"Something."
A leaf is plucked from the earth, carefully, almost gently, and lifted up to a pair of dark eyes. They study it closely, a shadow falling over them as whoever these eyes belong to frowns.
They all look the same…
A quiet sigh.
One way to see.
Eyas looks around, then squints at the tree tops, their whole face scrunching at the brightness far above. Quickly, the critter lowers their eyes, then glances up again and, just as quickly, down again, as if the momentary action should somehow yield an entirely different result. With a grumble, they center their gaze somewhere ahead instead and slowly raise the leaf to a stream of light falling through the canopy. The sun has not reached its peak yet and the air feels cold, dew scattered on the leaves, and the grass, and the critter's tail.
They turn the leaf. In an instant, it seems to take on a hundred color variations, all subtle but that much brighter in the morning sun. The dew drops blink in a vibrant dance, one after the other, and Eyas can't help an almost-delighted hum.
Like little fish, they play…
"Another one", is what they say instead, carefully folding the leaf and reaching into one of their pockets. They fumble for a moment, producing a small pile of various sticks, leaves and nuts, as well as two feathers and a weird gnarled root. A few smooth pebbles spill over the forest floor as well. Eyas instantly kneels to collect them, not without another grumble, and makes sure to put them in a different place this time. They only let go upon reaching the bottom of the pocket, checking if there's any holes for the pebbles to spill out of again.
A hum; nothing needs fixing yet.
Just as they're about to get their paw out, one claw latches onto something. With ease, they pull it out.
There you are.
A short piece of string, frayed and thick, is not given so much as a look before being wrapped around the folded leaf, secured with a knot and shoved back into the pocket.
That dealt with, Eyas slowly stands up and grabs onto a low-hanging branch, almost as an afterthought. Their mind is still elsewhere, stuck on the delightful image that leaf created, and they stay still, careful not to lose it.
The little fishes are now joined by a school of tadpoles, twinkling in silent laughter as they give chase, forming and breaking shapes and babbling among themselves: of what, Eyas could not imagine. For a moment, it's as if the surroundings no longer existed for the critter, pulled into a daydream where they themself, too, are nonexistent. Guard lowered and attention elsewhere, they would hardly feel a presence other than their own…
(anyone is welcome to join, regardless of whether Eyas knows them or not. keep in mind that this is probably somewhere around Inland Road, since that's where they usually hang out)