Laika had heard many things, during it's wanderings.

That some of the caves- the cave of bones, the cave of crystals, and the cave of trees- had been usurped. That they hadn't always been covered in cloudy white mold and stinking of rot. That this was wrong, that it was dangerous, and that it had to go.

It had also figured out some things itself.

It had learned that enough light, concentrated in a small enough space, produces fire.

And it was itching to try this out in a greater capacity.

And it was a perfect match, right? The fungus had to go, and why not practice it's magic while it helped clean up?

It had scraped together some loose mold from the ground and nearby shrubs, piling it in the middle of a small clearing. It heaped some sticks on top for good measure, and then it focused.

The Pallasite in it's keel lit up as the fire within it's chest bloomed. A bright spot of light appeared in the center of the pile of tinder and fungus as Laika began to squint fire. Faint whisps of smoke drifted up into the air.

Almost there.

@Juggernaut

The previous residents of Eridanus had begun their efforts to reclaim the place, tear the fungus away while in its infancy. No longer - he had broken free of his hibernation to defend what they had claimed. They had shed blood, sweat and tears [all metaphorical] for this place while its population festered in their own complacency. They were to learn they were entitled to nothing. Not like his family was.

He stretched his new wings, emboldened with purpose. Shimmering copies echoed the movements as he rose suddenly, twirling like some sort of unfortunate jellyfish. They shimmered white, gold and bronze at the edges, like the sun itself. That's what they were - inevitable as a sunrise. The oblivion of a new day. Juggernaut didn't really know what that meant, having been only recently introduced to the concept of the sun, but it sounded cool.

Carried by his delusions of grandeur, he did not notice the dark little creature until he had returned to earth with a gentle thud. It was wet with oil, but the spell it conjured was not chaos. Some kind of primordial warmth, with which it set a cluster of fungus alight. Incidentally similar to sunlight magnified, though it wasn't informed enough to recognise this.

The creature stirred some kind of pity in its smallness, and it appeared to be alone. "Please don't." Perhaps it would scurry off, intimidated. He hoped so.