Chapter 22: Evolution

Venus' eyes scanned over the rocky outcrops, looking for any sign of prey. She had volunteered to hunt for the family; the only problem was that she didn't have any experience. Her amber optics suddenly locked on to an unsuspecting rhebok. She crouched down low to the ground and tried to get as close to the antelope as possible. Without a moment to collect her thoughts, she took off and sprinted as fast as she could, quickly gaining speed. The rhebok noticed her onslaught in a second and quickly bolted to get away from the cheetah. The rhebok headed for the rockiest part of the countryside; it's fleet footing eluding the feline. Venus tried to follow, but the rocks were slippery from the cold weather, causing her to slip off balance. Panting, Venus sat on the moist rock, disappointed with the outcome of the chase.

"Great hunting skills you have there," Raphael remarked sarcastically, jumping out from his hiding place where he had been watching Venus. A smirk was spread across his face. Venus frowned.

"It was my first try. I'm sure you did the same on your first hunt," Venus defended.

"Yeah, but I was a cub back then. You're fully-grown. You should be able to hunt by now," Raph commented, rubbing it in.

"And I suppose you'd like to teach me?" Venus queried. Raphael thought for a moment.

"Maybe if you're good. You'll have to call me Master Raphael though," Raph said with amusement. Venus rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright. You don't hav'ta call me Master," Raph gave in grumpily. There was a brief pause between the two.

"So, um, where do you find the gazelles around here? I've only seen wild rhebok so far," Venus asked out of curiosity.

"That's because there are only rhebok in this country. There used to be other species, but Saringai said that humans hunted them for food. The only animal they couldn't hunt was the rhebok because of it's hard skin, and because it wasn't the nicest thing to eat. That and the bird life," Raphael said. "We hunt the rhebok because we don't have a choice. It's the only substantial source of meat around. That's why there are so many vegetarians in Ikhaya Labantu. They have a much easier lifestyle. I'd love to go to Kenya or Ethiopia to hunt gazelles but it's too open and humans would see us. No people ever climb up the mountains of Lesotho, which makes it a good hiding spot," Raphael concluded. Venus nodded in agreement.

"I've never seen a human before, well, at least I don't think so," Venus said.

"Me neither. After what Saringai taught us about them, I don't think I want to meet one," Raphael admitted. There was another moment of silence.

"So, do you use your weapons when hunting?" Venus asked, changing the subject. Raphael shook his head.

"Only cowards do that. When we were taught how to hunt, we were also taught to respect our prey. They have a right to live as well. It is more honourable to kill with your own strength, than with a weapon," he said. "It's more fun too," Raphael added with a wicked grin. There was another moment of silence, but this time it was slightly awkward. "You look tired. I can get lunch if you want," he offered.

"Can't I watch?"

"Maybe another time. Right now we need to feed Michael," Raphael commented dryly.

"Why? The more energy he has, the more annoying he gets," Venus said, remembering her encounters with the eldest cheetah.

"Trust me. He's worse when he's hungry," Raphael said with a smirk. Venus sighed with defeat and headed towards home, allowing Raphael to focus on the hunt.

Raphael always looked forward to hunting. It was his favourite part of the day. He jogged over the rocky and cold land, looking for any sign of edible life. Raphael stopped after a while and wondered if he should turn around or continue on searching in the same direction. He sighed heavily; slightly frustrated that Venus scared all the rhebok's away. The sun was high in the sky, but the air was still chilly as though it was still morning. Raphael wiggled his toes in the dirt, loving the feeling. He observed that some parts of the ground were slippery with droplets of water, but he knew how to avoid an accident and how to use the earth as an advantage. Raphael realised that over the years, he had developed almost a bond between himself and the ground. It came in many forms, but he loved to sprint and hunt on each a though it was a challenge.

The sky rippled and flickered, causing Raphael to look upwards with curiosity. Before he knew it, an indescribable warmth was felt deep inside his soul. A blinding light surrounded him as he grew and evolved into something new.

The whole ordeal only took a matter of seconds, leaving the cheetah with a bewildered expression. He shook his head and ignored what had happened, remembering his starving older brother.

*****

Michael shivered in his bed. It was early morning and the sun had just rose, but it was too cold to do anything. Tired, Michael opened his eyes and looked through the branches of the tree. He was amazed to see the earth blanketed with snow.

Ten minutes later, after Michael had excitedly woken everyone else up, the family went outside to see and feel the frozen, white ground. "Snow in Africa?" Leo wondered in amazement out loud.

"Lesotho's one of the few places it does snow," Saringai commented. Michael threw a snowball at Venus, causing her to snarl in response. Without a second to lose, Venus threw one back.

"How come it didn't snow last year?" Leo asked, while getting out of the way of Michael and Venus' snowball fight.

"It did snow, but only on the tops of the highest mountains. It wasn't cold enough to snow here," Saringai explained.

"Leo! Help me!" Venus squealed as Michael threw a barrage of compounded snow. Grinning, Leonardo jumped in and helped Venus by creating more snowballs for her arsenal, causing him to take a few hits from Michael. Leo responded by using his newfound power; Michael stood in the cold with his torso drenched with water.

"Hey, Don? Can I speak to you for a sec?" Raphael asked while staring at the war in front of them. Donatello nodded, wondering what his older brother wanted. Raphael took Don's hand lead him a fair distance away from the tree. When they stopped, Raphael pointed to a large and deep hole in the ground and snow. Curious, Donatello knelt down to examine the bizarre anomaly.

Donatello breathed deep in astonishment. "No animal could have made this hole, unless someone purposely dug it with a shovel," he analysed.

"I made it. I didn't have a shovel," Raphael admitted, his voice slightly fearful. Donatello looked up to examine his face, unsure of what to think.

"You know, you should really leave the jokes Michael," Donatello said. Raphael frowned before snarling in anger.

"I made it! I'm not kidding around!" Raphael growled, wanting to be believed.

"But this is a perfect circle. You…"

In frustration, Raphael dived for the ground. After a flurry of paws, Raphael was soon underground; a cheetah-sized hole was left in his wake. A few seconds later, a section of the earth moved before Raphael reappeared. Donatello stood, astounded at what Raph had just done. "How? When? What?" Don stumbled.

"I evolved Don. Just like Leo. 'Cept I evolved during the middle of the day, not at night," Raphael explained with a quiet tone. Donatello nodded.

"As I said before, there are two times when the dimensional barrier is at it's weakest. It's quite amazing," Donatello murmured. "Do that trick again," he insisted.

Leonardo and Venus both teamed up and pounced on Michael, throwing snowballs directly at his face. After a few tries, he finally managed to get them off of him, before running to the nearest shrub for cover. Michael panted and observed the area. That's when he noticed a silent figure hidden within the surrounding trees. His friend's white fur made him blend into the snow quite well, with only the black stripes being his giveaway. Excited, Michael bolted over to the zebra. Kuthixo reared up playfully and jumped away. Michael smiled and gestured him to follow.

Michelangelo walked over towards his brother and sister with Kuthixo walking behind. "I'd like you guys to meet Kuthixo. He's a friend of mine," Michael introduced. "Kuthixo, this is Leonardo and Venus. And up there is my master, Saringai," Michael continued, speaking in animal talk. Kuthixo nodded his head in greeting. The leopard smiled while Leo and Venus were stumped for words. Not long after, Raphael and Donatello came back from their talk, and were introduced like the others.

"You have a pet zebra?" Raphael asked curiously, slightly worried that Michael had made friends with his food.

"I thought there were only rhebok in Lesotho," Venus said, giving a quick glance towards Raphael.

"He's not my pet and Kuthixo is special," Michael said.

"Indeed he is," Saringai agreed.

"Can I ride him?" Leo asked. Kuthixo gave a snort or refusal.

"Sorry, but he only lets me ride him," Michael said while stroking Kuthixo's mane.

"Yeah right. You can't ride him," Raphael said in denial, crossing his arms over his chest. Michael gently mounted Kuthixo's back, proving his younger brother wrong.

"Cool," Leo said with awe. Michael jumped back off as Donatello and Venus patted his nose and neck. Saringai stepped forward and bowed.

"I'm glad that you could meet my students. You have done wonders for Michelangelo. I hope that we will be able to work together in the future," Saringai said.

"I hope so too," Kuthixo neighed lightly before giving Michelangelo a playful nip on the ear.

*****

Shere Khan stared at the view from his balcony and snarled. The snow made hunting difficult along with fighting. He growled at the situation he was in. He had to attack Saringai and his students as soon as possible, especially now with Venus growing more as a Shinobi. Yet the weather was cold and was bound to become harsh, forbidding his soldiers to go out in search of his enemies. The earth was white and therefore there was no camouflage. He growled and turned away from his balcony. Vasha was standing at his door, awaiting his decision.

"We'll attack as soon as spring arrives."

*****

With ninja stealth, Michael slowly crept through the darkened village. He had seen the human town many times with Kuthixo from the safety of the cliffs, but now his curiosity got the better of him. The village had the basic luxuries of any modern town; electricity and gas was used in some of the more built up and developed parts. Yet there was still a more traditional aspect, obviously for the much-desired tourism.

The cattle shifted uneasily as they sensed Michael's presence. There was a flicker of the light. Michael stared at the bonfire that burnt on an outside lawn. It was obviously lit for an important traditional celebration as there was a rather loud conversational party going on inside the large hut nearby. Michael crept over towards fire and stared at it in awe. He had seen fire before but only the small flames in gas lamps.

The giant flame twirled and played with the cold wind. The heat slowly melted the surrounding snow. He liked how it illuminated his face with an orange glow. It had a majestic peacefulness about it, yet he knew it was dangerous. Though he wondered. Michael timidly reached out to touch the flame.

What was weird was the fact that it didn't burn, but what was stranger was when his body glowed white. The night sky flickered for a few seconds before disappearing as quickly as it came; leaving Michael lost for words.

*****

Kathryn walked down the corridors of Shere Khan's fortress. Things were quiet, especially without Sebastian. Though she wouldn't admit, she missed the company and the arguments with Rachel and Venus. At least back then she had someone her age to talk to. There were other tigers and lions that were born around the same time as her, yet they treated her as tough she was royalty because of her mother's influence on the clan. She hated not being accepted by others.

She entered her room and sat on her bed, realising how many things had changed. She was appalled when she found out her mother had planned Sebastians death. Kathryn knew that Vasha had no right to do what she did. She loathed how her mother rubbed it in, how she said that she could move on. Kathryn knew that her mother never did approve of Sebastian, yet she still didn't have the right to do set Sebastian up. Her mother was cruel, always wanting to win and always using her as a daughter as a tool for success. She didn't want that anymore. After what her mother had done, she wanted her to lose. And she knew just how.

Kathryn looked at the dagger in her hand; the one Sebastian had given her on her last birthday. She admired and examined the slender and graceful blade. It had never been used, until now. With a single tear down her cheek, she gently pushed the blade into her chest. Her final thoughts were of Sebastian.