"Whoa!"
Cat dodged a fist, back flipping away from her blue-banded brother. \
"You wouldn't hit a girl that can't see, would you?" She asked playfully, since her mask now covered her eyes.
"Nope."
Ducking, she kicked him in the stomach, and heard his shell hit a door.
"…Oops? I didn't mean to hit you so hard…"
"I'm okay…"
Cat smiled sheepishly when she heard April and Casey.
"Sorry about that, guys. Can't aim if you can't see, ya know?"
"It's alright, Cat…"
"Yeah, Kitty…"
A rock hit Casey's forehead.
"Reserved for turtle's only." Cat joked.
She ducked below a kick, and grabbed her brothers ankle before throwing him over her shoulder and pouncing onto his plastron.
"I win! YES!"
"Weren't you guys going to pick apples or something?" April asked as Cat stood up, righting her mask.
"That was Don." Leo answered.
"But Raphie and Mikey said something about settling a bet." Cat added as Master Splinter came up to the two turtles.
"Your senses are sharper than before, my daughter. Now you must control them."
"Yes, sensei."
"Now, here's a part I believe you will enjoy…"
Cat felt a tingling up her spine as the now pleasant pressure built up behind her shell.
"You'll have to learn to fly, of course. But be careful. You must not be spotted."
"Of course."
Cat backed up, sprouting her wings, her tail growing and lashing around with its new freedom.
Flapping powerfully, she managed to lift herself onto the roof.
"Okay…I just need to relax…"
Breathing deeply, she spread her wings like sails and jumped.
Gliding at first, she flapped her wings in order to clear the trees.
It felt amazing to be flying through the air.
It felt like the sky really WAS the limit.
Flipping and twirling, she hardly held back a cry of joy.
Seeing Casey and April on a walk, she was ready to land and join them when she heard the faint sound of a car's engine.
'Better turn around…'
Doing a tight 180, she flew as fast as she could, landing on a window on the second floor of the farmhouse.
Pulling in her wings and tails with a slight effort, she slipped inside and headed downstairs.
Once there, she saw April drag Casey inside.
"Did you tell your mother that we're ENGAGED?!"
"NO! …Kinda…"
Cat sat down on a chair, watching with interest.
'It's like one of sensei's stories…'
April seemed mad, and stalked over to the chimney.
"Ya've gotta understand! My ma hates every girl I've ever brought home, so I just said it ta shut 'er up! I never thought she'd come lookin' fer ya! I just wanted 'er ta like ya, is all. 'Cause yer…ya know…special…"
Cat smiled.
'Awww…That's sweet…'
"Really?"
The two would've kissed, but they saw the three mutants watching.
Cat's smile turned sheepish.
"Um…I wasn't watching…"
Grabbing a book, she hid her head inside.
"…Perhaps we should continue our meditation session elsewhere…" Splinter advised.
Someone knocked on the door loudly.
'Casey's mom alright…'
With a quick thought, Cat jumped onto the ceiling and headed out through an open window.
Hiding in the barn, she sat on one of the rafters easily.
"Hey, Leo. Remember when you were scared of heights?"
"Unfortunately even YOU remember…"
Cat stuck her tongue out childishly.
"Ha-Ha…VERY funny…But I was just thinking of something from when we were little…"
"Oh lord, no…"
"Very encouraging, aniki…" She stated sarcastically.
Flashback:
Six year old Cat was playing with a miraculously intact kick ball, having fun as she kicked it around on the damp bricks.
"Kitty, be careful with that." A young Leo warned.
"You don't want it to break."
"I know, aniki."
When younger, Cat sometimes acted younger than her brothers, and her and Mikey were usually known to switch for the role of the 'youngest'.
A powerful kick sent the bouncing red back onto a rafter, and there was silence before the young white-banded turtle turned teary purple eyes to her brother.
"I-I can't get it, aniki…"
Leo tensed, getting where she was going with that train of thought.
"I'll go get Master Splinter…"
"But sensei will take it away after! Pwease, aniki?"
Not wanting to see his sister cry, Leo nodded slightly.
"Alright…"
Starting to climb up a rafter, he felt the familiar fear.
'What if I fall?'
"You can do it, aniki." Cat encouraged, smiling.
"You're not scared of anything!"
It was true.
Before Cat herself could scare away her brother's monsters, Leo scared away her own.
With new confidence, Leo started climbing, inching towards the kick ball.
When he nearly slipped, nearly within arms-reach of the red sphere, he gripped the brick in fear.
"Aniki, are you okay?" Cat called up, worried.
"I-I…"
Cat moved under him, looking up.
"You can do it, aniki! And if you fall, I'll catch you!"
Leo felt his fingers dig into the brick.
"…Promise?"
"Promise."
More relieved, Leo reached out and grabbed the toy, dropping it down to his sister before inching his way down.
Once he reached the ground, he was nearly tackled in a hug.
"Thanks, aniki! You're the best, bravest big brother ever!"
"Thanks, Kitty…"
'I think I'm finally getting over my fear…'
End Flashback:
"…I may have gone a bit too far with the 'you're the best big brother ever' part…"
She dodged a rock.
"What?!"
Cat looked out a window on the top of the barn.
"Looks like April needs help, bro."
Nodding, he followed her outside.
Cat easily balanced a basket on her head, two on each arm, and was able to walk back to the barn without dropping a single apple.
"This is great balance training…" She noted, putting them down.
"Now I know where Casey gets his ability to be so annoying…his mother…"
Cat smiled.
"Parents are meant to be overprotective of their kids. You should've seen sensei when I was thirteen. My first 'time of the month' and he panicked so bad at the blood on my sheets…"
Cat giggled, covering her mouth slightly.
"At the time, I was kinda embarrassed, but now it's just hilarious!"
The three hid once the apples were brought in, and April brought Casey's mother in to show her there work.
"Here they are, Mrs. Jones. All neatly stacked."
"I see that, dear. But they aren't peeled."
"Uh…I'd be happy to peel them…"
"Good. Try not to bruise them up too much."
April was handed a peeler before the woman left, and Cat jumped down, blades drawn.
"There's just no pleasing that woman!"
"Tough break…" Cat replied sympathetically.
"But we'll help you out."
Growing claws, Cat plopped down to start peeling alongside her friend.
Once done, Leo's katana coming in handy, they hid as Casey's mother came back.
"There you are. Peeled and cored."
"You did 'em all? I only need a dozen for the pie."
She crouched down, filling a bowl with twelve apples.
"Such a waste…oh well. Might as well press the rest into cider before they rot."
"Listen, I'm getting a little frustrated with you giving me orders all the time. I prefer to be treated as an adult who happens to care a great deal about your son. I think I deserve a little respect."
'You GO, girl!'
"…Well, all that negativity won't get those apples pressed, dear."
Cat nearly fell over.
'WHAT!?'
Mrs. Jones walked out.
"Right…let's get started on the cider…" Leo stated.
Cat rolled her eyes.
"And after that, we can make a throne…"
Making the cider wasn't as hard as the other tasks, and Cat was soon relaxing in the barn.
"I wonder where the others are…I hope they haven't gotten themselves into trouble." Leo stated.
"They're alive. If there was even the slightest chance they were going to die, I'd have left already." Cat assured.
She heard Mrs. Jones on the porch with Casey.
"You don't have to tell me right now, but someday, I'd really like to know the story behind the big rat and the two giant turtles."
Cat looked puzzled.
'Well, mother always knows…'
