The screech hurt her ears.
As she tore at the armor the sound of her claws against metal made her shake her head back and forth. It seemed to work in ridding the noise, but it also took her focus off the adversary. Shredder grasped the scruff of Fae's neck, rolling backwards and sending his feet directly into her stomach, catapulting her away and rising again, ignoring the blood where she'd managed to graze his arm.
The moment she caught sight of Leo, and all the blood, and bumps, and the defeated look on his face, she had lost it, knowing the Shredder was to blame for it all. How dare he hurt him? Who was he to be inflicting that much pain on anyone?
She morphed, barely noticing the pain that trickled down her backbone as her feline ligaments and bones returned to normal. The bellow from behind made her dart behind Rocksteady, animalistic instincts compelling her to seek momentary refuge behind the clumsy mountain of muscle. She was right, and she cowered for a moment as Shredder attempted to evade the rhino's bulky form.
Leo was up. Out of his chains, the broken shackles still hanging from his wrists as he pulled her to him. Tears welled up in her eyes, seeing his swollen injuries about his face, staunching the blood still faintly trickling from the gash on his arm. And in the midst of the oncoming battle and despite the man that could skirt around his minion at any second and sink his blades into their flesh, the two embraced.
"I thought I'd never see you again," he whispered into her hair, memorizing every bit of her before she could escape his hold again. Her soft blonde strands, the marks along her shoulders, her frame hugged against them, her blue eyes that sparkled like morning skies.
"I'm not going anywhere," she murmured back, looking up at him with a beam that set everything right.
But like so many good things, the reunion was cut short.
Stupid evil ninja overlord.
Fae raced back out into the open to deal with Shredder, and Leo evaded the mutants that made a terrible attempt to restrain him.
Now back in leopard form, Fae hurled herself at Oroku Saki, her force enough to at least make him stumble back from Karai, who was still gulping in air like a fish out of water. She shifted, but not fully, the semi-transformation leaving her with her pointed ears swiveling atop her head, a tail poking out under the hem of her now-tattered shirt, and still-enhanced claws and teeth.
"Are you alright?" she asked hurriedly, ignoring the unyielding ache in her backbone while her body tried to mediate between Freeforms.
"Yes," Karai croaked, reaching for her tanto.
Fae whipped her head back to the labyrinth of crates, where Foot Bots were beginning to pour in.
"Take care of the bots. Help the others," she told her. "I'll handle Shredder."
Fae was off running before the kunoichi could respond, gritting her teeth against the pain that came with rearranging from human to feline. Racing at full speed, she met the impressive force of Oroku Saki as he barreled toward her. His weapons were already out and swinging, and she barely had time to react. Though she managed to dodge, she growled as his knives left trails of crimson staining her fur. She whirled, a claw lashing out and trying to bash him. He sidestepped, vanishing before she could advance again.
Fae's ears twitched backwards, listening to the waves and the mutants fighting behind her and trying to sort out the many events barraging her senses.
A weapon was unsheathed behind her, and she dipped her head before the knife could detach her head from her body. Shredder was there again, and this time he decided on a punch as the best means of knocking her off balance. Fae yowled, shying from the fists that had left bruises along her side in mere seconds.
She snarled, twisting out of reach again when Shredder's advances proved too quick to block. The muscles of her hind legs bunched and tensed, springing her up above the fight with ease, and she landed on a vessel docked nearby.
Fae transformed, wincing at the long scratches that graced her back. The clouds finally let loose, raindrops landing in her hair and on her nose. Hurry, before Shredder catches up. Think. What should you do?
She peered over, and saw Leo holding his own, protecting his brothers while Karai rushed to unbind them. They'd be fine. If they could all escape before any Foot bots arrived, they'd be lucky. Fae watched the leader, swords fluid in motion, one with his body, mesmerizing her with movements that made his fatal moves seem magical.
She was wrenched out of her observations, the shuriken missing her by inches and hitting the shipping container distracting her. Before she could react, she was on the ground, head pounding, a copper taste filling her mouth. The Shredder loomed over her.
"How quaint. Of all people, she chose you. A powerless, helpless girl," Shredder said, and then blades were being pressed against her jugular. "I must say, I'm disappointed. Ōkami Yamada could've done so much better."
"How's this for powerless and helpless, dickhead?" Her voice echoed over the pounding of rain against the deck, accompanied by the pattering of quick and light footfalls.
The next moment, the Shredder grunted, tossed back by and pinned by a recently shapeshifted Fae.
She closed her teeth around his chrome helmet, prying and tearing and ignoring the shrieking metal giving way as she fought toward the vulnerable flesh beneath. Her vision was blurred by the delayed reaction the morphing, and her focus slipped.
A pressure point beneath her ribcage stilled her enough for Saki to escape, struggling with the new dents in his helmet that pressed against his skull uncomfortably. She rumbled deep in her throat, coughing up the clotted blood that had gathered in her mouth, stalking toward him.
This time it was the Foot leader that retreated, occupied with his mangled Kuro Kabuto. Fae figured it was better to let him go for now, watching him jump into the bay. She could help Leo. She morphed again, rolling her jaw to try and expel the aching. Her head still felt like someone was beating it with a mallet.
Leo was safe. Bruised, bloodied, definitely in need of some patching up, but not in any mortal jeopardy. And that was all that mattered, as of yet.
She looked over her shoulder one last time, making sure the evil master was nowhere to be seen. They needed to escape, before the entirety of the Foot bots arrived and all hell broke loose.
She crouched, feeling the grain of weathered wood beneath her fingertips, springing from starboard and landing with precision. She smirked to herself and admired her perfect footing. She guessed that old saying proved true — cats do always land on their feet.
Don't get distracted. Remember the battle.
She raced to Leo's side, allowing just enough baser instinct to emerge for her pristine fingernails to elongate into claws, raking her new weapons across the flesh of the rhino. The claws retracted once the opposing mutant staggered back, and Fae looked over at Leo with a big grin.
He nodded, a smile of his own tugging the corners of his lips.
Quit looking to gain approval, Faline. Focus.
"We need to go," she called over the rain now coming down in sheets, making her platinum blonde hair stick to the sides of her face and sag across her eyes.
Another nod. "Donnie, Mikey, Raph! Move out!"
The brothers snapped to attention, following orders and falling back from Bebop, who was currently out cold. A few Foot Bot pieces were scattered on the docks, though if they didn't move fast, they'd be trapped by a bigger horde of enemies.
"Not much time," Mikey predicted, the only one able to speak among the three.
With horror, Fae realized the discoloration on Raph's swelling face, and the thick gash along Donnie's front. At this point, it was the genius everyone was worried about. The keratin was incised deep enough to be oozing blood from the sensitive skin beneath. From the looks of Donnie, he was certainly feeling the effects of such a harsh injury.
"We need to get you some help."
"I'll be fine," he slurred, blinking hard, his eyes bleary.
"Here, let me."
Five heads jerked in the direction of the newcomer. Karai nudged Mikey aside, tossing Donnie's arm over her shoulder and supporting his weight.
"Oh, hell no. Give us one good reason we should trust you, Princess," Raph snarled, popping his knuckles in a manner that threatened her none.
Donatello shrugged, his head lolling a bit. "She helped us fight."
"That's not good enough," Leo put in, shooting a venomous look her way. "You betrayed us."
"I had no choice. He tortured me. Beat me."
Karai's voice cracked, and Fae realized tears were staining her cheeks along with the rain ruining her makeup. Where her gaudy beauty product had faded, bruises and swelling were made plain. Scaly scars were remnants of deep cuts, healed but not forgotten. Her eyes held a deeper kind of sadness that made Fae wonder whether visible scars were all that were taking their toll on her.
"We can trust her." Faline didn't realize the words were her own, at first. But if the depressed look in Karai's wasn't enough to remind her of her own broken state, her disheveled and ragged appearance made her believe she would be easy enough to defeat if her loyalty shifted again.
"No way! I'm not letting this traitor get anywhere near us. Get away from my brother, you b—"
"Raphael! Enough!"
"Raph, don't overreact."
"Don't tell me what to do!"
"Uh, guys?"
"Quit whining like a baby. How much harm could I even do to you, with the shape I'm in?"
"Guys?"
"We thought you were harmless the last time. Just because you're willing to help doesn't automatically make you—"
"Guys!"
"WHAT?!" the five cried in exasperation at the youngest turtle.
Mikey gulped, pointing his finger to something directly behind the teens. "We have a problem."
Row after row of Foot Bots surrounded them. Weapons were already drawn, all pointing toward the Turtles and their allies. Above it all, observing the ambush, Oroku Saki towered atop a shipping container, his glower enough to make anyone want to cower.
"Surrender." His voice rang out over the docks, accompanied only by the torrents of raindrops.
"Never." Leo sank to a defensive stance, katanas out, blades scraping the pavement slightly as he maneuvered them to shield his body.
"Then face the wrath of the Foot Clan."
The Foot soldiers sprang into action. The air was suddenly filled with the sounds of clashing weapons. Fae was nearly oblivious to the rest of them, too focused on summoning the strength to morph in and out of her second form to notice there were still some injured comrades amongst the fighting.
"Karai!" Fae yelped when she caught sight of her, "Get Donatello out of here! We'll handle it!"
She was back into the fight before she could hear any response.
Perhaps the adrenaline surging through her kept her grounded, or the fact that Leo was there with her. Maybe that minimal amount of training was paying off.
Either way, Fae had never felt so powerful or in control during battle. Her body became one with the ferocity she felt within, but remained calm, like the ocean's surface containing unfathomable monsters below the waves. Her skin was as unpredictable as the water, flowing in and out of her leopard and human forms, dodging blows with her small frame and returning to power with claws that crunched through robotic armor and teeth that ravaged the chrome skin of the soldiers, like a tsunami traveling through each warrior, leaving scattered remains behind.
The fight was a blur, now. All she saw was the carnage she inflicted on the Foot bots, all she heard was the sound of metal screeching as she tore it apart, all she felt was this deep-rooted need to make sure her family was alright. Better off for it, she supposed. The constant cacophony was keeping her in ignorance of the increasing pain she was enduring with each shapeshift.
She spotted Leo, somewhere between the girl-to-animal metamorphosis she was completing for the umpteenth time. He was beaming, katanas making quick work of the soldiers. His smile warmed her heart.
A path was cleared through the sea of Foot bots, enough for Raph and Mikey to escape through. A quick glance up told Fae Shredder had disappeared again, lurking somewhere, ready to pounce. She sent up a silent prayer, hoping Leo's brothers and Karai had made it out safely.
It was her and Leo now. The surge of initial energy was draining, and her limbs were becoming weighed down with exhaustion. She was suddenly pulled close by him, and the sound of a grappling hook triggering made her cling to Leonardo instinctively, as they zoomed through the air, above the havoc, a few feet beyond the swarm of bots.
"Are you alright?" he asked, despite the fact that the arm around her was shaking with effort, despite the blood trickling into his eye and the welts and bruises appearing on his skin.
Fae smiled, hugging him close, inhaling and breathing him in, remembering everything about him, never wanting him to let her go.
"We should be going," she whispered once she realized the Foot bots had reprogrammed and were scaling the building they stood on.
Leo nodded, his hand sliding down and taking hers as they started off at a sprint, the rain hitting harder against their skin as they leapt from foothold to foothold.
This was it. They were going home. Home, where there was no threat of abuse or pain. Only him, and her, and the new family Fae had found.
She couldn't wait.
"Leonardo! Faline!"
Fae and Leo frowned at each other, turning to squint at the source of the small voice.
"What are you doing?!"
Karai was aboard the vessel where Fae had battled Shredder only minutes ago, having emerged from the lone shipping container with a bag slung around her shoulder. A brass cylinder was clutched in her gloved hand, and she waved it frantically.
"The prophecy!" she screamed.
"Get out of there!" Leo cried.
"Prophecy?" Fae questioned.
"You need this!" she shrieked, "You can't complete the final mission without it!"
Final mission?
This was crazy.
They didn't have time for this! Karai needed to exit the boat, pronto.
Fae's face paled instantly. The scream of warning wouldn't have come fast enough, she knew that. She was racing in the direction of the foe-turned-ally before anyone (including herself) could ask any questions.
There was no possibility that Karai would've spotted the shadowy figure dragging itself out of the water, looming behind her.
Common sense went out the window. A flash of lightning tore across the gray sky, masking the sound of unsheathing blades. Shredder's knives glinted as unrelenting as the electricity surging through the air.
The rain pelted against the docks, and a strangled cry tore out of Fae's throat, "Look out!"
Karai turned a second too late, as the swords raked across her shoulder blades and sent her sprawling, the brass cylinder rolling just out of reach, a shriek of pain piercing the air.
Another lightning flash, and then the deep voice of the Shredder. "Traitor."
His arm raised, blades already tainted with her blood preparing to come down and take another life.
"NO!"
Fae's eyes retracted to slitted pupils, claws extending from her fingertips in a half-assed attempt to morph, leaping at Saki and prying him away from the fallen girl. She roared, slashing at his skin, his arms, any flesh she could sink her claws into, ferocity returning in full-force as she whirled him around, aiming to leave more scars along his already-mangled face—
SHHK.
The breath left her. Pain bloomed from her abdomen, but she could barely register the agony that overwhelmed her senses. Shredder pulled the blades from her side with a sickening sound, and the resulting emptiness as blood left her system and pooled on the deck made her knees buckle. She sank to the ground, her head thudding against the wood. The rain felt softer now, comforting instead of relentless.
Faline stared up at the gray sky, the thunder booming and making her start only slightly. A huge form loomed over her. Her vision was undulating, and she only saw a faint change of light as the blades sailed down, about to finish her off.
An inhuman streak, and white-scaled ropes wrapped themselves around Shredder's neck. Snakes, she realized. They pulled him away.
Where'd they come from?
She didn't really care. The rain was so nice against her skin. The pitter patter washed away the pain. All she felt was sleepy.
There was rustling off to the side. A flash of blue caught her eye. Had the clouds parted? She hoped not - the rain was so nice, she didn't want it to stop.
The corners of her vision darkened. Fae smiled.
She was dying. The blood seeping out of her was too much to recover from. At least she'd get to see Mom and Dad again.
But... Leo...
A voice called out to her as she sank further into oblivion. "Fae! Faline, stay awake, please...just stay with me. I can't lose you...please..."
And then nothing.