AN: Another TMNT fan fic! And this time it's a longer one than the 4-shot I did recently. :) It features a couple OC's of mine, but nothing that will alter the TMNT reality (i.e. a love interest for one of the turtles. That's NOT going to happen lol). Hopefully I'll be able to continue with this story and not get tired of writing it. I happen to have these moments very often, so I'm sorry if I disappoint anyone! I got a job this summer so I won't have all the time in the world to update, mind you. Please be patient with me!
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Title: The Game
Summary: Leo, Raph, Don, and Mikey have been turtle-napped and taken to a private island where a big game hunter named Jaeger Baldwin is tracking them for sport. Can the four brothers escape before they become part of this lunatic's trophy collection?
Rating: T (for moderate violence and strong language)
Characters: Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo, Master Splinter, Leatherhead, April O'Neil, Casey Jones, Jaeger Baldwin (OC), Selma Baldwin (OC), Slicer (OC), and other minor appearance by side characters
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OC Profiles:
Jaeger Baldwin
Sex: male
Age: 45
Nationality: German
Current Residence: Raubtier Island
Occupation: blacksmith, hunter
Talents/Skills: tracking down large game, forging weapons and materials out of iron (i.e. locks, blades, etc.), surviving in the wild over a long period of time
Relations: Selma Baldwin (younger sister), Slicer (accomplice and game strategist; his name is an alias), Abelinda (pet anaconda that hunts with Jaeger)
Height: 6'2''
Weight: 196 lbs.
Race: caucasian
Eye color: blue
Hair color: dirty blonde
Skin color: tanned
Distinguishing features: wears a western style hat with a brown quail feather sticking out at the top, right calf has an 8 in. scar, another scar starts at his left cheek bone and makes an uneven mark that goes across part of his lips and ends at the tip of the chin.
Habits: smokes large cigars while hunting (he revels in the fact that his prey can smell him coming), rubs the scar on his face when in deep thought, eyes shift a lot from being constantly alert.
Flaws: hot tempered, easily excited, mentally unstable to a certain extent
Strengths: patient, knowledgeable (on things like animal behavior, survival skills, navigation, etc.), persuasive.
Selma Baldwin
Sex: female
Age: 26
Nationality: German
Current Residence: Berlin, apartment complex; Raubtier Island (comes to visit occasionally and check on her brother)
Occupation: nurse at a general hospital, sews in the summer
Talents/Skills: the practice of medicine, sewing upholstery and clothing, can run for a long period of time due to her morning work outs (used to be in track during high school).
Relations: Jaeger Baldwin (older brother)
Height: 5'5''
Weight: 127 lbs.
Race: caucasian
Eye color: blue
Hair color: blonde
Skin color: peachy pink
Distinguishing features: her hair is close to a platinum blonde, she keeps a silver locket around her neck at all times.
Habits: picking at her jagged fingernails, brushing her shoulder blade-length hair behind her ears.
Flaws: quick to judge, indecisive, timid
Strengths: kind-hearted, fast-paced, resourceful
Slicer
Sex: male
Age: 38
Nationality: English (British)
Current Residence: Northampton, England (or wherever his service is necessary)
Occupation: game strategist (for hunting), traps specialist, hunter
Talents/Skills: setting up traps or distractions, plotting out plans of action, puzzles, sniping, assembling equipment
Relations: Jaeger Baldwin (client)
Height: 6'3''
Weight: 176 lbs.
Race: caucasian
Eye color: golden brown
Hair color: salt and pepper hair (usually slicked back)
Skin color: apricot
Distinguishing features: none (he doesn't want to be remembered by anyone of who he is or what he does, so he usually has to surgically remove any scars or visible marks of which to identify him with).
Habits: chews on his writing utensils while strategizing.
Flaws: becomes too hasty or impatient when things start going his way
Strengths: knowledgeable (academically), excels in puzzles and riddles, always one step ahead of the game, organized
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Chapter 1: The Stalkers
A wise rat once said, 'Straying from one's own path may hinder your enemies, but bare in mind that the same inconvenience may befall you as well.' But what is one's path? And, when you get there, how do you know which one to take? Especially if you have no idea where you're going to end up. Was there such a thing as fate? Or destiny? Both prospects seem rather stifling when considering that one knows so little about their future. Although, this fear has not stopped many of the great minds of our time to pursue what they believed was right. Even after death, the influence of those who helped change society for the better is still echoing off the walls of our ever-changing nations. There are so many questions that could be answered by these men and women, like how they suppressed their worries and fears? When and why did they decide to one day make an impact on the lives of so many when they are but one? Can they really make such a significant difference? Was their purpose realized before they fulfilled their desires, or after, when they thought no one would ever remember them?
How can I make a difference? What can I do to make my life worth more than just another living creature on this vast planet?
How do I find my one true path?
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Leonardo's mind was clouded with these heavy thoughts as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop on this chilly October night. The turtle didn't know how or why these questions formed, but it might've had something to do with the recent fight he had with his younger brother, Raphael. The two subjects seemed totally unrelated, but it was the content of their bickering that stuck to Leo like glue residue on a child's hands.
:~:~Flashback~:~:
"We could have stopped them! We could've shown them that what they were doing was wrong, and that they don't have to lead this life!"
"Are you kiddin' me, Leo? Those Purple Dragons ain't never gonna change. Once a scumbag, always a scumbag!"
"That's not true Raphael, and you know it. Angel was able to realize the error of her ways."
"She's different from those bumbling morons we duke it out with every other day. Those two back there weren't gonna back outta nuthin'."
"You don't know that! I could see it in their eyes, Raph. They... they looked like they wanted to be saved, like they were trapped and waiting for the first person to speak a kind word to them to take them away from that life."
"What, you some kinda psychologist, Leo? You gonna save every corrupted soul we find skulking around the alleys of New York? Why don't you start your own business, huh? I'm sure that'd go over just swell!"
"I'm not joking around, Raph."
"Yeh, well neither am I! Those two goons decided to play with fire, and guess what? They got burned. So I say, good riddance to 'em!"
"But their faces-"
"Look, Leo. You can't be the savior you wanna be. It's impossible to change the minds of every criminal in this city, let alone the world! One mutant turtle ain't gonna make a difference."
"Oh, is that how you see it, Raph? You can't control the things that happen in life, so you're just going to let it be?! I don't know about you, but I'm not gonna give up the hope that there's some good in all people and that we can change that!"
"Tch! Suit yourself bro. You can go off trying to purify the world with your 'good intentions', but yer not gonna see me comin' to help ya."
"Fine then. Think whatever you want. How could you possibly do anything to help these people anyway?"
:~:~End Flashback~:~:
After that, Leonardo had left the lair while Raphael stayed behind to simmer by himself. Donatello had gone out for some new tools earlier and hadn't come back yet, while Michelangelo was at a comic book convention about 20 blocks from their home. The older turtle could hear the angry grunting noises coming from down the sewer tunnel. If Raphael wasn't careful, that'd be the third punching bag this month that he's broken. At least it was better than taking out his fury on others.
Leo stopped at the ledge of one office building and peered into the apartment of Casey and April Jones. They'd been married a year already, but you could tell they still had a few issues to work out once April started whacking her husband with a broom. No doubt, the problem was caused by that big bonehead. Leonardo had planned to talk to the woman about his thoughts and questions, but decided that tonight wouldn't be the best night to do that (for obvious reasons). He continued his nocturnal trek among the jungle that was New York city, too distracted to notice the unfamiliar presence that was tailing him every step of the way.
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"Urgh!! Stupid Leo! Thinkin' he's... some kinda... hero or somethin'!" Raphael growled in between punches. The bag had already taken quite a beating and was just about to bust at the seams before he heard a cane tapping quietly toward him.
"My son, calm yourself. Overexertion is not good for the mind and body."
Raphel turned towards Master Splinter, hands clenched into fists at his sides. "I'm fine, sensei. Takin' a jab at the ol' meat sack is my way of relaxin'." The turtle's heaving breaths told otherwise.
"Ah, Raphael. You are not aware of your exhaustion in the least. This is a fortunate quality you possess among your brothers; endurance. But, you must remember not to carry such burdens on your own. This weight was not made for but one person." The old rat put a kind paw on Raphael's trembling arm. Maybe he really was overdoing it...
"But master, if I don't carry the load, then who will? Not Leo, that's for sure."
"Why do you say this?"
The turtle let out a disgruntled sigh. "Because nowadays, whenever we finish up a brawl with the Purple Dragons or some low-class criminals, he keeps on wantin' to preach to 'em, like he could bring them over from a life of crime in the split seconds we have before the police show up. It's crazy, I tell ya!" He whirled around and slammed his fist into the punching back one last time, causing it to burst into a pile of torn potato sack and sand.
Splinter was used to this blunt behavior and continued, "Leonardo is only attempting to find another way of solving conflict. This desire will come about all of you in time, my son."
"Yeh, I don't think so, Master Splinter. I mean, no offense, but I don't see a brighter future than what we're livin' in now, and it ain't very bright."
Splinter closed his eyes and nodded fondly. "I went through this same struggle at your age as well. I asked myself whether I could avenge my master Yoshi, or simply let the thought die out along with him. There were two paths I could have chosen: to go out and find the man who killed my master, or live in solitude like the rodent I was meant to be in this bustling world full of danger and uncertainty."
"Let me guess. You decided to hunt down the Shredder and kick his butt all the way to next Sunday, right?" Raphael smirked at the thought.
"One would think so, but it's the opposite from what you have suggested."
Surprise crossed Raph's features.
"I stayed underground, scavenging and desperately trying to survive. There were times where I felt like throwing myself into the raging current of the sewer's canal, but I knew this was not what my master would have done in a difficult situation."
There was silence for a few moments until Splinter was able to push the memory of Yoshi away again.
"But, to this very day, I am glad I chose that path."
"Huh?" One of Raphael's eye ridges rose. "Why's that, sensei? Sounds like a pretty rotten life to me."
"Because, if I had chosen to find Orokusaki and live above ground, I would have never discovered you and your brothers." The rat's warm smile struck a nerve somewhere in Raphael's heart.
"Thus, you cannot obtain the good things in life without first going through the bad. In all light, there can be darkness. And in all darkess..."
"There can be light." Raphael finished the sentence for him, suddenly comprehending what Leonardo was talking about before.
"Yes, my son. I believe you understand what your elder brother has been trying to convey to you as of late."
"So... Leo is... still trying to find the right path for 'imself? But I always thought that the guy knew what he was doin', ya know? He sure acted like it."
"We can come upon many paths in our lives, Raphael. This just happens to be one with a fork in the road and no sign that guides you. It is at this moment one must choose for himself what is the most reasonable course of action."
The mutant turtle stood planted to the ground for a while, taking in everything his father had told him. Although the meaning wasn't crystal clear yet, Raphael felt a little more enlightened about why his brother acted the way he did.
"Thank you, master." He bowed and, without another word, left the lair more silently than he ever had before.
"You're welcome, my son." Splinter smiled, let out a sigh that he had been unknowingly holding, and returned to the dojo for some light meditation. "Kids."
When Raphael emerged from the sewers, he re-covered the manhole and slipped into the shadows with ease. He then wall-jumped his way to the top of some condos and dashed across the cityscape like he'd done many times before.
'Maybe I should find Leo, tell him that I'm startin' to see his side o' things more clearly."
He thought about it.
'Nawww. He'd probably rub it in my face and whatnot, that jerk. I'm sure everythin' will be back to normal by tomorrow."
But everything was far from normal as another stealthy figure crept along the roofs of New York, stalking Raphael without detection.
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AN: Woah woah woah! Looks like the turtles have a few stalkers! Go figure, lol. Hopefully they're of the friendly kind, which isn't very likely as with most stalkers. Hope you enjoyed the first spine-tingling chapter of The Game! :D
Here are my policies in fan fiction writing in case anyone wants to know:
Mary-Sues and Gary-Sues are a big NO-NO for me. : \
I don't like mixing in stuff of reality with fan fiction. Ex: When someone says a character is wearing a My Chemical Romance or Naruto t-shirt or something of the sort, I can't STAND it!
I don't do song fics either. They're just a waste of time and space. No one ever reads the lyrics... seriously.
I'm all about making sure the characters are IN character. When someone decides it's alright for a cold, brooding character who never reveals his emotion to suddenly say "I love you" to the one he cares for, I go insane.
And that's about it! I'll have the next chapter up asap. :)