Drabbles of Leo
Chapter 4 Nitrogen: Donatello
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You might think my brother Leonardo is like oxygen to our family. He is… in a way. Everyone knows you can't live without oxygen, and we know we would never have made it this far without Leo. He's the cohesive agent, the one who keeps us together, keeps us organized, keeps us focused.
The atmosphere has another huge component. Nitrogen. It makes up 4/5ths of the earth's atmosphere. Most people never give nitrogen a second thought, but actually, it's more prevalent, by far, than oxygen. It's everywhere, in everything. I do mean everything. It's present in combined forms in the tissues of plants and animals… especially in the proteins. Without protein, there is no muscle, no strength. Without nitrogen, there is no life.
Leo is like nitrogen. He's everywhere, touching every aspect of our lives. He's ingrained in all of us. He's embedded in my heart, my psyche. I feel the strength from the exercises he puts us through in training rising up in battle, carrying me. I hear his voice in my mind when I'm about to take a foolish risk, cautioning me to be careful. He is everywhere, the mortar and cement, the foundation of our clan.
My brother is nitrogen, and without him, we could not exist.
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