Blitzkrieg: KEEP CHASING PAVEMENTS, BABE {JUDGE}

Alcatraz watched with jaundiced eyes as Saphira closed the gap, only aiding him more in his attack.

Alcatraz is amused, but not taken aback, that Saphira chooses to copy his first attack. Imitation is flattery in its highest form.

If she was trying to hit chest, she would have to get through Alcatraz’s outstretched hooves first. Which meant, her sudden levade upwards would intensify Alcatraz’s power to his attack, given two moving objects colliding creates a massive amount of energy, momentum, propulsion. It was not wise for her to do so, she would have to sacrifice balance in the face of Alcatraz’s already executed attack (he was moving forwards, she was moving upwards, there would be no ‘1,200 pounds of force knocking him over’, given an object in forward motion has more momentum than an object in upwards movement). Alcatraz is sturdy, and he is leaning forwards into his attack. Saphira, who is just now attempting to rear upwards, would be hit before she even reached the vertex of her attack (think, you are sitting down, you are just about to get up when someone rams right into you). Which meant, before she had time to stabilize herself by leaning forwards into her ram, Alcatraz would already have swung into her like a wrecking ball, given timing and all.

Alcatraz’s outstretched hooves would have connected with her chest as she came upwards to ram him (given anatomy)– Alcatraz was already beginning his descent. In doing this, he fully expected her to go reeling back with the impact. It was a good thing, that unlike Saphira, Alcatraz had not done a ‘levade’ – only raised himself up to the height of one. As Saphira levaded to ram Alcatraz in the chest, this meant that Alcatraz would instead hit chest, not forearm. In any event, he would use his hooves as a shield to her attack, given to hit chest she would have to go through that first. He felt the shock of the blow; powerful. It shook his whole body and he was grateful that he was already on his way down when Saphira chose to levade, she would have little force behind her ram (enough, of course, to affect his descent, but not enough to knock him off balance like she so wished). He landed without grace, as previously mentioned one hoof was lower than the other for the sake of balance and landing. He landed with a grunt, she had pushed him several feet off of his initial landing, and his front legs felt the sting of impact and landing. But that would surely pale in comparison of what Saphira was feeling.

Alcatraz would have bet money that Saphira had moved during his first attack and his second, which would only aid him. To pivot while standing would be an impossible feat on Alcatraz’s part, he is neither trained for it nor is he patient enough to master it. Since Saphira is moving, all he would have to is adjust himself to her, which involved no pivoting, just moving forwards.

In staying close, he had the advantage; Saphira would be limping and easy to stay with. A cowkick is a wonderful tool for damage; unlike a full-barreled kick, it can be executed in a small area, as it does not have a wide range of attack. His kick would hardly be lessened by the proximity, given that a cowkick cannot be executed much further out. Alcatraz understands anatomy – he is a horse, after all; he could easily assume where her leg was, just as you could easily assume in a wrestling match where your opponent’s legs are. With practice, it becomes a feasible, plausible option.

A cowkick is never a ballistic blow; it is used to cripple with minimal force. A kick to the shins (although the cannon bone is not actually a shin) is painful, and would last the remainder of the battle.

Alcatraz felt the electricity surge through them, and his electricity still sought to destroy the water in Saphira. A petty thing, perhaps, but worth the effort. He turned with Saphira, feeling the rippling of her muscles and he knew an attack was imminent, if not immediate. It came, almost without warning, save for the tell-tale signs of her body bracing, which he would be able to feel through their bodies touching. He did what only came to instinct, he shied; bringing himself away from the attack. He was surprised she chose to half-rear on an injured hind leg, as well as strike out on her injured front leg. But before he could do much more than shy, he felt the impact, a severing bone-strike – her hooves scythed down the back of his cannon with brutal force. It would have been worse if she had hit the knee (which was actually the wrist joint in horses, not the knee like in humans), it was not likely she could have destroyed it completely with her downward thrust, but the power behind it would have left him crippled. The blow would have repercussions to both, Alcatraz’s flesh peeled as she clawed down his cannon, and blood rose to the surface, clotting angrily. Saphira too, would feel the impact in her injured leg, which could quite possibly lessen the blow.

Alcatraz snarled, his disfigured features contorting in pain. He hobbled, both front legs sore from the ram, and now his injured right leg groaned in agony. With a pathetic hobble away from Saphira he faced Solira, returning once more to the sea-shore.

A L C A T R A Z
YOU EITHER DIE A HERO OR LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO SEE YOURSELF BECOME A VILLAIN