"Splinter, look." The smaller rat gestured to the glowing green ooze. In the ooze were eight small turtles. Tenderly, she picked one up and turned to face her mate. Splinter looked at the small creature and turned away. When he came back he was pushing a coffee bean can and began to gather the other turtles inside it.

"Thorn, do you want to keep them?" He asked. They both knew that Thorn would never be able to carry her own children, she hadn't been able to before.

"Yes. They're only babies." She said, happy. Splinter nodded and began to roll the can down the sewer to where the two rats normally sheltered.

Two years later

"Oh! Look here! Some pieces of cloth and some books!" Thorn exclaimed. Carefully she picked them up and brought them back to the small home that she shared with Splinter and the turtles. Thorn walked over to the small bookshelf and set down the new books. with a knife she cut eyeholes in the strips of cloth that she had found.

"Mary, Cleopatra, Van Goh, Jahanara, Raphael, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, come here." She called. All the turtles began to crowd around her. Thorn noticed that each color suited one of the turtle's personalities. The first band in her hand was blue, loyal and calm, much like Leonardo. The second was a hot pink. Lively and noticeable, like Cleopatra. Then came black, dark and powerful, perfect for Mary. Orange symbolized Mikey's playful behavior. Then red, a smile on her face she handed the cloth to Raphael, his short temper more than matched the color. A light green she gave to Van Goh, the color almost blended into Van's complexion, much like she wanted to blend into the crowd. Purple, a regal color for a sophisticated turtle, as soon as she handed it to Donnie, he put it in his small book of renaissance art.

Last came an odd color. Silver. For a few seconds, Thorn wondered how someone could throw away such a beautiful cloth, but then she remembered Jahanara. The silver was well suited to her, for the young turtle was odd in a wondrous way. A leader, but not willingly.

Without saying a word, Jahanara took the cloth and tied it around her head. Cleopatra, the nosy one, ran to see what new books Thorn had brought. Splinter also investigated. Suddenly he grew stiff and picked up one of the books.

"What is this?" He asked, his voice strained. Thorn read the front cover and smiled.

"It's a magic book. I was thinking that I could teach the kids. I mean, you're teaching them fighting, I thought..." But she couldn't finish. Splinter roughly threw the book across the room.

"I won't have that in the children's heads!" He roared. Thorn blinked, not knowing how to respond to Splinter's outburst. Finally she found her voice.

"And why not?" She demanded. Splinter looked her straight in the eye.

"Because, this is not real, this will not help them survive!" He shouted.

"Really?" She yelled back. Her fists clenched and unclenched. "I intend to give them everything that I can." She said, trying to calm down.

"Not my sons. They will not learn such nonsense." Splinter hissed then turned his back on Thorn. In a rage she grabbed the magic book and the weapons off of the wall that Splinter had intended to give the girls. Then she ushered the girls out of the small home and into the sewer tunnel.