The sky is painted in hues of red, swathed with flashes of orange and crimson to create a flaming sunset of colours. Beneath the resplendent glory of the early evening, the massive black stallion moves at a fluid trot, his huge hooves kicking up chunks of sand behind him as he marches through his kingdom. Considering his inexperience at fighting on sand when he first came to live here, Volterra now fancies himself as an expert at duels within his desert home. He is master of his sands; he knows every inch of them, and has vowed to fight upon every grain.

Today, his path brings him past the Throat's oasis. He casts an interested eye across the lake, observing the way it reflects the beautiful sky above, but his assessment of this lasts only a few seconds - beauty is unimportant unless it is a mare or it concerns battle. But ah, what's that he sees in the distance? It's a winged figure, and one twitch of his nostrils informs him that it is a woman. He increases the pace of his thunderous trot, moving closer until he can make out the mare's markings, with her gigantic wings immediately drawing his attention and informing him that it is Azulee. The spark-marked mare had expressed interest in a spar when she joined, and the onyx warlord is in the mood to dance.

"Azulee!" he booms, his voice an earthquake. "Let us spar!" It is unusual for Volterra to take the first attack in spars; truthfully he finds it dishonourable to charge at an unsuspecting opponent without offering prior warning, yet he's also aware of the fact that in an invasion, his notions of chivalry must take a back seat. It's rather embarrassing for a man of his considerable fighting experience to have only initiated the first attack on a handful of occasions, although he supposes that it speaks of his strength given that he's won almost all of his spars despite allowing his foes to land the first blow. Often, their first attacks hit heavily, causing him considerable pain for the rest of the fight.

This time, he prays he will be able to use the first strike to his advantage instead of his detriment.

He takes a moment to assess the pegasus mare. She's two hands smaller than him, yet her sturdy build suggests that she's not weak by any means. Indeed, he suspects that she's fairly strong, although naturally not as strong as him. They seem fairly well matched in all other areas, although he wonders if she might tire faster than him especially if she's not used to fighting in the gruelling Throat conditions. As it's early evening, the heat has died off somewhat, but it's still on the warmer side of comfortable. A thin sheen of sweat makes the goliath's skin shine in the gleaming sunset, but he's determined to not let that affect him. This close to the oasis, the ground is more like soil than sand, so it's harder underfoot than the soft grains of the rest of the Throat. This should help both of them keep their balance, although the sun-scorched sod beneath could cause shockwaves through unsuspecting limbs.

His assessment complete, Volterra throws himself into a rangy canter. He seeks to approach Azulee from the front - his honour is being stretched enough by having the first attack, he's not going to push it further by attacking from behind like a coward - and attempts to slam the full force of his bulky chest into her own one. Using his colossal, superior weight like a battering ram, the stallion hopes to force his opponent backwards, maybe even causing her to unbalance.

Unfurling his jaws like a sword pulled from a sheath, Volterra simultaneously attempts to plant a bite right on the very end of Azulee's nose. The sensitive area hurts immensely when nipped, and he hopes to cause the mare considerable pain and discomfort that might niggle at her throughout the rest of the fight.

Two specks of colour circle high above; his dragons. For now they're forbidden from helping, much to their displeasure. Excitement begins to thrum through the warlord's body, a great pulse of anticipation that causes his muscles to shudder in delight. This is what he was born for. This is what he lives for. Just the Indomitable and his winged opponent, exchanging blows as others might exchange pleasantries - and the fact Azulee is damned attractive doesn't hurt, either.

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Teaching spar for @Azulee ! Set in the Throat, early evening, still hot but not unbearable. Magic and companions up to you :D

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