&gt; What actually happened to her?<p>She was intimidated.<p>It is important to understand that those who have power rarely need to exert it over others physically. Intimidation is enough, and is common in nature, too. <i>Any</i> sort of physical struggle bears a lot of risk for both sides involved (even if it&#x27;s leopard vs. gazelle), so animals try to avoid violence by communicating their strength both to rivals in their own group as well as to potential prey or predators. It is called signalling[1].<p>Obviously, being intimidated is not <i>the same</i> as being killed or wounded, but that doesn&#x27;t mean that this form of signalling is not very real or not a very common form of exerting power over others, in humans as in other species.<p>Intimidation is very common in man and in nature, and its goal is to save the intimidator&#x27;s the chance of injury and the intimidatee&#x27;s life -- if they learn their place. If it weren&#x27;t <i>very</i> real, animals wouldn&#x27;t have spend so much energy on it[2].<p>[1]: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Signalling_theory" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Signalling_theory</a><p>[2]: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Handicap_principle" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Handicap_principle</a>