A.N: Another regularly scheduled update. YIIII! And extra long! BTW, here comes that turtle pov you've all probably been waiting for!

I don't own TMNT

(Translation)

CHAPTER 22

Tap, tap, tap went the sound of the last of the April showers as it constantly came down on the red walls of the old barn. Thankfully the only person in at the moment found it soothing as he worked. Donatello was busy drawing out a new blueprint, his only light being the lamp on the table where he worked in the back of the large space. His computer and other gadgets had been set to the side as he went old school at the moment.

Normally the purple banded mutant turtle would be deep in researching or using any tech he had at his disposal. Especially when it came to making sure he was going in the right direction with a new experiment or invention. Currently, Donnie was coming up with upgrades to the old Volkwagon Bus that was in the barn shed with him. For now, though, he was going to go by instinct. Trust himself. Trust his strengths.

"Be strong, like the mountain," he whispered to himself. A phrase Donnie heard only a few days ago. From his father. Splinter. Someone he and his brothers thought to have been killed back during the Kraang's invasion. By Shredder no less. How had he spoken to the turtles then? Well, Donnie thought at first he could have been hallucinating the spirit of his father popping out of fire. But how could it be if his brothers also saw Splinter and heard him speak the same thing; to harness the elements and find their true potential?

Donnie was glad that in his trail, he broke free of his strict reliance on logic and embraced what might seem impossible. To stand his ground, like a mountain. It allowed him a sense of hope to believe, alongside his brothers, that Splinter was alive. They just had to go back to New York and find him. They were ready to go back, but first, they needed a way in.

As Donnie drew calmly with a white pencil over blue paper, he smiled. This was the most relaxed he felt in a while, and this was a plan to break past Kraang's security. The irony.

The door to the barn suddenly opened and Donnie looked back to see Michaelangelo walking in. The orange banded turtle closed the door behind him before trying to shake off water from his hands and feet. "Sup, Donnie," he began, as he started to walk passed the colorful van and up to Donnie's chair where he sat. "Me and April got dinner ready! Guess what it is…"

Donnie's eyes narrowed as he continued his sketch. "Pizza."

"Ok, so it's not really that hard to guess," Mikey said sheepishly. Then he spotted Donnie's sketches and leaned over the chair to see. "Whatch'ya doin?" he asked in a sing-songy voice.

Donnie quickly began to roll up the blueprint and said, "Something special. We're going to use to break past Kraang security around the city."

The young turtle became excited, his eyes wide as saucers. He, like everyone, had been excited at the thought of going back to New York City. They had been staying in April's old family home upstate for so long that they missed their Lair. Donnie taking his work into the barn almost 24/7. "Can I see?!" Mikey exclaimed as he tried to reach for the paper.

The older brother moved it away from reach and stashed the blueprint into a drawer. "If I say it's a surprise, would you leave it alone until I tell you?" Donnie knew Mikey wasn't one to ruin a surprise. He liked surprises.

Mikey stepped back and held his hands up, "Oo-oo, ok, ok, I'll wait." Then he spotted Donnie's phone and got an idea for another question. "Hey, have you gotten any calls from Fillien yet?" Donnie sighed. His brother's questions reminding him of the last time he talked with their feline ally with wings.

For some reason she had called through Leonardo's phone to which Raph picked up because Leo was still recovering from his brutal fight with Shredder. She had asked for Donnie because unlike his brothers, he knew more about her troubles. Not enough to get him involved with… whatever it was she had been running from, but enough to know the importance of the tanzanite ring she processed. And to know her family had been killed for it and that she was in danger as well.

That's why he and Mikey were worried she hadn't called since then, which was three months ago. Of the four turtles, Donnie and Mikey cared for Fillien as a friend. Raph still somewhat skeptical of her considering she, unlike Karai, had no reason to leave the Foot Clan. The cat had been almost as brutal as the other Foot mutants when she was one of the enemy. Now that was beside the point. It now sounded she was finishing what was started with this Creator, going all the way to Africa to do it.

"No," Donnie answered, "Not yet." They just had to hope though that Fillien came out alive. As well as Karai. Fillien denied Karai was with her, but Donnie was the only one to have talked to Fillien then and the cat held restraint in her voice when asked. "I'm sure Fillien is fine."

Mikey had become somber when Donnie answered but quickly his smile came back when Donnie gave him some hope. "Well, come on!" the young turtle exclaimed as he started backing up towards the barn entrance, "That Pizza isn't gonna eat itself."

))))))))))))))))))) New York City (((((((((((((((((((

"Leatherhead! Two Kraang, at 5 o'clock!"

The giant gator heard the warning from above and immediately whipped his tail in the direction specified. Two Kraang silver Kraang droids fell in an instant onto the cement floor of the street. Two of several on the ground that had been destroyed tonight.

Another cry came from the sky. "Rockwell, three of them are trying to escape, southbound."

The monkey ran on all fours towards three Kraang droids trying to getaway. Just as he got behind them, he jumped over them to get in front and stand in their way. They stopped just as Rockwellraises his fingers to his helmet and closed his eyes. An invisible wave suddenly pushed the droids back where they came from. All three ended up getting smashed by a spiked club waiting for them.

Slash smiled having caught them at the right moment, slinging his weapon over his shoulder and looking around.

The Mutanimals had run into a Kraang patrol on their way to Midtown. The fight was just about ending though. A walker destroyed and burning in pieces on the side of the road. Something that used to be a little harder for them…. until they got extra air support.

"Duck!" The Mutanimals on foot hit the deck as Pete and Fillien dove down from the sky and then leveled out just over their heads. Suddenly a Kraang stealth ship came flying after, managing to level out even though it seemed it was spilling fumes out the back. Fillien and Pete flew alongside each other as they came close to a T-section.

Townhouses made up the street blocking them. They both gave each other a sly smile before Fillien made a right and Pete took the left as soon as they got close enough to the buildings of the t-section. The Kraang in the stealth ship had been too engaged in the chase they didn't realize they were being led into a trap until it was too late. The ship crashed into the townhouses and exploded into pieces. Some of it remained stuck in the building but flames engulfed it quickly.

Leatherhead, Rockwell, and Slash came to stand in the middle of the street surrounded by the mess of Kraang part. Soon, Fillien and Pete came flying into view and landed right in front of their comrades. "Nice job, Filly Jilly," Pete said as he held a fisted hand up towards her.

Fillien rolled her eyes and tried her best to fist bump back with her front left paw. "Only because it's you, Pete, that I'm letting you use that nickname again." Then she looked around and said, "Wow, I didn't think it was going to be this bad coming back here. Sorry guys."

"It's the least we can do with your help these last two weeks." The other others nodded in agreement. It was true. Since Fillien had officially joined the Mutanimals, the constant battles with the Kraang had gotten easier. And even easier once she no longer had to just glide around and be their eyes in the sky.

Her wing now fully healed and her stamina back up again, Fillien had been able to add to the number of Kraang property they've all destroyed. She could now add stealth ship to the list tonight.

"Least?" Fillien asked flabbergasted. "You guys took time to come all the way out here to help me look for Karai today. It's more then enough if you ask me." She began to take the lead down 6th Avenue to a normally busier part of the city. Buildings almost as tall as skyscrapers began to pass by the group as they made their way toward Midtown.

Leatherhead said, "We don't have to go and fight Kraang every day. It is easier to set aside time to search for your friend instead of hoping for a chance to spot her."

Rockwell then added, "Besides, the Kraang find us anyway. No matter what we do out here. Tonight showed us that."

Leading the way, Fillien eventually brought the Mutanimals to the east of Midtown. From there they split up into groups and started looking for Karai. After about a couple of hours, the cat and Leatherhead found themselves in front of a building all too familiar to Fillien. It's red cobblestone walls showing it had been vacant long before the Kraang invaded. Fillien and Leatherhead stepped in, the gator looking at the empty lobby they were in before looking up to the different floors marked by wooden railings.

"This is where Karai and I usually stakeout," Fillien explained. "I came here after we got separated, but she never came." Fillien hesitated as she stopped in the center of the room.

Leatherhead asked, "Do you think she has returned here recently?" Fillien didn't say anything right away. She was doubting herself already. They had practically searched everywhere by now. Leatherhead put a giant hand on her shoulder. "Your instincts may be correct, but there is only one way to find out."

Fillien nodded with a confident smile as she said, "I can thankfully count on your wise optimism, Leatherhead. You're right, let's get searching."

The two mutants went on to search the entire abandoned apartment complex. Fillien soon came upon her room. The old mattress collecting dust even with the windows boarded up. One shred of moonlight came through a part of one window not blocked. Fillien looked through to see the familiar view she woke up to every morning whenever she staid here.

But there was no feeling of longing though. If anything she longed to be back at the safety of the Mutanimals hideout, laughing or joking with them over a card game or something. The feeling of community was something Fillien was grateful for. The only longing that came from this place was Karai, and the snake girl wasn't here. Fillien was about to step back into the hallway when she spotted a flying silhouette flying in from the west of the skyline.

Fillien ran out and down to the lobby, yelling for Leatherhead to join her. The two mutants then burst out of the complex in time to see Pete land at the steps of the entrance. "I knew I'd find you here. Follow me! We got Foot Clan mutants a couple of blocks away. The others are already fighting them!"

No hesitation. They were running and flying to their destination as soon as Pete said 'Foot Clan'. Pete brought them outside a food hall below a tall building. It's space wide and airy enough to have several different counter-serving eateries lining the walls and in the middle several tables and chairs. By now though, the furniture was all over the place. Rockwell was using telekinesis to pin Bradford with several hundred chairs to the wall.

From the window, Fillien could see Xever getting up having been thrown down to the ground. His knife was ready to catch the monkey by surprise with a stab to the back. Leatherhead roared and charged towards the fish man. Xever was surprised to see the gator burst through the window and then grab him in his giant clawed hands. They ended up crashing into a taco establishment, pots and frying pan falling to the ground with the sound echoing around the hall.

Another sound that was heard was the grunt of a fight happening at the end of the hall. Fillien noticed there was a small hallway that led to another dining hall on the other side. The catgirl ran inside through the broken window and then into the other dining hall.

She got there in time to see Slash on his knees, bruised and beaten, as Tiger Claw had the mutant turtle's mace in hand. Tiger Claw began, "This is for my jaw you almost broke, you sorry excuse for a—"

Fillien was booking it, seeing the Tiger raise the weapon over his head. She jumped onto his back, her claws digging into his shoulders so she could hang on. Then she bit into Tiger Claws neck. The momentum almost made him fall forward but he didn't. But he did drop the mace to land in front of Slash. Tiger Claw reached back and grabbed Fillien by the scruff. Then he turned around to throw Fillien towards the small hallway she had come through.

She maneuvered herself mid-fall with her wings spreading out to catch air. It allowed her to land on her feet, facing Tiger Claw with shoulder hunched and a menacing growl growing in her throat. Both cat mutants looked at each other, fur on end and claws unsheathed.

That's when Slash got an idea. He grabbed his mace and raised it, but instead of aiming for Tiger Claw he brought the spike end into the ground. It cased the floor around Tiger Claw to crumble and even rise up with the sudden impact. As he was lifted into the air by the force, Fillien saw an opportunity and flew high over Tiger Claw. Then with sheer force, her front paws grabbed a hold of him and pinned him to the ground. The impact making for the floor around them crack and even lift.

When the dust cleared it looked like Tiger Claw had crashed on the spot where he lay now and created a crater. Fillien standing on top of him with wings spread out. Slash could see that she not only looked powerful but felt powerful having knocked the tiger senseless. "That's for my wing…" Fillien said, almost breathless but victory all the same.

Slash laughed. Oh yeah, she was fine. Slash, not so much. Using his mace to help him stand, Slash got up on wobbly legs. "You all right?" Fillien asked as she jumped off Tiger Claw and went to stand next to her comrade.

"Fine, but we need to leave."

"Why?"

"They followed us here. We caught them hiding in the shadows. I think they followed us since the fight with the Kraang."

"Why—" But Fillien didn't finish. It was obvious. They were looking for Karai too. They were going to have to be extra careful from now on. Especially now that they knew Fillien was with the Mutanimals. "All right, lead the way."

)))))))))))))))) Great Hall, Foot Clan Hideout ((((((((((((((

"Though the results were not ideal…" Tiger Claw began his report to Shredder. "We found some interesting information."

Xever, Bradford, and Tiger Claw had all come back from the fight they having been beaten and left to recover as the Mutanimals escaped to who knows where. The fish and dog slightly shook in fear, knowing the heavily armored man they bowed in front of at the moment hated failures. Thankfully Tiger Claw was at the fight too, and being Shredder's Second Hand he had a way of convincing the man lost missions weren't a complete waist.

Tiger Claw continued from his kneeling position as he felt Shredder's eyes on him from where he stood in front of him. "Even though tonight we decided to try and track the catgirl in hopes to find Karai, we found out it would be a waste of resources since she truly does not know where Karai is."

Xever and Bradford looked to the tiger somewhat surprised. He was saying that as if he had not told Shredder of their last encounter with Fillien. The night the tiger broke the cat girl's wing. Maybe because it ended with Tiger Claw being almost jawless because of that giant mutant turtle Slash. After all, that was the real reason they had gone out in the first place tonight. They weren't looking for only Karai. Tiger Claw wanted to exact revenge of Slash. That would be something he wouldn't say to Shredder.

Tiger Claw continued. "In fact, she has joined these Mighty Mutanimals and together they are searching for Karai. We will save more time and energy by following their whereabouts. When they do happen upon Karai, we will be the ones to catch Karai instead."

As Tiger Claw spoke, the air around them seemed to relax as Shredder did. He was no longer fuming over the lack of fighting skills his followers had. instead, he saw the logic in Tiger Claw's proposition. "Very well. tonight, your punishments have been avoided. Don't make me regret this decision. You are all excused. Tiger Claw, you remain."

Bradford and Xever hurridly walked out of the Great Hall, planning a silent victory party of not dying tonight over a couple of drinks. Tiger Claw stood but with arms behind him as he waited for what Shredder had to say. "Ms. Lefevre seems to be posing as much more of a threat as the months go by."

Tiger Claw rubbed the back of his neck where the blood had dried up from the bite Fillien gave him. "As I have said, her skills we will use to our advantage—"

"We shall," Shredder said, cutting the mutant off. But he didn't do so in anger but in deep thought. "Follow me"

))))))))))))))) Foot Clan Jail Cell ((((((((((((((

Ulrich was busy counting the number of bricks lined the walls of his cell. He had been having trouble sleeping recently so he thought counting sheep might work. But after a couple of nights, that method wore off. So he tried something new tonight. He was so busy counting he had no idea he had visitors until Shredder's shadow loomed over him.

The French man looked up at from where he laid back against the wall. Shredder on the other side of the metal bars as usual. But instead do keeping them closed, the tiger mutant with him went ahead and opened the door wide open. Surprised he was, to say the least. But then again, he had been hoping this day would come. His words finally piquing Shredder's curiosity.

The metal man let the man stand before he addressed him, "You were right to tell me the rings would no longer be something we could acquire."

Ulrich waved his hands in front of him, "It's all right, Monsieur. Even I have lost myself in… what's the English phrase. Wild goose chase."

"What I do have now planned is still a chase. But not that of a ring, but of a winged cat."

Ulrich smirked.

A.N: So yes, what comes after Vision Quest? Return to New York! But maybe it won't be what we expect, at least not with the turtles. But we will get a special reunion we've been waiting for! Can't wait! Meanhwhile we got some baddies doing abby things hahah, what TMNT without villians, honeslty. I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!