Amusement was a familiar emotion, and it rose to warm the Wild Rose's soul. It was sparked by the cool rush of air upon her haunches in a golden sword's wake, nurtured by the mildly uncomfortable tug of a grown mare's teeth on the strands of her tail, and only slightly dampened with the knowledge that her swift kick moments earlier had met nothing but air. Quick thinking and equally quick footwork had prevailed in the face of arrogant enthusiasm once more, and it delighted Smoke to no end.

Having the broadness of the tree between herself and the lighter, taller unicorn afforded the Moon Doctor with a few moment's opportunity to catch her breath. Which was more difficult than it had been a few minutes prior. Slate hide had begun to darken toward black beneath the influence of sweat and blood, white markings grown dusky with sweat-born dust and dirt. But the grulla tried to hide the weariness she felt, especially when an outraged unicorn shouted out at her. Merry laughter left her throat at the accusation of cowardry. "And why would I do anything to make things easier on you, child?"

A remark perfectly timed, for it came less than a heartbeat before Zaffre's brilliantly successful strike. A triumphant shriek ripped from the blue's throat as his talons dug deep into tender flesh, treating his senses to the scent of blood. He clung like a tick, wings tightly folded and shrieking defiantly as his 'prey' did her very best to disrupt his hold. Little did Illynx know that those ear-splitting shrieks had served a dual purpose. One, to signal the equine how shared his soul. Two, to cover the thunder of her hooves as she raced all the quicker around the circumference of the tree.

Dark eyes were treated to a rare treat, that of the gold-dusted unicorn streaked in blood while a lithe and agile dragon did his very best to imitate a burr. A grin crossed her features, both amused and vicious. Learn the price you and your brethren will have to pay to defeat the Dragonheart's flock. It was with that violent thought that Smoke began her final assault. She had swung wide at the end of the circle, counting on the wild shrieks of her dragon and the pain he was inflicting to keep the unicorn distracted just long enough.

Now she rushed Illynx, releasing a fierce bellow of her own, throwing the last of her speed and strength into a driving charge meant to pile into the taller mare's left shoulder. She meant to push the lighter unicorn into the tree, slam the invader's already bruised right side into the hard, unforgiving trunk. Only then, as the Wild Rose released her war cry, did Zaffre allow himself to be dislodged. His upward spring was without his usual grace and tact, and belied just how shaken and rattled he'd been by the savage bucking of his haphard mount in a way his shrieking hadn't.

This was the moment when Smoke knew she had to bring her all, or else leave this haughty mare with some doubt of the deadliness of the Edge's prowess. She did not care if her charge had been successful. Weight was pushed onto her haunches as she reared, lashing her front hooves out repeatedly at her potential victim's head and neck. "Get. Out. Of. Our. HOME!" Each word was bitten off, growled out with vehemency, the last emphasized by a sudden, last forward surge with braced hooves, try to push away Illynx with little actual concern of where that golden horn was. Reckless, but she was fairly certain that this mare was near to having enough. As frosting on this cake of violence, she snapped at where she presumed the other mare's face was, steeled against the pain that was sure to arise from her teeth should they connect with flesh.

[653 words, 4/4]