Swiftcurrent Creek #YOLO

His eyes weren't meant to open until tomorrow or the next day at the earliest, yet Relonikiv must not have received that particular memo. As soon as he woke from his latest catnap, he scrubbed his sleepy face with his paws and his eyelids gently parted to reveal a sliver of stonewashed blue. Instinctively, he shut them again without realizing what he was doing, as the light was unbearably bright. Gradually, though, they reopened, though they never got beyond a squint.

Another pup might have been frightened or bothered by this development, yet he was overjoyed once the winter morning light stopped making his brand new eyeballs ache. Relonikiv lifted his head—his neck was growing stronger and sturdier by day, though it still wobbled slightly—and unleashed a happy aroo-roo-roo! that, to him, sounded very, very distant, as his ears would not fully open for another ten days or so.

He promptly began to scoot around the den on his belly, looking at things for the first time. His eyes watered constantly, he sneezed a lot due to a strong photic sneeze reflex and Relonikiv couldn't make out much more than fuzzy, blobby shapes. But already he was beginning to associate familiar scents with these new sights.

For instance, the large, pale shape taking up most of his visual field was none other than his mother (not that he knew this word yet), the giver of food and comfort. The newly sighted boy scooched closer and closer, then looked the nearest of her nipples right in the eye before latching onto it and smilingly suckling.