Wow. I did not expect so many people to like this.
I'd like to take a moment to fill in a rather large plot hole brought to my attention by StarTraveler. In this story, the Kraang did come to Earth, but when they realized the mutagen didn't work the way they wanted it to, they just left to find a dimension where it did. Sorry for any confusion that caused, and thank you StarTraveler for bringing it up! :)
Part of Eldest still couldn't believe they'd really adopted the human girl.
When Youngest had proposed the plan some nights ago, Eldest hadn't given it much consideration, writing it off as insanity. The humans were creatures to be avoided at all costs, and now Younger Brown Eyes and Youngest wanted to grab one and keep it in their Lair?! But as time went on and as Younger Brown Eyes began to pine for the human more and more, Eldest realized that some action needed to be taken.
Younger Brown Eyes had first spotted her on a topside scavenging mission roughly two moon cycles ago, and from then on he had been able to talk of little else. Every time they went to the surface, Younger Brown Eyes would wait for her by the Pizza Den and follow her back to her nest. He would even climb the metal branches up to the clear wall and spy on her as she slept. This had escalated so far that he'd even tried to go out during the day a few times, something much too dangerous to even consider. To keep his brother safe and happy, Eldest had finally approved the plan.
It wasn't like they'd never had a pet before. Roughly 6 season cycles earlier, Youngest had brought home a scruffy orange cat he'd found up above. She had lived happily with the brothers for nearly five season cycles before dying of what Younger Brown Eyes had diagnosed as 'old age'. The brothers had all grown very found of her in that time, and even Younger Green Eyes had been sad when she'd passed.
But this was no cat. This was a human.
The red-haired girl kept her distance from Eldest and his brothers. She had already tried to climb the wall leading out of the Lair and into the tunnels that led to the surface, but as Eldest had hoped, it was too high and sheer for her clawless hands. Upon realizing she was trapped, she had retreated to the farthest corner of the Lair.
She was scared of them, that much was obvious. But Eldest would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't a little cautious of her. They'd hid from the humans their whole lives. Eldest had nightmares of the humans storming the tunnels and either killing him and his brothers or dragging them away like they did the stray dogs from above. If the human ever escaped from them, she would be sure to tell her kind about them, and then they would come for them.
Eldest would have to watch her.
April was trying to convince herself that this was all just a bad dream.
Mutant turtles could not possibly have kidnapped her. Mutants of this level didn't even exist! She must've been working too hard. Her final exams at school last week had been rough. This was probably just an insanely crazy dream her overworked mind had come up with.
But if this was a dream, why did the stone at her back feel so cool? Why did the air smell so damp? Why did the steep wall leading out of the pit seem so formidable? Why did this all seem so freaking real?
The brown eyed turtle was creeping up to her, a bag clutched in one clawed hand, a bottle of water in the other. He gave her a small smile, revealing sharp white teeth with a gap in the middle top ones. April cringed away.
"Not hurt you," he said in his quiet, hesitant voice. The turtle set the water bottle down and pushed it toward her. After she took it, he held up the bag. "Hungry? You hungry?" He reached into the bag and pulled out a bagel.
April's stomach growled. She'd barely eaten any dinner, and lunch seemed to have happened a long time ago. She cautiously reached out a hand. The turtle gave the bagel to her. It was somewhat stale, but April didn't complain. She wolfed it down, even though a portion of her mind realized that the turtle had probably taken it from a dumpster somewhere. When that bagel was finished, the turtle gave her another.
April took her time eating this one. A bit of her initial fear had passed, and she took the time to study the turtle more in depth. His skin was an olive color, with hints of brown tones. He was taller and more slender than the other three. His chocolate colored eyes held a bright light of intelligence that was eerily human.
"How do you know how to talk?" April asked.
"Listen to humans. Watch. I smart," the turtle replied, puffing out his scrawny chest. "I find things. Useful things. Like light." He pointed to the battery powered lantern that was the only source of illumination in the cave-like pit.
"Do the others talk?" asked April. She hadn't heard any of the other three say anything other than the coarse growls they made at each other.
"We all talk," he replied, looking a bit miffed at the question. "You hear us."
"No, I meant English," April clarified.
"Ah. Not really. Eldest know some, Youngest too impatient to know, Older Green Eyes not care."
"Eldest? Youngest? Older Green Eyes?" April's head was beginning to spin.
"Brothers," said the chocolate eyed turtle. He pointed with one clawed hand to the dark blue eyed turtle, who was sitting by the base of the wall leading out of the pit. "Eldest leader. Make decisions." The hand moved to the little freckled turtle who was sorting through a pile of junk. "Youngest." The hand moved to the green eyed turtle who was snoozing on his plastron. "Older Green Eyes."
"What's your name?" April asked.
"Younger Brown Eyes to Eldest and Older Green Eyes, Older Brown Eyes to Youngest." April nodded as if that all made perfect sense.
"Does it ever flood in here?" April asked. The pit seemed relatively dry, but it was summer.
"Nope. Stay dry all year."
"Do humans ever come around here?" inquired April, trying to be casual.
"Never. Humans never come so deep." April had to fight not to visibly deflate.
"Oh. So, uh, how long do I have to stay here?"
"Forever," replied the turtle happily.
It felt like a rock had landed in April's stomach. "Forever? As in, ever? Like, I can't even walk around outside?!"
"Eldest says you must stay here all the time."
"Wonderful," April muttered. She was going to be a prisoner to these turtles for the rest of her life. "Just plain wonderful."
