Although Gaucho's gaze was partially obscured by the sun's gradual dip towards the horizon in the west, it was still fairly easy to spot the magnificent tri-brid as he soared towards Gaucho. Just as Hector was wondering whether Gaucho's antlers were real, the bay was wondering whether Hector's were fake. Antlers bring magic he thought to himself, narrowing his steely gaze to lessen the glare as Hector neared the ground. Did that mean Hector had magic too? Although the idea was daunting - a creature of that size, with both horns and wings alike, also possessing magic -yet Gaucho was unperturbed. He welcomed the challenge, as an opponent of this caliber would truly prove whether he had devoted enough of his time training to protect his family, or whether more was needed.

Stoically Gaucho stood, as Hector landed, and lowered his muzzle in a bow. From what Gaucho could see, Hector's build was strikingly similar to his own, save for the fact that the orange giant stood easily a hand taller. He did not appear to be stocky and slow, the way Arrche-balt had been - his only other opponent who had ever stood taller, and stronger - but appeared to be capable of the same dextrous movements that Gaucho had long practiced. This would not be easy, and Gaucho was glad for it.

His large ears clumsily flickered, capturing Hector's words and trying to hold on to them long enough to work out their meaning. While some of the subtext that he may have been implying about comradeship or politeness were lost on the brute, words like honour and best...win clearly struck a chord. Extending a foreleg, Gaucho took a knee, and knelt down gingerly placing his antlers upon the sands. Snorting into the dust, he extended his wings to the side, making himself completely vulnerable to his opponent, as a sign of good faith. Raising himself back up to a standing position, he nodded sternly to the tribrid, his gaze alight with a surprising amount of emotion. "Honour." He repeated proudly, as he folded his wings back into his flanks.

As Hector charged forward, all emotion and light dimmed from Gaucho's eyes, and a primitive calm fell upon him, as his cognitive mind slipped away to make room for his primal nature. His mind calculated that he could almost surely dodge Hector's attack - but just as Gaucho craved an opponent who would test his every limit, so too would Gaucho test his opponents'. In battle, any real threat would not dodge such a move, thus neither would Gaucho. Ears pinned against his skull, he lunged forward to meet Hector, bracing himself for impact. Lowering his head slightly, Gaucho prepared for a horn attack from Hector, which did not come. At about a strides' distance, Gaucho thought he detected a subtle change in Hector's steps, as if meaning to bypass his head entirely, and instead attack his body. With a grunt, Gaucho pushed off from the ground, leaping to meet Hector. His intent was that as Hector's body collided with his left side, that the increase in height would cause the spiked-collar around Gaucho's shoulders to scrape and tear somewhere on Hector's left shoulder, or wing, should he keep them at his sides. As Hector's body slammed in Gaucho's left flank, causing his hind-end to be pushed to the right and the air to be knocked from his lungs, he felt an oh-so familiar sensation of teeth grading along his rather boney wither. That place, caressed only days ago by the fallen angel Sohalia, now had a neat row of teeth marks, and pain radiating from it. Feeling her bonded's pain, Mara took advantage of Hector's closeness, lashing out with a bite of her own. Although she was not yet fully grown, capable of moving at speeds of 4m/s, she still was very fast. As Hector's teeth lashed against Gaucho's wither, Mara aimed an attack for the meatier part of the warmbloods thigh. Although he was lithe, he was not so slender that the snake feared she would hit bone. As Gaucho grunted a cry of pain from Hector's bite, the white streak of snake lunged forward, holding onto Gaucho's antlers for support and releasing poison from her fangs, before recoiling back.

As he found his footing again on the sands, from where Hector's impact had knocked him slightly to the right, Gaucho twisted as best as he could given his size, to buck in Hector's direction, hoping possibly to strike his left hindquarter or thigh. Gaucho tucked his nose close to his chest and slightly to the right, defending himself from retaliation, as his hind hooves touched the ground. Veering to the right, attempting to keep his considerable ass pointed defensively at Hector, he headed towards the Oasis.

[WC: 796
Gaucho lunges towards Hector as they collide, hoping to injure him with his spiked collar. As Hector bites his wither, Mara tries to attack and poison/bite at Hector's thigh. Gaucho tries to buck at Hector's left thigh as they pass, lowering his head defensively and keeping his bum pointed towards Hector, as he moved towards the Oasis.
Attack 1/4
Closing Defense 0/1
Magic and Companions: 1/2
Gaucho will be using buffs Dance and Swift

Eee!!! You too! <3]