Whoo hoo! Second to last chapter done, and in record time! I felt bad for the super long delay last time, so I decided to get this chapter done asap. I hope you all enjoy, and don't forget to review! I also hope this chapter makes sense and clarifies some things. And the story resumes…
Leo extended his arm, fingers spread, as if it would somehow reach out to his little brother and prevent this nightmare from happening. Leo, Raph, and Don could only watch as Mikey, who had curled into a defensive ball, scream his brother's name and cower in fear as King descended on him. But at the decisive moment—right as he had managed to touch Mikey with his outstretched nails—King was blown away by a dark-gray shadow that shot out at an incredible speed! Leo had barley registered what exactly happened, but it didn't matter to him anymore now that he knew his brother was safe. As soon as he reached Mikey, he rushed to examine the frightened turtle with shaky hands.
But just as Leo placed a protective hand on the youngest's shell, Mikey screamed out again and swung his arm to hit Leo in the chest. Leo stopped and gave a sad smile. As gently as possible he said, "It's gonna take a lot more to get rid of me, Mikey."
Still sobbing hysterically, Mikey looked up and realized it was his brother kneeling next to him. "L-Leo?" he choked out.
"Whoa!" Leo said as Mikey suddenly jumped into his arms. Leo let out a breath and melted into the tight hug. "Mikey…" he whispered. The youngest was shivering and continued to cry into Leo's plastron.
"I thought…" Mikey started in a hoarse voice, "…I thought he -hic- was gonna kill me…" he sniffled and paused for a second, trying to collect his muddled thoughts. "…I honestly th-thought I was gonna die. I was so scared…s-scared…" Mikey started to whimper again.
Leo pulled Mikey closer and patted his brother's shell with his free hand. "It's okay, Mikey," he said. But he knew that this was far from the truth. He cursed to himself in his mind. In a second's difference, Mikey would have not been okay, and it was his fault that Mikey was a complete wreck at this point, and why he was one also. He was so close to losing his baby brother, and though he refused to cry, he couldn't help but let a lone tear escape. After a moment, Leo moved away from the hug and looked down to at his brother. Mikey took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, as if to put everything behind him. He stared at the ground with flushed cheeks, embarrassed that his brother saw him in such a pathetic state. After he sniffled and rubbed his eyes, he sheepishly picked his head up and gave a weak smile of gratitude to Leo.
"Watch out!" Raph's shout came from behind. And suddenly, Leo and Mikey were pushed flat on the ground by their two brothers as something flew over them.
"Don? Raph?" Mikey wailed in a raspy cry. "You came for us…"
From their entangled position, Don and Raph could only pat Mikey gently on the shell in relief. "Heh…'course we did, Mikey," Raph managed to get out before looking back to the brutal fight.
As soon as his head stopped pounding and he gained his senses, Leo immediately remembered the duel after he saw the two dark forms fighting in front of him. "Dagger!" he cried.
King and Dagger were mess of blood, spit, and dirt, their bodies torn and their fur sticking up at odd angles. Dagger ignored Leo's shout as he continued his duel with King, slashing and biting at every opportunity. But King was distracted by the heap of turtles that lay before him, and gave one last attempt to have his way by charging again at Mikey.
Dagger took this advantage to dive headlong and clamp his powerful jaws on King's back leg. King yelped in pain as his flesh was breached and tried to tug his leg away. But Dagger clenched his jaw further with a sudden ferocity, and managed to crush King's leg bone with a disturbing snap. King howled in agony. Swiftly, before King could retaliate, Dagger released the broken leg and lurched forward to smash his jaws onto King's exposed neck. King writhed desperately under Dagger's deadly grip, but could not seem to overpower the dark gray wolf. With a grisly snarl, Dagger wrought his final strike as his fangs pierced through King's throat. King let out a strangled cry and went limp. Dagger stepped back from the gore before him, panting hard.
For a moment, no one moved or said anything as everything snapped into perspective. Dagger had won.
The victor wolf finally broke out of his trance, looked up from King, and gave a long, sorrowful howl that rang through the dark forest. As the wolf army trailed into the site, they too joined the howl and bowed to their new leader.
Raph, Leo, and Don quickly wriggled out of the turtle pile and watched the as the wolf army finally dispersed, leaving Dagger to deal with King's body. After Leo calmed Mikey and helped lay him back down comfortably, he turned to Dagger.
"I guess, um…there's not much to say," Leo started awkwardly. "Congratulations, Dagger."
The dark gray wolf smiled warmly, despite his gruesome appearance. "Ah, I too am at a loss for words, but…thank you." He cocked his head, noticing the two new turtles. "And these are your brothers, I presume?" Leo nodded in response, and Dagger turned to Raph and Don. "It is a great pleasure to meet you, Raphael and Donatello. Your brother has told me a bit about you," he bowed his head respectfully. Raph and Don looked at each other and then did the same.
Leo suddenly looked puzzled. "Uh, I did talk to you about them, but I didn't mention their full names. In fact, I haven't even told you my name, and now that I think about it…you already knew it some time ago…how did…?" he trailed off in confusion.
Raph, Don, and Mikey's eyes widened at Leo's comment as Dagger chuckled lightly in response. "We instinctively know the names of everything in this world." Dagger explained tiredly. "It is…hard to explain, but to put it simply, it is because we exist as spiritual forms. We are not mortal like you, after all."
"But you can die," said Don matter-of-factly, glancing to the lifeless form of King.
Leo tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm. And King did say he lost wolves to the river, and well, that's the reason this whole mess started, right? But is what he said the truth? Can the river kill you too?"
Dagger gave a sad smile. "Leonardo, that river is indeed the bearer of death, as King said. But what he failed to see is that it is also the creator of life." The four turtles looked in astonishment at Dagger. "You see, when we are 'born', as you call it, we rise from that river, and for the entirety of our lives we do not age. But as you know, we are not immortal—we can die by the hand of others, or naturally reach the end of our time. And when it is our time, we are mystically drawn to the river and vanish into the water's depths."
"That's so…fascinating," Don said, astounded.
Raph snorted. "But if King knew that, why'd he want Mikey's blood?" Mikey cringed at the question.
Dagger turned his head where King lay and gave a disgusted grimace. "King is a fool. He believed the rumor that drinking the blood of a living mortal who has consumed the river's water would make him impervious to its powers." Dagger chuckled miserably. "But no one can cheat death, not even King—and he knew that. We are spirits of this forest, not gods. But he was too afraid to face the fact that one day, he too would be drawn to the river and die. Just like the rest of us wolves." Dagger looked up to Leo. "I am sorry to have dragged you all into this, but I am eternally grateful for your help."
Leo gave an understanding smile. "Don't mention it. I'm happy for you and your comrades."
"So…'m guessing this t-turned out ta *cough, cough* be a happy endin'…huh," Mikey whispered drowsily. The three brothers looked to the youngest, each with their own version of a guilty smile. Leo and Don looked concerned, while Raph looked outright annoyed.
"Whadda ya mean, happy endin'?" Raph huffed, crossing his arms.
"I wouldn't call your fever a happy ending, Mikey," Don clarified. He gingerly placed a hand on Mikey's head and then looked to Leo. "He still feels pretty hot. We really should get back to the farmhouse and get him some medicine."
"Yeah," Leo replied, standing up. He scrutinized his younger brothers, who looked tired and dirty, and knew he probably looked the same. He noticed earlier that Raph was maskless and had his arm wrapped with his own red band. He wondered what Don and Raph had gone through while they had been separated, but decided against asking them then. Mikey was his first priority.
With the help of Don, Mikey was lifted onto Leo's shell and the turtle brothers were finally ready to depart. With King in tow, Dagger guided them to the river. The turtles watched as Dagger lowered King into the rushing water and let him sink under. When all was done, Dagger motioned to the direction for the turtles to go and would have accompanied them for the rest of the journey if Leo hadn't refused the offer. Dagger had a wolf pack to lead, after all.
"You were right to trust your brothers' abilities," Dagger said to Leo before he set off. "And I will leave knowing that is my turn to trust in my comrades as well."
Before Leo had a chance to reply, Mikey hoarsely whispered, "D-don't…let his sai fool you—Raph's not the *cough* sh-sharpest tool 'n the shed..."
Leo and Don chuckled as Dagger kit his brows in utter confusion.
"Shut yer face before I break it, chucklehead," Raph warned. Mikey didn't take the threat seriously, knowing he could get away with it, and Raph's relieved smile didn't help either.
Leo shook his head, grinning, then turned back to Dagger. "Goodbye, Dagger. Take care."
"And you as well," Dagger responded. He bowed his head, took one last look at Leo and his brothers, then disappeared into the dense forest.
Leo, Raph, and Don turned around and started to walk along the river. For a couple minutes, they hiked in silence, a bit overwhelmed with the duel they had just witnessed and the entire experience they had gone through over the past few days. Mikey fell asleep again on Leo's back.
Don glanced behind him to check on Mikey and sighed when he saw that his brother was sleeping. Leo gave a sympathetic stare to Don's fretful expression. "He'll get better, Donnie."
Don muttered under his breath and slowed down to fall in step with Leo. "I just—I can't help but worry. What if his sickness escalates into pneumonia, or his fever doesn't go down, or—"
"—Donnie, would'ya quit it?" Raph grumbled. "Mike's not weak, ya know. None of us are."
Don and Leo stopped at their brother's remark, the pure truth of Raph's terse statement enough to calm them. After an awkward silence, Don gave a short laugh. "You'd think I'd have learned that by now," he muttered softly.
Leo carefully shifted Mikey on his shell and started to walk a bit faster. "But you know, it wouldn't hurt to get back there sooner. Now that I think about it, I can't even imagine how worried Master Splinter and the others are."
"That's right, we haven't even contacted them at all," Don said, looking around. "Uh, do you guys happen to have your shell cells? I lost mine in all this…mess." Leo and Raph looked at each other and then back to Don with apologetic smiles. "Great, more work for me when we get back," Don grumbled.
"And I bet Sensei will beat the shell out of us in training when we get back, too," Leo said wearily.
"Ah, who cares? We got each other an' all that mushy stuff," Raph said with a smirk. "Sensei'll get over it. Besides, I've got somethin' ta brag about…"
"What do you mean?" Leo said, glancing over his shoulder.
"Well let's jus' say ya ain't the only one with mystic powers anymore…" Raph said smugly.
Leo raised his brow, intrigued. "Oh really?"