Wilder had a habit of doing that—coming in, striking, darting away. For Archibald, who was such an up close and personal fighter, it was quite agitating. The massive stallion did not move as quickly and could not run in and run out, for he would tire too quickly. For The Dauntless the battle was all about strength and tactic. He knew that if this was a real battle and he had been able to keep Locket close he could have easily flattened him, leave him bloody and bruised on the ground begging for mercy. But, alas, Locket was his herd mate and pupil, he would not think of leaving him bloody on the ground, for Locket was expected to stand next to him on the battle field when it was called. In a quick and odd moment, Archibald decided that he would be proud of Locket charging into battle next to him.

Archibald’s tight muscles in his hind legs loosened as his front hooves scraped over Locket’s body, and the Chief let his body fall back to the ground. The earth gave way some under his hooves, making his balance shaky at first before he turned his hips towards Locket’s right shoulder, just as the male dances away. Snorting, Archibald tucked his heat into his chest and threw his weight forward, lifting his rear end to meet Locket as he came back for another attack. Marred white feathers flicked mud towards the oddly marked stallion as his left hind hoof barreled to defend himself from Locket’s incoming teeth. However, the quickness of Locket’s attack was not anything to be dismissed or easily shaken, and the Dauntless felt a sting as flat teeth closed over the taught skin that covered the semitendinous muscle of his left leg. This is the second bite that has landed on Archibald’s rear left side, and he is satisfied from it, in a way that matches the emotion of a karate teacher when their student successfully breaks boards. Locket knows this spar is not meant for harm, merely for learning, unlike the mare Romani that Archibald had to, literally, knock on her ass to remind her of the spar’s purpose.

Archibald tucks and turns his hips away from Locket then, lifting his giant head to meet Locket’s gaze with cool golden eyes. The Dauntless takes a step back, surveying the Foothills warrior with an unreadable gaze, taking in the minimal damage that he had taken. Satisfied, Archibald nodded to his herd mate. “You did well to keep yourself under control, Locket. But, I must warn you—had this been a real battle and we were out for blood, you would have been moving too slow, especially for a horse of your lineage. Take your ancestral advantage and move.” The Dauntless spoke coolly, tilting his left hind hoof up to relax that side of him, where Locket’s attacks had been centered. “I will not give you a task like I did the halflinger, because you have proven enough to me, warrior. Go now and practice, and be ready for battle can call on us at any minute—this world is unpredictable.”

With that, the Dauntless nods simply once more and turns back towards the heart of the Foothills, Loretta crashing through the far off trees to meet her silent bonded’s side.

[WC: 555 | Closing Defense | Archibald lowers his body from his rear and turns his hips towards Locket, taking the bite while bucking and striking out defensively with his left hind hoof.

**Edited to add OOC:

I really do not have much to say in the end of this spar. It seems that you are really skilled in getting into your character's head, and I enjoyed reading that a lot.

I will say, however, that make sure you add the setting/surroundings into your post and. Sometimes this is the hardest part for me to do, so I understand that it may not be on the forefront of your mind. But, it will get you points on the rubric. If you have specific questions you can PM/skype me and I will be willing to answer. Thank you so much for this spar, Imi, I really enjoyed writing with you.]