As Andromeda's mind dances with thought, Gaucho's remains focused and silent. He has had opponents in the past - Levi, for one - who tried to be unnerving, by waiting so long prior to attacking. Were he to give it more reflection, Gaucho might wonder what sort of tactic that really was. A cowardly one, to be sure - it is much more noble to face an opponent, than to try and deceive them right from the beginning. But of course, we all know this isn't what Gaucho is thinking; he isn't thinking at all. He is simply watching. Dark gaze, once following and tracing the curves of Andromeda's dark form, now remain stoically fixated upon her, ready to meet her advances.

Although they are not so far away from each other that Gaucho has ample warning, what distance there is, combined with his battle-trained wits, is enough to set his muscular form in motion. Moving directly towards Andromeda, Gaucho nearly mirrors her position. Given his slight height advantage and more muscular build, he hopes that he will best her in this collision. While Andromeda has unfurled her wings to aid with balance, Gaucho simply raises his forelegs up as if meaning to jump right into her - keeping his momentum going, rather than trying to stand, statically. As he moves through the air, he lowers his muzzle to protect the thick vessels in his neck, as well as to try and jab her with his impressive rack of antlers. As he feels her hooves thrash out against his raised forelegs, his ears pin backwards as he forces himself to bear the pounding, wondering if she will tear a frog, or scrape a tendon on the sharpened bone-spikes protruding from his collar. He will not thrash his legs about, and risk unbalancing himself or possibly cutting himself on his collar, instead, he simply tries to use the force of his movement to shove her back, while trying to off-set her attention and balance, by trying to knock at her muzzle or brow with his antlers. Although he can't be sure, he thinks he hears her teeth snap together -bite what? he wonders. His lowered muzzle and array of antler-tines have blocked her lips from closing against his darkened skin.

As his hooves touch down upon the dead grasses, he feels a sharp point of pain on his right canon bone, where her hooves have flayed part of the flesh away. It is no more than an inch long, and shallow - likely where the tip of a hoof struck - but stung, as if laced with lemon-grass. With a grunt, Gaucho swings his hind end to the right - bucking after a head-long attack was a tactic he had often used, and knew when it was coming. Even so their proximity made it impossible to completely avoid her long-legged kick in his direction. Her hooves scraped against his left hind-quarter, causing a marginal and easily ignorable pulse of pain. Continuing to swing his hindquarters to the right, moving with an odd grace, for such a primal beast, the darkened bay grinned, causing the bone piercing his nose to twitch.

"BOO" He called once he judged to be facing her - his stormy gaze uncharacteristically jovial looking. From his antlers, poured a glistening silvery shape. Wafting on a phantom breeze, the mist began to bend and fold, taking the shape of a large bear: larger than any natural bear. Roaring a bone-chilling cry, the spirit-bear slammed its jaws together, sending beads of silver-spit flying onto the dead grass.

Gaucho charged directly at Andromeda, aiming for her left side. His dark wings were pinned neatly and out of the way, against his flanks, as his large hooves pounded against the barren Throat terrain, he knew so well. On his right, the spirit-bear too loped forward, aiming for Andromeda's right, as if to force her into Gaucho. Gaucho meant to slam his right shoulder into her right - knocking her aside and scraping her with his bone collar. Should she attempt to take to the air, he would modify and mirror her movements, to complete his tactic just the same. Jaws agape, the spirit-bear lunged forward; massive paws outstretched as if to flay the skin off of her right shoulder. Its mouth, opened to reveal rows of glistening white-teeth aimed for the delicate muscles of her neck.

[WC: 738
Attack 1/3
Closing Defense 0/1
Magic: 0/2

Gaucho is using buffs Dance and Aim]