Another story! How does that sound?
Massive waves of intense heat radiated through the air, warming anything within it's path. Ash floated in the sky, lowering with each passing second until they touched the earthly soil. To anyone, a sight such as this would be considered maybe stunning or beautiful... but for some people, not in this case.
Lavender eyes watched with a complete dullness as the sickening orange flames devoured what was left of her home. Her mind was blank. Her body stilled while a numb feeling clawed at her heart. She felt nothing. No horror, no despair, no anger... absolutely nothing. It was as if all her emotions were ripped from her body the moment the household set ablaze.
With the continuously growing flames, they offered light for any possible bypassing creatures of the night... it also revealed the features of the numbed soul.
Pine green scales covered her whole body with the exception of her front and back. Her beloved rusty grey cloak rested on her shoulders, but it was loose enough to show a beige-colored plastron with a few smudges of dirt on it. Worn tan pads were wrapped securely around her elbows and knees, and a faded brown pouch hung from her waist. With the hood of her cloak down, her face was exposed in the nightly air. Besides the peach eye mask wrapped around her head, a turtle-like face continued to watch the flames burn away at the remains.
She didn't flinch when a gentle hand slowly placed itself on her left shoulder.
"Elisabetta?"
Said turtle finally decided the fire had it's fair share of staring, and glanced behind her. A Japanese girl looked at her with strong sadness and a...hint of fear?
"Yeah, Mi?"
Mi's eyes darted around uneasily, her small amount of fear now making it's way present. "We.. have to leave. I fear we'll draw too much unwanted attention should someone notice your appearance."
The answer to Mi's questionable fear suddenly became clear. Her friend was a mutant. And when a human saw a mutant, they dashed for the hills. Plus, there was a chance Elisabetta could be mistaken for a yokai by one of the villagers.
Elisabetta took one last glance at the growing fire.
Her home...
Mother...
With a little shake of her head, Elisabetta turned back to Mi. She gave a firm nod, and her friend's eyes brightened if only by a little. Both girls took off, darting into the shadows of the night like they were taught to do. A few seconds later, shouting from various voices were heard in the distance.
A pair of hearts thumped in separate chests almost simultaneously. A few pants left the lips of Mi and Elisabetta as both girls took a moment to rest. Mi's eyes scanned the forest floor below, and she kept her ears open for any unusual sounds. Light from the full moon illuminated on the many bushes and shrubs below. Low croaks and occasionally, chirps resonated throughout the forest. Either than that, there were no signs of any danger. The tree they were settled in provided enough shadows to hide them from any wondering eyes.
Deeming it safe, Mi sighed in relief. "That was a close one, wasn't it Eli?"
When she received no answer, her eyes traveled to her friend. The mutant's chin hovered above her knees with her arms wrapped around her legs. Her eyes were currently lowered. They looked up when she felt someone was watching. Elisabetta's wondering lavender eyes met Mi's concerned chocolate ones.
She tried to smile, having caught the girl's last words. "Yeah, it was."
Mi's look only worsened. "Eli... I... I'm sorry. I am so sorry."
"Sorry? Sorry for what?" Elisabetta tried to act nonchalant about it, but Mi could hear the little waver in her voice. Her friend may have been strong in the beginning when the incident happened, but her resolve was starting to fade. The girl scooted closer until she felt she was close enough and raised her arms, making the other slightly confused.
"Mi, what are y-?"
"It's okay." Elisabetta suddenly found a pair of warm arms wrapped around her. With a start, she realized what was happening.
She frowned. "Mi, stop it. Look at me. I'm fine. We all have to leave this world some day, don't we?"
"If that is true, then why are you crying?"
She was crying? It was then she finally noticed the dampness on her cheeks, and how both the bottom of her mask and Mi's sleeves were slowly starting to soak. She frowned. A few tears were being shed, big deal.
"Yeah, so?" she asked, wiping them a little. A few seconds later, she heard a sigh.
"Would you stop being so stubborn and just let it out? What were to happen if Aimi-san were here right now?" Mi's eyes widened once she realized her mistake. "Oh.. Eli, I didn't m-"
Too late. Upon hearing the mention of her mother's name.. the floodgates fully opened. The seriousness of the situation finally dawned on the turtle.
Her mother... the one who raised her ever since she were an infant... taught her what she knew so far in their art... the only one besides Mi and her aunt who accepted her appearance.. herself... was gone... And she never had the chance to give that one person their birthday present...
Elisabetta finally broke down in Mi's arms.
So, here's our unknown mutant.. Elisabetta! You're probably thinking along the lines of "Really? Another story with a new turtle?" Well, yeah, sorry. I've seen a lot of these kind of stories lately, and I kinda wanted to give it a go. I'm just gonna see how this goes... Also, I'll try to get a picture up, so you can maybe see what Elisabetta looks like.