the tom's gaze lazily sweeped across the landscape -- the grasses waving in the familiar breeze, the trees' green leaves rustling, the towering mountain peaks over the horizon. it was a casual afternoon, one perfectly suited for basking in the sun's rays until something other needed to be done. his ears swiveled to and fro, just barely catching the sound of a gurgling stream, or the twittering of a chickadee not far in the distance.
though, suddenly, a movement caught his attention; just from the corner of his eye, a flash of vibrant light scuttled across the dirt, just past his view. the tom's eyes widened in curiosity, and he turned his head over his shoulder to find the culprit; just as he expected, the ray of light burned into the dirt layering nearby, a single yellow spot on a surface of brown -- possibly a reflection through a gap in the forest canopy, it was an unusual sight to behold. with his tail sweeping the dirt beside him, the tom's lips curled into a smile. "hello there, little sunshine." he purred.
then, quite interestingly, the orb danced across the ground and into the forest, following a line of trees. the tom watched the light as it glided across the landscape, his mouth slightly ajar in utmost surprise. "now what are you up to?" he murmured. within a single breath, he was up on his paws and trotting into the forest ahead, his eyes following the dot of light. upon reaching it, he extended a paw into it, as though to touch, the ray covering the bright fur of his paws. "curious little thing." he mused.
it was off again, across the forest, leaping from one thick trunk to the other. the tom chased it from one great tree to the next, barely able to catch its ray. he had no notion as to how this was even possible, but no matter, that hadn't occurred to him in the moment. it lead him across a gurgling stream, over a grove of stones, and even through entanglements of thorns, of which he was somehow able to pull himself out of, despite their painful snagging of his fur.
by the time they'd finally neared the edge of the forest, the tom could feel his heart leaping out of his chest -- he even panted, like a dog! his paws were sore, surely thorns were caught between the pads, and his fur was horribly disheveled, nearly matted. "where are you going?" he breathed, pausing to catch his breath. the ray of light danced across the trail, as if taunting him, and shot further ahead. "you're not losing me that easily." he grunted, and jumped onto his paws once more.
finally, the tom burst through the shrubbery and into the light of day. he took a moment to compile himself, scanned the ground for the ray of light that so intrigued him, until his eyes caught the view before him -- and there, meeting him face-to-face, was a remarkable sunset peering over a seaside cliff. a gasp of shock releasing from his chest, the tom padded forward to the cliff's very edge, and took-in the entirety of the scene. colors no pigment could mimick streaked the blue sky, dotted by fluffy white clouds as soft as kittenfluff, and centered by the most radiant orange sun he'd ever seen with his two yellow eyes.
"thank you." he murmured, as if in thanks, and sat on that very cliffside to watch the sun fall under the horizon until the very last tendrils of sunlight finally disappeared.