His call was answered. It pleased him to hear the sound of a voice upon the air, as confident as his own had been when he chose to announce his presence. Though surprised to receive the voice of a mare for once, the gold-dusted soldier simply smiled at her as she came into view, too experienced and traversed in the world to baffle at the thought of a strong female. After all, how could he have followed the DragonHeart for so long without accepting the strength of the opposite sex? No, he knew better than to underestimate the strength and cunning of ladies, and so it was with serious respect he studied her as she approached, making no secret of his intentions.

Was it relief he felt, upon discovering her slight built? Lace was used to fighting horses taller than himself, it would be a rare treat to be bigger and bulkier than the girl. Her youth made her quicker and more unpredictable than the seasoned old fighters who had learned how to best conserve their energy, the short and stocky body spoke of hidden strength and agility... and then there was the horn. Already his body bore marks of the lethal weapon, carved into his skin by warriors before her. He was slowly growing accustomed to them and their reach, but still the sight of the lighting-like spear made him feel wary.

But enough with observation. A grin stretched the lips beneath the sooted mask, and with a toss of the head the stallion welcomed her attack, steadying himself as she came charging at him. Weight shifting towards the rear to carry the body more easily, Lace counted her strides and waited until he saw her lower the head. Then, just as she angled the horn to scrape along his ribs, the stallion turned around his front legs and swung the rump to the left a quarter of a circle, so that the tip of the horn barely nicked the skin of his shoulder before rushing past. Allowing nothing but a quick grimace at the pain, he tolerated it and focused on his counter-attack, attention fixed on his opponent and nothing more. With a quick jerk of the neck he pulled himself up into a rear and tried to drum the front hooves into her back, at once avoiding both the flick of the tail and the kick towards his knee.

Counting on her momentum to carry her forward and past him, the silver-maned equine then touched down and continued his pirouette, legs rising high over the treacherous snow to keep facing the little mare, his head snaking out to attempt a bite at her rump before it came out of reach - fully knowing the danger, should she try to kick back out.

It wasn't too bad, now was it? He felt quite at ease, despite the lack of training. Sure he felt it, that he wasn't in top shape. It took far more effort to move than it should have, his reactions were slower and less precise... But so far he was able to keep up with the pretty little girl, and it soothed his ego. Hopefully nothing too surprising would happen, hopefully he would be able to accept his own skill once again... in order to take up the career once more, and become more useful than he was now.

---

Post: 1/3
Word Count: 564
Summary: Lace pivoted 90 degrees around the forelegs to the right, swinging his hindquarters away from Hespera to avoid her horn. Got a little nick in the shoulder. Reared and tried to kick down on her spine. Touched down, continued to pivot around to 180 degrees and tried to nip her in the right buttock.