December 12th, 2012

"Guys! Guys!" Mikey ran into the living room of the farm house breathlessly, waving his arms above his head. Leo and Raph barely looked up from their video game. April walked in from the kitchen with a glass she was drying, "What's up, Mikey?"

"I saw a ghost! Like a real live ghost!"

"Technically," Donnie said as he walked down the stairs with a stack of papers, "according to poplar mythology a ghost is the spiritual imprint left behind by a dead person. So, uh, it's not alive."

Mikey's eyes had the same glazed over look they did whenever Donnie explained anything. "You should have seen it, it was all, like, white and was running like woosh! swoosh! like a ninja man."

Donnie have him a flat look, "You found a ninja ghost?" He accentuated every syllable.

"Hey, we're ninja turtles," Mikey rationalized.

"True," Donnie admitted reluctantly.

"He may actually be on to something," April said diplomatically. "When I was younger there were stories of the ghost of a little girl that rode a huge wolf through the woods. I was absolutely terrified that one day they'd burst into my bedroom at night."

"Hey maybe she's all grown up!" Mikey exclaimed, looking out the window as if he could spot her again.

Donnie face palmed. "Idiot," Raph groaned. "Ghosts equal dead people. Dead people don't 'grow up!"

"Well maybe this is a different ghost. She didn't have a wolf. Hey, she may have been a he. I dunno..." Mikey scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Think it's anything we've got to worry about?" April asked Donnie.

He shrugged, "Did it attack you?"

"Nah," Mikey shrugged, "she, uh, he... whatever, it just was running on the tree branches."

Donnie and April exchanged looks. "Running on the tree branches?" April asked skeptically.

"I told you it was a ghost ninja!" Mikey said like she should have remembered that critical detail.

Leo set down his controller and stood up, stretching. "Time to patrol," he said. "Where's Casey?"

"Working on the car in the barn," Donnie said. "I'll get him."

"Good we're going to split up and look for this 'ghost.' It may have ties to the Foot," the oldest brother said.

December 14th, 2012

Their search two days ago had turned up nothing, not that Raphael really thought it was. Ghost ninjas, he thought, shaking his head; of all the crazy stuff Mikey could come up with... Well, it was slightly less crazy than the cottage cheese demon.

He crouched in a snow covered bush. His breath came out in small visible puffs in the cold air as he scanned the area. Above him hung a red bandana. It was Leo's idea, playing capture the flag in the snow. It would make for good training, Leo said. Raph grumbled, and a good way to catch pneumonia too.

They'd broke off into two teams, with Leo, Donnie, and April on one and Raph, Mikey, and Casey on the other. What he wouldn't have given to be out there with Casey actually capturing the flag rather than standing around like a dope for the last hour waiting for Donnie and April to try to ambush him. Mikey could have stayed in the stupid bushes and freeze his tail off. The white hood he'd donned as camouflage did little to keep the cold at bay. He'd barely resisted the urge to smack Donnie in the head when his genius brother had reminded him that they ought to be grateful they were warm-blooded turtles. You'd have to be fire-blooded to make this whole exercise bearable.

There was a rustling from a nearby bush. "Smooth move, Don," Raph scoffed to himself. When the branches parted, though, it wasn't Donnie or April, but a huge buck deer that made its way into the clearing. "Oh great," Raph mentally groaned, "stupid thing's going to set off my traps." The buck avoided them, though, as it made its way to a tree at the far end of the clearing and started scrapping off the bark, eating it as it did.

He knew he should have been watching for the other team, but he couldn't help casting glances at the majestic creature. After five minutes there was a twang from the right side of him and the buck fell to the ground, an arrow sticking out its heart. Blood pooled, staining the pristine snow. Raph's eyes were as big as saucers, completely forgetting to watch for the other team. A few minutes later, without the sound of footsteps accompanying him, a white clad figure walked into the clearing. The person was tall and lean, a cowl covered most of his head and face, but Raph could see him scanning the parameter as he knelt by his kill. A bow and quiver of arrows were slung over his shoulder and a belt of several knives was at his waist. Could be Foot, Raph thought, his muscles tensing. He wished there was a way to alert the others without giving away his position before he knew more about what he was dealing with; after all, it could just be some hunter.

The hunter was muttering something that sounded a bit like a prayer before it wrenched the arrow out of the deer's body and rolled it onto its back. Drawing out a knife he carefully started gutting the animal. Raph shook his head. Of course, of all places to decide to play "Capture the Flag" they would do it where some moron would go bow hunting.

Standing, the hunter threw a rope over a tree branch and tied the other ends to the deer's back feet. Grunting, he strained to hoist the animal up into the tree. It was in the moment that he went to tie the rope off that the hunter's foot triggered one of Raphael's traps. As quick as the blink of an eye the hunter flew upside down by an ankle and the deer crashed down. There was a cry of pain as the rope snapped taunt. The cowl fell into the snow, revealing a long, thick braid of black hair. As the hunter spun around Raph got another surprise, the hunter was a girl, albeit, a cursing girl, whose hands were covered in deer blood, and whose eyes were murderous.

He couldn't just leave her hanging there, and without thinking he took a deep breath and walked out into the clearing himself. Instantly the girl's eyes were on him, narrowing. "Get away from my kill!" she spat, her brown eyes were pools of anger.

He put his hands up, "I'm just gonna get you down."

The girl pointed the gutting knife she was holding at him, then grunting pulled herself up and sliced the rope so that she fell. She landed, and staggered on the severely sprained ankle with a wince. "I can get myself down," she growled, pulling the rope off her ankle without her eyes leaving the turtle. "You work for the Kraang?"

"How do you know them?" Raph asked in slight shock as he slid his sais out his belt. After all, the girl still did have a knife drawn on him. "You Foot?"

For a moment the girl looked bewildered, but her face quickly fell back into stoic aggression. "I don't know anything about any foot," she said. "Back away from my kill."

"Look I don't want any stupid deer," Raph grumbled, but took a step back. "You oughta get off that ankle though."

"I'll be fine as soon as you get lost," the girl said without relaxing her pose.

From the other side of the bushes there was a rustle and Donnie and April emerged. "We heard talking. Who's she?" April asked, looking with confusion between Raphael and the hunter.

He girl looked between the new arrivals and Raphael. "You family or something?" she asked.

"We're brothers," Donnie said, taking in the girl's posture, and deciding to proceed cautiously. "I'm Donnie, this is April, and he's Raph. What's your name?"

The girl paused for a moment, obviously weighing out her options. "Val," she said her body relaxing only by a minute degree. "Look, I don't want any trouble. I just want to get this deer cleaned and get it back home."

"Where's home?" April asked.

"Around here," Val said cryptically, her eyes darting between the three people before her.

"There's only one house around here," April corrected her, "and we live there."

"Obviously your sense of geography's a bit off then," Val said.

"Let us bring you back home," Donnie said softly. "It looks like you're hurt; definitely in no condition to be hauling 150 pounds of deer by yourself."

"I'll be fine," she said, her voice icy.

"Maybe we ought to go," Donnie said, leading April towards the clearing.

Raph took a few steps in their direction then turned back to the girl. She stiffened again. "It's about to be dark," he said gruffly. "These woods are gonna be filled with wolves and you're covered in blood."

The girl actually laughed, a cold, sarcastic laugh, "I'm not afraid of wolves, but by all means, run along home if you are."

"I'm not afraid of no wolves," Raph countered, his temper flaring.

"Come on, Raph. Leave her," Donnie coaxed from the shadows of the forest. With one final look, the red-clad turtle turned and followed the other two, leaving the girl in the clearing alone with her kill.