28: Graycloud x Clover

Unlike the Aiden and Annoying Imp, Clover couldn't sleep. So she gazed up to the stone roof, thinking through current events when she felt another presence touch her mind.

"No fun. Why aren't you sleeping?" said a young boy in her mind, with tones that suggested he was pouting.

Clover chuckled then sighed. "Too much on my mind, good sein."

"Like what? Tell me I can help clear the clutter in your heart."

She nodded and started telling him where she was from.

Like all kijen pups they began life as foxes unable to shapeshift, so their mothers cared for them as part of a litter out in the woods.

"My home was in the far south forests where few Hu and Alfar travel. My mother gave birth to two litters from different fathers. Bosnia and I are half sisters."

"Was your pup life happy?"

Clover's heart raced with warm beats as a comfortable feeling came upon her.

"Yes. Our mother was kind and wise, teaching us how to survive. She told me that when we go out into the world we need to be careful of our name."

"Your name? Do you know what she meant by that?"

Clover shook her head. Troubled emotions stirred to make her heartbeats slow and a coldness flowed through her to make her shiver.

"I don't know and never got the chance to ask. Our clan was attacked by kijen bandits who were stealing pups for their crews."

Her heart slowed further as her body became numb. "One killed my mother. She saw they had found us. She ordered me to take Bosnia and look after her, then rushed out to fight and give me and my sister time to escape. Bosnia was injured."

"Did you run?"

She nodded. "Bosnia's leg was broken, so I carried her on my back. While sprinting away from danger, my will to carry her broke through my blood code to shapeshift for the first time."

"You didn't see your sister as a burden to cast down?"

"Never! I just want to give a safe home for both of us." Her heartbeats increased speed and evenness as warmth flowed through her body.

A wizard appeared next to her bed. "Then let's see how you can make that happen."

She shuffled out of bed to stand before the young wizard, by appearance at least. His head was shaved and skin carrying a tan coloring. But his round eyes sparkled with multiple color tones, like they were two small universes.

"I am Graycloud, you are Clover. That is who we are to each other." The boy was skinny in gray robes, but his upright posture and pure silver aura emitting divine power showed that he was more than appear.

"Greetings Graycloud." Clover bowed with her respects.

Graycloud nodded. "Your heart is strong for duty, but your worry keeps you from being a strength for yourself."

Before she could ask more questions he left the room. She followed him down the corridor to the square hall for her trials.

Clover saw four totems of leaf, fox, ice cube and dagger. Her eyes lingered on the dagger totem as a memory surfaced. She found herself living within the memory...

"Come on Clover! There's plenty of fish in the river this time of Vernal. We'll have a feast!" Bosnia raced a head in her human form.

Clove chuckled as she followed.

They had managed to survive in the wild growing forests for a year since the bandit attack on their home. Away from civilization, they learned to master their shapeshifting ability through trial and error. Today was like any other day when they went fishing in human form.

But unlike every other day, they fell into a kijen bandit pit trap.

As they struggled to climb out, they saw bandits surrounding them. They were gloating and laughing at their easy prey.

"Wait. Boss, they be my sisters!" A younger bandit cried out.

"Oh? A scarred and rough faced older man rubbed his chin. "Well, if it's family, get them out."

Bosnia innocently accepted the bandit's aid out of the pit. But Clover was on guard and constantly analyzing intentions behind the gesture. Her mother had ordered her to look after Bosnia, so she would make sure they weren't falling into further danger.

"Tough, is that you?" Bosnia energetically greeted their older brother.

"Yes, Tough, that's your sister, right? I'm sure we can all get along as a family." Boss smugly said, with ill intentions in his eyes.

Clover frowned, catching on to the less friendly atmosphere.

When Boss saw that Clover wasn't as much of a pushover, he decided on a tactic. Rubbing his chin he gave the order for Tough to take the girls back to camp and feed them.

The other bandits snickered, catching on to their boss's intentions. Tough began to hesitate, but nodded and started to lead his sisters back to camp through the woods.

Clover's frown didn't ease. "Tough tell me about your leader and this family."

Tough sighed. "Sister, they're not family. They're the ones who stole us."

She stopped. Her heart raced with a mixture of emotions. The raiders who stole her siblings and killed her mother were them.

Bosnia growled. "Tough, you stay with them! What kind of a kijen are you? They killed our mother!"

But Tough frowned and gripped the hilt of his sheathed daggers. "I know nothing of that. He took us, fed us and made us strong to fight."

Clover shook her head. "No. He made you like them."

Laughter came at their backs.

"So these kijen think they're too good to be kijen." Boss's voice was sober and dripping with malice.

Clover's heartbeats slowed as she felt lingxi flowing abundantly through her veins, to gradually unlock power with her. "What gives you the right to claim you know what is good for our race?"

She faced him with her threat to challenge his malice.

"Tough. Your baby sister needs a good spanking."

Tough hesitated as he glanced at Bosnia then Clover. He went to grab Bosnia.

"You touch her, you will die." Clover's voice was quiet and even, but her intention behind them was strong.

"Boss gave orders. I follow." Tough unsheathed his daggers.

"Then I shall follow my order our mother gave me." Clover's countenance darkened to be non distinct to the minds of others: she appeared invisible to the eye.

"Kijen Blood Code: Assassin's Night." Her voice was a sigh as her lineage spell was cast to make her move like the wind to steal Tough's daggers and make invisible strikes.

"Boss! I can't see her!" A bandit panicked as he looked about to see where Clover was going to strike next and squealed when he felt his neck slashed.

Bosnia gulped as gusts of air moved amongst the bandits to make them drop to the ground either dead or unconscious.

Only Boss and Tough remained standing.

"Kijen brat! How dare you think we're better than what we are?!" Boss raced for Clover with his daggers raised to strike her down.

"If you want to stay low, that's your choice." Clover fought back. "But don't you dare lump me and my sister in with your dishonor!" She danced around his blows to strike a triple layer slash attack to his chest, tendons and across his neck.

The boss dropped to the ground, dead.

Tough dropped his daggers, terrified. He trembled before the overpowered sight of his baby sister.

"You aren't even worth fighting. Don't you ever call me your sister again. Disgrace of a pup our mother birthed!"

Tough lowered his head and nodded. He then turned and fled their sight.

Clover dropped to the ground, feeling her stamina draining fast.

"Sis!" Bosnia went to hold her up. "Damn, you're badass."

"We're not like them, Bosnia. Society sees Kijen as low lives, but there is always another way to live. Mother taught us that."

"Yeah. Our mother was badass too. You're just like her." Bosnia adjusted her weight so she could help her out of the danger zone and back to where the fish were plentiful in the river.

Clover blinked and then saw herself back at the square hall.

"Did I pass the trial?" She patted down her body, which was completely healed with her lingxi restored. The lineage spell of Kijen Blood Code: Assassin's Night momentarily surfaced to her mind.

"I gained a new power?" A smile twitched her lips as she raced to face the other three trials.

Clover passed the other three. Graycloud was smiling when he met her at the square hall.

"Very good, I'm sure your new skills will be needed in sunturns to come." He clasped his hands behind his back when he added, "What insight did you gain about being a strength for yourself?"

Clover nodded and answered that the trials for leaf, fox and ice cube carried similar themes of self solution, which nearly wiped her out.

"Extending your trust to capable individuals reduces the dangers to yourself." He patted her shoulder then prompted her to follow him out of the hall.