TMNT One-Shots
Chapter 1: Sick
Being so far from home, you'd think it would be the absence of noise that woke Leo up about a week ago. You'd be wrong. It wasn't that there was an absence of noise, it was just that the turtle couldn't hear it.
And that scared him.
He had come down here to train, to be better for his brothers, and for his Sensei. He couldn't very well do that if he was dead because he couldn't hear some hunter- human or otherwise- sneak up on him. Which was why he was currently holed up in a cool, moist cave he had found a few weeks after his arrival in Central America. Sure, Donnie probably wouldn't approve of the conditions of Leo's chosen recoup spot, but it hid the oldest turtle from prying eyes, so it was fine with him.
The cave may have it's perks, like helping to cool his fever, and hiding the giant mutant turtle from humans, but it also had it's downsides. In addition to it helping with his fever, it was also making him shiver constantly. In case you didn't know, shivering takes up a lot of energy, especially when you're sick and most of your energy is going towards fighting off bacteria, so he was sleeping most of the time.
Leo had almost forgotten that the reason he was sick in the first place was that he had an infected cut on his leg. That is, almost forgotten, up until he had tried to move to get a drink from the running spring the cave had helping keep the temperature down. He hadn't crawled more than a foot before his leg gave out beneath him and he almost busted his chin open on the rough stone.
Now, Leo could barely remember through the haze how he had even gotten the wound that was causing him so much grief. The cold of the rock seemed to help lift the fog in his brain as he lay there, waiting to either die or recover from the sickness.
Then he caught snippets of a memory. Almost fully awake now, Leo snatched at the bits of memory that seemed to be floating just out of reach- taunting him. With a cry of triumph so small he almost didn't realize he made it, Leo remembered what had happened- or at least most of it.
I need to find some food, Leo thought, or I'll starve out here instead of going back home. With that depressing inner monologue to keep him company, it was a wonder he hadn't gone crazy yet. A rustle in the bush below him brought Leo from his thoughts. Crouching even lower on his branch, Leo put to use all of his training in the solitude of the forest, his green skin blending in perfectly with the background. Leo watched the shrub intently, determined not to mess up what could be an attempt at dinner, or could possibly be a human, who he wouldn't want to deal with unless it was a member of the gang he had been slowly dismantling for the past few months.
As the rustling grew louder, Leo tensed his muscles, ready to pounce if necessary. A shadowy figure slowly maneuvered itself out of the shrubbery, now sensing the need for stealth more than they had a moment ago.
When the figure was fully out in the light, Leo could have sworn, but instead just thought the word his Sensei would surely not approve of. It was a member of the gang calling themselves Los Diablos Negros, The Black Devils. The gang that murdered, raped, and stole from innocent people who had it hard enough without these selfish bastards to steal their livelihood right out from under them. Growling, Leo leapt from his perch on a branch about ten feet up, seeing the glint of metal half a second too late to do anything about it.
When Leo awoke, it was to a face full of dirt and congealed blood. Head pounding a beat to a song Mikey had probably listened to at least once in his life, Leo shoved himself off the ground without grace or strength of any kind. Cold hands fumbled around for purchase, finding a tree for their owner to rest against.
Once the world stopped swirling, the turtle gave a small huff of dismay at the sight of what the knife had done to his leg. His thigh was a mess of blood and dirt and sweat, filthy and gross. Solemnly, the young ninja resigned himself to what would surely be a mental lecture from his second younger brother while the oldest was in the throes of a violent fever.
Leo huffed again. He needed to move, but to where? It's not like he could just go waltzing- or crawling- into a village and say, "Hey, I know I look freaky, but will you help me with my injury?" Yeah, he would be a fool to even consider that an option. The world tilted for a moment and Leo knew he was running out of time. He had to get out of sight! Stretching his memory as far as it would go in his hazy state, he tried to think of the place he had seen a couple weeks ago… yes! He had remembered where it was, and luckily it wasn't too far from here.
Bringing the image to the forefront of his mind, Leo set off to find the place he would hopefully survive this wound in.
The memory successfully retrieved, Leo couldn't stop himself from slipping into sleep, where he dreamt of Donnie lecturing him on the importance of knives, the gang member cleaning his wound, and a talking coconut that sounded like Raph.
Well, my loyal readers, that seemed like a good place to end that particular one-shot. I was planning on ending it with a little more angst, but I didn't want it to be super long, and I am in a fluffy mood today. Hope you enjoy, and here's a gentle reminder to leave a review and to go check out my other stories. No flames please! If you are going to leave criticism, please make it constructive. Also, something I've been forgetting to do is add a disclaimer, so I just want you to know that I don't own the Ninja Turtles, sadly.