A/N and Disclaimer: Hello all. This is the first story I wrote (I started earlier this year, but I only joined recently). Just a 'what if…' kind of story, not perfect I know. I also know that I do not own Sly Cooper, Carmelita, Bentley, Murray, Paris, or anything else. What I do own is safely in my room or at school (Well, pretty much) I don't make, or intend to make, a profit out of these stories, as they are purely for entertainment. And speaking of entertainment, enjoy
She saw them at the carnival, by the big oak tree.
A raccoon, grey fur covering him from head to, well, almost tail. A hippo with pink skin stood beside him, and a green turtle sat on the grass rummaging through a red backpack. They sat in the shade, even though it was night, and the raccoon blended perfectly with the darkness. They talked and joked and laughed with each other, oblivious to the activity going on around them. The lights of the carnival danced across her small face as she stood, watching. Captivated.
The raccoon cub was talking excitedly to the turtle and hippo, his hands and tail waving about frantically. The turtle nodded, said something and went fishing into the backpack. After a moment he re-emerged, with quite a contraption in his hands. There were a lot of strings attached to it, and pieces of metal were stuck together with bandages of sticky tape. The raccoon grabbed a polished stick from the ground, with a golden hook on the end of it. Then she watched as the raccoon climbed easily into the cover of the trees, his ringed tail the last to disappear from her sharp view.
A male adult fox stood beside the entranced youngster. He held out some fairy floss to the fox cub by his side. But she didn't move, and after several seconds, his gaze also turned to the kids under the oak tree. It was a lucky coincidence he didn't spot the young raccoon in the trees.
He would've spotted the family resemblance instantly.
Instead, he knelt down and gently asked, 'Would you like to go over there and play with those kids, mi niño?' he asked, his Spanish accent prominent. The fox cub didn't notice the accent, but she heard and looked up at him, nodding vigorously.
'Yes please!' she said, and then remembered her age. She corrected herself. 'I mean, sure, whatever.'
And she added a shrug, to show that despite her sudden outburst, it didn't matter either way.
Her father smiled, and the youngster's heart rose.
'I'll come and get you in half an hour.' He said, pretending to be serious, resting a hand on her shoulder.
'Papa-a!' she whined, her face dropping. 'I'm twelve years old! How about an hour?'
The adult sighed dramatically, and said 'Alright. One hour.'
His daughter smiled and gave him a quick hug as she raced off towards the oak tree. He watched as she walked over to the group of two. He smiled to himself and shook his head. 'My little girl's growing up…' he whispered to himself. Then he disappeared into the crowd.
The fox cub walked up to the shadow of the oak. She slowed her pace as she approached the turtle and hippo sitting on the grass. Normally she wasn't a shy cub, but she really did want to play- I mean, hang out, with these particular kids. For some reason she especially wanted to meet the raccoon cub…
The hippo saw her first. 'Hi!' he said, waving enthusiastically, a warm smile appearing on his face. Then the turtle noticed her.
'Greetings.' He said, pushing his thick rimmed glasses further up on his nose. Then he sneezed on the grass.
'Hello,' she said and gave a small wave and smile towards the hippo, who, content with the response, returned to looking up into the tree. The fox cub paused, taking a deep breath.
It doesn't matter if they don't let me hang out with them, she tried reasoning with herself, I mean, it's not like it's going to change my life. The turtle had noticed the pause, and was staring at her with a raised eyebrow. Now or never, she thought.
'I, uh, I was wondering if I could play with you guys?' She blurted out. Damn, she sounded so childish. Her tail had stopped wagging and she had her hands behind her back, clenched to each other.
'Sure!' said a voice from the greenery above. The raccoon cub, in hiding all this time, jumped down right in front of the startled fox cub, who had forgotten where he was.
He grinned, crossing him arms, and she looked at him more closely. He was dressed mostly in blue; a blue cap (too big for him, she thought), gloves, shoes and shirt. He was also holding that odd hook-stick thing she'd noticed earlier. The stick looked surprisingly similar to the cane's that the old men in the park had rested beside their chess games. It looked big on him, making him look smaller than he actually was. She guessed it was his father's.
He had his paw held out in the British style of greeting. She ignored it, much preferring the new greeting she had picked up after moving to Paris early this year.
She kissed him twice on each cheek. The turtle shook his head, muttering, 'Oh no,' and the hippo had turned to him, confusion obvious in his questioning stare. The raccoon's smile widened, his eyes glimmering. But he didn't loose his step. At least, not much.
'I'm Sly,' he said. She smiled at him. She really hoped they'd be friends.
'I'm Carmelita.'
A/N: Ta da! For a first go, it wasn't too bad Please tell me what you thought, even if you hate it, at least I'll know where to improve, right? Thanks