Juu...
The icy rain came down in sheets through the trees. A layer of clear ice coated everything the drops touched. The pines trees scattered in amongst the naked trunks glistened in a magical way.
Heads bend against the sleet, Leonardo and Raphael led the line along the steep incline they rode. The freezing rain combined with the loose soil and leaves made passage tricky for their horses. The incline also dropped off toward the left. Further down the ravine was a young river flowing to a larger tributary somewhere. The river's muffled roar echoed up to them through the sound of rain hitting the leaves. Scattered, rocky embankments rose up to the right of them. Amidst the boulders and exposed pieces of stone, the briars alongside younger trees further challenged the travel. Simply put, going in a straight line proved impossible. And the darkness of night also fell on them.
Leo wondered if he should have taken a lower path along the river instead. The travel looked easier down there now. Something about the river haunted him - a feeling that told him they're safer away from it.
All this, and for what?
They rode in search of something, anything that told them a purpose behind this pointless struggle. In three hours, they covered just a couple miles alongside the small mountain. But they weren't exactly traveling in silence.
The weather outside is frightful, but I know you'll ...
Mike began to hum another Christmas carol as he kept his eyes on the wicked but beautiful terrain. The carols helped keep his wits together, as Eclypse had problems with her footing on the loose ground. That only added to his growing insecurity. He considered getting off and walking her the rest of the way. Leo also looked like he wanted to do the same with Jontondo. His horse also slid down more than moving forward. But then, they might hold the others up.
Raph's mare, on the other hand, handled all of this like an old pro. And the same went for Danza and Tally. Why did he get the clumsy horse? Mike sighed and redirected his thoughts again.
There's even ice stuck all over Trinity's tail hairs, Raph's saddle bags, making icicles on the back of his hat...
Sheeez... I can't even feel my hands in this! How am I supposed to fight if I can't feel my chucks?!?
Mike put the reins in his left hand to shake his right one. A major case of "Ice, ice baby"... ughh, where'd that come--
"Mikey, it's not even December yet," Don finally spoke against his choice of music.
"It's close enough." Mike yelled back, with a merry smile.
Raph let an ice-covered pine bow he held snap back. Eclypse snorted in alarm when it hit her in the muzzle.
"Hey!" Mike protested for her.
"Rollin', rollin', rollin'. Keep them doggies rollin'...man, my ass is swollen...raw hide. Git 'em up, move 'em out..." Raph picked up another tune. His voice grew all the more hoarse as he sung along.
Mike grinned. "But seriously, Raph, if a space ship lands and the most beautiful woman you've ever saw gets ou--"
"Oohhh no! No more City Slickers--" Don groaned.
"And all she wants to do is have the greatest sex in the universe with you, then fly away the second it's over. Will ya do it, Raph?"
"Heh...would I? Ya bettah believe I would."
"Come on! Leave the stallion in the corral, huh?" Leo mocked them.
"Sheez..."
Since the last scenario, they decided it was better for Ryutaro to take up the rear. That way, he could keep an eye on them at all times. Leo also insisted on taking lead. His senses seemed to know where to go, a sense of direction Ryutaro secretly seeded into Leo's mind.
Despite all these attempts, Ryutaro sensed Leo's doubts about this path. The hill was becoming more vertical as they ventured on. He started to fret how much further they could go in the dark. Ryutaro needed to find more encouraging thoughts to keep them going.
Raph grew serious again. His throat was killing him, he was losing his voice, and his hands and feet felt numb from the freezing rain.
Nothing abnormal could be seen around them. Nobody was going to formally "meet" them out here; they were probably in the wrong location. Raph scanned the rough hillside in the fading light again. He studied the shimmering rocks to his right; it's dark cracks.
His intuition, on the other hand, still bothered him. Something was waiting for them... something that wanted them. Not wanting to be caught off guard, Raph left his sai at easy access under his hands while he rode. They hung on the dee rings on the front of the English saddle, with ice dripping from their points.
The conversation Leo and Ryutaro had from when they set up camp edged back into his mind. The one about Tatsumaki. It came to him in his restless sleep, along with more of the same tormenting dreams. Dreams similar to the ones Mike had. Dreams he had ever since they came to Rising Dawn Stables. Raph could tell they came from Splinter. They had to be.
Tatsu... the other one... He had been with Foot! The instant Raph looked up, he saw Leo and Jontondo drop down the hill in front of him.
A tall, man dressed warmly in dark green Gore-Tex pants, hiking boots and a camouflage jacket stood at the end of a aisle, scanning it for somebody. Two men stood towards the other end, looking into a horse stall. He walked toward them with a smile of satisfaction creeping across his face.
"Situree simasu, kaicho... [Excuse me, leader...]" the spy respectfully addressed the taller of the two men.
The Japanese man turned and bowed to acknowledge the spy's presence. "[News you bring?]" He rubbed his hand on the back of his shaved head before crossing his arms.
"[Yes, we found them. There are five. Ryutaro brought...the others.]" The spy looked at his superior's chest as he spoke.
"[The stallion, he rides it now?]" The leader watched the spy's expression.
"Hai."
"Nngh...good." He bowed. As long as they get the stallion, it doesn't matter too much about the others.
The spy bowed deeper and promptly left.
Tatsu turned toward his colleague, his tight smile confirming the shared satisfaction. "The stallion, you will have him, Itoda-sensei."
Dr. Itoda returned Tatsu's smile, then looked into the horse stall. A Clydesdale mare stood in the far corner at ease. She was due to give birth to her foal, a very special foal. The final product of Dr. Itoda's genetic experiments.
Tatsu nodded, looking upon the mare. His thoughts were not on her anymore, as the news began to sink in.
Damned turtles.
When Tatsu first caught sight of one of them back at the Belmont Racetrack, he convinced himself it was just coincidence. For them to know about this was impossible. His operation was kept purely under wraps. No one knew of it, of the location, or his own whereabouts... even the Foot Clan he left back in New York City.
Or do those freaks even know whom they're getting involved with?
The arrangement made with Ryutaro came as a stroke of luck. No one else on the farm knew of the boy's plan either. He succeeded in convincing Ryutaro to sell the stallion for a great sum of money.
Tatsu tried to forget those freaks after they crawled back into hiding after his last defeat. He thought those mutants wanted nothing more to do with the Foot, or him, after getting their vengeance on Saki.
Had it not been for the lost in respect for Saki, he would have sought revenge on those Turtles for him. His Master didn't listen to him when he warned against using Tokka and Rahzar. Instead, Saki expected him to train those monsters. Only an idiot would ask that of him. Those brainless creatures simply created one disgrace after another. Tatsu came very close to committing suicide then to keep what honor he had left. But still, these Turtle demons resurface.
What does it take to be rid of these kappa?
Jontondo had come across a sheet of rock that had been covered over loosely with leaves. He quickly lost his footing on the slick surface, resulting in a fast downward slide.
"Leo!" His brothers cried out in chorus.
Leo gritted his teeth in pain as they slid down the unforgiving terrain. Jontondo's bodyweight pressed into his right leg, which grated against the rocky soil. The stirrup iron loosen itself from Leo's foot, but it only added to the misery by jutting into his shinbone. Then a ragged stump of a small, fallen tree ripped into his jeans. Leo desperately grabbed at the ground and at saplings to pull himself out from under Jontondo.
In the struggle, cold mud covered him inside and out. He finally found solid earth to brace himself and froze. Only his body heaved for as. Leo looked up the incline to fix his gaze on the others, as a plea. Jontondo's scrambling legs finally stopped their downward ascent a yard below him.
But for how long?
"The lead ropes..." Raph looked around, not wanting to say more. He thought about the picket-line rope they used to tie all the horses on, but Leo had that in his saddlebags.
Don understood and untied the lead rope from Tally's neck. "Let's tie 'em all together to make a longer rope...to pull Leo up." He unsnapped the rope from the halter as he looked to Ryutaro for his lead rope. Don quickly tied a knot at the end of his rope, then snapped the clip of Ryutaro's at the knot.
Fragile ice fell from the ropes as he worked with them. Don had to force his fingers to work through the numbing cold the ice brought. He pulled the connected ropes tight to make sure they held. Then he tied another knot at the end of the next lead rope, as to clip on another. As he worked feverishly, the others yelled to Leo to hold on.
"Hold 'er," Raph handed Trinity's reins to Mike. He took the free end of the 'rope' and braced himself against a young tree. As soon as Don finished, he went to assist Raph, in case he had trouble with his footing when he started pulling Leo.
The gelding sat on his tail, his front feet braced against the earth. Jon seemed to know if he moved, he would start sliding down again. But Leo didn't want to leave the horse behind, or his swords that were still attached to the saddle. He also promised Steve he wouldn't let anything happen to her horses. Jon was truly a good horse.
"I can't. Not without him..." Leo finally voiced his concern.
The rain turned into small pellets of ice. It created a new kind of sound in the moment of stillness the five held.
"No, Leo--c'mo--" Raph started to argue, but his voice kept breaking off.
His eyes didn't leave Leo's, but it was hard to focus on him in the dark. The end of the rope was just an arm's reach away his brother now. Raph sat down on the frigid ground. A vivid memory from his dreams flashed in the back of his mind...
It's the pure blackness, stuff that's suffocating and deadly, can't shake it. It hurts. It hurts...only to persist.
Then it throbs...a small spot in a light colored space. Growing bigger, so big it eats up everything...only to shrink down again. Throbbing like that, over and over. And then it takes shape. It's a demon, so overwhelming. Nothing could stop it.
It prevails over...us...
Don's voice brought him back to the problem at hand.
"Let Jon figure his own way up...Leo, please!" Don now pleaded. It sounded cold, but Don shared Raph's feelings about saving their own flesh and blood than some horse's. He finally edged over to Tally to pull a flashlight from his saddlebag to see the situation.
Mike looked around Eclypse to Ryutaro. The human hadn't said much in the way of help yet. "Your horse...any suggestions?"
Ryutaro kept his eyes down on Leo's dark shape. Then Don had him in the spotlight. The turtle managed to grab hold of Jon's reins, but he couldn't reach the rope.
"Urrr, that's not going to work, Leo! Untie his lead rope and use that. Reins are too short." Don yelled. He wanted to go down there and offer help, but would that be a good idea?
Ryutaro spoke in thought. "Save them both...both Leo and Jon."
But upon further inspection, Ryuu reasoned out a better plan. Don should go down and help Leo with Jon, while he and Mike held the horses. Raph could handle the rope without help. He certainly did not doubt their amazing effort on teamwork.
Without warning, Mike stepped over to Ryutaro and handed over Eclypse and Trinity. "Here, I'm going to help 'im."
"Wait, arrghh! Mike!" Ryutaro growled. The idiot! So much for his plan now. Mike just stuck him with two more horses and left. That made four he had to hold...three of which were a stallion and two mares not in heat. Ryutaro hoped the mares don't just start fighting to make matters worst.
Mike was already hiking sideways down the cliff. After a few feet, he took up a controlled slide down toward Leo. "Leo, climb up! I'll get Jon."
"Yeah, c'mon Leo," Raph whispered, hardly audible to their ears. He did not want him to leave them. He had such a bad feeling about this. His left arm hugged the little tree while his feet braced on the ledge of a rock...waiting.
Look, I'm sitting on my ass waiting for you, Leo!
Don knelt beside Raph when he noticed Mike. He flashed the light on him for a moment. "What the? Mikey...?" Now Mike's going down to Leo. He heard Ryutaro's angry yells as well.
Leo looked up to Mike with a scowl. "Grab the rope Mike, before you slip! I don't want you to get stuck too." He looked for the rope again, trying to avoid the light shining in his eyes. Leo gave one final lunge, and grabbed the rope with his free hand. Jon still refused to move upwards, so Leo was stretched out between Jon's reins and Raph's rope.
An ugly scream from Eclypse added to the tension. She pinned her ears and struck at Danza again. The stallion persevered with an excited nicker. He was starting to slip down the hill, but his hormones had the better of his common sense.
"Donny! Don! Get these mares!" Ryutaro yelled to him. Tally Ho stood apart from the stallion and mares to stay out of the mess. Danza, however, could only think about Trinity. Eclypse wouldn't let him, and made that point clear.
Don sighed in disgust. He wedged the flashlight in the mud so it shone on Leo and Mike before heading over to Ryutaro. Intimated by the darkness, the uncertainty of the terrain, and Eclypse's dancing feet, he cautiously slid in between her and Trinity to get the reins.
As soon as Don took them, Ryutaro grabbed Danza's reins with his free hand. His horse also had begun a downward descent toward the river. He dropped Tally's reins to have full control over Danza. "Take 'em away, Don -- c'mon Danza! Don't do this!"
Don backed away with the horses, and looked back down to his brothers. Mike held onto the rope now, and did his best to help Leo with Jon. As long as they were safe, but...he checked on Ryutaro. The dark figures continued to struggle. Despite Danza's attempts to climb up, he only dragged Ryutaro further down the slippery hill. Don started to feel more helpless. Ryutaro needed help too.
"Mikey!" Don yelled. He was up the rope more than Leo was. "Hurry! Danza's sliding now!"
"Ryuu...?" Mike called over to them in amazement. "Great..." He exchanged worried glances with Leo. They at least have Leo and Jon facing up the hill. "Man, he's gonna need--"
The buckle at the end of Danza's reins gave way and the ends slipped through Ryutaro's wet hands. He fell back onto the ground, but scrambled to grab a rein. Ryutaro came up empty handed.
"Damn..." Mike could tell Ryutaro lost Danza. The stallion slid a few feet from where Ryutaro sat. Feeling his despair, Mike left the rope to go after him. They could not loose his stallion. That was not an option. "Stay there, Ryan...!" Mike quickly crab-stepped across the cliff to reach Danza's dark figure.
"Mi-- Mik--" Raph growled. What just happened actually scared Raph more than it angered him. It's gonna...now would not be a good time for an attack. Mike was out from the light. Raph couldn't see what was going on exactly.
Relentless, Mike fumbled at the frozen knot of the lead rope around Danza's neck. "Whoa, whooooa...easy...do not move, buddy." He pulled on the loose end to release the rope from the stallion's neck. "C'mon, can you 'walk this way'?"
The first couple steps Danza took held strong. A smile of relief came over the turtle's face with this progress.
Yeah, c'mon boy...
Mike groped for handholds on tree roots and rocks as he pulled on the lead rope. "It's alright guys, I got 'im," he yelled up to the others. Leo almost reached the top, taking a sideways path up the hill.
An abrupt jerk pulled Mike down the hill a few feet. The stallion came across more loose soil and started another slide. He felt the ground crumble from under his feet too. The turtle clutched at the earth, but the light he focused on grew smaller. The roar of the river below grew louder.
"Mikey!" Don's voice echoed in the valley.
Mike came across a small boulder to hold tight on. Danza stopped his slide not to far from him. All chances of making it back up looked impossible now. He could smell the fresh water from the river; he was so close to it.
"Mike!?"
He focused on the spot of light as it flashed around. The lay of the land made it so that he couldn't be spotted. Only Mike saw the light. "I'm okay! I'm okay...," he yelled up the cliff. "I think..."
He looked down to Danza's figure. The stallion snorted once in confusion. Mike hugged himself close to the rock, the cold, wet anchor in the ground. A sudden flashback haunted him. The river...Danza...being by himself--getting shot.
"I'm going down," Leo edged back down the incline. But Raph kept on reeling in the rope. He looked up, letting it go. "Raph, I'm sorry. I'm not going to leave Mike down there, alone."
"Wh-- don't we go--?" Raph strained his voice. God, this is pissing me off. I can't talk! Even worse, I'm thinking like Leo...
"It's too dangerous for everybody to go down there." Leo lowered his voice, as to not attract any outside attention. "It's steep..."
Ryutaro came over to Raph with Tally help with the decisions.
"Leo--wha--what if..." Raph tried to speak. This was wearing his temper thin.
Ryutaro looked at Raph, then to Leo. "What if one group is attacked, and not the other? Raph fears you two will be, and we can't help you, 'cause we're up here."
"I know...it's better to stick together." Leo focused on Raph and Ryutaro. He could sense all the feelings Ryutaro detected from them, and why Mike did what he did. The Turtle glanced once down into the dark ravine. "But...sometimes, that isn't an option."
They were silent for awhile.
"Leo...Tatsu, I know who--" Raph swallowed in hopes to make his voice stronger. "Tatsu...the Foot Clan."
Don gasped in disbelief. "That...bald guy, with the speech impediment?" The one we did "the shell shock" to at the clubhouse...?
"Yea..."
Leo didn't have anything to say at the moment. It didn't change the present problem on hand any.
"Go...go Leo!" Raph told him. Jesus, just be careful! He held his gaze on Leo a moment before standing up and winding in the rest of the rope.
Leo pulled on Jontondo's reins and started sideways down the hill toward Mike's direction. He stopped to tell them one more thing. "Continue on your path. We'll travel along the river. Come down to the river when you can find a good place."
"Okay. Be careful Leo." Ryutaro nodded.
"Damn..." Raph whispered. He took Trinity's reins from Don.
"Don't be afraid...there's still hope..." Ryutaro sighed. He went to Eclypse, also feeling a loss for his stallion. He wondered how "the others" would handle this little upset. "We better walk 'em, until the ground is better..."
Mike raised his head when he heard twigs snapping and leaves rustle.
"Mikey...?" Leo softly called when he spotted the dark figures.
Danza regained an another surge of energy as Leo and Jon approached. Leaves scattered as the stallion's legs thrashed to get up the hill.
"Leo? Ahh...!" Mike rolled away from the rock to avoid Danza's futile cliff climbing attempt. He got up on his knees to pull back on the lead rope. "Whoa...stop, dude!"
"Might as well. The both of us are gonna stick to the river." Leo told Mike.
"We're staying down here?" Mike struggled to get the stallion to stand.
Leo sighed. "And they're staying up there, for now..." He sensed some apprehension in Mike's voice. Once the stallion calmly held his ground, Leo wondered about Mike's condition.
"Despite sufferin' from hyperdermia, I'm hunky-dory-just-call-me-mud-and-join-the-club!" Mike smiled.
"You mean hypothermia?"
Mike waved his hand and groaned. "And you?"
"You don't want to know." Leo picked his way down toward the river with Jon in tow. "I am mud."
Mike looked at Danza. The stallion seemed to have his mind set on going back up the hill. "I know...Danza." He tried to pull him around so he could follow Leo.
You're wondering why how this happened, and where Ryutaro is. But, you're stuck with me for now. We'll take care of you.
Leo tied Jontondo to a tree next to the river. He inspected the bank, in search of easy access to the water. After he did, Leo pushed aside the torn part of his muddy jeans to check the wound on his right leg. There was not much he could decipher of it in the dark. Only the pain he felt told him it was bad. He had to clean the mud and debris from it, though.
Mike paused.
Leo?
He glanced down to Leo's dark shape, then over to the ghostly gray shape of Jontondo. The gelding seemed to be looking back at something a lot. A dark shape near his flank caught Mike's attention.
"Stay there, kay...?" he looked at Danza, then walked out to the end of the rope to inspect Jontondo's side.
Without light, Mike had to rely on other senses. He lightly ran his hand over Jon's flank until he touched a sticky, warm spot. That area felt different from the mud matting the horse's hair. Mike brought his hand to his beak. It smelled like blood. "Leo...Jon's bleeding, I don't know how bad..."
Mike's inspection was distracted by a groan. "Leo...?" He looked over to his brother's dark shape by the water's edge. I knew it, you're hurt too. Mike pulled Danza around to another tree where the ground looked level enough to tie him there.
"Leo..." Mike crept down and sat beside him. He watched Leo carefully wash his leg before he spoke. "How is it?"
"Bad skin abrasion... uggh, damn..." Leo muttered as he tried to pick some debris from the raw flesh.
"Gotta hurt like a muther..." Mike nodded. He stood up and carefully found secure footing on the submerged rocks in front of Leo. "Like, put your leg in the water to numb it. I'll help clean the rest out."
"Nuhhh...and you're just gonna kill me with pain."
"C'mon, suck it up, 'fearless leadah'." Mike refuted with a smile he wished Leo could see. "I'm freezing me feet off t' boot!"
Leo slipped his leg further into the flowing waters, the coldness making the pain throb more. "Be quick...we gotta get moving." He gritted his teeth.
Mike gently ran his hands over the wound, stopping at intervals to pick at debris. "Leo, Jontondo's hurt...he's bleeding. You're still sick and I'm gonna freeze my fingers and toes off. Don't think we should go any further like this. We gotta stop and warm up..."
"Raph knows who Tatsu is."
Mike held his hands still to look up to Leo. He also had enough of the freezing cold water. Leo's leg was as good as it was going to get. He climbed out on the rocky edge and tried to squee-gee water from his jeans with his hands.
Leo sighed. "He is, or was, a part of the Foot. He was that bald guy, the one who was with the Foot when they stormed April's apartment...and in the night club."
"No..." Mike mumbled, forcing the thoughts from his head. He stumbled over to Danza, hoping they had first aid stuff in the saddle bags. Fortunately, he found a roll of vet-wrap (self-adhesive cloth tape) for Leo.
"Here...I'm gonna see how bad Jon is." Mike handed him the roll. He approached Jon again, his vision more adjusted to the dark. The turtle ran his stiff hands against the horse's warm side until he felt the gash again.
"We've got to keep going...the sooner we join up again, the better." Leo sighed. The sound of the vet-wrap peeling from the roll was heard.
Mike kept his attention on Jon instead. The gash was deep along the flank. He gently touched the edges in speculation of how it happened. Wondering if Jon's legs were all right, he also ran his hand down the right rear leg. Right at the horse's hock, he felt more stickiness from the blood and a flap of torn hide.
"Oh god...Leo...?"
He could swear he saw something light colored in the wound. Even though it hurt Jon, Mike gently pressed into it with his fingers. It looked and felt like the bone join, or tendon. "He's really messed up bad..."
"Point being," Leo struggled to stand up from the bank.
"We can't get far if he can't walk...probably why he didn't want to move." Mike stroked Jon's neck in sympathy. The warmth the horse radiated invited him too. He leaned against Jon's shoulder to warm his hands, resting his cheek on the wet, warm neck for a moment. Being cold blooded in weather like this was such a pain.
Leo had nothing to say for a moment. Then he offered the roll of vet-wrap to Mike. "Patch his leg up the best you can. We have to at least go up the river a few more yards, to find a better place that this to stop."
Mike took the roll and returned his hands to Jon's warm body.
"The others...knowing Raph, he's not gonna stop right away. Don't want them to not find us, because we are actually behind."
"If we only had a way...of telling them." Mike sighed. He stepped away from Jon to look at the gelding's hock again.
"I do," Leo looked up the hill.
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