When Jay's Wing blinked his eyes open, he was greeted with the same sight he'd seen the past few moons each time he opened his eyes. Pitch black. Around him, he was aware of a she-cat beside him and his own aching body but he couldn't see it. His heart sank. It didn't work.

Then he took a breath and the scent of earth and the cat beside him filled his nose. Dove's Wing? This smells like the Rite of Passage…

"Jay's Wing?" the she-cat questioned. Jay's Wing smiled at the sound of his littermate's voice. He lifted his head off the cool floor of the tunnel and flickers of light entered his vision and he saw the brown and grey of the walls around him.

Not responding to his sister, Jay's Wing pushed himself to his paws and ran towards the light. A loud purr roared in his chest as he stretched his muscles, enjoying the lack of resistance he had gotten use to feeling due to his injury. He felt strangely light and free as his paws brushed over the dirt, barely touching the ground with each stride. I'm free. I'm finally going to be free again.

And then he broke to the surface. Brilliant sunlight flooded his vision. The trees around the clearing where the trial entrance lay towered over him but their presence was comforting, like a queen wrapping herself around her kit. Jay's Wing's bright blue eyes focused on the greenleaf leaves blowing in the wind, taking in every detail and movement. Birds leaped from the treetops singing their morning song as if welcoming him back to this beautiful world.

Jay's Wing could help but throw his head back and let out a victorious yowl, letting the entire forest hear everything he had in him. He felt the cry echo in his chest. It hurt a bit but he didn't care. The joy he felt at seeing such a glorious sight couldn't be expressed even by the stars above but he would try with all of his ancestors' might.

"Jay's Wing?" a voice questioned once his yowl died down.

Jay's Wing turned to see his sister padding from the tunnel. His expression softened once he saw her grey pelt and sharp blue eyes trained on him. He broke into a purr again and ran forward to nuzzle her. She smiled and rubbed her head on his shoulder.

Jay's Wing stepped back after a moment and let his gaze sweep the forest again. "Has the world ever been this beautiful?"

Dove's Wing turned her head, looking at the sight. "It looks the same to me."

"The sun beams… Aren't they stunning? The way they shine through that… vibrant emerald color of the leaves," Jay's Wing said. "And the sky… it's as blue as the deepest waters. The clouds are like wisps of white fur caught in a spider web. And the birds… their movements are so graceful."

Dove's Wing gave him an odd look. Jay's Wing knew he didn't talk like that much but everything was so amazing to him right now that not even the most complex metaphors could describe it.

Dove's Wing put a tail tip on his shoulder. "If you think the clearing is that great, you'll lose it when you see the tribe again but we need to get back before anyone gets worried."

Jay's Wing smiled and took off again, leaving his sister behind. She gave an indignant squawk as he disappeared behind the treeline but Jay's Wing didn't care. Fish Leap… Half Moon… I'm coming.

Jaypaw woke feeling something cold against his fur. He wasn't confused by it for a single moment, he knew exactly what it was. He could smell the underground river's water in the air. He was in the tunnels under ThunderClan territory.

He could feel a warm pelt at his side and quickly identified it as Leafpool's. A slight resentment rose up in his chest but he pushed it away and blinked his eyes open.

The world was as black as the night sky but the sight didn't fill him with the same joy the night sky did. Would. The night sky was filled with stars, tiny little lights above. All he saw was the darkness. No little lights, no little havens in the dark.

Jaypaw let out a long sigh and got to his paws. Sharp pain shot through the ache of his muscles and he stifled a yowl of pain as he fell back to the floor. What the...?

Leafpool was suddenly hovering over him. "Jaypaw, are you alright?"

Jaypaw lifted a paw despite the ache and placed it on her chest. He shoved her back as hard as he could which wasn't very hard but the mere thought behind the action hurt more than any amount of force. Leafpool made a sound of surprise and Jaypaw could sense a wave of shock come off her. He scowled as he felt his powers again.

"Jaypaw, what's the matter?" Leafpool questioned.

"Nothing," he growled. "Just give me some space."

Leafpool just moved back to his side. "Your body is injured, Jaypaw. When we found Jay's Wing, he was badly injured and close to bleeding out. You still have several breaks and your muscles are stiff from underuse. It's going to be difficult for you to move much so you need to take it easy. It's a wonder you got here at all. You really should rest back at camp. You need-"

"Shut up!" Jaypaw snapped, slamming a paw down on the ground in a partial lash out. He didn't come very close to attacking his mentor but she still jumped back, hitting the tunnel wall behind her flatly.

"Jaypaw?"

"Don't tell me what to do!" he snarled. His face hardened into a sharper scowl and he looked down at his paws, eyes closed. "I'm a sharpclaw. A sharpclaw takes care of himself."

Leafpool blinked. "Jaypaw, you're not in the tribe anymore. You're a medicine cat apprentice and you're injured. I'm your mentor and medicine cat. Please listen to me. It's for your own good."

Jaypaw opened his eyes, glaring at her with sharp hostility. Battlemoves flashed in his mind but he didn't act on his thoughts. Instead, he pushed himself roughly to his paws and stalked out of the tunnel.

Jay's Wing felt a thrill in his heart as he dashed through the forest. Long strides skimming over the forest floor and tail streaking behind him, Jay's Wing leaped over a fallen tree as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

The ground vanished behind the tree but Jay's Wing acted as if he hadn't noticed and he landed gracefully on the ground below between two cats. Jay's Wing flashed a toothy grin, eyes bright. "Hi guys!"

The two cats each gave a startled cry at his sudden appearance and stumbled back. Jay's Wing purred as he watched the two push themselves to their paws. A pure white she-cat and a brown tabby tom gaped at him.

"Jay's Wing!" Fish Leap cried and moved to greet him but Half Moon beat him to it.

"Jay's Wing," Half Moon said, her voice barely audible through her heavy purr. She pressed against him, coiling her white form around him. Jay's Wing purred and closed his eyes but reopened them after a moment. He wanted to savor this sight. Green eyes met his blue ones and Jay's Wing plunged his face into her shoulder fur, taking in her scent like he hadn't smelled it in moons. Half Moon… Oh how I missed you.

It was late past sunhigh by the time Jaypaw arrived at the camp entrance. Immediately, he sensed an overwhelming joy coming from two figures and they were running towards him.

"Jaypaw!" Hollypaw cried as she ran into him, pressing her head against his flank in greeting.

"Jaypaw!" Lionpaw purred as he joined her. He rubbed his head against his shoulder. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Jaypaw said, lying through his teeth. I wish I did though. As much as he hated to admit it, Jaypaw hadn't thought about his siblings much while he was in the tribe.

"Foxkit and Icekit will be happy to see you again," Hollypaw said, stepping away from him. "They were kind of sad to hear Jay's Wing was leaving but they were worried about you too."

"Really?" Jaypaw questioned. He never considered himself to be particularly close with those two. And apparently they knew of his absence.

Hollypaw nodded. "Of course. Everyone missed you. Well, most of the clan doesn't know what happened but you- Jay's Wing- had been kind of antisocial. He was injured so he had to spend all his time in the medicine den but still. He could've come out once in awhile."

Jaypaw blinked. He hadn't thought much about what Jay's Wing had been doing in his body. He'd been too busy enjoying Jay's Wing's life.

"Camp hasn't been the same without you around," Lionpaw added.

Jaypaw blinked. He felt an unfamiliar feeling in his chest and he shifted his paws in discomfort. He breathed in, catching the scents of ThunderClan but his littermates most of all.

"Life isn't the same without you two," Jaypaw said quietly. For better or for worse.

Hollypaw purred. "I know leaving Jay's Wing's life must have been rough. Did you enjoy it?"

"Yeah," Jaypaw admitted. He swallowed. "I did. I really, really did."

Jaypaw felt sorrow radiate from his siblings. Curse these powers... I don't want to feel their emotions right now...

"Do you… wish you hadn't left?"

Jaypaw opened his mouth but no words came out. A stream of thoughts rushed through his mind faster than the water of the mountain's waterfall. On one paw, he already missed the tribe. Half Moon, she was irreplaceable. Sight, that was something he could never have again. The lack of sight took away everything from him but having it let him have everything he ever wanted. And he wanted to be a warrior. A sharpclaw.

But on the other paw, his efforts to become a warrior only hurt him in the end. Training in his dreams proved to be the worst decision he'd ever made. But Ink… Avian… Jackal… They can't find me here... StarClan forgive me, is that the only reason I left?

Jaypaw opened his mouth and closed it again a few times like a fish out of water unable to breath. A heavy silence lingered and Jaypaw felt a stab of hurt radiate from his siblings. Jaypaw wished he could freeze time around him and just run away. He didn't want to evoke such feelings form his littermates. Then anger rolled in his belly. Why am I so selfish? Lionpaw... Hollypaw... I'm sorry. It's not your fault I hate my life in ThunderClan.

Deep down, he knew that wasn't totally true. Sure he cared about his siblings and appreciated that they always looked out for him but in a way they were as bad as the rest of his clanmates. They just got away with it because Jaypaw was so used to it. They're always watching me, hovering over me, ready to catch me if I fall. Always telling me if there's a tree or root for me to run into. Always making sure to catch prey for me. The rage in his belly suddenly erupted like a flame further ignited by a strong wind. They never let me stand on my own.

Memories of hunting with Dove's Wing, running by the river with Fish Leap, and sharing tongues with Half Moon flashed through his mind. I could never do that with Lionpaw and Hollypaw. They wouldn't even let me try hunting. If I even touched the riverbank, they'd drag me away like a kit by my scruff. And they're too busy to really share tongues with me. I spend way too much time in the medicine den to really have anything to talk about anyway.

Jaypaw lifted his head, feeling a wave of confidence. That's all going to change. He'd spent many, many nights fighting in his sleep. All that time spent training with Ink, he wasn't going to let all the nights where he sacrificed his rest and safety to become a sharpclaw go to waste. Just because he didn't live with the tribe anymore didn't mean he couldn't be a sharpclaw. I can hunt, I can fight. I've got the Power of the Stars in my paws. I'm not going to let something as silly as blindness stop me from living my best life.

Jaypaw's cold blue eyes swept over his siblings. His tail curled behind him and he dug his claws into the ground, steeling himself. Amber and green eyes blinked, surprised and confused by the sudden way the cats' brother held himself.

"No," Jaypaw said, voice hard and even. He began walking towards camp. "I'm glad I went and I'm glad I came back."

"Really?"

Jaypaw didn't slow his stride or verbally respond. His pawsteps stayed even and steady with confidence. Things are going to change for me. I'm going to be a sharpclaw.