Blind as a Bat

Before I begin, you should know I wrote this stuff on the spot. I'll eventually make it better, I promise.
(Also, this is set at around the same time as the books, but I'm just casually ignoring the canon characters because I'm not great at writing about other's characters)
----He hadn't always been blind. Of course he hadn't, how else would he explain his vague memories of his sisters and brother? How else would he remember what trees looked like, with their rough brown bark, thick branches that spread out so far, and their glorious leaves that changed from a beautiful green to a dull orange or brown in the fall? How else would he remember... well... anything visual? Bat only vaguely remembered those days. His days used to be full of adventure, but now they were decidedly boring. Currently, he was lounging on some rock outside with his sibs: Briar, the bigwings, Doe, the second oldest, and Beaver, the youngest. Bat was the second youngest. He heard a whoosh from above, and looked up to see, well, nothing. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, honestly. He heard the dragon land and didn't bother to look in their direction this time.
The voice that spoke was female. "I have a message for... Bat and Doe." she said, and Bat's ear flicked, a telltale sign of his annoyance. Bat wasn't his real name, it was a nickname given to him when he had first been blinded. It had been used so much by everyone to the point where it was, essentially, his name now. His real name, though, was Caiman. He heard paper crinkling as it was passed from the voice to one of his sibs, probably Doe.
"Thank you. May I ask, what is your name?" Doe asked. bat knew she was asking this for him. Names were of great importance to him. Certain tribes had certain ways their dragons were named. Therefore, if he learned someone's name, he might also learn their tribe, which would also give him a very basic description, as dragons didn't usually look too different than what he vaguely remembered the scrolls saying. This meant dragons weren't always just a voice to him.
"My name is Strix. Now, I've really got to go. I have more letters to deliver." She said. Ah, a SkyWing, then, and a messenger, although that was obvious when she arrived, I suppose. Bat heard another whoosh of wings, and he knew the SkyWing had flown away.
He heard more paper crinkling, and he turned toward the noise as he so often and so pointlessly did. he heard Doe begin speaking, reading the letter aloud. "Dear Bat and Doe,
You have been invited to Jade Mountain Acadamy, where you will be able to learn alongside dragons from all other tribes. We are aware Bat is blind, and we believe it would be good to arrive early, so he can familiarize himself with the surroundings.
Sincerely,
Headmaster Tuna"
There was an awkward moment of silence before Doe continued. "Well, this letter is very presumptuous. This "Headmaster Tuna" doesn't even know if we want to go!"
"Of course he knows. We've been on the waitlist for a while now." Bat replied in a matter-of-fact sort of way.
"That... is very true." Doe acknowledged.
"It has been a while though; do you still want to go?" Briar asked.
"And what about us?" Beaver inquired.
Once again, there was a moment of awkward silence. Bat wondered if he and Doe really should go. They didn't want to leave their sibs, but going to Jade Mountain Acadamy was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. "I think we really need to. I wish we could all go, but we can't... but we can visit!" He said, hoping to alleviate the tension that seemed to hang in the air.
"He's right. You both need this, and we can survive without you. We'll miss you though." Briar said, and it seemed that was that. Bat and Doe left to gather a few belongings before they left.
A few days later, Bat was sitting in the library with Doe, listening to her read a scroll. The other students were starting to arrive, and Bat was feeling anxious, so Doe was reading to him to help calm him down. He enjoyed stories, and he wished he could read, but there weren't any scrolls for blind dragons yet.
"Heartwood walked through the forest, her leaf-shaped wings almost dragging behind her. 'Do not cry. Do not cry' she thought, fighting back tears. Why was everything so..." Doe trailed off, and Bat pointlessly looked over at her. He waited for her to start reading again, but she didn't for a moment.
"Doe? Why did you stop?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry Bat, I got distracted for a moment." Doe answered before reading again. This was decidedly odd, Doe never usually got distracted, but Bat shrugged it away, she was probably just nervous about school, and he couldn't blame her.
After Doe finished reading, they went to their caves. Bat had become used to layout, although now it was a bit different, what with all the dragons suddenly roaming the halls. He accidentally bumped into someone, and immediately apologized. "Ack! I'm so sorry."
The voice, a female, laughed it off. "It's alright, I should have looked where I was going," she paused a moment before continuing, "I'm Brightsun. It's nice to meet you. What's your name?"
Brightsun, a NightWing, then. Bat thought before replying. "My name is Caiman, but everyone calls me Bat." A bit of bitterness unintentionally slipped into his voice.
"You don't like the nickname?" Brightsun guessed. Bat only nodded. "Very well, I'll call you Caiman."
The two had instantly become friends, and they spent a great deal of time together. One day, though, which was Bat's birthday, Brightsun asked him to speak to her privately.
"I uh, have something to tell you. And a gift, if you want it." she said. Bat followed her until she stopped, he assumed they were alone. "I.." she sounded anxious, and Bat wondered if she was alright. "I'm an animus, and I wanted to give you these." An animus? My best friend is an animus? He thought as Brightsun pressed something small and delicate into his talons. "They're glasses, and-"
"What use would I have for glasses?" He heard an annoyed sigh and realized he had interrupted her, "Sorry, continue please."
"I enchanted them. If you wear them, you'll be able to see perfectly. I know it's your birthday, and you're blind, so I was like "Well, wouldn't the perfect gift for Caiman be sight?" So yeah, I made these glasses for you." It was like he could hear the smile in her voice. Excitedly, but also nervously, Bat put on the glasses.
Everything was so bright. He had to shut his eyes against the onslaught that was the sun. "Gah, that's bright." He exclaimed. Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw his surroundings for once. He slowly looked around, taking everything in for the first time in years. He felt tears come to his eyes. They were just outside the mountain, standing in a beautiful grassy area. He saw the grass bow in the gentle wind. He saw mountain peaks in the distance. He saw the sky, blue fading into orange as the sun set behind him. He saw trees with vast amounts of green leaves. He saw the moss on rocks. He saw light and shadows. He saw it all.
He saw Brightsun. She wasn't one of the most beautiful dragons, far from it. Her scales were scattered dark blue, dark purple, dark green, and black with silver scales. While other dragons might say otherwise about her, Bat thought she was the most beautiful dragon ever. And besides, the color of her scales didn't matter. She was his friend, the one who gave her the best gift he could ever ask for. He hugged her, barely managing to keep his voice steady as he whispered "Thank you."
"One more thing..."
A few months later, Caiman and Doe were heading back home. Brightsun was with them. Caiman looked at the swamps below him in wonder. Seeing still felt odd to him, but he loved it. It had taken Doe a while to get used to it, that and calling him Caiman now. There were still some days when Doe would try and help him get around, but he simply reminded her he wasn't blind anymore, and the two would laugh it off.
The three spotted Briar and Beaver waiting for them. They landed beside them. "Woah, Bat. why do you have glasses? And who's the NightWing?"
"It's Caiman, actually, and this is Brightsun, my girlfriend," He turned to her. "Brightsun, meet Briar and Beaver, my other sibs."
"Wait, hang on. Bat - I mean Caiman, sorry - can you see now? And why did you change your name?" Briar asked.
"Yes, I can. And I always hated the nickname Bat, so I'd appreciate it if you called me Caiman, my real name, from now on." Caiman said.
Briar and Beaver nodded, then said hello to Brightsun.
Later, Doe, Caiman, and Brightsun returned to Jade Mountain Academy. Life continued peacefully for many years afterwards, with Caiman and Brightsun ending up having two sons: Earthquake and Swampseer.
The End.
Category:Fanfictions (Completed)
Category:Genre (Short Story)
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Fanon)