First word

A/N: this idea just came to me about how the turtle's first experienced the world from toddlers to pre-teens.

Summary: the turtle's first words are recognized in this chapter.

Disclaimer: don't own them sorry!

A/N: Fixed Errors

Takes place just weeks after the turtle's mutation...

Splinter was up once again with his adopted son, he couldn't understand why this young one was up so often during the night. He paced the floor rocking the small infant as he cried, Splinter had been able to find a little food and store it but the tiny turtle's were growing and he needed to find more food. He knew that must be what was wrong with this little one, he must be hungry.

Splinter walked into the kitchen with his son and tried to find something to console him, he found in their makeshift cooler/refrigerator a partial carton of milk. He would have to go topside and get more in the morning while the little ones took their morning nap. He poured the rest of the milk into a bottle and put it into the tiny turtle's mouth.

The hungry little boy sucked hungrily on the bottle, Splinter walked back into the boy's room and looked at the rest of the tiny turtles. The little one in his arms began to fall asleep, Splinter knew the others could wake up at any time also wanting to eat. He had gotten a discarded mattress for the little ones to sleep on for now, he laid the now sleeping turtle next to his brothers and slipped out of the room. He went back to the kitchen and found nothing left, if the others were to wake and he knew they would, he would have to go out now and find more.

Splinter checked on the babies one more time before leaving the lair and in search for food, he was putting on his coat when he felt a tug on his trench coat looking down he saw one of his young sons at his feet. Splinter smiled but was at the same time worried, how did this little one crawl out of his room with out alerting his brothers?

He once again checked on the other three only to find them still sleeping, he had yet to name them but he didn't know how to really tell them apart except for their personalities they already possessed and eye color. This one before him now was his curious one, always closely examining things. He picked up the little one and said softly "i cant leave with you awake, so I guess your going with me."

Splinter had sewn a pouch on his trench coat so that if he needed to take one or more of the little ones he could. He put his small son in the pouch and headed out of the lair as quietly as possible. He could feel the small boy moving around slightly, he whispered to him "its OK little one, we are going to get some food." this seemed to settle the little one down he got to a ladder and climbed up to the surface, he hid behind a dumpster near by as some teenagers walked by joking and laughing.

After they passed, Splinter looked to see if there was anything in the dumpster he was next to, he found nothing that could be of use. Quietly he slipped down an ally and found a grocery store, he could tell by the way the lid was standing a little that it was full. Splinter pushed the lid up and saw food, his small turtles could eat some solid food but it couldn't be to hard for them to chew. He reached inside and pulled out some cereal, it was expired but not by anymore then just one day or two. He put one box in his gathering bag and reached back in, he found a carton of milk in there as well.

He put it in his bag, he could feel his son squirming in the pouch, he didn't realize the way he was standing that he was placing his son between him and the dumpster. He reached inside the pouch and picked his son up, he said to him softly "sorry little one, I didn't mean to squish you."

He put his son down next to his feet and then said to him "little one if you can understand me, stay at my side, don't move." the little turtle looked up at his father and nodded. Splinter smiled, he couldn't believe how intelligent this little turtle was, he hoisted himself up and over the rim and found more food that was salvageable.

He began to put the food into his bag, he even found bottled water. He could hear his son begin to fuss, he peaked over the edge and saw him looking up with frightened eyes. Climbing out of the dumpster he knelt down and said softly "what is it little one?" he looked around and saw the source of his son's fear, a dog was sniffing around a near by trash can. He picked his son up and held him close the large animal began to turn around to them smelling food. Splinter moved silently and quickly as possible he saw a shed near by and slipped in the door, he could hear the dog coming closer.

The little turtle in his arms was silent, surprisingly, Splinter placed him back in the pouch and found a metal rod he could use if he had to defend them. Splinter saw another door and went for it, and slipped out and ran full speed back to the dumpster, jumping high as to not have his son hit the edge he jumped in and closed the lid on them. He could hear the barking of the dog just outside, he found some stale meat and lifted the lid slightly and threw it out to the dog.

He found more and threw it out as well, after a few moments he didn't hear anymore movement, he opened the lid and saw that the dog had left. He propped the lid open so he could see by moonlight and gathered more food from the dumpster. He got more milk, fruit, and vegetables for his sons, he climbed out and headed back home.

Once he located the manhole that he had first come threw he headed for it, but was stopped by sounds of movement. He looked and saw some thugs by the dumpster, "hey mack, how much money you got?"

Splinter backed up, the men approached him he could feel his son squirm again, he wondered if these men would hurt him if they new there was a baby involved. Splinter reached into his pouch and took the cracker he had found and given his hungry son away. The reaction was immediate the little one began to cry, the men looked at him strangely and said to each other "i ain't mugging no one with a baby! That just ain't right, lets get out of here."

Splinter gave his son back the cracker and watched the men slowly leave, walking back to the manhole he opened it. He was half way home when the small turtle tried to climb out of his pouch, Splinter looked down and said "no son, stay down."

The little one made some noises and then stuttered "d-d-d-daddy."

Splinter froze in his tracks he picked the baby up out of the pouch and said to him "you said your first word?"

The little one smiled at him, Splinter held him close, he couldn't believe one of the tiny turtles had spoken, and they were only a few weeks into being mutated.

Arriving home he put the food away, and gave his son another cracker, he watched the little turtle eat happily. He went to the shelf he had built that had a few books on it he pulled out a renaissance art book and flipped threw the pages, he found on two pages four names. He looked toward his son and started to say the names as if the little one would pick one; he first said "Leonardo."

Nothing the little turtle didn't even turn his head, then he tried the next one "Michelangelo?" still the little one didn't turn around but kept eating his cracker, trying again "Raphael."

He noticed the little one shift but didn't turn... there was only one name left on the page "Donatello." the little turtle turned around and smiled at him, Splinter put the book down and picked up the little one and said "OK then I will call you Donatello, I would say you like that name." just then there was movement. across the room and the littlest turtle crawled out of there room, it was the same little one he had been feeding only a couple hours ago Donatello pointed and looked at his father then to his little brother and said "Mi- Mi- Mi..."

Donatello frowned as he was unable to pronounce the name Splinter smiled and said "are you trying to say Michelangelo?" the turtle on the floor stopped crawling and looked up at his father and brother and smiled. Splinter put his son down and walked into the other room to check on the other two, he saw one of the little ones was awake and was playing with his sleeping brother's hand trying to wake him up as well.

The sleeping turtle woke up and began to grunt and it looked as though he was getting mad quickly, he noticed this one had quite a temper. He picked up the first to wake and said to him "now you shouldn't anger your brother little one, now lets see what should I call you?"

The small baby was playing with his Kimono and looked at him expectantly, Splinter smiled at him "well how about Raphael?" the little turtle scrunched up his face and shook his head, he could understand him just as Donatello had, "OK then how about Leonardo?"

The little turtle hugged his father and smiled happily, he looked down at his angry turtle and said "then that leaves the final name for you young one, Raphael." the turtle on the mattress looked up at him and grinned." he wondered to him self how these four little turtles could have chosen their names. But he knew they were all intelligent, he wondered if more of them would start to speak?

Months passed and Donatello was talking more, the others didn't follow just yet, Splinter had kept going back to the same store that he and Donatello had visited back when he was only a few weeks old. Now the turtles were around 8 or 9 months old he watched as they were much more active now, he noticed that Donatello and Michelangelo were sitting across from each other they had both been playing with the same toy but now he saw Donatello looking seriously at his little brother and said to him "toy, say toy."

Michelangelo looked at him curiously and made the T sound a few times but couldn't do what his older brother said to do. Leonardo and Raphael were sitting near by watching them, Raphael started to make the T sound as well, Leonardo just looked between them.

Donatello noticed their father watching and said "Dada no speak?" he knelt down to his young son and said "no my son, they do not speak yet. You are being such a good teacher, you are trying hard. Michelangelo and Raphael may speak soon at the rate your going."

Donatello looked back at his brother and said "Mike say toy?"

Michelangelo looked questioningly at his older brother "t-t-t." the little one looked so frustrated, Raphael looked at the two and tried again "t-to-to-to-y. Toy." Donatello clapped his hands and said "good Raphie! Dada he said Toy!"

Splinter was still knelt down and said "good job Raphael." Raphael repeated the word over and over again, Leonardo looked at his younger brother questioningly then back down at the toy.

A few more weeks had passed Raphael had learned a few more words since he first learned to talk. Leonardo and Michelangelo were asleep in bed when Raphael woke them up "brodders wake up." the two looked up at him but didn't speak, "Leo, say Raph."

Leonardo looked at him and started to make the R sound Mikey looked at his older brother and made the R sound as well. Donatello woke up at the sound of his brothers and said to them "say Donnie..." the two non speaking turtles looked at the other two, Mikey stuttered "D-D-D-D-Don-Don..."

Donatello clapped and said "good! You say it!"

Splinter had been woken at the sound of his sons and walked in just as Michelangelo spoke, "my son you said your first word as well! Great job."

Michelangelo looked happy with him self and they all turned to the final turtle who had not yet learned to speak. Weeks passed and Leonardo had not yet spoken, Splinter couldn't understand why the other three could speak and Leonardo couldn't yet. Another few months went by and their first birthdays were approaching, Splinter choose four different dates for their birthdays based on their maturity Raphael was first up and had his birthday on July first, Leonardo July second, Donatello July 7 and Michelangelo July 8.

Splinter did research on turtle's hatching and it is rare for a nest of turtles to all hatch on the same day so he thought up four different dates to resemble their hatch dates, he didn't know if he was any where close to right but he did it anyway. On the forth of July just two days after his birthday Leonardo was holding onto the edge of the couch and walking and saw his father sitting down reading Raphael and Michelangelo a story.

Holding on he walked over to his brothers and Splinter he stuttered but said "R-R-R-Ra-Ra." Splinter put the book down and looked at his son, Leonardo was pointing to his older brother after a few more moments Leonardo tried again "Ra-Ra-Rap!Rap!"

Splinter smiled, he said to his son "its Raphael my son but good try. I am proud of you."

Leo looked up at his father with a smile and pointed once again to his brother "Rap! Raph!" Splinter heard the h at the end of it that time and said "great job my son." he was happy now that his sons had learned to talk, he knew with they way they all held on to objects that they would soon be mobile.

A/N: so what did ya think? It was fun writing this, I thought of the dates for the turtles birthdays being in the middle of summer. And I have always thought about how Raphael is bigger then the other turtles that he may actually be older then Leonardo so I put him as the oldest. Be ready for the next chapter as the turtles become more mobile and Splinter will have his hands full!