Picking moss off boulders [OPEN]

Socks leaned against the rough tree bark, scarcely unaware of the few leaves that had fluttered down to settle in his hair. Feeling the warm sunlight against his closed eyelids, Socks realised he dint know how long he had been here for, then again time near the creek was always fleeting. One of his favourite places in camp, the creek always provided Socks with a nice relaxing atmosphere in which to get away from the hordes of people in camp and gather his thoughts. Ever since he discovered this particular secluded spot however Socks had begun coming here even more than usual, the canopy of leafy trees over him, the arbitrary arrangement of moss covered boulders and the soothing sound of the creek a few metres ahead served as the perfect getaway. His eyes still closed, Socks arched his back slightly, stretching his arms out above him with a rather loud yawn, as he blinked his sleep away however he became aware of something sliding off of his thigh and slapped his hand down reflexively on the book he had been reading, preventing it from falling. As he set it down carefully beside him, Socks rubbed his eyes with the ball of palm and blinked furiously in the bright sunlight. Once his eyes adjusted to the light however he was struck by the beauty of the creek that reflected the sunlight like a river of diamonds ahead of him and couldn't help but gasp softly.

Socks looked away from the creek, distracted as he heard footsteps coming his way. Lifting his head slightly to squint into the bright sunlight, he could make out the outline of a girl. Unable to tell whether she was his age or not, Socks decided to ignore the stranger. He leaned back against the bark of the tree again and hummed quietly to himself, wondering what he would do today. Feeling a warm cushy something squashed up against his thigh, Socks registered the presence of his cat. Cheshire really was a strange cat, always wandering off and dissapearing to somewhere or the other nevertheless Socks was amazed at how the cat always managed to find him regardless of where he was. This strange talent of his, enforced Socks' belief that Cheshire was nothing less or more than magical, or supernatural if you will.

Socks eased himself off the forest floor, placing both palms in the mud as he did. Wiping them on his knee length khaki shorts he walked forward till he stood in a few into the creek, knee deep in the water. He had kicked off his slippers as he walked and was currently in the process of peeling off his shirt, in one fluid motion he had tossed that behind him as well. Standig bare chested in the water, Socks took a few long strides forward again, closing his eyes as he did, enjoying the feeling of the cool water lapping around his waist even as the bright sunlight beat down on him from above. Brillaint he thought, contentedly turning his face upward so that it caught the sunlight directly, causing him to sense a red glow behind his closed eyelids.

As he looked straight ahead and opened his eyes calmly, Socks opened his palm and examined the small pebbles that he had scooped up while sitting by the tree. They were perfect for throwing and skipping across the still surface of the lake. Transefering one of them to his right hand, he looked forward srutinisingly and holding it delicately between his index finger and thumb, he quickly flicked the grey pebble forward unto the calm surface of the water, watching as it skipped three three time creating ripples as it did before finally dissapearing as it sunk into the water.

He smiled happily, satisfied at this feat and completely unconcerned about anyone that was possibly watching him. Picking up another pebble, a pinkish one this time, with flecks of grey, Socks briefly examined the stone, before quickly flipping it over the the water as well. However his finger slipped slightly as he attempted to toss and Socks let out a quiet groan as the pebble simply simply sunk into the water without event. Leaned back slightly, Socks examined the spot where it had dissapeared speculatively,wondering about its journey to the floor of the creek. Subconciously taking a step forward, Socks felt his foot ram hard to an unexpected object, a rock perhaps and lost his footing. Suspended awkwardly in mid air for a split second, his arms spayled in a useless effort to right himself, Socks fell backwards with a splash, going under for a moment as he landed flat on his butt. Reflexively however, Socks kicked upward and emerged above the surface, spluttering a little.

No sooner than he had caught his breath however, Socks began laughing hysterically as he blinked the water out of his eyes. Two feet planted firmly in the floor of the creek, Socks felt the current swirly around him as he tossed his head back again and stared at the sky, not bothering to close his eyes this time having sensed correctly by the sudden coolness of the air that the Sun had gone behind a cloud. Losing himself in the infinite majesty of the endless sky, Socks wondered- not for the first time- what it would be like to be able to fly as high as he could go until the clouds streched out like a carpet beneath him. Suppressing a slight shiver as the cool water droplets trickled down his well toned chest, Socks looked down again as the Sun came out behind the clouds. He turned 180 degrees in the water, now facing the opposite direction than he was before, looking directly at the shore and the girl who was now leaning against a tree a little way away from where he has been sitting. Although he was unable to make out her expression, he was sure that she was likely to be rolling her eyes or perhaps even sniggering at him, thats how people were. For his part however, Socks dint care. Using his hands to skim the surface of the water around him, he created ripples in circles around himself, all the while his eyes never leaving the girl as he gave a her a slight, crooked smile.