A.N: Got another job and COPPA is on my A** on youtube but I made it to update this week woohoo!

I don't own TMNT

(Translation)

CHAPTER 18

Quick as lightning, Fillien was on her feet with fur on end and the pupils of her eyes just thin, narrow slits. Even though Slash didn't have his mace, that's all Fillien imagined him holding while bludgeoning some defenseless mutant. What Slash did have in his arms were two large wooden crates. In seeing Fillien get defensive, the giant turtle dropped his load and held his hands up in surrender. Slash's wide eyes showed Fillien he was shocked to see her, but she wouldn't count on him staying still for long.

Her next instinct would have been to put herself between her and Kurtzman, that is if the man hadn't stood up and went to stand in front of her to block her view of Slash at the garage door. "Easy, easy. You don't have to worry. He's one of us!" he urged with hands out towards her.

"HE IS?" Fillien yelled.

This commotion got all the other mutants to wake up. The ape and Leatherhead lept off from where they slept and jumped down to the first floor. Pete flew up on instinct, flapping his feathered arms and looking around in panic. Then in seeing what was happening on the other side of the room, Pete flew to land right next to Fillien.

Whether she was confused about the situation or feeling the pain killer's taking effect, Fillien stumbled back on her feet. She managed to stay sitting up to watch the alligator mutant grab one of the crates so that Slash could grab the other one and hurry in. The monkey stood on his feet and put his hands to his head as if he were meditating. That's when the garage door suddenly closed with a loud slam with no one touching it. What just happened?

Slash put his crate down and with one foot he kicked it to slide to Kurtzman. The human man opened the crate and looked in. Slash said, "We got enough rice there to last two weeks."

"Quite a score…" The ape said excitedly as he peaked into the crate.

Fillien was awestruck. No one was yelling or running. Slash really was one of them. Fillien looked to Pete, remembering he was the one who told her a long while back that Slash was dangerous. Now, the birdman asked Slash about bread to which the giant turtle replied, "It ain't sourdough—" Slash held up a bag of frozen bread.

"Any bread is great, Slash. Thanks, man!" and the pigeon gave him a thumbs up.

Fillien whispered to Pete, "What the heck happened to 'not go anywhere near that freak of nature' hmm?" She motioned to Slash. Pete winced, remembering he once said those words.

Slash managed to hear that but in seeing Pete's reaction, he laughed and said, "I really was crazy back then, huh? I deserve it." He then noticed Fillien was the one starring at him skeptically. Slash had yet to prove to her he wasn't a threat. He walked over to where Fillien sat upright. The catgirl scooted back a bit but that's all she could do. Slash said, "Listen, I am sorry. I wasn't in my right mind when I got mutated, but I still shouldn't have attacked you and your friend."

Looking away, Fillien wondered on how to respond. And second, looking up made her feel dizzy. Well, Slash did make an effort to apologize and not just to her. And she remembered why he got angry at her and Karai back then in the first place. "You weren't completely wrong to attack us. The Foot Clan turned out not to be the best group to hang out with. Especially with the Tin Can in charge."

With a nervous huff, Slash rubbed the back of his head in uncertainty. "Yeah… ugh… Pete told us 'bout that. It's why we thought you'd need help against Tiger Claw."

Suddenly remembering how her wing broke, Fillien's jaw dropped. Pete stepped in right away and said, "Oh yeah! That's right. We were all on patrol when Slash heard the fight and we came to rescue you."

"Slash forced the tiger to retreat," Leatherhead said.

Fillien looked down at her healing wing, remembering Slash had rammed his spiked mace into Tiger Claw's jaw. Not just anyone could get a good hit on the tiger like Slash did. And to save someone's life in the process. "Merci… I thank you all for helping me. Especially you Slash. You do deserve my forgiveness."

The giant turtle made no fanfare of it. He gave a simple nod of gratitude. That's when Fillien's front legs gave way and she was back to laying on her belly. The sudden drop made Pete nervous. "Fillien, you ok?"

"She's fine," Kurtzman explained as he rushed to a couple of boxes stacked in the corner of the room. "I gave her some pain killers so she's going to be tired a lot." He opened one box to pull out a cooking pot. "But like us, she needs something to eat. Mind helping me with the cooking today, Leatherhead?"

"Of course…" the alligator replied.

While the other mutants had started to make dinner, Pete staid by Fillien's side as the pain killers finally took effect. She couldn't talk much but it didn't mean her mind was completely unfocused. So to pass the time she asked Pete, "How did you survive?"

Pete knew exactly what she was talking about. "Well, once I knew you and Karai had escaped, I was taken prisoner. But honestly, I wasn't as scared as I thought I'd be. In fact, I tried to plan an actual escape!" Pete started to get excited. Then he frowned. "Didn't work though," Pete added.

"Well, you've come a long way from hiding in trashcans. I'm proud. And relieved. There were days I thought you were gone."

"Thanks… and it's good to be alive." Then Pete continued to explain, "I met Rockwell in a Kraang Lab." He motioned to the ape mutant. Fillien looked to see Rockwell close his eyes and put his hands to his head again like earlier. Suddenly some pots that had been placed on portable stoves were lifted off and put on the table to cool. No one touched them.

Pete continued, "Rockwell was being experimented by the Kraang but they accidentally gave him telekinesis." Fillien nodded, now understanding how the garage door had closed earlier. "So he came up with the escape plan and we both got out. Then we meet Leatherhead hiding in the sewers. And then Slash and Kurtzman came to us asking for help. Now we're the Mighty Mutanimals."

"Mighty Mutanimals?" she asked with a grin. Fillien couldn't tell if that name was actually funny or the pain killers making it seem funny.

Pete didn't get her question. "Yep, a mutant task force to stop the Kraang's secret plots! Hey, wait… you're an animal mutant. After your wing's healed, you want to join us?"

Taken aback, Fillien looked down at her paws to try and think straight. Join these guys? They all seemed nice, and Pete vouched for them. If anything she owed them her life. But the catgirl had to remember there was a reason she was almost caught by Tiger Claw tonight. "Pete, Karai's lost again. Her mind is doing better now but the Foot Clan knows we're back. They'll be after her. I can't stay. I have to find her."

The birdman was still. He and Karai didn't have the emotional capacity to call each other friends. And being she was a mutated snake never sat well with the bird. But Fillien was Pete's friend, and he knew how much Karai meant to the cat. "Sorry to hear that. I bet she's fine considering how she—wait—you can't leave."

"I appreciate the invitation but you know how Karai and I work."

"It's not just that. Your wing needs to heal."

Fillien looked again at her wing. The pain killers worked so well she forgot that was a problem. Rockwell had poured two cups of rice in to two bowls and held them in hand as he walked on over to them. As he put a bowl down in front of the cat girl and gave one to Pete, Rockwell said, "He's right. And it will take at least a month to heal. As long as you have proper rest and maintain from too much movement." Then Kurtzman went back to the table.

Fillien knew she needed to follow these rules but to do so would mean less time trying to find Karai. "What about Karai? A month is too long to go without looking for her."

Pouring a bowl of rice for Kurtzman and Rockwell, Leatherhead suggested, "Have us look for her." Fillien perked up at the thought.

"We go out on patrol every night," Slash added, "We'll keep an eye out for her."

An invisible weight Fillien felt she had been carrying was suddenly lifted. To have a whole group looking for Karai was a bigger chance of finding her. And more importantly, Fillien could heal up in the meantime. "I really owe you… Mighty Mutanimals, a lot. You're going through all this trouble." A feeling she had long forgotten was suddenly coming back. "Almost forgot what it was like to trust people, especially those who I've never met before." Fillien eyes landed on Kurtzman's hand that wasn't holding his rice bowl. The one she scarred herself. "I'm sorry I was so distant earlier. And I'm sorry about your hand."

Everyone looked at Kurtzman's bandage. The man just shrugged and said, "We've all had time's we've been distant from people. In the end, we remember that survivors have to stick together," Kurtzman finished, holding up a bowl as if to make a toast. "And help each other."

A.N: Short chapter today but more next week. Yes, I kind of made up how the mutanimals met but that was never explained in the show so I did that YEAH! Your welcome. But most importantly wanted everyone to get to know each other and forgive where needed. Anyway. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!