'That dream I'm DREEEEAMIN', but--'

Madhukar what are you doing? 'There's a voice inside my head saying,' Madhukar stop this, 'YOU'LL NEVER REEEEACH IT!!' MADHUKAR THAT'S ENOUGH TOMFOOLERY! GET BACK TO WORK?

But what was 'work'?

Well, Madhukar, what were you working towards last?

POWER. Ah yes. It was always power, with this one. More of it. Reaching for it, clawing at it desperately like her life depended on it. And I'm not going to invalidate that need, because really, if you thought about it, where would she be without power? All her failures in combat, her failures in social interaction-- heck, even her failures in her own magic! They were all just a taste of what she could be without the energy she had been given. Her base form. She'd never actually thought much about it, to be honest. What she would be like without a stone, or magic. Probably better than she thought. But the idea of being so powerless against a world like this terrified her.

Perhaps she was afraid because she'd never had to adapt to such a reality.

This was her reality now, pacing towards the giant mushroom in the middle of Eridanus. She thought about Sunny whenever she saw it. Sunny's desires. Her desire regarding that mushroom, specifically. It didn't seem to be about how fast she got there. It didn't seem to be about whaT'S WAITIN' ON THE OTHER SIIII-IIII-IIIIIDE-- Madhukar, stop. NO! IT'S THE CLIIIIIIIIIIIIIMB!!!

Madhukar approached the mushroom, stood at its base looking up. It also reminded her of Tahi. Had that nerd ever seen anything like this? She wanted to show it to Tahi, honestly. Just to see the reaction. She could already imagine a ten-hour long spiel about it running out the deer's mouth like a never-ending tirade. Aha. She wondered how long she'd be able to last while listening to it. Probably not very long at all. Or maybe the reaction would be the opposite; utter silence, astonishment. She wasn't sure how long she could deal with that either.

Silence. Too quiet. Madhukar wanted noise. Hopefully the mushroom wouldn't mind?

BOOOOM! Not her best one, no, unfortunately. Madhukar knew she could do better, but for now the noise would do. If the mushroom somehow had a problem with that, Madhukar would have to make up for it. Tahi had kind of implied that the mushrooms had some kind of feelings. They could sense stuff. Electricity helped them grow. Fortunately for this mushroom, boom kittens like Madhukar were all about electricity. When they could get the electricity to obey.

Focus, path, fire.

Nothing. Huh.

It was rare that Madhukar wasn't able to make that static obey. Maybe she'd been too.. calm? Unfocused? She supposed she was feeling a little lackadaisical. Maybe her magic demanded a more serious attitude. Was time for traipsing around in a room full of garden really too much to ask for? Well fine then! Madhukar would be serious! Like an archer stalking its target.

Ooooh, archers, targets, hunters, prey! PREY! Madhukar wanted to eat something.

WAIT--! So help me Madhukar, you are not gonna get easily distracted! FOCUS! Maybe that's what the electricity was trying to tell her. An unfocused Madhukar could spell problems if she was trying to use her magic. Or even if she wasn't trying to use her magic. Urgh. Okay. Madhukar focused on her paws, really glared down at them.

"OW!" The static felt weird. It had outright attacked her own feet! She stepped away. What the heck?!

Madhukar stalked away. So much for apologizing to the mushrooms then! GRRR!! Magic. Stupid MAGIC! Ruining a perfectly fine day-- or, well, coming uncomfortably close to it, at least.

Maybe her magic wanted to exercise some bigger spells. Or maybe this was one of those days where it preferred to be infuriating. Madhukar would go off on a little hunt, seeking out the sent of something small-ish. Maybe a mouse.

Once she felt that she'd caught the trail of something, the following of it began. Madhukar could hunt the normal way, yes, but that was always more taxing than it had to be thanks to her immobile left paw. Instead, she much preferred to try to be sneaky until the target was in her sight. Then, from a ranged distance, she could fire an electroball that could really stun a small animal, maybe even kill them on contact (although she'd never seen that before).

Madhukar wondered, briefly, if she'd ever figure out more spells that could help her with this, so that she didn't have to keep spitting out charged bile at her food.

The red mouse came into view. Carefully, Madhukar lined herself up. Ready, aim...

FIRE! WHAP--!

Woah. That thing went down in a second. Flashes. Madhukar gulped and shook her head. Her stomach grumbled, and the rest of the thoughts dissipated.

Madhukar hadn't expected her electroball to be THAT good. That was powerful. She rushed over to the mouse, covered in bile. She could dunk it in a puddle or something before eating it. She was actually a little afraid to touch this one, to be honest. The kitten supposed it might be best to leave it to sit until the charge went out of it.

The mouse was dead. Or close enough to it that the most Madhukar had to do was nick the right place on the throat. Wow. Maybe her magic was just feeling aggressive today. Like how Nope, nope, not dealing with that today. Already dealt with that, in fact!

It was feeling aggressive. Can't imagine why. Well, that was alright. Really? IT WAS FINE. Madhukar could work with that.

Even if seemingly ever greater Gembound was too chicken to give Madhukar a good magic duel, lessers didn't really have the willpower to complain. Ever since Madhukar had grilled an entire room full of spiders just as big as her own body, she'd been a bit more comfortable using her lightning as more of a weapon. And also, now that she knew what it could do to lights and mushrooms, a potentially helpful and supportive tool.

Madhukar's trial had taught her a lot. She was still reflecting over all those lessons.

Here was another reflection: thunderclap. She wanted a BIGGER one. Just to psych herself up.

It didn't happen. Madhukar stomped her paw. Not even a good thunderclap?! What did it want, blood sacrifice?! Evidently. HEY! NOT NOW! SHUT UP.

Or maybe Madhukar just wasn't aiming with precision. Or maybe it was both! Madhukar lightning could be like a bloodthirsty sentient bow and arrow, when it wanted to be.

She looked for another lesser to terrorize. This time, she went for the kind that lived in trees and something tried to bully her by flinging their food at her. Screw those guys. She still had the tail of one of them, golden and glistening. She still wanted to wear it around her neck like a trophy, perhaps to spite all the rest of 'em.

Up in the trees, her eyes caught one it particular that looked like it was in the middle of raising some makeshift projectile to be thrown. Madhukar narrowed her eyes at it. Opened her mouth, charged her beam. Ready, aim, BZZZZT!

It was weak, but it made its mark. The cat squirrel looked a little, ehe, shocked. It might've fallen over had it been on a thinner branch, but alas. Madhukar wasn't gonna get her little claws on that one it seemed. At least that might've taught it a lesson.

Or maybe the opposite. Oh gosh, had she encouraged a war?

Before any armadas of cat squirrels decided to lay siege to the kitten, she zipped back to the mushroom. Since her magic wanted to be particularly attack-y, she figured she might as well make this mushroom a target instead. She would sit down close to its base, put her good paw against its flesh, and take a deep breath. She traced her path.

bzzzt--

It was so weak. No way would that be helpful! Madhukar was going to try again. This time with more... gusto!

Madhukar kept her paw right where it was, eyes boring into her targeted spot. 'There's the PATH. FOLLOW it.' Inhale, hold, and... RELEASE!

BZZZZT--!!

Ah, much better! Well, it seemed as though Madhukar had learned something then. Seemed as though these stubborn spells required her to be a little more assertive. It made sense, honestly. What arrow's path didn't go awry without the firm grip of the archer? She needed to keep her string pulled taught, but not so strained that it snapped. She was beginning to understand.

It made sense, honestly. Electricity was an ingrained part of her being, like her love for bugs, her strange gravitational pull around goopy creatures, or her constant need to be active and buzzing around. Anger, annoyance, restlessness, they were a part of her life. She was the storm. Control wasn't about avoiding those emotions, or denying them, or doing the opposite of them. It was about choice. Maintenance. Choosing to engage them, and directing exactly where they went.

Lightning would always be within her. It was up to her how and when she let it out.

She was grateful for that trial she'd gone through. For the many trials she'd gone through. She wasn't sure that she could be grateful for what she had done to others wrongfully, but she was grateful for what she had learned from it. In this moment, it felt like they had all helped her take these reigns. Hold them, own them. Do her best to, anyway. Even with some of her force depleted, Madhukar was starting to realize that there was now room for more inside of her if she CHOSE to accept it.

There was more to her power than she could ever imagine, and she'd been given the keys to open those doors, to release those beasts that clambered against the walls of their chambers.

Her monsters.

They weren't just here to hurt. She could tame them, because they were HERS.

Madhukar was finally being whacked in the face with how tired using all this magic made her feel. She considered, perhaps, one more spell. One more spell was fine, right? Yeah! One more spell.

Which one?

Madhukar already had an idea. She looked towards the ceiling, a little in front of the mushroom, and gave it a firm and stern stare. 'You can be sorry about the noise later.'

KABOOOOOOOOOOM!

Madhukar cackled. 'Awesome.' She wanted to be sorry for the mushrooms and the bugs, but really, truly, she was just elated.

"Thank, mushroom," she said, deciding to be grateful since she couldn't feel the guilt. The mushroom seemed to help her think, help her understand. Well, that's how she would explain it anyway.

Madhukar felt really tired now. She figured she'd earned a good nap hidden somewhere in the shrubbery, perhaps somewhere vengeful cat squirrels couldn't get to.

- exit -