Something that might turn into Something More.

He's tired.

Huff huff, huff huff.

Maybe it's time to retire. The weeds are whipping against his bare heels-- mom's gonna be mad about the grass stains when he gets home. Ah, but he's almost there, he's almost there. He comes to the edge of the forest, and he stands, calves limber as his eyes stare into the depths of the trees and shrubbery. Tilting his body to the side, he bends his vision around and about the tall sycamores-- "hello?" the word comes out warily and slowly, a stutter isn't too far from his tongue when it's spoken. His shoes grind into the dirt and the leaves and dried foliage that's laying above it crinkles and crackles. The same thing happens again as he steps forward with his left, the toe of his right tennis show digging into the ground as he lays both his hands on the bark of the nearest moss covered tree.

The bumps, lumps and pricks of the bark press into his yellow bellied palms. Tilting his head upwards, his dark eyes stare up at the thin canopy of leaves. Intense sunlight filters through the holes-- it's the middle of the day, and summer. It's so bright-- so bright, he can see the spots flickering across his vision as he lowers his head back down, the roots of his greasy hair tickling his scalp. He sticks in fingers into the pocket of his cargo shorts and brings out the bite-sized candy bar from within. "I brought chocolate," he says looking this way and that for any sign of life within the thicket, holding out the vividly wrapped confection as an offering. Shades of green and yellow cast on his sunburnt face as he takes another step past the tree and begins to tear at the stand-off colored packaging, the soft chocolate smearing against his tiny fingers.

When he looks back up, there's a doe tip-toeing its way towards him, leaves crunching beneath her ivory hued hooves. She slows the instant he tilts his vision upwards, nearly in a freeze frame.

The boy lets out a shaky breath, attempting too stay as quiet as possible. His hand quivers a bit, still suspended in air as an attempt to coax the doe nearer.

Her beady, flickering eyes slow and still after a seemingly everlasting moment, and she lowers her front hoof back onto the ground. He watches as her moist, black nose twitches and she makes another move closer to him, catching the whiff of cacao. The lad struggles to stay unaminated as she finally begins to trot her way towards him, her white tipped ears and tail bobbing.

When she's finally standing in all her glory in front of him, the summer air is almost too much for him, coupled with her smell that's purely and concentratedly nature.

As expected, nature smells like leaves and dirt-- but there's more than that. More than just the pure smell of the trees growing and the rain falling.

She smells like mold, like excrement and all those not so glamorous parts of nature. He takes it as it is; after all, she's nothing but an animal-- something raw and more-likely-than-not untamed. He fights the urge to squirm as she bows her head, and her slimy, wet tongue reaches out the taste the half melted Babe Ruth in his hand.