A/N: HIYA! I know it's been forever, but I've been preoccupied! I hope you guys like this chapter, because it took me FOREVER to write! And for all you DonnieXAlopex shippers out there (because I know you're out there) here's a little something for you!

Thanks to everyone who has read and rated this story, and I love you all!

I OWN NOTHING!

Enjoy!

Chapter 11: The Sacred Crest

For a mutant turtle, living in the sewers of New York, while at times was pleasant and safe, was considerably hard. The mutant family would have to constantly put up with foul smelling water from the storm drains flooding into the lair, as well as numerous rodents – none of which were masters of ninjitsu – that deemed it wise to crawl inside and eat at anything they could get their fangs on. But with time and teamwork, everything would be cleared out and the lair safe to walk upon once again, and the food as well as the furniture would be safe from wild rats. Then there was the heat during the summer that would sometimes be close to unbearable, but as reptiles, they could adapt to that at least; sunbathing was a rare treat for them after all.

What they couldn't exactly adapt to was the unpleasant cold during the autumn and winter months; being partly cold blooded themselves, it meant that they were restricted to how much time they could spend out in the city before they froze to death, and they had to bundle up warmly in large coats and scarfs that prevented them from moving as quickly over the rooftops as they'd like to. Even inside the lair, where the cold was less cruel but no less bitter, they were forced to wear over-sized pajamas that April had bought them last year, (though they looked an awful lot like the things that babies wore) but despite the embarrassment, they had to wear them or Splinter would give them a hard time about it. They resented the nagging, but they knew he meant well. He was their father after all.

The three turtles very much wished that he were here to rub it in their faces about the cold now as Leonardo, Donatello and Raphael, all three of them shivering cold with their arms hugging themselves, trudged through the thick, knee-high snow as they followed the lead of their newest ally and guide, the arctic fox known as Alopex, through the winter landscape. The snow had begun to fall once they entered the other side of the woods, and it had nearly covered the Red Brick Road in layers, leaving more work for the frozen turtles to get through it.

Just their luck; as if their journey hadn't been hard enough already.

On Leo's shoulder, Klunk sat cuddled against his neck, nuzzling him and purring in an effort to keep him warm, but it did little. He appreciated her concern though, and he lifted up a shaking hand to scratch the back of her ear as he offered her a smile.

The frozen winds bit at their bare scaly skin as it blew over them, only adding to their misery as their teeth chattered together. Alopex, of course, was unaffected by the cold; she was built for this kind of weather, with a thick coat of white fur encasing her body and keeping her warm. The hood and the scarf helped a little bit of course.

Lifting her black hood over her head, she glanced back at the three reptiles trailing behind her. She winced inwardly as she watched them rub their hands up and down their bare arms, their expressions full of wretchedness as they shivered. She felt sorry for them of course, but until they reached her village, there was nothing she could do for them. They were only halfway there, but with the trees and continuous snowfall, they wouldn't be able to see the village beyond.

Or whatever was left of it, that is.

She frowned deeply, and her heart clenched at the thought of what had become of her once beautiful homeland. It was once a place of laughter and music…now it was slowly fading away, just like everywhere else in Oz…

His teeth still chattering together, Raph let out a low grumble. "H-Hey! F-Fox girl!" he barked impatiently, "how much longer until w-we get t-to your village already?!"

Rolling her eyes as she was drawn out of her thoughts, Alopex turned to them again. "We're almost there, Raphael, trust me," she replied calmly. "Once we're in my village, I'll take you to one of the spare huts so you can get something warm to wear. And then I'll take you to meet my village Elder."

Raising a brow, Leo looked up and tilted his head slightly. "Your village Elder?" he repeated.

Without breaking her stride, Alopex nodded once. "Yes. He's the respected leader of our pack, of course, and he is the oldest and wisest of all our kind. When you meet him, don't be fooled by his appearance; he may be old, yes, but he has a warrior's soul…" A proud smile graced her features as she continued onwards. "…I remember when I was just a kit. He was there when The Wicked Warlock of the West had first attacked. He stood as proud as the mightiest of Kings against The Shredder's forces, and with his warriors by his side, though they were only few, they were as strong as gods…"

Behind her, the turtles listened intently to her words, and Leo couldn't help but smile. She truly admired this warrior, didn't she? It reminded him of how when they were younger, they had looked up to Splinter as though he were the greatest warrior in existence. Later on in life of course, they saw that their childhood assumptions weren't exactly true, but considering that he had beaten the Shredder, it was still pretty close.

"You really look up to that guy, don't you?" Donnie asked, a warm smile spreading across his face despite the chill.

In response, Alopex nodded with an eager smile. "Of course! After the battle, I asked him myself if he could teach me his ways. And even though I was only a young pup at the time, he said that he saw something different within me, and he agreed. I wanted to fight just like he had against Shredder's forces. I wanted to become a warrior strong enough to protect my people if the time ever came…" she trailed off, her smile slowly fading as she turned back to the trail, securing the scarf around her neck. "…but I never thought that the time would come so soon…"

At her melancholy response, the three boys frowned. They had no idea how old she was, but it was obvious that she was still pretty young – too young – to fight in a war on a scale such as this, and she was clearly suffering because of it. She was just like the four of them had been; they were overconfident, thinking that they could beat anyone that came their way. But Shredder had literally beat some sense into them that night, and declared the start of the war between their two clans. That was last year, and they were only fifteen at the time. They had been tossed into something that was far bigger than all of them. Who knew how old she was, and she was in their same situation…or possibly worse.

And they had never seen anyone die in front of them like she probably had.

In that moment, despite everything she had done to him and his brothers beforehand, Donatello had gained a new respect for Alopex. Sure, she had tried to eat him, but he had to admire her for her strength. To go through so much and lose so many in the space of – from what they could gather – mere weeks, was worse than what they had ever been through in the space of a year and a half.

She was born a fighter alright, and a very stubborn one at that. Donnie found himself smiling a little at the thought. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all. Yes, she was a little sarcastic at times, snarky and a little savage if pushed to a point, but she was compassionate.

He guessed that he could at least give her a chance…

As they reached the edge of the forest, Alopex abruptly drew to a halt, the turtles nearly bumping into her at her sudden pause. They looked over her shoulder to find that at the bottom of a steep snowy hill, surrounded by other towering trees and thick bushes, was a rather large village. Behind tall, wooden gates that encased the village's perimeter, there were dozens of wooden huts of varying sizes and shapes, some with smoke emitting from their chimneys, whilst many others were under construction. Though they were hard to pick out due to the snow, they could also see many other white fox creatures walking about the village, some with stacks of wood on their backs and others carrying weapons in their arms. Most of them were clothed as Alopex was, with dark scarfs and hoods over their heads.

As his younger brothers gazed down at the town below in wonder, Leonardo looked over to Alopex, regarding her solemn expression. He frowned sadly. He could tell without having to ask that what they were seeing now was what was left of her village people.

Clearing her throat, Alopex beckoned them forwards. "Come on," she said, walking on ahead of them as they followed, "let's get you guys warm and something to eat; you must be starving. Once the Elder is finished speaking with you, I'll begin with Donatello's training."

All three turtles snapped their heads up at that, and Donnie nearly tripped down the hill. "Training?" they barked all at once. What did Donnie need training for? Better yet, why only Donnie?

Turning her head, Alopex stared at them with a raised furry brow. "What? Didn't you guys know already?" she asked as they neared the foot of the hill. "Klunk had adorned Donatello with the first symbol of the four Sacred Crests last night."

Raising their brows high, Raph and Leo turned to look at their younger brother, quickly scanning him in search for this so-called 'crest' that the fox girl spoke of. Donnie himself, now very much baffled, followed suit as he looked down at his chest and arms just to make sure. Sacred Crest? What Sacred Crest? Wouldn't he have noticed if a cat had written something on him –?

With a startled cry, Donnie found it. And to his shock, it had been as clear as daylight the entire time. He gawked at his right shoulder with wide, disbelieving brown eyes and his mouth hung open. Though the three of them could have sworn that it wasn't there before, there was in fact a Japanese symbol engraved on the purple clad turtles' shoulder.

It read Chishiki, meaning 'Knowledge'.

Donnie finally blinked once, unable to tear his gaze away from the crest as he and his older brothers remained speechless. How had it gotten there? How had he not seen it before…better yet, how had he not felt it being written on him? It looked as if it had been burned into his very skin, yet he felt nothing!

What was going on? What could this mean besides simply 'Knowledge'?

On Leo's shoulder, Klunk nodded her head in satisfaction. It was about time he had noticed the Crest. When he had devised the plan to rescue Leonardo on the night he had been taken by the Owl, sent by Lord Bishop himself no doubt, Donnie had effectively proven himself worthy to obtain the first of the four crests, Chishiki. Michelangelo had discovered his power long ago, and so it was time for his older brothers to follow in his footsteps and discover their true potential as well.

"W-what is…how did…what?" Donnie stammered, looking to his brothers for some sort of explanation, but of course they had none to give. They had never seen anything like this before either, so what on earth were they supposed to know what to say to their equally baffled purple clad brother?

Then all eyes were on Alopex, who simply turned on her heel and continued her path towards the village gates. "You don't have to fear, Donatello," she replied over her shoulder as they continued to follow her lead. "Everything will be revealed once you meet the village Elder. But I need to warn you; once we start your training, it won't be easy."

There was an ominous edge to her voice that made Donnie wince. That was something that Raph usually did during training, just before he beat the snot out of him. Twiddling his six fingers together both nervously and from the cold, he gulped. "Um…j-just what kind of training are you talking about?" he probed.

Alopex huffed out a small laugh as they came to a stop just in front of the towering gates, and she turned to flash her golden-eyed gaze at him. "Let's just say, it's quick training, and with the right focus you should be done within a day. However, with what you are trying to accomplish, it might include a few broken bones and bruises," she grinned devilishly. Donnie drew backwards in worry. Leo winced in sympathy, and patted Donnie on the shoulder consolingly.

But Raph only folded his arms and smirked. Call him crazy if you will, delirious even, but he was actually starting to like this fox.

With that said, Alopex looked up at the watchtower, a large wooden tower built just behind the gates with two soldiers standing within the platform to keep an eye out for any threats coming their way. She barked loudly two times, gaining the soldiers' attention as they looked down, and they barked back.

The three turtles watched in a mixture of wonder and confusion as the foxes barked back and forth. What were they supposed to be doing? Couldn't they speak normal English like Alopex could? Bemused, Raph leaned towards Donnie, who was watching the entire exchange with a rather intrigued expression. "You have any idea what they're supposed to be doing, Don?" he asked in a hushed tone.

Not averting his gaze away from the fox woman, Donnie put a finger on his chin. "It seems as though they're speaking in what would be considered as their native language," he replied, and then began to grin to himself. "Truly fascinating, don't you think?"

Raph didn't answer, and instead turned to Leo as they shared a rather unsettled look. Whilst Donnie was amazed, the older two turtles found it somewhat disconcerting; they couldn't understand a word they were saying. What if they were saying things about them that would ultimately doom them? Or worse…what if they were making rude jokes about them?

A loud creak and wood groaning against wood brought the turtles out of their musings as the gates finally opened up to them. It seemed as though the guards and Alopex had come to some kind of agreement at last, though the turtles were still oblivious to what it was. They just hoped it was good, and that they could finally get warm. Leo liked the color blue, but he was sure that his fingers weren't supposed to be that color.

Alopex drew in a deep breath, and let it out again in a content sigh as she led the turtles into the village. "It's good to be home," she muttered to herself. She then turned back to her reptile companions, and was shocked to find that they appeared to look more on the blue side rather than green. That didn't look good at all. She hummed thoughtfully, darting her eyes around the village in search for a particular building. Where was the new coat shop supposed to be again? With all these new buildings being built after Bishops' first attack, nothing was where it was back when she was little.

"U-Uh, Alopex?" Leo stammered, his teeth chattering again as he tapped her on the shoulder drawing her attention to him. "I h-hate to rush you, b-but we seriously need to get warm right now."

Alopex nodded in understanding, and she took Leo by the hand as she hastily led him and his brothers deeper into the village. Taken by surprise from Alopex's gesture, Leo reached to take Raph's hand, who then begrudgingly took Donnie's, effectively forming an awkward chain of turtles as the vixen guided them through the huts.

Many of the villagers cast them strange glances as they walked by, but none were of disdain. Instead, they all seemed rather fascinated by the turtles, some even smiling and whispering to one another as they passed. The three boys were once again baffled as the villagers continued to watch them with immense interest. Where they well-known in these parts or something?

Or perhaps they mistook them for their counterparts that lived here in Oz?

"Here we are," Alopex announced as they rounded a corner, and using her free hand to grab the crevice in the door, she slid it open to reveal the inside of the hut. It was nothing very grand, but there was a dinner table at the far left against the wooden wall, a door across the room that led to a fully functional bathroom, a coat hanger next to the front door, and a warm fireplace filled with fresh wood that had yet to be lit built against the wall between the table and the bathroom door.

But what caught the turtles' attention the most was that the floor was covered in thick layers of soft, warm fur.

They all turned to Alopex, their eyes comically wide and almost pleading. She couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of them, and she nodded. "Go right ahead," she said.

That was all the invitation they needed as they practically fell faces first onto the floor, with Klunk releasing a startled yowl as she leapt off of Leo's shoulder before he hit the ground. Lying with their limbs spread out, the turtles let out a combined chorus of sighs of relief as they felt the warmth of the furs instantly encase them. Shaking her head fondly at the sight, Alopex slid the door shut behind her as she walked around the turtle trio, kneeling down in front of the fireplace as she took out a box of matches from the pocket of her hooded jacket, striking it and then throwing it into the wood pile. As it began to burn, the room immediately began to get warmer, only adding to the reptiles delight as they sighed once again.

As Klunk curled up on Raphael's chest, purring soundly in satisfaction, the vixen smiled. They were without a doubt three of the strongest warriors they had ever seen in the Land of Oz, but they were also just a bunch of young cubs. How they could be fearless fighters in one moment and be silly and reckless the next was downright extraordinary, if not very humorous and admittedly adorable.

"Thanks a lot for this, Alopex," Leo said after stretching out his sore and weary limbs, "we really needed this…"

Alopex smiled with a nonchalant shrug. "No problem. It's the least I could do," she said, "I was going to let you stay in one of the new huts, but I remembered that most of those re going to be used for the villagers that…don't exactly have a home at the moment. So I decided that I'll let you stay with me in my own hut. It's safer that way anyways."

Leo rolled back onto his stomach as he looked up at Alopex curiously. "So, where is this Village Elder that you want us to meet?" he asked, supporting his chin on his hands as he rested his elbows on the soft ground, "And what is that Crest on Donnie's shoulder supposed to mean?"

At that, Donnie finally looked up as well as he sat himself upright, helping Raph sit up as well in the process. "Yeah, and why do I need to have training?" he asked, folding his arms over his chest. "If you haven't already noticed, we're all highly trained martial artists. What other kind of training would we possibly need?"

Furrowing her brows, Alopex took a seat before the three terrapins as they gathered around her expectantly. She pursed her lips together for a moment, pondering over what to say, though in reality, it wasn't exactly her place to say. This was something that the Elder should be telling them, for he had far greater knowledge on the legends of old. But the turtles required answers, and since she was the only one present with a vague knowledge of what was to come, she had no choice.

"Well," she began after a moment. "It's not my place to tell you, but I can tell you why Donatello, at this moment in time, needs training," she began. "You see, you may have very impressive and admirable skills, but they will only help you so much against the greater threats in Oz. Where you come from, your ninjitsu can overcome most of your enemies. In Oz, however, they may not be strong enough. In order to face the creatures that lurk in the shadows, and the Dark Mystic himself, you will need special training…in the use of the elements, and in the use of magic."

Around her, the turtles gaped at her. "Magic?" they repeated in unison. How could any of them learn how to use magic, when in there world such a thing never even existed?

Alopex nodded firmly. "Yes. And I was told by Klunk herself that I was to be the one to train Donatello in the use of his element, which is earth," she declared. "Even though I have no such magic abilities, Klunk tells me that I am the most in tune with the earth and the wildlife around me, more so than most. And once Leonardo and Raphael attain their Crests, I will be training them as well."

She cast her glance over to Donnie, who gazed at her in turn with an awestruck expression as she reached out and took his three fingered hands in her clawed ones, and held them tight. "You possess the Chishiki, the Sacred Crest of Knowledge, Donatello. Your gifted mind greatly exceeds that of most men that have ever lived, and using this, you will be able to unlock your mystical powers and solve the challenges that you and your brothers will soon face, and save your younger brother." Then she offered him a grin, releasing one hand to lightly punch him in the shoulder. "And don't worry, with me training you, you'll be ready in no time!"

Wincing as she jabbed his shoulder, he rubbed it with his other hand as he offered the fox girl a gapped-toothed smile. "Thanks, Alopex…I think," he shrugged, his cheeks tinting pink as he averted his gaze elsewhere. He didn't truly know how to feel about all of this; he still barely understood why he had the Crest in the first place, and now he was expected to learn how to use the forces of nature and magic of all things? This was certainly too much for him to take in within the space of a few hours.

But if he had to bend the rules of logic itself to save Michelangelo, then he would do so with everything he had in him.

There was a sudden knock at the wooden door, and all heads turned around in surprise. The knock sounded frantic, and it was enough to make Klunk's fur stand on end.

Something was wrong. And as she turned her head to look up at Alopex as her white fur bristled, she knew that she had sensed it as well.

Leaping to her feet, Alopex hurried to the door and slid it open, revealing a fox soldier, wearing a black samurai-like helmet and a solid black breastplate. In his left hand, he held a staff which Donnie recognized as a Naginata staff similar to his own. He stood a few inches taller than Alopex, and his fur was a light shade of grey instead of white.

The two foxes exchanged a series of barks that, of course, the turtles could not understand. But it was when Alopex let out a horrified gasp, and her thick bushy tail began to tense up that they knew that whatever the soldier had told her was anything but good news. Anxiously, Donnie swallowed. "I've got a bad feeling about this you guys," he muttered.

Nodding, but not taking his eyes off the fox even as the soldier took his leave and ran off into the village, Leo reached out and gripped Donnie's hand, squeezing it reassuringly. Alopex turned to them then, her face paler than they had ever seen it. "What's happening, Alopex?" Leo asked, his voice firm but not stern as he stood up, hauling Donnie up as well as he kept a hold of his hand. After setting Klunk on his shoulder, Raph followed their lead and folded his arms over his chest as he regarded the fox woman.

Alopex drew in a deep, shuddering breath. "Turtles, you must prepare yourselves," she declared, her fists clenched tightly as she growled. "Lord Bishop has sent out his Stone Warriors into our forest, led by a wolf creature unlike anything we have ever seen. We are under attack."

He was getting worse.

Minute by minute, hour by hour, Michelangelo was no closer to recovering. In fact, as Master Splinter gazed down at his prone form, he looked far closer to death than ever before.

The old ninja master had decided to keep watch over him for a little while longer, allowing the two human teenagers to finally rest in the main room. When he had last seen them, they were sound asleep with a large blanket draped over the both of them, leaning on each other as they slept peacefully for the first time in two days. Splinter himself refused to rest, meditating being his only means of doing so to appease his worried soul. But he soon found that even in his deepest state o meditation, he could find no peace.

Michelangelo had not eaten anything, and only drank water, for that was all he could possibly take in at this point. Nightmares continued to plague him, and yet he barely stirred now, other than the odd twitch and whimper every so often, which told Splinter that the boy was still alive. His body was still so warm, almost boiling to the touch, and the outlandish veins continued to spread across his body like a deadly spiders wed.

Indeed, his youngest son was not getting any better. And Splinter knew exactly why that was.

It had been two days since he had been visited by his 'former' self in the dojo. His words had given him a glimmer of hope, knowing that his three older sons were going to do everything within their power to save their youngest brother. And yet, it pained the old ninja master so much that he was unable to do anything but to stand by and pray for their safe return, and the revival of Michelangelo. If only there was some way he could at least ease the pain, like he had done so for them many times when they were only small…

Sighing heavily, Splinter reached out and laid a gentle caring hand on Mikey's head. He didn't react other than his eye twitching ever so slightly from his fathers' touch. Time was running out. Splinter was well aware that there was little time before the child would perish by the poison that continued to flow through his veins…

Splinter felt that start of tears stinging behind his eyes as he shook his head, and with great care, he pulled Michelangelo's limp body to his chest and held him close, stroking the back of his head gently as he nuzzled his cheek against his own. He couldn't bear to lose his youngest child. He just couldn't. The very thought of losing another one of his precious children…

A single tear rolled down his cheek, landing soundlessly atop Mikey's head.

All he could do now was to hold him, and pray to whoever was listening to him that his other three sons returned safe and sound, and be able in time to save him before it was too late…

A/N: I know, I'm a total jerk! But hey, next chapter we get a freaking BATTLE!

And maybe a surprise development in the future...oooooooohhh!

I'm so bad!