It didn't take long for a cry to mingle with hers in response, and Ampere's ears pricked in anticipation. It was certainly interesting to get such a quick response this close to her herd's borders, but she'd use the opportunity to prove just how impenetrable the Dragon's Throat was - a reminder she thought the rest of Helovia needed given how weakened the desert had become since their Wildfire burned out.

No more, she thought earnestly, as much of a reminder to herself and her own returned strength as it was a remark for the herd.

Ampere's wings shuffled back to her sides as she completed her stretching just in time for the opponent to arrive. Though the dusk light made it difficult to see all the details of this stranger, Ampere could pointedly see their height difference, and the telling bulge of muscles beneath the mottled grey flesh that promised much greater strength than the toned fitness of Ampere's own body. She could also presume the other mare was a fighter, both because of her body's cut, and the eagerness of her response. While Ampere noted all of this, she was hardly deterred by it. Such a tall, hulking, experienced opponent was not uncommon for the Mother of Companions to face; time and time again she had thrown herself against Gaucho in battle, and he'd surpassed Wessex in all of those qualities. Ampere would just have to fight like she always did, smart, and long. Bruisers like Gaucho and Wessex couldn't elegantly maneuver their bulk for the entire fight, not if Ampere kept her defenses up and didn't let a single blow cripple her early on.

There were a lot of horns on Wessex too, which was all the more reason to keep distance from her. She could even out the points a bit more though, and so Ampere bowed her head, nose bumping the leather cord draped around her neck, The button depressed and magically bony spikes protruded from the necklace; war's wreath. She'd received this from Gaucho, and having pricked herself on it a time or two when he bore it, she knew it would serve her well today. She had more items of course, all part of her fighting smart, but it wouldn't do her well to flash them all.

"Name's Ampere," she greeted, short and gruff, but not unpleasant. "Just looking to hone my skills," she warned the other, suggesting they were not here to battle to the death and incapacitate one another. That said, if forced to, Ampere would hold her ground against this foe.

The blue of Ampere's gaze narrowed into a squint as she regarded Wessex. Her stance widened as her hooves shuffled out to balance beneath her, and her muscles flexed with readiness. Ampere exhaled, and as her breath left her, she moved.

Ampere was quick because of her size and compact stature, but even she wasn't fast enough to go from a standstill into a completely unavoidable attack. That's where she depended upon her other talents. Ampere's magic coursed forth, unseen, to reach for the electrical impulses that controlled all living things. In Wessex, Ampere's magic meant to clamp down on the impulses that would command her to react, attempting to force the girl to stand still, to watch and do nothing as Ampere bolted towards her. The control, if it worked, wouldn't last long, so Ampere relied on perfect timing. All she needed was a window with which to pass by Wessex's horned head, to slip past her frontal defenses and ram Ampere's right shoulder into Wessex's right side. As strong as warriors can make themselves, as much training as they could put themselves through, some parts of the body would always be vulnerable and weak, and the rib cage was one of them. Ampere hoped her momentum would be enough to force the air out of Wessex, while her strong shoulder should hopefully bruise and punish the area, and perhaps her bone collar would leave some red kisses too.

Ampere expected that if she was successful, Wessex was likely to respond by curling around her, the natural instinct of the body to tuck away from a source of pain, aided with a warrior's knowledge to react offensively. Ampere could get trapped by the unicorn's thorns, and so defensively she lifted her hind hooves and kicked out. Ampere aimed at nothing, merely attempted to ward away Wessex's horned head while Ampere did her best to lunge left and away.

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A: 1/3
D: 0/1
W: 760/800