Disclaimer….. meh

Yukio87: Whoa Yukio chill! Just a story. Here have a cookie and maybe relax a bit.

LeonardotheLeader: I try to make a point of responding to all my reviewers. Sorry for the long cliffhanger. Currently fighting pneumonia.

Uuumm Guest I guess: Glad you like it.

Sav: Yeah the marmosets were what I had in mind. I don't know that they would actually behave like this but I couldn't help myself.

A note. Credit for Leo's situation for most of this story is inspired by Nikita the Lion from Big Cat Rescue. They do great work, and they have wonderful videos on Youtube. Why not check them out?

Hot, so hot, and why am I laying on a rock? Leonardo slowly clawed his way back to the waking world only to decide he'd been better off unconscious. They put me in a dog pen!? On all sides he was surrounded by high chain link fence, with a tattered tarp stretched taught between the corners and an actual dog house behind him. The bottom of the kennel was a cracked and weathered cement slab, likely to keep dogs from digging under the fence. Raging thirst awoke when he caught site of the water dish next to the little wooden house. He moved to grab it but cringed at the pain that suddenly blazed to life in his leg. His glassy eyes locked on the angry bullet wound in his left thigh. Someone had tried to treat the wound, but the stitches were messy, and an old dog kennel was hardly sanitary.

His parched throat again clambered for attention so he braced himself and carefully pulled the dish across the ground to his mouth. The dish fairly nasty, but the sensation of moisture in his dry mouth made it hard for him to resist chugging the water. He took a few mouthfuls and set the dish aside. Better to see how his stomach handled that first than drink it all only to bring it back up again. His most immediate concerns dealt with, the trapped turtle turned his attention to outside his cage.

It wasn't the only one. There were more kennels on either side of him, some were empty, but some contained dogs, such as the ones that kept him from escaping last night. Last night? Yesterday? Come to think of it, I don't really know how long it's been or even where I am. He startled as a jeep rumbled out of the bush, his eyes following it as it pulled up to a slightly ramshackle building at one end of the line of kennels. Five heavily armed men jumped out. He couldn't tell if they were the ones that caught him, the flashlights in his eyes hadn't let him see their faces clearly but they were clearly more drug men. One of them, a slight man with a bag slung over his shoulder walked over and started pulling meat out of the bag and throwing it to the dogs. Eventually he got to Leo's cage. Leonardo decided then that the best thing he could do was continue the dumb animal routine, so long as they underestimated his intelligence he had a greater chance of escaping, though that wasn't going to happen until his leg healed a bit. So he shuffled back as much as he could and hissed at the man.

Leo again wished he spoke their language as the man began talking to him in soft tones. Another chunk of meat was pushed through the fence and landed in front of the wounded turtle. The smell of raw flesh did his stomach no favours though and his focus changed to keeping the little water he'd drunk. The man's brown eyes narrowed in concern, he seemed to debate with himself for a minute and then yelled something to the others. One nodded and trotted into the building. A minute later he came back with another man and a large pair of gloves. The first man stood and talking softly again opened the cage door. Slowly they entered and came towards Leo. The sick turtle began hissing louder and tried to back away, but his leg was raging and his stomach was still trying to turn inside out. He didn't stand a chance. The first man had put on the gloves and reached for Leo's face, one ineffective bite later his jaws were being held shut and the second man had pinned him plastron down. The third man then moved in and started feeling down his body. He shook his head and tutted a bit when he got to Leo's wound. It seemed he had come to the same conclusion as Leonardo himself. The wound was infected. The man pulled a knife from his waist and slit the stiches. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a flask. The desperate turtle squirmed underneath the other two while his wound was cleaned with moonshine and then restitched with materials from another one of the man's pockets. Finally they backed away leaving a heaving Leonardo laying dazed on the cement. Oh Donnie, I'll never complain about your bed side manner again. Eventually his racing heart slowed and exhaustion pulled him under again.

The barking of dogs woke him in the evening twilight and he took a moment to just sit and stare at the stars. I thought I missed home before. He closed his eyes and imagined the lofty brick walls of the Lair. Laying on the couch, an infomercial playing low on the tv. His little brothers sprawled around him snoring and snuffling, his father dozing in the recliner, Casey passed out in the bean bag chair. Then the feeling of a woman's hand stroking his head and the scent of his sister lulling him back to sleep. The fevered turtle emerged from the memory of the last movie night he'd had with his family before leaving. Never had he wished to be back there more than he did now.

The crunch of dirt under boots registered and he looked to the side. The man that had tried to feed him was back with another bag and Leo's stomach turned just at the memory of the raw meat he'd been offered. The man had learned though and this time several fruit were presented. Well, that's better. Leo slowly pulled himself over, wary eyes never leaving the man and took the fruit. The sweet juices soothed his throat and the much needed sugars flooded his system. The man nodded and smiled, and with soft words once again left to see to the dogs. Huh, makes a living destroying people's lives but he's really good with animals. Who knew? The rush of energy from the food didn't last long in his depleted system though and soon he settled down to sleep, and hopefully heal.

Those hopes were soon dashed. The wound was truly festering now, puss and stench had become Leonardo's companions along with the fever. He couldn't even stomach water anymore, let alone any food. His keeper was getting increasingly disturbed and kept bringing the groups medic, for lack of a better term, over to try and help the ailing reptile. Finally they were forced to take drastic measures. While four of them held Leo down another heated a large hunting knife. The burning blade touched his skin and the world turned white. A blurred cycle of light and dark later, Leo came back to his senses. Is this what an old dishrag feels like? But he noticed that even though he was worn out weak, he no longer felt sick, until he looked down at his leg. A chunk of his thigh muscle the size of his hand was simply gone, leaving a charred ruin behind. His hopes for escape withered in his chest. Handicapped like that he wouldn't last two minutes in the jungle by himself, so even if he did gain his freedom, it would only be freedom to die.