Disclaimer: Although I loathe admitting it, I don't own the TMNT. Nuts.

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

26.

(Oh where, oh where can that little Pi be? Oh where, oh where can he beee?) Iwansi sang out of pure boredom. (With his beard cut short and his—) She thought for a moment before releasing the next part in tone-deaf glory. (—kimono in a wedge, oh where, oh where can he be?) The yellow dragon was undeterred by the stifling silence of the Dream Realm of Earth and burst into song once more. (He'll be comin' 'round the trees when he comes! He'll be comin' 'round the trees when he comes—)

Bima knocked her sister upside the head with her tail. Knock it off, you broken record with wings! My ears are throbbing from listening to you! she grunted.

Saesha looked around the animated landscape of trees, bushes, and waving prairie grass warily. 'Shut up anyway. There are certain people around here whose attention I'd rather not attract,' she murmured, throwing suspicious glances at every form of plant possible.

(There's something worse?) Iwansi asked, slightly annoyed.

'Yep.'

(I hate the way you answer so bluntly.)

'Hey, you were singing out of tune a moment ago so don't tell me what's bad and what isn't,' Saesha defended. 'My eardrums nearly burst from that horrendous rendition.' She failed to notice the fir tree in front of her and ran smack dab into it, giving a surprised "woo.

Chicken, Bima muttered scornfully, dodging a chirruping sparrow with a squeak of surprise. You watch it, or fried songbird's on my dinner menu, she growled, swatting at the bird with a forepaw.

(Now who's chicken?) Iwansi asked smugly. Bima shot her a glare.

'Be nice, Bima,' Saesha whispered carefully, letting the indignant sparrow land on one of her short white horns. 'It's true I haven't been here for a little more than a millennium, but if I remember correctly—'

"Yeah, youngster, where's yore respect?" the bird squawked suddenly, staring icily at Bima. He had a birdy, tenor sort of voice that was pleasant to the ears.

'the birds – in fact, all the animals here – have the gift of speech in more than one language,' she finished rather deflatedly at being beaten to the end of the explanation.

Iwansi jumped and gave a squeak, vanishing under her cloaking magic in a hurry. "What're yew scared of, dragon? Yer not the only one here who can speak yer language," the sparrow chuckled, preening his wing in smug satisfaction. "Matter of fact, weren't yew dragons talkin' 'bout bein' scared chickens? Well, that one takes the cake," he commented, guffawing slightly.

(I'm not a chicken, you just startled me is all!) Iwansi reappeared shakily, throwing apprehensive glances at the laughing songbird.

'Let's get to the point,' Saesha started. 'We need to find an oriental man who goes by the name of Ling Pi. You heard of him?'

"Ah, so yer that lot. Where're the other two?"

None of your bee's wax, Bima snarled. Almost immediately, something went "splat" on the top of the silver-blue dragon's head and Iwansi burst out into hearty laughter.

"Watch yer language, dragon, unless you want more glue to go with that frosting," the sparrow rebuked sternly, fluffing his chest feathers up until he was equivalent to the size of an apple. "I may be a bird, but I have sufficient punishment for disrespectful lizards such as yerself." Bima puffed gray smoke out distended nostrils and turned an interesting shade of white.

'That's the color she gets when she's been humiliated,' Saesha whispered to the sparrow. Her waste decorated sister felt the irrepressible urge to tent herself in the safety of her large wings.

That wasn't fair, she whimpered, wiping the poop off her head. Are there any streams around here?

"To yer left. Go a few paces and yew should find one," the sparrow replied cheerily. Bima's ears drooped and she padded into the trees, muttering darkly. "'Scuse me fer a moment." Yet another splat, a shriek, and the sparrow was back on Saesha's horn. "That 'un's a real trouble maker, lassies. Keep an eye out fer her. Too many mountain cats an' jaguars fer my comfert here," he remarked, spreading his wings for take off.

(Wait a minute, you tiny dumpster!) Iwansi shouted. (You still haven't told us where to find Ling Pi!)

He sighed. "Alright, overgrown salamander, I'll tell ya. He's usually found 'round the Seventh Dimension of Null Time. Lord Simultaneous has long chats with him."

'Hold it. How can a living man see a…a y'know man?' Saesha asked.

"Hello! Yer brain must not be workin' t'day," he grunted haughtily, furling his wings again. "Lord Simultaneous is the lord of time. It don't matter if the person's deceased; he's got a real private orb he likes to look into when Renet ain't around t' bug him." The sparrow cheeped and snapped at a curious fly, which was hovering near Saesha's ear before continuing. "Ling Pi offers advice whenever Lord Sim needs consolation or just plain needs somebody t' talk to. Now if ye'll 'scuse me, that caterpillar over there looks mighty tasty." Iwansi snatched him by his foot when he hopped off Saesha's horn.

(Again I pose the question: how do we get to the Seventh Dimension of Null Time?) she said, playing the part of a rather small interrogator.

He pecked her paw and she let go with a yelp. "Whaddya want, a tour guide? There're portals everywhere leadin' to dimensions! You just gotta find the one with the right crest on the doorframe!" he snarled. It was easy to see that he was growing tired of the questions.

'Will you at least get us to the portal?' Saesha asked politely.

The sparrow landed lightly on her muzzle. "I'll do it fer you, lass, because yer the only one who hasn't insulted me yet." Saesha blushed furiously. "By the Time Scepter, I'll even stay with yer the entire trip if it pleases your soul, so long as them two stay quiet."

Thank you for that diplomatic decision that took almost fifteen minutes of our precious time, Bima said rudely, walking out of the trees with a scowl. The sparrow eyed her and flapped off his current perch to hover in front of her eyes.

"Yew, Madame Paste, shall stay silent fer the rest of this trip," he hissed icily. A light brown aura floated from his chest feathers and into Bima's throat. To Saesha and Iwansi's complete satisfaction, their elder sister was unable to say a word when she opened her mouth to release some snide remark. "I do believe that we shall have peace fer the remainder of this happy expedition," he huffed, returning to Saesha, this time to perch on her back. Bima glared venomously at him and sat down, smoke streaming out of her nostrils.

(That means she's really mad,) Iwansi told the sparrow with a smirk.

"She c'n stay mad fer all I care," he replied, eyes flashing. "Now, that caterpillar has surely gotten away from me now. 'Scuse me while I find my breakfast." With that, he leaped and burst into frenzied flapping, disappearing into the vegetation in the blink of an eye.

(Very conversational, that one,) Iwansi muttered, flopping down on her stomach. Her tuft of fluff drifted into her eyes and she blew it away. (So what now, we just wait for him to come back?) She glanced over at Bima and saw her pick up a stick and crack it in two. (Either that or we watch dear sister here vent her anger on branches.) The cat-sized dragon yawned and proceeded to stare in boredom at the waving plain of grass not two hundred feet away.

It really was quite beautiful, she realized with a sigh. Endless golden grass that swayed gently in the wind was accompanied by several prairie dogs popping out of holes in the ground and chirping a cheery hello to her. They would then busy themselves with stuffing their cheeks with grains from the grasses and go back down their burrow. Whenever one would emerge, their tawny coat of fur caught the warm sunlight coming down from a soft blue sky. She could've sworn there were a few buffalo grazing out in the distance.

Then a prairie dog that had just recently popped up went rigid with fear and dove back into his burrow. That's weird, she thought to herself. Iwansi was startled out of her silent reverie by an out of character roar from Saesha. Purple flame erupted from the lavender dragon's jaws to hit an empty tree. It burned and crackled as Saesha shot more flames in random directions. (What are you doing?) Iwansi cried, scrambling to her feet.

'There are basilisks here!' she hissed, backing up until she was standing rump-to-rump with Iwansi. 'By the claw, I'm a fool! I'd completely forgotten!'

(Basilisk? What are they?)

'Don't you dare look one in the eye! Direct eye contact will kill you!'

(That helps me how?)

'He was in the tree just a moment ago! We have to get out of here before it finds Bima!'

(Why? Where'd she go?) Iwansi asked, only now noticing the absence of her sister. Saesha galloped away, replying urgently that she'd went to the stream. Iwansi stayed put. If the basilisk couldn't see her, it couldn't kill her. Grimly, she tapped into her dragon magic and vanished from sight. She regulated her breathing. Just because she was invisible didn't mean that she couldn't be heard.

Stealthily, she crept into the forest, avoiding all possible things that would give her position away if stepped on. How would she know where the basilisk was? Of course. Ears are made for hearing. She halted and climbed up a tree by using her claws as anchors. Settling into the crook of a branch, she focused her hearing and closed her eyes.

Rustling nearby. She determined that it was a doe, which had not sensed the basilisk's approach yet. Iwansi licked her chops. Fresh meat did sound good at the moment…no! She was listening for the basilisk and the basilisk she was determined to find. She delved deeper in a meditative state. A crow nearby cawed its defiance to the warning about the deadly reptile stalking in the woods. A pair of mating frogs in a pond. Iwansi shuddered. She'd no interest in that. The tiny dragon pulled her wings closer to her body. An unearthly chill had settled over the forest. Everything was unnaturally quiet. It gave her the willies to think that such a terrible being could be around here in this wonderful place. Then again, Saesha did say there were certain people whose attention you didn't want to attract. She was absolutely right. Iwansi found herself longing to find out if her slightly gloomy counterpart had found Bima, who was mute for the moment.

CRACK. Iwansi stiffened as a twig no more than twenty feet from her tree snapped. She'd fry that basilisk if it was the last thing she did. If it even dared to rear its ugly head, sizzling would occur, she thought with a nervous mental chuckle. She could picture its blackened head and seared-shut eyelids. What a pleasure it would be to just claw those deadly yellow eyes out. Then she remembered that she also had yellow eyes. But mine aren't meant to kill, she defended. The dark part of her mind was urging her to burst from cover while her lighter side pleaded that she wait. Wait for the opportune moment.

CRUNCH. It was getting louder, Iwansi realized with a shiver. She looked around the small glade she was in and froze in terror. Not ten feet away was the ugliest creature she'd ever seen in her life. It had six limbs, four of which were hind legs. Spots coated the sickly green dorsal ridge that flopped along its back. The tail was longer than Saesha, who was at least six feet long, counting her neck and tail. In comparison, Rijinn was eleven feet in length, while Bima was fifteen. The basilisk dwarfed Iwansi herself, her coming in at three feet. The head was as large as a ripe watermelon. All in all, the basilisk was thirteen feet.

The last to catch her attention were those eyes. Iwansi trembled as she felt the petrifying stare pass by her. They were a bright yellow color, like daffodils. Finally, she snapped. She jumped out of the tree, flapping furiously, and shot toward the basilisk, only spitting searing orange-yellow flame when she was four feet from its face. It hissed and swatted at her only to miss. As far as Iwansi could see, it was unharmed. Jhadie! That surprised her. It sounded like a foreign curse word that just sprang into her mind.

She was suddenly slapped out of midair and lost her control over the cloaking magic, appearing visible in a flash. Don't look at its eyes, don't look at its eyes, don't look…she chanted, squeezing her own shut. Iwansi had landed in tall grass, but that didn't mean the basilisk couldn't find her with its sense of smell. She pricked her ears forward to catch the sickly rustling of its scales and spat a gout of fire at the location. A high-pitched scream told her it had been a correct shot. She dared to open her eyes for a quick second and found she'd only succeeded in blackening its chest. She shut them again and regained her footing, launching into the air. If bats could locate by hearing, so could she.

Iwansi dive bombed the basilisk, clawing for its eyes. The squeal of claw against scale told her she'd missed. Quickly rising out of range, she listened for its clumsy movements. One thing she was thankful for: tall grass lots of noise when walked through. Again she swooped and stabbed furiously with her razor sharp claws. A fleshy ripping sound accompanied by a hiss of pain told her she'd hit the dorsal ridge. She pulled away for another attack. If she could just keep this up and stay out of its range—agony racked her hind legs as she was snatched from the air by merciless paws in an iron grip. She writhed and cried out as the claws dug into her rump and sides. She felt red blood coursing down her sides.

(Jhadie! Let me go! JHADIE!) she yelled lividly, scratching weakly at it. (I don't care if it's a word I don't understand, JHADIE!) The grip increased in pressure until she felt her ribs beginning to crack. (No…I can't die now! I've only spent near twenty minutes being with Michelangelo! I refuse!) A hidden reserve of strength lent her power. She belched flames at where she believed the basilisk's head to be and had the grim satisfaction of hearing a scream from the horrid reptile. Still, it didn't let go and increased its grip. Iwansi felt her right hind leg snap and screamed. (Somebody help me…it's the end…) Weariness and agony ripped through her limp and shattered body as blackness began to claim her mind. The enticing thick fog welcomed her with open arms.

Just as she lost consciousness, she heard a loud crack, a feminine yell, and all went black.

It had been twenty minutes since Iwansi, Saesha, and Bima had left. Don found his worry mounting with every moment despite the reassurance from Mikey. Aelaki hadn't said a word since they'd left the remote island and Keilah was still out cold on the plesiosaur's back. Would she ever wake up? He doubted it. Her heavy breathing attested to the fact that she was a very tired little fifteen year-old.

"Hey, coolio! Look Donnie, I can move my tail without hands!" Mikey cried in wonder. True. His three foot-long tail was moving back and forth without assistance.

"That's nice," Don said absently, staring out across the moonlit sea. The waves were crested white with moonlight and Don could've sworn once he saw a pod of dolphins swimming. Aelaki, however, took no notice and continued her leisurely swim. An almighty rumble came from the dinosaur's stomach and she grumbled an apology. "Mike, I think Aelaki's hungry. Old girl, do you think you'd be able to find us an—whoa!" he tumbled forward as Aelaki halted abruptly and raised her head from the water.

The purple garbed turtle looked around to find the reason for such a sudden stop. Nothing he could see. So why—a mournful peal erupted from the dinosaur's mouth, deafening Don and his brother. He clapped his hands over his ears and winced.

"Aelaki, could you be quiet?" Mikey asked softly. Aelaki did it again, this time lower and sadder.

"Could it have something to do with the dragons?" Don whispered to Mike.

His eyes widened. "You don't think they're—"

"I don't want to, but it's a possibility." Aelaki turned her head to face them. "Aw shell, look at her. Something's really bugging her. What is it girl?" He stood and walked to her lowered head slowly. "What's the matter?" The plesiosaur blinked and moaned softly.

"Maybe she's hungry?"

"No way, Mikey. Animals never get so emotional over a meal."

"I told them not to!" Mikey yelled in frustration, slamming his fist on Aelaki's back. "I told them not to!" Tears sprang to his eyes.

"We don't know if they're dead, Mike, so don't jump to conclusions." The younger turtle sniffed and nodded an affirmative. "Can you get us on land, Aelaki?" She shook her head. "You're no longer hungry?" Another shake.

"Well I am!" Mikey declared, trying his best to lighten the mood.

"Hold on, there's an island over there," Don said, pointing to the left.

It was craggy and full of cliffs. Waves smashed up against the rocks with brutal force. "Uh, Don? That doesn't look so good." Keilah groaned and Don rushed to her side, uttering a gasp.

"Holy shell…" he muttered, eyes widening.

Keilah shifted again, this time regaining full consciousness. "Don, I hate you forever," she moaned, sitting up and rubbing the back of her neck. "And why are my legs so cold?"

"I'm not sure those are your legs." Keilah glanced down at her lower body half and gasped. Her jeans had split from an extreme transformation of her legs, as had her shoes. They were no longer human. Her five toes were now three and they were clawed; her legs were scaly, they were white, and they were the hind legs of a dragon.

Splinter sipped his steaming tea suspiciously. His sons had come in a rather hustled hurry and with a guest no less. "My sons, I repeat my previous answer: Saesha wished that it not be known to anyone else but myself. Therefore, I shall remain silent," he said sternly.

Raphael was on his feet. "Sensei, we hafta know! Two-hour days aren't what we in New York call legit!" he growled.

"Master, it is a rather urgent matter," Leo agreed hesitantly. The mutant rat eyed them for a moment.

"No."

Raph groaned in frustration and sighed, plopping next to Leatherhead in a kneeling position.

Look, guys, I've got a confession to make…

Raph perked his ears up. "Spit it out, we're listenin'."

You, Raphael, have a flame emblem on your shell.

"THAT'S IT?" he bellowed, twisting to see a ball of flame encircled by an oval on his carapace. "Look, I don't care about a flippin' emblem, I want answers and shell, I'll get 'em!" He finished with a pound of his fist on the floor.

December thirty-first is coming up in seven days.

"Yer point?"

Splinter stiffened as a far away mental agony ripped through his mind. "My sons, something has happened to Iwansi."