She did indeed raise his guard, his left arm curling into an elbow block to defend his face. He winced an instant later as the tail cracked against his ribs, and even though it lacked the mass to break them, it still stung like a kriffer. What he did see coming though was the knee, it being an appendage he had experience countering, and his footing shifted as she passed, bringing him around to face her even as he avoided her second true strike.
He smiled as he fully faced her again, welcoming the new challenge she presented, and assuming she hadn't used her momentum to carry herself out of range would initiate his own series of attacks. As soon as his right foot set against the ground, his right hand drove toward her in a cross aimed at her jaw, taking it's power from the leg as much as the torso and arm. It would be precise and controlled, and faster than one would usually expect from a man of his size, and he would follow with an equally pristine left hook at the same target.
[member="Saera Willamina Savan"]