They met in the summer.
Well, in reality he first saw her in the summer. The days were warm, hazy and close and he had sought the shelter of the forest to escape the heat.
His tall, lithe form made easy work of the forest floor and as he walked, the cams that dangled from his climbing harness jingled around noisily.
Climbing had always been a passion for Chris, the sheer concentration, the beads of sweat that occurred as you knew each movement breached the line between life and death, was inviting to him. For many, escapism lay in books, or films. For Chris, it was reaching the top of a solo climb with your life intact that helped him find his Zen.
Today was no exception, and he'd chosen to travel to a new location, deep in the forest. Somewhere that was yet to be climbed was too great a challenge to pass up. It offered him the chance to name and claim the new climb as his own. At the same time, Chris decided it would be good to camp out in the open. Take a few days aware from the bustling suburban life.
That night, after he had climbed the first section of rock a few times, he lay down beside a roaring fire. The temperature had dropped, the first of the late summer leaves had begun to fall from the trees around him. Warmed by the fire, and the foraged meal he had just ate he tucked his hands behind his head and stared up at the stars. They were interspersed with the boughs of the trees that stretched far above him. Somewhere far off a wolf howled and Chris sighed in content.
Sometime later a noise not far off startled him. He woke up, groggy and confused; checking his watch which told him it was a little after 11pm.
'I must have dropped off' he said aloud to no one in particular.
Rising slowly to his feet he stretched out his stiff muscles, spending the day climbing and falling asleep on the hard ground had taken their toll. Before he had time to think too deeply about it though he heard another noise, a twig snapping and then another very distinct sound. Someone was shushing themselves; he could tell it was only one person as he could hear only one set of footsteps. They came close to his camp, but then moved away again in the other direction.
Chris presumed that they were heading to the nearby river.
Waiting a few moments, he started to follow, sticking far enough away to remain out of earshot but close enough to be able to follow the person's bobbing lantern. After a short walk he could hear the rushing of the wide stream fed by a lake a little further up-steam from his location.
At the bank he reached down and cupped his hand into the cold running water, taking a few deep mouthfuls, careful to keep watch on the lantern as it floated up-stream. The refreshing water removed the last of his sleepiness and spurred him on, once again following the mysterious figure into the dark forest.
After a while, the lantern moved up slightly, and Chris presumed the owner had hung it on a low hanging branch. Watching it sway slowly, he approached, watching carefully where he walked so as not to stand on anything that might startle the figure. The stream to his right had now begun to widen, and open into a sizeable, calm lake. Walking through the trees and into a clearing, the light of the lantern illuminated the scene before him.
A woman, stood near the edge of the lake, laying out a towel on a big boulder, removed a glass bottle from a leather satchel at her feet. Chris assumed they were bathing products, thoughts that were confirmed as she set them near the edge of the lake. Chris suddenly realised that he was standing in plain view of the woman should she turn, he looked around him and saw a nearby bush. It was the perfect height to ensure he remained hidden, kneeling he returned to gazing at the woman.
She had begun to hum, her eyes darting this way and that, Chris thought he saw a look of impish glee in her bright eyes. She turned and looked almost directly at him, causing Chris to kneel lower down. If she had caught sight of him, she didn't let on and continued to hum, and suddenly she begun to remove her clothes.
Starting with the buttons to her blouse, one by one they popped open, the sides revealing the soft skin, and the suggestive curves of two pert, amble breasts. Chris had to bite his lip, suddenly feeling a little light-headed at how fast the blood was rushing south.
The woman slipped off her blouse, letting it drape over a branch near her lantern, next came the three quarter trousers she was wearing. First the button and then the zip, she stripped slowly, almost teasingly, as if she really wanted an audience.
Turning her back to Chris she shimmied out of her trousers revealing only a cute pair of knickers. Those soon followed the path of her trousers, and were folded neatly on top of the boulder. Naked, the woman did a twirl, Chris was becoming more aroused with each second that passed and growing more and more suspicious that she knew of his presence and continued regardless.
