Cloe

Raccoon




Test Story

An open door is all they needed. A place where stupidity not trust was evident. Cloe quietly slipped inside the little cottage at her sisters heels. Their eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness within as they surveyed their next mark. A band of thieves who had raided the Storm Weaver camp would soon see Marawen's justice. Smiling to her sister Cloe crept into a back room as Asiza did her work on the men and goods in the front room. This room seemed almost bare but appearances can be deceiving. A colorful woven rug was laid carelessly across the floor and a few old chairs and a table were set off in a corner of the room but that was all. Dust heavily covered everything save the table and half the rug which made her wonder for their weren't even any footprints on the floor. Looking up Cloe saw a few sturdy rafters and crouched down to get a good jump. She takes a flying leap and grabs hold tightly pulling herself up onto it. Balancing herself carefully she walks across the rafter till she is over the table and drops noiselessly onto it. The table doesn't creak or move almost as if it's nailed to the floor itself. Her hands run up and down the sides and across the top of the smooth surface of the table searching for something, anything even slightly out of place. Laying down on the table she sneaks a peek under it and finds a small block of wood nailed to the direct center of the underside of the table. Reaching out and touching it she wonders if perhaps she shouldn't explore further for there could be danger ahead. But then when had that stopped her before? Cloe pulls on the block and nothing happens, pushes on it still nothing, she slides her fingers along the side of it and it turns ever so slightly. Well, she gives it a good hard turn and half the floor falls out from under the carpet. Ah ha! Quickly getting to her feet she hears a shout in the front room and jumps up grabbing the rafter again. She swings her body back and forth, once, twice, and drops into the hole under the carpet. A loud crack is heard and Cloe assumes this is the sound of her sisters fist connecting with a friendly man's jaw. Quietly closing the trapdoor she hopes she'll be able to find her way out after this is all over with. There are passageways leading in all directions and she chooses the path to the East. Finding only a dead end after a while she returns to the beginning and moves south. This path is longer than first though it still may stop at a dead end for all she knows. A light ahead draws her nearer and her footsteps quicken. The path seems to be turning now and heading down deeper into the ground and the light grows brighter. Cloe turns a sharp corner and all of a sudden she is in a giant room, the largest cave she's seen in all her life. There is only one small candle in the whole place yet it's very well lit. The flame glimmers and shines off of each and every bright gem stashed here. Instinctively she grabs at the gems and precious stones putting them in pockets and pouches and anywhere else she can think of before she heads back down the passage heavily burdened. Stopping just on around the corner she turns back and goes to explore the candle briefly. It sits on a small wooden stool. A stool with a similar wooden block beneath it. Giving it a turn she walks quickly down the passage smiling to herself. The trap door is open, as she knew it would be. She peeks out and sees no one so she hoists herself up and momentarily jumps back up to the rafter. Swinging again she lands on the table and turns the block under it. The trap door closes. There is no noise from the front room so she grabs the rafter and hand over hand pulls herself towards the door since she doubts she could get up onto it again. Opening the door to the front room she sees the same sleeping men minus one. "Only one went after Asiza?" She thinks. "Well, good luck to him. Ha!" Cloe searches a familiar pocket and finds a jar of small scorpions she found in the woods. Pulling each one out carefully she places one in each sleeping man's shirt. "It is better to give than to receive." She muses before slipping back out the front door and dashing off into the woods heading back towards Storm Weaver camp.

2nd Story

The darkness doesn't hinder her vision and peering out from behind the waterfall Cloe grins as she sees her sister nearing the cave. With quick agile steps Asiza closes in on the little raccoon hideout not knowing here sister is already there waiting for her. Just outside the entrance Asiza looks up and for a moment sees her sister flying at her, this is of course before the two of them tumble in a tangle of arms and legs towards the pool of water below. A loud splash is heard for quite a distance throughout the forest as the sisters hit the surface hard. They both come up sputtering and giggling and after a race to shore they dash off into the forest in search of fun and games. Soon they come across a large camp. Scrambling into nearby trees the sisters judge their next mark. There are a few temporary shelters, one of which looks to house someone of importance for it is larger and more elegant than the ones surrounding it. Cloe looks over at Asiza and shrugs. A wide grin spreads across Asiza's face and she jumps down from the tree into the camp. Waiting patiently Cloe's is to warn her sister of danger. Facing south towards the one which holds the most interest for her, Asiza doesn't see the northern most shelter door open as the leather flap covering the entrance is pushed aside. A giant of a man crawls out silently and looks Asiza over. Cloe not missing a beat chatters like a young coon to warn her sister. Knowing she shouldn't bring anymore attention to herself Asiza stands still where she stands. The man jumps Asiza from behind, wrapping his arms tightly around her body. Cloe swings down from a branch and her foot connects with the large mans jaw. Slipping out of his grasp Asiza knocks her attacker to the ground and watches as Cloe drops down from the tree onto his body. "Well, this one's taken care of." Cloe grins at her sister. "Yeah, and now we have other matters to attend to." The twins giggle and Asiza goes to search the heavily ornamented shelter. Cloe wanting to explore elsewhere chooses the shelter from which their attacker emerged. Quietly slipping inside she waits a few seconds for her eyes to adjust and gasps once her vision is clear. A prince lies here with another guard not far from his sleeping body. Her hands immediately go to work slipping beneath the blankets and skins that cover him. She finds a small chest and stashes it in a pocket. It will have to be opened later, time is of the essence. Searching the prince further she relieves him of a gold ring or two, and a jeweled necklace. Exploring around the sleeping quarters she finds numerous money pouches which are more than full and she pockets these as well. Some food for the morning meal and a golden flute along with some other little trinkets all find their way into her pockets for safe keeping. Not much else is of any interest to her and she slips back outside after depositing a squirming snake down the guard's pants, though she leaves the prince to his rest. Cloe enters two more shelters and takes anything of value that could be of use to the Storm Weavers and leaves gifts for all the men inside. As she finishes she chatters again to signal to her sister that her work is done but Asiza doesn't emerge or respond in any way. Noticing far too late that the man they had knocked out no longer lay on the ground Cloe left the camp as quickly as she could and climbed a tree to rest in before the morning came for she knew she would have to save her sister in day light. Cloe awoke with the sun, she stretched and took a quick survey of the area reminding herself where she was. Seeing her sister bound and gagged outside the decorated shelter Cloe giggles and points at her. Asiza shakes her head and rolls her eyes at Cloe. As a guard approaches Asiza she sits still and quiet looking away from her sister high up in a tree. The man crouches down in front of Asiza and unties her gag leaving her free to speak. "So you got an explanation yet?" He grins broadly and inquires further, "or do I have to beat it out of you?" Asiza opens her mouth and spits in his face. Replacing the gag quietly the man gives Asiza a look that says she'll be sorry for her actions. Cloe waits for Asiza's eyes to look back up into hers, and once they do Cloe makes a few barely noticeable motions. The corners of Asiza's mouth turn up as she smiles with the gag in her mouth and nods ever so slightly to Cloe. They've had a language all their own since before they could walk or talk. Signing and speaking in riddles, few people can even begin to understand the twins when they wish to keep something a secret. Asiza tries desperately to remove the rope that binds her arms behind her for once it is off she can go to work on the rope at her ankles. Exploring the nearby trees with her eyes Cloe sees a rope dangling and goes to investigate. Swinging silently from branch to branch till she reaches the tree which boasts this dangling rope. At the other end of the rope is a noose. Thirteen coils or rope tightly wound around itself. "This shall not be the death of my sister." Cloe smiles. "She deserves a more noble death indeed...like in the heat of battle...or perhaps in the heat of something else." She giggles and removes a small, sharp dagger from between her breasts and cuts the rope three quarters of the way through. Replacing the dagger she watches as three guards place Asiza on a horse. One man has a black eye and another has a few scratches on his right forearm the third man is careful to stay clear of the young woman who seems to have a lot of fight still in her. Twisting her wrists as she tries to weaken the rope's hold on her Asiza looks slightly worried when they reach their destination and the noose is placed around her neck. The man with a black eye picks up a long green branch and swats it hard across the horse's rear. In split seconds Asiza's hands are free and they go up to pull the rope off her neck but the horse is already out from under her and she is falling, her eyes wide with fear. The rope snaps at the top where it was cut and Asiza plops down onto the ground. Throwing the noose off her neck she breathes a sigh of relief and lets her magic fingers do their work on the binds at her feet. Three men stand there in awe and confusion, then only two as one of them is tackled from above by Cloe. Asiza springs upon the unharmed man and searches him well before knocking him out with a hard blow to his head. This last man has no chance against the twins and he knows it. He runs off screaming into the forest but he doesn't get too far before a coop stick sails through the air and he's struck upon the head. Falling into a heap this man has also been knocked out with the force of a blow. Cloe runs out to him and retrieves her coop stick before returning to her sister. "You okay?" "Yeah, fine. I mean I didn't just almost get hanged or anything." The twins shrug and burst out laughing. "Back to camp?" "Might as well..." In the light of the early morning the raccoons race off into the forest headed back to Storm Weaver camp.