Chapter 5

The girls stood on the corner and hailed a cab. The driver studied their faces as they entered, having never seen women with such exotic looks. "Where you ladies goin?"

"Central Park," Jaguar replied as he pulled off.

At her reply he abruptly stopped and turned around. "You're going where?" "Central Park. What's wrong with that?"

"You must be out-of-towners. No one goes there this late, especially two broads! People tend to get killed there, especially lately!" He saw the determined look on their faces. "Okay," he sighed. "It's your ride."

He let them out at the front exit and drove off, mumbling and shaking his head. As he drove away, Jaguar entered his mind, erasing his memory of having picked them up. They entered and went along the main walk to a small bench which was by a mosaic dedicated to John Lennon (Strawberry Fields). They sat for a few minutes. Panthera felt the hair on the back of her neck bristle. "Sis, I think we're in luck. Can you feel it? Must be close by." The girls got up and started toward the center of the park.

Four sets of eyes were watching the girls from some nearby bushes. Two sets of them were relishing the thought of fresh human blood. "Wait till they get away from the light, then we'll hit them."

Every hair on Panthera's body by now was bristled. Jaguar's hair also was bristled. "They're very close. So be ready."

Two of the men came out of the bushes, making the girls stop. "Looky here!" One of them grinned. "Talk about luck." One of them came closer to Jaguar. "Baby you are so fine! MMMMMMMM You look good enough to eat!"

"Look at this one," the other said as he walked around Panthera. "What are a couple of broads like you doin' walkin' through this neck of the woods alone?"

While the girls were seemingly occupied, the other two onlookers silently went around, coming up behind the girls. Both girls heard the other two, realizing the two in front were decoys. Panthera inched her hand up, going underneath her shirt. When she felt they were close enough, she yanked the small hatchet out and quickly turned. Jaguar pulled her dagger from her boot. The girls saw two sets of red eyes fast closing in on them. Panthera raised her hatchet and swiped at the closet, cutting him across the chest. The vampire screamed as once again Panthera brought the hatchet round, this time cutting the head completely off. At the same time, Jaguar raised her dagger and slit down the front of the other, opening him from the neck on down as he too screamed in agony.

The two decoys couldn't move, shocked at what they saw. They became even more shocked when they saw Panthera chop off the head of the second vampire. Immediately a foul smell emitted from the corpses as they slowly dissolved away. Both women wiped the blood off their weapons on the grass.

The decoys were still in a state of shock when the girls turned, too frightened to move. The girls sniffed then turned up their noses as a new smell permeated the air. It seems one of the decoys became so frightened he shit on himself, then fell to his knees.

"We're going to have to dispose of them also," Jaguar said.

The second man also went to his knees, pleading, "No! No! We won't tell! Honest! Cross my heart! (motioning) Just don't kill us!"

"We can't take that chance," Panthera replied.

Before he could utter another word, Panthera brought the hatchet down, his friend screaming as he watched the head rolling away toward the bushes. She raised it again. The first man fell over, his face twisted in horror. Jaguar felt his wrist. "He's dead. Let's get back to the hotel and pack. We have to be in Stanford tomorrow." Rubbing the amulet, they were back in their room. Immediately they washed the blood off their weapons and packed them in the lining of the luggage.

"Should we leave tonight or wait till tomorrow?" Jaguar asked.

"Let's leave early in the morning. We can use our amulets to get there."

After cleaning up, they hopped in bed and slept till around six the next morning. After showering and dressing, Jaguar went downstairs to pay the clerk. She told the clerk where they were going and asked for the best hotel there. He told them that they happened to have a hotel in Stanford and asked if he could call ahead to make their reservations for them. Jaguar politely refused, saying they would do so when they got there. Panthera came shortly after with their luggage. Jaguar thanked him. The clerk told them he hoped their stay had been pleasant and told them to come back again. As soon as the girls were outside, they went inside the parking garage and found a private spot. Rubbing the amulet, they concentrated on their destination. Within a few seconds they disappeared and were standing in front of the hotel in Stanford.

Chapter 6

Jaguar looked at her watch. "We're early. It's only 8:00."

Panthera looked around then spotted a restaurant across the street. "Why don't we eat breakfast at the restaurant across the street and kill some time there while we're at it. We have to be there at 1:00, right?" Jaguar nodded. "About 11:30 we can leave and take a cab to the WWE Headquarters."

The girls picked up their bags and went to the restaurant to eat. While eating, they went over what questions would be asked by the judges at the try out, and what the judges would expect. Around 11:20 they paid for their meal and hailed a cab. Ten minutes later they were entering the WWE building. At the front desk they showed the receptionist their letters. The woman took them to a waiting room and had them sit after she had taken their letters of appointment.

The girls noted that already there were tryout hopefuls, each eager to get a chance. "These applicants look young!" Panthera observed. "Well, we are literally the oldest ones here," Jaguar said. Time passed slowly and soon all the chairs in the waiting room were filled, each applicant hopeful vying for a spot. Around 12:30, Al and Tazz entered the waiting area on their way to the tryout room. As they passed through they looked at each applicant, especially Panthera and Jaguar. Jackie was waiting for them in the tryout room.

"Seen any of the hopefuls?" she asked.

"Yeah," Tazz replied. "Overall the bunch doesn't look bad. There are two women there who are a bit older than the others. I remember them from the restaurant."

"Oh?" Jackie arched her brows.

"They're different from the others. Very exotic looking. Once you've seen 'em you won't forget," Al replied.

Once they had themselves situated in the tryout room, they told one of the security people to bring in the applicants. The girls took a deep breath and crossed their fingers. When they entered the conference room, Tazz had the applicants stand in the middle of a makeshift ring. He called out the first hopeful. The girls listened as the judges asked each applicant questions such as "Why do you think you should be chosen ?" etc. After the preliminary questioning, they asked each applicant to do a promo on themselves. The girls watched, amazed at the lengths the applicants went to win a spot. Fnally it was their turn. Both women stood in the middle of the ring. Al whispered to Jackie, "Look at them. Tell me, have you ever seen such exotic looks like that before?"

Jackie looked them over. "No I haven't," she whispered in reply. "But looks aren't everything. What kind of physical shape are they in?"

Tazz asked them the same questions as the other applicants, to which the girls replied. Jackie had been looking at their applications. "I have one last question. Aren't you two a little late in beginning a career in wrestling?"

Panthera looked at Jackie levelly. "Are you saying we're too old?" and folded her arms across her chest. For a bit judges were quiet, surprised at the tone in her voice.

"We weren't insulting you. It's just that it took us by surprise," Al said.

"For your information, my sister and I don't think we're too old. We're in good physical shape, in fact, I would say we're in far better shape than any of the applicants here. We can hold our own against anyone, any time, and that includes you three." Panthera pointed at each one of them.

"Easy, sis," Jaguar whispered. "Don't lose your cool."

Tazz, Al, and Jackie looked at each other, then put their heads together. "What do you think?" Jackie asked. "I don't think we need to ask for a promo. She's already done one." "Yeah," Tazz said. "I think those two are challenging us. I say we take them up on it."

"Everyone agreed?" Al asked. Jackie and Tazz nodded their heads. "Okay, you're in. Going join the others over by the door."

They watched as the girls climbed out of the ring. "These two aren't like the rest. I'm anxious to see how they're going to hold up once they start training," Jackie said.

The judges were soon through, thanking those who had not made it and told them to try again next time.

Al joined the applicants. "The easy part is over. The vans are outside waiting."

After they had loaded the first van, the applicants climbed in the second. Twenty minutes later they had arrived at the dorm. After they had exited the vans, Al said to them, "Welcome to your new home for the next 4 months."

Chapter 7

Each applicant got their luggage and entered the spacious dorm. Al came in right behind them. "Each of you choose your roommate as you will be sleeping two to a room." He took them through the living room and upstairs. "Here are your sleeping quarters. There are two bathrooms located at the end of the hallway. The one on the left is for the men, the other on the right for the women. After you get yourselves settled, go to the living room. I want to hold a short meeting."

The girls chose the first bedroom on the right. It wasn't very big, just a 12 x 14 room which had two single beds, a nightstand in between, a six-draw chest, one dresser, and a sliding door closet. After they unpacked they went back downstairs and seated themselves one of the two couches. After everyone had come downstairs, Al and Tazz came in the living room.

"There are a few things I would like to clear up before we go out tonight, courtesy of the WWE. Everyone is to be in bed by 10:00. Training will begin tomorrow morning, 5:00 a.m. Everyone is to be up, dressed and outside. We'll begin with a five-mile jog-walk, and back here for breakfast and a light shower. Then its off in the vans to the gym not far from here," Al said. "You are responsible for your meals, unless once in a while one of you would like to cook for the whole group. You will not have to buy any food as that is provided. You will also be responsible for laundering your own clothes."

Tazz took over. "At the gym you will be doing aerobics and working out in the weight room for the next four weeks for 8 hours a day, plus road work. If you have any doubts if you'll make it past this, now is the time to leave." He looked at Panthera and Jaguar as he spoke. "For now, we'll go out and enjoy ourselves tonight, but I would suggest you retire as soon as we return."

Everyone got on the van and went to one of the local restaurants in town. After they had given their orders, the girls looked around the restaurant. Panthera's hair began standing on the back of her neck. She gently tapped Jaguar and pointed as nonchalantly as she could over to a table that was in the far corner. "I see," whispered Jaguar. At the table was what seemed to everyone else a very loving couple enjoying their night out. But what only the girls could see were the telltale red eyes of the man pouring wine for his companion. "Once we get back, we'll have to hurry back here. Let's hope they haven't left by the time we get back," Panthera said in a low voice.

Everyone enjoyed their meal and soon they were on their way back to the dorm. The girls went to their room to unpack. As soon as they entered the room, they found workout clothes on the bed with the "Tough Enough" logo on the shirts. After hanging up what clothes they had, they stayed in the room waiting till everyone had retired for the night. Peeking out the door, Panthera nodded her head. Holding their pendants, they were soon whisked back to the restaurant.

Jaguar went in on the pretext of having left something behind. As she and the waiter looked, she noticed that the couple was still there. She thanked the waiter for helping her and went back out. "They're still there, but it looked like they were just about ready to leave."

"Just in time. We'll wait on the corner to see which way they go," Panthera said.

It wasn't long before the couple came out. Soon a car was brought to the front and the couple got in and took off. The girls rubbed their pendants and followed the car to a small park not far from there. The girls reappeared behind some bushes to watch, their weapons ready. The car parked by the playground area, the couple getting out for a leisurely stroll. As the girls followed, they saw he was heading for a secluded spot by a wooded area. As they had excellent night vision, they saw the couple begin to kiss. They saw the woman begin to struggle and then scream and start to run, the man catching up to her, his fangs descended. Both girls came out of the brush. The rogue vampire stopped, the woman fainting as he dropped her to the ground.

He hissed and started towards them. Jaguar pulled out her silver dagger and Panther had her hatchet ready. As he lunged at them, Panthera jumped and flipped behind him. Just as he was about to grab Jaguar, she stabbed the vampire, cutting him from the neck all the way down to his waist. Panthera came up from behind and swung the hatchet, cutting his head completely off, the air filled with the putrid smell as the vampire slowly dissolved. After wiping their weapons on the grass, they heard the woman begin to moan and quickly disappeared. From the bushes not far away they saw her get up slowly, then scream when she saw the powdery remains of what had been her supposed date. The woman ran away as quickly as she could, screaming for someone to help her.

After the woman was gone, the girls held their pendants and were instantly back in their dorm room, putting their weapons in the secret compartment of their suitcases. "Thank goodness she fainted before she saw us," Jaguar said. "I agree," Panthera concurred. "We'll know for sure in a day or so." "Of course, who's to say anyone will believe her," Jaguar said. "I would hate to have to kill her like we had to do the first two."

"Well, let's get some sleep," Panthera said.

Chapter 8

For a week after that the girls read the paper to see if any news was there. Upon seeing none, they figured the woman had not seen them and breathed a sigh of relief. For the next two grueling months, the girls rose at 5:00 a.m. to begin their daily workouts, which consisted of a five-mile run, then back to the dorm for breakfast before heading to the gym for aerobics and weightlifting.

The trainers (Al, Tazz, and Jackie) were amazed at the progress the girls made. They were far ahead of the rest of the group who struggled to keep up. Al was amazed at how easily the girls went through the workouts and run, barely working up a sweat. He and the other trainers would talk when the groups weren't around.

"I have never seen two women so strong as those two. They even put some of the men wrestlers to shame," Al observed. "You could never tell just by the looks of them."

"Yeah, but the real test will come when they start learning how to wrestle," Tazz said.

The group had taken a break and Al went over to Panthera and Jaguar. "The other trainers and I were talking about you two. I have to give it to you. You have really impressed me and the other trainers with your work ethic and determination." The girls arched their brows as he turned and walked away.

At 5:00 the group went back to the dorm. After a quick shower the girls went to the kitchen to see what there was in the refrigerator. The girls had learned over the months, through trial and error, plus a visit or two by the fire department, to cook simple meals for themselves. But Panthera was hungering for something else. "Oh, I want something other than this," she moaned hungrily. "I need fresh blood!" "Quiet!" Jaguar whispered. "Do you want everyone to hear? I want some too, but we have to stick this out."

At 10:00 the girls turned out the lights. Panthera tossed in her bed, the urge too strong for her. Jaguar opened her eyes to see Panthera up and getting dressed. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going out. I won't be gone long."

Panthera tiptoed out of the room and out the front door. Making sure everything was quiet and no one around, she rubbed her pendant. Slowly her body began changing. Her facial features to those of a panther, then her arms and legs, till finally black fur appeared on her body and a tail. Slinking down the driveway she went across the road and into the woods. The night animals that had come out ran upon seeing the golden glow of her eyes, not wanting to be in her path. As she walked, she sniffed the air, stopping when she came to the edge of the woods, her mouth drooling as she had finally found what she had been searing for. Raising her paw, she rubbed the necklace and changed back into her human form. "At last," she said to herself. Being careful, she snuck up to a big barn. Looking around she opened the door and went inside, the sound of gentle lowing greeting her. Going to the first stall, her fangs descended as her head lowered. Five minutes later she leaned against the boards, blood dripping from her mouth, her face in ecstasy. She went back outside, locking the door. She rubbed the necklace and soon was back in her room. Jaguar was sitting on the bed waiting for her, seeing the blood on her face. "You didn't, did you?"

"Did what?" Panther asked as she took her clothes off.

"Take a human?"

"No! I would never go against the Council! I found a farm on the other side of the woods."

Jaguar sighed in relief. "Better hide those fangs and wipe yourself off."

While Panthera cleaned up, Jaguar asked how was it. "It was pure ecstasy!" Panthera purred. "I have to go back for more."

There was a knock on the door. The girls quickly got under the covers. Panthers pulled them over her head. The door opened. Jackie peeked inside. Jaguar pretended to stir. "Just checking," Jackie whispered and closed the door.

Panthera hid the towel amongst the dirty clothes. "Tomorrow we'll have to do some laundry."

"The next time you get the urge, take me with you." Jaguar said as Panthera got back in bed.

Part4

Main

Except where otherwise noted, this website and most of it's contents © copyright by Dancer Productions, Inc. 1999-2002.