Into the thunderbird he slams, his chest having the desired effect and causing her to scramble upon the Throat's shifting sands. Those great wings of hers unfurl, and Volterra is once more taken aback by the sheer size of them. He knows pegasi - indeed, he's bedded them - but he's never seen one with wings as huge as Azulee's. Again, he marvels at the fact she can even get them to work, whilst also admiring their obvious power and possible use as a weapon. He'll need to be careful of them, as they undoubtedly hurt when they strike.

His bite finds its mark and she launches one of her own, but the behemoth flings his head to the left with reflexes borne of constant sparring and hard, sweaty practice. Her teeth whistle just past, and he steers his gaze forwards as the lightning-mare stumbles down to one knee. The stallion's ears pin and he rolls his eyes, but stands his ground and doesn't attack; it's foolish, perhaps, for a warlord as battle-honed as Volterra to not take advantage of his foe's vulnerable position, yet it's that lingering sense of chivalry that he just cannot shake. It's ironic, because when the Indomitable was a boy he'd pictured himself destroying opponents even when they crawled at his feet and begged for mercy. He'd imagined himself as an annihilator of the masses, seizing any advantage that the battlefield could offer him and using it to secure his victory. Colt-Volterra certainly wouldn't have imagined his adult self standing prone and allowing his foe to stand because of some irritating notion of honour.

The adult Volterra knows that he's better than that, though. He doesn't need to resort to underhand techniques in order to win, as tempting as it is to press home his advantage by trying to kick sand in Azulee's face or striking for her head to knock her out and gain an easy victory. No, it's far more satisfying when he allows his foes to stand, look him in the eye, and then defeat them. Honour brings with it battle successes that make the leviathan feel proud to be a warrior, not the hollow victories that would come if he embraced the dark arts.

She scrambles to her feet and still the Indomitable holds his position, his breathing levelling out thanks to the swift rest. Then her right wing appears like a great hammer from the depths of her side, swinging towards him like a savage punch. The beast flinches backwards, causing the wing to deal him a glancing but rather painful blow across the forehead that leaves him seeing stars. He grunts, his ears flat to his head and his eyes blinking furiously to try and clear his momentarily blurred vision. A bruise begins to blossom upon the tight flesh of his forehead, painful and irritating but thankfully not debilitating. It serves to remind him again of the fierce feathered weapons she possesses, and he realises that although they might seem overly large and cumbersome, they are not to be underestimated.

He lunges forward again, propelling himself with the massive bulk of his muscular hindquarters. In a mirror image of his previous attack, he thrusts his chest out to try and slam it firmly into her own, hoping to cause her to stumble once again and bully her with his formidable weight. He's banking on the fact that she might not expect him to use the same attack again so soon, utilising predictability as a weapon rather than a drawback.

She'd appeared to favour her right foreleg when she stood; with his warrior's eye Volterra notices this weakness and seeks to exploit it. His left forehoof flicks lightly forwards, aiming to smack it into Azulee's injured right front leg just below the knee in an attempt to further the damage and pain. He doesn't put too much force into the attack, not wishing to maim his soldier, but he wants it to hurt. He wants to test the thunderbird's limits, to push her to them and to break them. His warriors will be a band of indomitable beasts, overseen by him, the warlord; they will be feared, revered, worshipped. Azulee must be forged into his vision of perfection, so he's not intending to hold back too much.

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Teaching spar for @Azulee

2/3 - 715 words