There was something almost dissatisfied about the witch at that - it was difficult to tell from the witch herself, but the horse clearly showed it, jumping up on its hind legs for a moment while letting out a loud roar. This wasn't anything the witch was used to, after all, something this strong entering her barrier and being able to fight back.. clearly she had underestimated him at first sight.

The witch wasn't jumping into the fray herself just yet, though, she was still standing back even when the horse landed again so it was standing on four legs. Instead, she would let her familiars rough him up a little first before doing anything herself. With another raise and then swing of the staff a few of the creatures jumped back and opened their mouths, only to fire fireballs at him. Slowly more and more jumped in, so they were trying to fire those fireballs at him from all sides, making it more difficult for him to escape them.