Madhukar made her approach, and the light took shape: a glimmering crystal floating a foot or two above the ground. The wind seemed to avoid it - or was it pushing against the wind? Rather than be swept up by it, the stone stubbornly remained in place.

Mighty as the swatting was, the crystal almost repelled it. Madhukar's paws were stopped dead in their tracks. They did not, however, meet anything solid or tangible; just were simply pushed away, like two positive poles of a magnet refusing to contact one another.

Odd.

The electroball went on a smooth arc through the air, and seemed just about ready to strike the crystal when - ah... a rather anti-climatic repelling of bile. It was thrown away halfheartedly; it barely made it halfway back to Madhukar before plopping grossly on the ground. There wasn't so much as a smack or crackle of it making contact.

The feline's side was buffeted by snow and wind as she went away from what she'd found. It was tumultuous without the security of such a strange object, but she could manage. The storm nearly took her legs out from underneath her or sent her onto her side a few times, but as long as she hunkered down, she was safe.

In the end, Madhukar's search yielded exactly what she was looking for. A gleaming stone - larger than the last one - was suspended five feet in the air and just as impervious to the raging storm. Its field of protection seemed larger, too; the cat could stand behind it comfortably and feel only a slight breeze.