As the filly screamed back at him, Gaucho pinned his ears to his skull, deafening her pitiful childish screams, but also protecting his ears. He wondered what it would feel like to send her flying onto the rocky ground - if perhaps her 'war cry', would simply turn into a child's cry, as her small body crumpled before his. As they came together, Gaucho could feel the softness of her youthful pelt against his, and yet she did not fall. Instinctively he is aware that she had widened her stance to receive his momentum, and yet he feels robbed somehow. As his large body continued forward, he could feel her nose turning into him, but the movement almost seems delayed. If she meant to stab him with her horn in front of his neck, why wait until their bodies were already touching? For then it would be too late, and he would be hurtling past her.

Given their differences in size, as she was only a yearling, the tip of her horn scraped against his left flank, just before it met his hip. Pinpoints of blood emerged from his course coat, as her horn etched across 5 inches of his upper flank. He also felt her teeth grab hold of his left thigh muscle for a moment, almost exactly where Sno had kicked him earlier in the day, but given how massive that muscle was, there was little for her to hold onto, and really sink into. The pain she had caused with her horn was little more than an annoyance, and yet he was annoyed. Annoyed at this youngsters sloppy attacks, which had still wounded him, compounding on his injury from midday. While Sno's kick, and this filly's bite separately, were not strong enough to do any lasting, or even visible damage, together, they caused the already bruised muscle to throb painfully. It felt all the more satisfying when his hooves connected on her left leg, feeling the delicious impact of hooves against tender flesh and bone. As she screamed out at him, he heard her teeth snapping as if she meant to try and bite him again, yet he was already out of her reach. Perhaps if she had tried to bite then scream profanities at him, she might have been more successful.

As he veered to the right, expecting her to buck in his direction, he was surprised to find that she was chasing after him, for he could hear the echoing sound of her hooves striking the hard basin ground. Being much larger, as well as having muscles more than just a season or two old, Gaucho distanced himself easily from her, veering his body away from her hoof, which attempted to strike out as his left side. From her position within his antlers, Mara slithered down Gaucho's mane to his wither, watching the filly with great black hungry eyes. As Azucar turned her head in, meaning to gauge Gaucho with her horn, the snake took the opportunity, attempting to use Azucar's horn as a bridge. Gaucho, through his mental connection to the snake, could sense what she was doing, and knew he needed to let the filly stay close, if Mara was going to make the jump. Biting his lip, he remained where he was, as he felt Azucar's horn stab into the top layer of skin, covering his wing. Feeling the squeal of pain from her bonded, Mara lunged forward, trying to skim over the horn with her agile and quick body. If successful, she would loop herself around the horn so as not to be dislodged, and bite into the filly's neck, on the left side, just behind her jaw.

Pulling away, and feeling the filly's horn remove its needle-like point from his wing, Gaucho immediately swung his large hind-end to the left, bucking with vigour at her right flank and lower belly. As his hind hooves hit the ground again, Gaucho continued to veer to the right, pulling his wounded wing close to his body. The wound was clean, and about 2 inches deep, and blood was immediately beginning to trickle from the area, tinging his black feathers red. Holding it to his side was painful, as the muscle was contracted, and yet it was safer than keeping them open and giving Azucar a larger target. Galloping to the right, Gaucho arched himself in a large circle, as he felt the stirrings of his magic deep within his belly, just waiting to be unleashed. He listened intently, dousing the sound of his own hoof-beats in his mind to try and place where the purple filly was, in the midnight darkness of the Basin.

[WC: 779 Attack 2/3. M&C 1/2 Closing Defence 0/1]