Arrow Lake The terror you feel in quiet moments is not misplaced, just mistimed

He thought he was going to make it, and then there was Aure, curving into a neat white comma to block his access to the outside world. He went right on motoring, colliding with her soft side and even going so far as to attempt to climb over her, because the swaying light beckoned him and Dragomir was the kind of boy to seize his every whim. Eventually he had to concede that this climb was too much for him, with his efforts no doubt hindered by his well-meaning mother, and he slid defeated back to the den floor.

She allowed him a peek out, though, and his eyes grew wide and then squinted shut as light filtered in and veritably blinded him. It would be some time yet before he would be able to handle that much of it; longer still before he could stride boldly out and meet all the world's light with his father's brazenness and his mother's sense of wonder. That didn't stop him from blinking futilely and trying to make sense of it, but even if the light didn't hurt his fresh new eyes, Dragomir's sight was sorely lacking. That haze of sleep that filmed one's vision in the moments just after waking was tenfold for him, and didn't clear after just a few blinks.

Give it a week or so and he'd be able to see just fine, but for now, he was quite limited.