There was even darkness when she opened her eyes.
She blinked, wondering if she had somehow blinded herself. But when she focused into the dark for a few moments, vague gray shapes became clear. And when she turned her head (slowly, gods it hurt like hell to move it) she saw light from a crack near the floor. A door was there.
Voices outside. Angry.
"What the hell are we gonna do with 'er?"
"I don't know Raph. She's too hurt to move around right now." That was the angel.
"Yeah, well that's only gonna last so long. What the hell are we gonna do!" Raph said again. "We can't keep 'er!"
"It's useless to argue about it right now." Said a soft, calm voice. "She's here, and we have to do what we can for her."
"Says who Donny? She was spyin'; on us, that makes 'er an enemy!"
"You don't believe that anymore that I do, Raph." Said Donny.
Cat tried to sit up more and only groaned. Her arm hurt, her chest hurt, her head hurt the worst.
"She's gonna....."
"Enough" Said a fourth voice and all the others fell silent.
Cat listened, hard. Something clicked....a key in a lock....and then the door opened spilling light into the room. She saw it was about the size of a walk in closet. She caught a glimpse of two green blurs outside, as her eyes tried to adjust to the light. The gray shape to her left revealed itself to be a small low table with several candles on it.
The shape in the door was nothing but a black silhouette. She saw a long thin naked tail, and then the door closed again.
She heard the sound of soft gentle breathing.
"Who are you." Cat said. Her voice was sweet and low, but she winced at the fear in it. She had wanted to sound calm "Where am I?"
"You are safe." Said the voice. It was a wonderful voice, almost whispering. Calm and kind and even. "You may call me Splinter."
She heard him move forward toward the table. She heard several soft thuds and clicks, and then a scratching popping sound. A match jumped to life in the dark, and began to touch candles. Flames sprung to life, and she counted...five candles.
His profile was gentled by the soft light, but she still took in a breath. Not human at all, but not reptile like the others. A long muzzle, whiskers, bright gray eyes, fur that was a brown-gray. She would have thought dog, but the tail was rodent. Mouse or rat then. He was dressed in threadbare robes, that had obviously been repaired many times.
She saw he had put several bowls, a small steaming teapot, and a small bundle on the table.
He opened the bundle as she watched and began to put crumbled leaves and herbs in one of the bowls.
"What is your name, child?" he asked gently, still looking at his work.
"C...." She paused. Not just because he was a rodent, and she imagined must not like cats, but because...well....there was something about him. Something that made her feel that using her street name was an insult to him.
And oddly enough, she wanted him to know her real name. Because she was sure Splinter was his, it just......fit so well.
"Jessie" The girl said "I'm Jessie Walker."
He nodded slowly "Jessica" he said, and she started. No one called her Jessica, not even the few who knew her real name. Only her mother had called her that, and in such a gentle tone as this. His voice was male, it was how she knew he was a he, but the quality in it..The care...was the same as how her mother had spoken.
For a moment, her ghost was in this room, and Jessie missed her all over again with a fierceness that brought tears to her eyes. If only....If only....
He turned and came to the pallet she lay on. Kneeling beside her, he looked down, one of the small wooden bowls in his left hand "Do not be afraid, child. I will not harm you." He said gently.
She nodded only the smallest bit.
He put an arm under her head that felt both as thin as sticks and as strong as iron, and gently lifted her head. She whimpered with pain, but she made no other protest.
"Drink" He said "it will dull the pain."
She drank, finding it was very warm but not hot, The herbs had a green, almost bitter taste to them. When she had swallowed all of it, he lay her head back with great care. "You are wounded badly." He said "Your healing will take time, but you will heal." he said. He went back to the table, and began to prepare another mix in a separate bowl. She saw him take clean cloth from the bundle and he returned to her side. She only realized her head was wrapped in cloth when he began to unwrap it.
"Why are you helping me?" Jessie said softly.
"Because you need our help." He said and began to wash her wounds. She was very still as he did this, and still when he rebound them with clean cloth. She saw the old bindings and the amount of blood staining them frightened her. There was much more blood from her arm, but the head injury made her more nervous.
She looked up at him, her eyes confused. He simply met her gaze mildly.
"What are you? What are they? How can you be real?"
He smiled. Just a tiny bit, but to her surprise she found herself returning the smile.
"How is it that you are real, Jessica? We are simply what we are. I will tell you the story soon. But not today. Today you must rest. I will have food brought for you. You have been unconscious for a full day."
She was surprised at that. She watched him bundle up his things.
"Splinter"
He looked over at her.
"I'm your prisoner, aren't I?"
HE looked a little uncomfortable at this "You are our guest."
"Do you always lock up your guests?" She asked.
"Only the ones who come to spy first." He said, but the statement held no anger.
"What are you going to do with me?"
"Feed you. Tend your wounds. When you are well...we..." He paused "We will get you well first, and then decide."
"Tend me and then kill me. Odd choice."
He looked at her "We are not savage beasts, Jessica. Will have no intention of killing you."
"If I were you." She said softly "I would." He studied her a long moment, and then she realized he looked sad. She was taken off guard by this, and swallowed.
"We are not you, then." He said, and turned to the door, leaving her candles for light.
"Splinter."
He paused.
"I....um. Thank you." She said softly.
He turned and looked at her. He gave her a small bow of the head, and then turned and opened the door.
She stared at it a long time after he was gone.
She blinked, wondering if she had somehow blinded herself. But when she focused into the dark for a few moments, vague gray shapes became clear. And when she turned her head (slowly, gods it hurt like hell to move it) she saw light from a crack near the floor. A door was there.
Voices outside. Angry.
"What the hell are we gonna do with 'er?"
"I don't know Raph. She's too hurt to move around right now." That was the angel.
"Yeah, well that's only gonna last so long. What the hell are we gonna do!" Raph said again. "We can't keep 'er!"
"It's useless to argue about it right now." Said a soft, calm voice. "She's here, and we have to do what we can for her."
"Says who Donny? She was spyin'; on us, that makes 'er an enemy!"
"You don't believe that anymore that I do, Raph." Said Donny.
Cat tried to sit up more and only groaned. Her arm hurt, her chest hurt, her head hurt the worst.
"She's gonna....."
"Enough" Said a fourth voice and all the others fell silent.
Cat listened, hard. Something clicked....a key in a lock....and then the door opened spilling light into the room. She saw it was about the size of a walk in closet. She caught a glimpse of two green blurs outside, as her eyes tried to adjust to the light. The gray shape to her left revealed itself to be a small low table with several candles on it.
The shape in the door was nothing but a black silhouette. She saw a long thin naked tail, and then the door closed again.
She heard the sound of soft gentle breathing.
"Who are you." Cat said. Her voice was sweet and low, but she winced at the fear in it. She had wanted to sound calm "Where am I?"
"You are safe." Said the voice. It was a wonderful voice, almost whispering. Calm and kind and even. "You may call me Splinter."
She heard him move forward toward the table. She heard several soft thuds and clicks, and then a scratching popping sound. A match jumped to life in the dark, and began to touch candles. Flames sprung to life, and she counted...five candles.
His profile was gentled by the soft light, but she still took in a breath. Not human at all, but not reptile like the others. A long muzzle, whiskers, bright gray eyes, fur that was a brown-gray. She would have thought dog, but the tail was rodent. Mouse or rat then. He was dressed in threadbare robes, that had obviously been repaired many times.
She saw he had put several bowls, a small steaming teapot, and a small bundle on the table.
He opened the bundle as she watched and began to put crumbled leaves and herbs in one of the bowls.
"What is your name, child?" he asked gently, still looking at his work.
"C...." She paused. Not just because he was a rodent, and she imagined must not like cats, but because...well....there was something about him. Something that made her feel that using her street name was an insult to him.
And oddly enough, she wanted him to know her real name. Because she was sure Splinter was his, it just......fit so well.
"Jessie" The girl said "I'm Jessie Walker."
He nodded slowly "Jessica" he said, and she started. No one called her Jessica, not even the few who knew her real name. Only her mother had called her that, and in such a gentle tone as this. His voice was male, it was how she knew he was a he, but the quality in it..The care...was the same as how her mother had spoken.
For a moment, her ghost was in this room, and Jessie missed her all over again with a fierceness that brought tears to her eyes. If only....If only....
He turned and came to the pallet she lay on. Kneeling beside her, he looked down, one of the small wooden bowls in his left hand "Do not be afraid, child. I will not harm you." He said gently.
She nodded only the smallest bit.
He put an arm under her head that felt both as thin as sticks and as strong as iron, and gently lifted her head. She whimpered with pain, but she made no other protest.
"Drink" He said "it will dull the pain."
She drank, finding it was very warm but not hot, The herbs had a green, almost bitter taste to them. When she had swallowed all of it, he lay her head back with great care. "You are wounded badly." He said "Your healing will take time, but you will heal." he said. He went back to the table, and began to prepare another mix in a separate bowl. She saw him take clean cloth from the bundle and he returned to her side. She only realized her head was wrapped in cloth when he began to unwrap it.
"Why are you helping me?" Jessie said softly.
"Because you need our help." He said and began to wash her wounds. She was very still as he did this, and still when he rebound them with clean cloth. She saw the old bindings and the amount of blood staining them frightened her. There was much more blood from her arm, but the head injury made her more nervous.
She looked up at him, her eyes confused. He simply met her gaze mildly.
"What are you? What are they? How can you be real?"
He smiled. Just a tiny bit, but to her surprise she found herself returning the smile.
"How is it that you are real, Jessica? We are simply what we are. I will tell you the story soon. But not today. Today you must rest. I will have food brought for you. You have been unconscious for a full day."
She was surprised at that. She watched him bundle up his things.
"Splinter"
He looked over at her.
"I'm your prisoner, aren't I?"
HE looked a little uncomfortable at this "You are our guest."
"Do you always lock up your guests?" She asked.
"Only the ones who come to spy first." He said, but the statement held no anger.
"What are you going to do with me?"
"Feed you. Tend your wounds. When you are well...we..." He paused "We will get you well first, and then decide."
"Tend me and then kill me. Odd choice."
He looked at her "We are not savage beasts, Jessica. Will have no intention of killing you."
"If I were you." She said softly "I would." He studied her a long moment, and then she realized he looked sad. She was taken off guard by this, and swallowed.
"We are not you, then." He said, and turned to the door, leaving her candles for light.
"Splinter."
He paused.
"I....um. Thank you." She said softly.
He turned and looked at her. He gave her a small bow of the head, and then turned and opened the door.
She stared at it a long time after he was gone.
