Bound

| Chapter Three |

One step, he thought, raising a paw into the air. Two steps. His other paw followed, and rested on the smooth surface of the rock below. His senses began to work, already painting the picture of the stone in his mind like a vivid, bright memory. To that, he smiled, as his pads brushed against the familiar touch of his stone. Sighing with relief, the apprentice pulled the rest of his body onto the rock. His whole body began to relax as he settled onto the one place that made him happy.

I'm glad I can find this rock, he thought, as he rested his head on the two paws below his chin. Resting in this place always made him feel better. With the sun blazing onto his pelt and warming his spirits, he couldn't feel any happier. But the shadows in his vision sealed away any trace of the yellow sun. How he wished he could open his eyes and let the blinding light fill his world.

But he could not.

There was no difference to him when he was sleeping as to when he was wide awake. He knew that his eyelids were open. Every few seconds, he could see something outside of his vision move or flutter — or maybe it was just his imagination. As time went on in silence, he began to believe he could see faint movements through the black blanket covering his eyes.

Anytime he opened his eyes, it was all the same — complete darkness.

He had hoped that his sight could be magically returned to him, yet there was no cure for blindness. Even where he lay, where he was always relaxed, he found himself letting out a disappointed sigh. He felt his eyes move again. Perhaps he was blinking in hopes that others could believe he was just like them. Having two, working eyes that could see the colorful world around him. Up to the bright sun, the vibrant shades of the forest, and the mountains around them. Seeing a dark cave wouldn't even hurt, he figured, as he was used to darkness. He just wished that he had the ability to see darkness like the other cats did.

Sunpaw couldn't ask for anything more.

To help cope with complete shadows and silence, his memory began to work with him. Painting memories into his head from what he could remember. The sun . . . was it always that bright? Along with the stone gray that he called home, was it always this light in the morning, and dark in the evening? The trees, swaying together in a green bunch. Were the colors the same? From conversations around him, he heard that some trees tend to lose their leaves in leaf-fall and in leafbare, 'snow' — or whatever it was called — covered the land. What did it look like?

As his memory began to work, Sunpaw found himself striving to learn what colors looked like. Purple, green, blue, yellow . . . what was his pelt color again? Was it fluffy white? Maybe it was spotted gray with black spots? Or was it golden like the sun? Whatever the answer was, he couldn't figure it out, unless he asked other cats around him.

Then his mind painted out the last scene of color he had ever seen. Cheers arose around him as he gazed out onto the Clan with bright eyes. He remembered pelts, but couldn't put a name to each one. All he knew was that they were cheering for him. His apprentice ceremony. The moment he got his apprentice name, he knew that he was going to be the best hunter in the entire Clan. Swooping from above to crash onto mice or squirrels below, or snaking through the forest to snag a fleeing rabbit. Leaping into the sky just like a bird, and bringing a paw down on a robin or sparrow. Sunpaw's excitement had gotten the best out of him.

That is, up until the point where he lost his sight, an important tool needed to hunt. It allowed him to spot quick movements in the forest, such as a squirrel's tail disappearing behind a tree branch or a brown pelt flash across the land. Any hopes and dreams of becoming the best hunter were torn out by the talons of a falcon.

He was searching for prey all by himself. The mountains held the biggest prey. He thought the best way to impress the Clan was bringing in a massive catch. He wanted to see them praise him again and make his parents proud of him. Instead, when he was searching around for any scents, a sound caught his ear.