Asiza
Raccoon
Test Story
Asiza glided silently through the pre-dawn mists. The heavy odors of the camp drawing her ever closer. She could hear the light snoring of
the men as they slumbered peacefully around the remains of a dying fire, their mounts also asleep nearby. Approaching the largest and what appeared to be the leader of the band, Asiza noiselessly rummaged through his belongings. She found a jeweled dagger and quickly slid it into one of her many pockets. She dug further and uncovered a large sum of money, which also found its way into her pockets. An enormous diamond ring and fine bone flute follow. Watching and listening intently, Asiza began to carefully search the man's body for anything else of value. Not finding anything else
worth stealing off of him, she moved on and repeats the process on his companions; stealing their swords, axes, pikes and even their
food. When she had taken everything she wanted, she went so far as to remove the boots from each man, noiselessly and so gently that they never felt it. She carried their boots to a nearby river and dropped them in; "let them walk the forest as we do" she thought. Then she returned to the camp and untied each of the horses. Mounting one and leading the others, she returned swiftly to the other Storm Weavers to share her loot.
2nd Story
Asiza lay half-asleep on a limb of a giant tree, the long shadows of
evening are all the concealment she needs. The whistling of the birds
and the sigh of the wind through the branches lulls her into a light
slumber. She feels the great limb rock slightly in the wind and she
can think of no better place to be. The sudden silence of the forest
awakens her immediately and she pulls her camouflage cloak tightly
around her and watches for any sign of movement. One hundred yards
from the tree is a small caravan of packhorses and mules. Asiza
curses herself for allowing them to get so close without her knowing.
But before she can berate herself further, her attention is drawn to
the bundles tied to the weary beasts. Immense curiosity draws her
from her branch and she hops noiselessly from limb to limb in order
to get a better look. She squats on an overhanging branch and watches
the little procession. Half a dozen men, their mounts, two packhorses
and three mules. Asiza thanks Marawen for the dense forest that will
soon provide her an easy escape. She watches patiently as the men
unload the animals and begin making preparations for camp. Come
nightfall, she would graciously relieve them of their burdens and
allow them to make much better time to their destination. She was
sure that the animals would be pleased to have their load
significantly lightened. Night fell quickly in the already shadowy
forest and the men gather around a small campfire and eat their
dinner, joking noisily to each other. Asiza remains in her perch,
waiting for them to slip into the deep slumber that accompanies a
long, tiresome day. She doesn't have to wait long. She crept silently
down from the tree, the gentle glow of the dying embers give off the
only real light, but Asiza sees by light of the moon and stars. Not
even bothering to find out what the parcels contain, she hoists as
many as she can carry and runs off into the forest to bury them. She
returns to the camp and takes another load into the forest, repeating
the process until she has taken everything. Then she begins her
search of the men themselves. Lithe hands slip into pockets and
folds, sneaking out all manner of trinkets and finery. These she
slips into her own pockets until she can hold no more. Then, in her
trademark fashion, she slips the boots off of the men and throws them
into the fire. She steps back and surveys her work: even the tack of
the horses has found its way into her cache. All that remains of the
caravan are the bootless men, and a bunch of naked animals. Quite
pleased with herself, Asiza takes a bow and vanishes into the shadows
to find her sister Cloe, who is also a master thief, to help her
carry the loot back to the Storm Weaver camp.
Asiza's short novel
4th Story
Asiza ducked through the overhanging branches that concealed the small
crevasse and slid noiselessly inside. She hummed as she unloaded her
loot into the Storm Weavers storage room. At the rate she and Cloe were
stealing, it wouldn't take long to fill the entire room. But then that
was why they were Raccoons. No one else could ever hope to compete
with thieves like them. Asiza heard a rustle behind her and vanished
into the shadows as Cloe slipped through the opening. As soon as she
recognized her sister, Asiza tackled her, sending them both sprawling
into the soft hay that covered the floor. They emerged looking like a
couple of scarecrows. Hay stuck out of their clothes, hair, and boots
but they couldn't be happier. Cleanliness was never really their
strong suit.
"So what do you want to do now?"
"I dunno. Want to go see what our fellow Storm Weavers are up to?"
(translation: let's go see what they have that we don't)
"Sounds good."
So the Coons ransacked HQ and made off with all kinds of goodies that
they would later return to their respectful owners. Except that on
their way out they ran into Jil and Milady. The Eagle and the Bear
looked amusedly at the twins, who had on their most innocent
expressions. Caught red-handed, yes. Captured, never. Chattering
madly to each other, Asiza and Cloe dashed down the ladder to their
lair and made it out by the river entrance.
"Woo! That was close!" Cloe laughed.
"No kidding. It would have to be the highest-ranking Weavers to walk
in on us. Speaking of rank, where do we fall?"
"Hey yeah! No one appreciates us! All the other animals get all the
attention."
"Which means we have all the fun because there's no one to see what
we're up to!"
"Exactly. Except for back there."
"Well yeah, they must have been bored with the others so they came in
to see if they could join in the fun. Raccoons do have the most fun
after all."
"Of course! We get to do everything everyone else does and then some!
We don't just infiltrate, we infiltrate! And we don't just spy, we
steal everything they use to spy. Fighting can't be done when we have
all their weapons, and maps, and compasses, and horses."
"So why would anyone want to be anything other than a Coon?"
"Beat's me."
"Maybe the other Weavers aren't as smart as we give them credit for."
"Don't let Jil hear you say that."
"She'll have to catch me first!"
