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.
