs. You can imagine the shock that registered on Tita's face as she caught her first glimpse of the NEW WAR STAR. How could she have anticipated such a radical change? War Star sneered over at Tita and then flexed her incredible biceps which now measured just a shade over 21 inches. Shaking her head in utter amazement, Tita's eyes suddenly became glued to the Indian girl's legs. War Star shot a teasing grin over at Tita and then proceeded to flex her newly acquired quads which now appeared to be at least 30 inches. "It can't be . . ." Tita muttered as the sight of War Star's vastly superior physique finally sank in. Tita choked back the fear as she walked to the center of the ring to shake hands with the new and improved War Star. As agreed upon earlier, there was no referee for this unlimited fall affair. The winner would obviously be whoever was standing at the end. The audience seemed to be evenly divided between townsfolk and Indians who came by the busload from the reservation. But there was an eerie silence as the bell sounded and both women shot out of their corners. As was quickly evidenced, War Star's extra weight proved to be a disadvantage as the now quicker Tita came in low and secured a clean takedown. War Star hit the mat as her legs were scooped out from under her. 6 And Tita quickly muscled her over onto her stomach and then drove a knee into the back of her head. Somewhat dazed from the impact of the takedown, War Star groaned as Tita mashed her face into the canvas with the pressure of her knee. Then she whipped the Indian's right arm into a hammerlock while she bore down on the back of War Star's neck with her full weight. Just when it appeared that Tita might be on the verge of a submission, War Star suddenly raised herself off the canvas with her left arm. It was similar to performing a one-armed pushup with 165 pounds bearing down on your back. Then, freeing herself from the hammerlock, War Star rolled and lashed out at Tita with both her bare feet. Connecting with Tita's chin, the force of the mule-kick sent the Mexican flying backwards onto her back. Tita bounced back to her feet and met the charging War Star with a fist to the belly. But the blow had little effect as War Star simply grinned and then retaliated with a series of short rights to Tita's head. Tita reeled uncontrollably back into the ropes while War Star followed up with a savage kick to belly. The Mexican drooped against the ropes gasping. Then she sunk to her knees as War Star hammered the back of her head and neck with jolting fists. Finally, Tita kissed the canvas as a huge knee cracked against her skull and drove her down. Tita appeared almost "out" when War Star leaned over her prone body. Grabbing a handful of black hair, War Star jerked her head off the canvas and bent it back. Then she smacked her in the face a couple of times with her fist before slashing her across the throat with one of her deadly Tomahawk chops. As her head flopped back to the canvas, Tita somehow croaked out her submission. War Star stalked back to her corner as a pair of ring attendants rushed in to aide Tita. Struggling back to her feet, Tita surprised everyone by not conceding the entire bout. "I'm okay," she muttered. "Just give me a couple of minutes." 7 The ringside announcer declared War Star the winner of the first fall in a time of 5:04. Tita spent the next three minutes of the rest period shaking off the effects of her drubbing as War Star waved at her fans. "She won't survive the second fall," she promised her Indian partisans as she relaxed against the ropes in her corner. As the second fall got underway, Tita avoided immediate contact as she was still attempting to clear her head of cobwebs. "Hey, c'mon sweetie, I'm waiting," taunted War Star as she stood in the middle of the ring and motioned Tita to come at her. Finally, after many minutes of evasion, Tita finally hooked-up with War Star and the two locked fingers in a test of power. As could be expected, War Star easily prevailed as she powered Tita back down to her knees. But this time, Tita used her head wisely and delivered a headbutt to War Star's solar- plexus. The warrior wavered as Tita pounded her belly with her fists. Not even War Star could withstand such a pounding as her knees buckled and she went down. Tita acted quickly as she secured a good facelock and then combined a bodyscissors on the fallen Indian. With her muscular forearm working the neck and her legs squeezing for all they were worth, Tita muscled the bigger woman onto her back. For the first time in the bout, War Star appeared helpless as she lay on her back, her ribcage scissored between Tita's huge brown thighs. The scissors sapped her strength almost instantly and War Star's massive body shuddered and convulsed as Tita jolted her time and time again with bursts of thigh power. Tita's confidence soared as she felt the bigger woman weaken. Sensing that the end was near, Tita worked the facelock more aggressively as her forearm sought to remove War Star's head from her body. Tita had come roaring back as War Star choked out her submission in just under five minutes. The unthinkable had happened. The heretofore undefeated War Star had uttered her surrender. 8 And it was now Tita who confidently returned to her corner and waited on the shaken Indian to recover. The bitter sting of defeat seemed to affect War Star as she came out for the third fall. Seeming rather tentative, she soon found herself back down on the mat as Tita toppled her with a flying tackle. Her predicament worsened when Tita captured her head in a figure-four headscissors. In a matter of seconds, War Star's face reddened as the pressure of the figure-four squashed her features into a contorted grimace. A deathly silence fell over the once boisterous crowd as War Star began to fade. But to her credit, she somehow held out and with an unforseen burst of energy, broke free of the hold. Both women scrambled to their feet, but it was Tita who struck first with a roundhouse right to War Star's head. The punch knocked War Star back into the ropes where she was soon beset by a dizzying series of elbows, forearms and fists. The blistering attack soon took its toll as War Star withered back to the canvas. Then, dragging the Indian to the center of the ring, Tita dropped on her chest and pinned her in a schoolboy press. The humiliation had to have been worse than the actual pain as Tita scooted up higher on her chest until the Indian's nose pressed tightly into her crotch. War Star fought back tears of rage as Tita smothered her with her crotch. Suddenly, Tita rolled off of War Star's chest in what may have seemed like an act of mercy. But such was not the case as she yanked the Indian's head between her brutal thighs and scissored War Star's face once more into the depths of her crotch. The crush of the headscissors blurred her vision and the dark warrior tried in vane to rise to her knees. Her head was light and swimming as Tita gritted her teeth and exerted maximum power. For a brief instant, War Star pushed herself off the mat with both arms before she felt her right arm being wrenched out from under her. Down she plunged into the darkness as Tita's swollen thighs blotted out the light 9 When finally she gathered her senses, she was propped up against the ropes in her corner. The third fall had gone to Tita in the time of 8:17. Down two falls to one, War Star could not remember coming out for the fourth fall. Her expression was glazed and lifeless as Tita hoisted her onto her shoulders in a fireman's carry, spun her around and then slammed her 180 pounds into a tangled heap at her feet. It was painfully obvious that War Star had not yet recovered from being knocked out by the headscissors in the previous fall. But Tita couldn't have cared less about her condition as she straddled the Indian's chest once more and pinned those 21 inch arms flat to the mat. "Seems like I remember being in your position some time ago. Well, you know what they say, turnabout's fair play," declared Tita as she moved for the grapevine. Hugging War Star's groggy head into her chest, she then, splayed War Star's legs painfully apart in a brutal grapevine. Tita listened with satisfaction as her victim moaned in helpless agony. "How about it? You give?" questioned Tita as she worked the grapevine. And War Star probably would have if her stubborn pride hadn't interfered. "Fuck off," whispered War Star as the pain of the grapevine increased. "Have it your way," warned Tita as she hammered her pelvis into War Star's belly. Then, quite unexpectedly, War Star jammed her forearm into Tita's throat while her powerful legs simultaneously broke free of the grapevine. To observers at ringside, it looked as though some unseen force had taken hold of Tita, flinging her body half-way across the ring. But it was merely an irate Indian who had suffered enough indignity. Tita hadn't quite cleared her head when she felt War Star's strong arms embracing her waist and hauling her off the mat. Once more, the Mexican felt the unbreakable crush of War Star's bearhug as the breath was squeezed from her lungs. Then, imagine her surprise when the resilient Indian used her like a human battering ram, and smashed her repeatedly into the cornerpost. 10 Not wishing to end her punishment just yet, War Star relinquished the bearhug and watched the breathless Mexican collapse at her feet. Feeling totally in command, War Star tucked Tita's head between her newly enlarged thighs and then clamped them shut. Tita's body shuddered and writhed in a sudden spasm of unbearable pain as War Star's standing headscissors rendered an immediate and whimpering submission. Slapping her hands against War Star's enormous thighs, Tita signaled her inevitable submission. Her garbled submission could barely be heard. Perhaps that's why the dark warrior chose to ignore it. And ignore it she did as she continued squeezing Tita until she faded to black between those humungous thirty-something thighs. War Star unlocked her legs and watched as Tita slid to the mat on her face. She'd evened the match at two falls apiece. She was anxious to finish her foe as she waited restlessly in her corner for the next fall. The ring attendants revived Tita as best they could and helped guide her back to her corner. She looked shaky and exhausted as she leaned over the top rope in her corner. The dark warrior silently counted the seconds in her head as one of the ring attendants asked Tita if she wanted to concede the match. But the fearless Mexican shoved him angrily aside, then turned and faced War Star. The match would continue as Tita bravely bolted from her corner only to be caught in a murderous grip. Taking Tita by the hair, War Star butted her forehead into the bridge of her nose. Blood appeared from her nostrils as she staggered, bent over and covered her face with her hands. Victory seemed inevitable as War Star locked her hands into a single fist and brought a thundering hammer-like blow down on Tita's back. Tita crumpled as War Star straddled her back, laced her fingers under her chin and applied a camel-clutch. Tita's arms flailed wildly in the air as War Star stretched her neck backward in what everyone recognized as a sure submission hold. 11 But she surprised them all when she simply released her hold and pushed Tita's head back to the mat. Then, rising back to her feet, she waited for the weary Tita. The Mexican crawled slowly toward the ropes. Grasping at the top rope, she actually managed to haul herself to a standing position. She'd barely turned around when a huge pair of flying thighs suddenly flew past her head. This was to be the dark warrior's grand finale as she attempted to scissor Tita's head in a flying headscissors. However, she miscalculated and overshot her mark as Tita ducked and then watched as War Star's 180 pounds splattered awkwardly on the canvas. The ring shook violently with the impact of the crash landing as War Star moaned and clutched at her hip. Taking instant advantage of the Indian's mishap, Tita stomped on her injured hip and listened to her howls of pain. Then she dropped a knee onto the back of War Star's neck and drove her face into the mat. A second and third knee-drop produced blood from the Indian's lips and nose. A stunned War Star rolled about on the mat in a stupor as Tita battered her head and face with barefooted fury. Soon, the soles of Tita's bare feet were bright with blood-stains. Somehow, War Star found the resolve to crawl to a single knee. But Tita was right there and waiting as she helped her the rest of the way with a savage jerk of the hair. The ruthless Mexican was now intent not only on defeating the Indian, but utterly destroying her as she blistered her foe's breasts with a frenzied, two-fisted attack. War Star stumbled blindly into the ropes as Tita plunged her fists into her chest. It was definitely not a sight for the squeamish as War Star's bare breasts were literally beaten out of her bra and exposed. Soon, ugly red welts mingled with spatters of blood, dotted War Star's breasts. Driven back into the ropes, her shrieks of pain were punctuated by breathless groans as Tita battered her with heavy knees to the belly. 12 Bloody and beaten, War Star's body swayed and sagged into the ropes until she finally crumpled to the canvas. But Tita wasn't entirely satisfied as she plopped her ample posterior over the Indian's face. Then she dug her fingernails into War Star's chest and clawed her still vulnerable breasts. The Indian's muffled cries were drowned out by the shouts of several ring attendants who'd evidently seen enough. Storming into the ring, they struggled to unseat Tita from War Star's face. It took the strength of five men to actually pry Tita from her face-sitting superiority. But it was clear even to War Star's most ardent supporters that the match should be ended. As for War Star, she wasn't in any condition to protest the stoppage of the match. The ring attendants discreetly covered her reddened and heaving chest with a blanket as they forcibly escorted her opponent from the ring. Officially, on paper, the match would go down as a simple 3-2 fall victory for Tita over War Star with the final fall ending in a time of 15:29. But that didn't begin to tell the full story of the horrible and unprecedented beating that had been exacted. The match had truly been a classic "fight to the finish," as a pair of powerful Amazons clashed in a no-holds-barred colossal catfight. And though the match itself was only a brief moment in time, it would take much longer for War Star to recover from her horrible defeat at the hands of TITA THE TIGRESS.