I had awoken to darkness. Not like the dark of the night but an impenetrable barrier to sight. It is cold here. The water constantly steals heat and the bare stone offers no comfort. Time seems of no consequence in this eternal darkness. Perhaps my people hid from dangers in these caves. Hunger drives me to move. I stand and follow the water to the path I took to get here. I cannot however climb the rocks or fight the surge of water from the gap. I begin to feel my way across the room and find gaps wherever I can reach. Some of the caves are too shallow or small for me but some I am willing to explore. I keep the rush of water at my back to navigate and wander into the dark.

 Eventually, realising there was nothing close to the stream I picked the widest path and took a step beyond the last point I could hear the rush of water. Enshrouded by darkness as silence I strolled forward into the unknown and stubbed my toe.

Eventually, I learned to find my path without sight. I could make sounds that echo to reveal the rocks in the cave and feel the change in the rock beneath my feet to avoid obstacles. I learned to move silently when I desired. The silence seemed almost sacred here. It was during my time in silence that I heard the sounds of scuttling. I sprang forward. Life meant food. I was starving. I caught the insect that broke the silence and bit it. Immediately I realised something was wrong. I froze mid bite and toppled to the floor. This was not the first time I had been unable to move but the first time it had occurred so suddenly with no apparent cause.

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after some time I felt the paralysis wear off. I moved around and thought about what to do next. The creature had to have come from somewhere and for the first time since falling into these caves I had hope. I began searching, paying no mind to subtly or caution. Then hours later I calmed down and nursed my rapidly healing injuries. I sat down against a wall and felt something soft. After feeling it I remembered the smell and feel of this wall from long ago during my time in the forest. The wall was made of rotting wood. I stopped and slammed into the wall which creaked revealing a sliver of light. Now desperate, I scratched at the wood until my nails fell from my fingers and my battered limbs broke through to reveal air on the other side. I pulled myself through and collapsed on the soft wood gazing at the carpet of stars through the hole high above me. Smiling, I slept.

When I awoke I noticed dark shapes flying around my head. I grabbed one and ate it. I caught another, and another. Finally satisfied I tried to climb to the hole. Unfortunately, I couldn’t accomplish the climb. Unable to bare leaving this safe haven I tried everything to escape but could not. A set of seasons passed and I noticed something. The hole was getting bigger and the soft material beneath my feet was becoming more common.

I would escape eventually. All I needed to do was wait. I practiced hunting and seeing without sight whilst I waited until decades later the ground shook and the last barrier to my escape fell. I was free once more.

I let my gaze wander. I was at the base of a mountain with a mix of grassland and wood as far as the eye could see. Far off in the distance I saw a group of large creatures I couldn’t recognise. It was time to search once more.