It was like the night before Christmas...well...er.. if you pretend that Helovia has Christmas, and that Gaucho would understand the concept, and that it was nighttime....eh...Scratch all that; Gaucho was simply excited. It wasn't the idea of potentially ascending through the ranks and becoming General which caused his stomach to feel light and fluttery, but the fact that there were so many qualified candidates in the Throat to pick from, that a Tournament had to be held. He had felt a renewed sense of duty radiating throughout the herd since Kri had announced that they would hold a Tournament, and it pleased him to see it so. There was nothing in the world that caused him as much joy, as seeing his family protected, and its warriors strong. Gaucho would feel no animosity or even sadness should he fail to best his opponent, for at his core, Gaucho is an unquestioning soldier, who will abide by any decision of his Commander. Should it turn out that there is a soldier who would better protect his family than He, then let it be so.

Gaucho stares at the sky, willing the sun to move. As soon as it drops from being straight above, to about 45degrees from the horizon, his round in the tournament will begin. Their rounds have been staggered, so that all might continue to patrol the Throat's perimeters so as not to be vulnerable to attack, and yet Gaucho wished he still was on duty, for he found no joy in waiting for Hector to arrive. With a nervous energy, Gaucho paced in front of the naturally occurring lake. His normally stoic and stormy gaze, was now alight with excitement and possibilities. Now at this point you might be saying to yourself: Gaucho? Nervous? Why he's too stupid to be nervous! Or, he's undefeated so far! What does he have to be nervous about? Well, I'll tell you: Gaucho nervousness stems from a desire to not falter or miss-step even once during his round with Hector. In Gaucho's simple mind, he fears that should he not give his opponent his very best, then the wrong candidate might be placed in a position to unjustly rule over them all. If Gaucho looses, he must know that he has done his very best - not as consolation for coming in second - but to reassure himself that he who comes in first, did so rightly.

It has not rained in days, causing the Throat to become increasingly dry and dusty. Even standing by the Oasis, which normally infuses the air with some amount of moisture, leaves the roof of Gaucho's mouth feel barren and stale. Lowering his dark lips to the water, Gaucho stirs the lake with his muzzle, careful to only take in a few drops, lest his stomach cramps during his round. Mara hisses reassuringly, feeling her bonded's sense of urgency and anxiety. Gaucho grunts in response, mentally sending the white snake images of Hector's tusks, as a warning to be wary should she try to interfere. Hissing dismissively, she winds herself down around his chest, and pushes a small button which releases sharpened 2-inch spikes of bone, from around the collar hanging on his shoulders, as if to say: you have weapons too.

Snapping his dark tail around his hocks, Gaucho raises his antlered brow, realizing that he is merely wasting time. Moving away from the lake, he begins to tilt his head back and forth, as if trying to loosen the muscles in his neck. Picking up the pace slightly, while being careful to not exert too much energy, he begins to stretch his legs - extending them at odd angles to wake and energize the muscles. As Hector opted to stay behind and guard the Throat during the Invasion of the Foothills, Gaucho has no idea of his capabilities in battle. He is a massive creature - larger than Gaucho which for the bay, is a rarity - with fierce looking tusks. Even so, Gaucho's mind does not make assumptions about his opponent, nor does it try and per-formulate a strategy. The majority of Gaucho's movements in battle are purely instinctual and reflexive; a scheming mastermind, he is not. Still, given Hector's size, Gaucho knows that the force-based attacks that he has utilized in the past on smaller opponents such as Aryel, will have different results with Hector.

Feeling satisfied that he is reasonably warmed up, Gaucho halts with the lake to his right, again casting his gaze up towards the sky. The sun is falling...Light flares outwards, soaking the red-sands in warm light, and threatening to be a nuisance during battle, but nevermind that now..

The time has come.

[Friendly Challenge - Gaucho vs. Hector determined as per Boom for the DT Tournament for General. Standard Challenge rules apply: Fighting format includes an 800 word maximum. Challenges have a minimum of 4 attack posts total for each character, and a closing defense post for whoever attacked first. Please include post count in your fighting posts, so that judges can easily keep track. You are not allowed to edit posts once your opponent has responded.
✗- A challenge must be replied to within 72 hours of the last post, or the opponent who fails to respond forfeits.
✗-Challenges will not be fought to the death unless already planned upon by the involved characters.
✗- Fights are judged because typically no clear winner will arise, however if at the end of a fight your character is unconscious or at the mercy of your opponent you have lost regardless. If there is a planned winner to the fight, it does not need to be judged.
✗- Predetermined winners will not be awarded VP.

Setting: Dragon's Throat, near the Oasis. The sun is at about a 45 degree angle above the horizon.
WC: 794
Attack 0/4
Closing Defense 0/1
Magic and Companions: 0/2
Gaucho will be using buffs Dance and Swift]