The remaining week went well with much progress being made. Gabby was able to repeat on several occasions her aggressive kick that had sent the punching bag bottom end up.

Then Leo showed her how to do a three-sixty jump, twist, and kick. It was similar to the gymnastic floor exercises she loved to do in Connecticut, but minus the kick. When she told him about this, he asked how she had learned to do it. Gabby told him about the demo DVD's the professor would bring home for her so she would have some idea what to do. That seemed to confirm to Leo how she was able to progress so fast with the martial arts.

In addition to all the kicks and equipment, Gabby was encouraged to do strength-inducing exercises such as push-ups and calisthenics to build up her muscle tone. Mike had gym equipment stored in the walls of the training room like he did the punching bag, so Leo had Gabby use the fitness machines. She took to them eagerly, challenging herself to see how many pounds she could manipulate as she worked the apparatuses. By Friday, she was meeting Leo's expectations and then some.

Friday afternoon, Leo decided to take Gabby out for a run. Initially, she thought maybe they would run the length of the driveway down to the front gate and back, a distance of about a mile each way. But, instead, he started to walk towards the back of the property! Remembering too well the incident with the mountain lion, Gabby was a bit hesitant.

"Sensei, have there been anymore sightings of these creatures?" she asked him.

"I'm not sure," Leo replied and then he asked her, "but, what does it matter?"

"I just don't want to run into any of 'em, that's all." she mused nervously.

Leo nodded; "Well, if we do run into any, we'll make sure we're prepared!" and he went down into the gym, leaving Gabby standing in the family room.

Mike had just returned from the studio, leaving Devon there in charge. He came into the kitchen to grab a quick snack and saw his niece. "Hey there, Gabs. How's the training?" he asked her.

"Fine. Leo wants to run today." was all she said.

"Oh, yeah? Where at?" Mike asked.

"The woods." Gabby replied. She had a little less enthusiasm in her voice than what she had been expressing of late.

Mike picked up on it and inquired, "So....you're not looking forward to it? Gee, I'd think you'd want to get out of that dungeon for a change!" and he smiled.

" Mike, have there been any more lions sighted on the reserve?" Gabby asked him.

He nodded in understanding and then told her, "So far, that one lion was it, best to my knowledge. But, to be honest, this reserve protects them and so there could be more. However, I wouldn't worry about it. I left the carcass out there to warn off any others than might be foolish enough to venture too close to the property."

"You didn't bury it?" she asked, horrified.

"No." Mike replied, "The decomposing process acts like a signal. Something died. It can produce fear in its relatives. It's probably already been reduced to skin and bones by now. The insect population in that area is pretty healthy. I wouldn't worry about it." and he took his snack outside to the patio.

By this time, Leo had returned. He carried with him two pairs of nunchuks, a pair for Gabby and the other set for himself. "Here, hook these on the side loop of your dogi. If we run into anything mean, we can warn them off with it!" he said, smiling.

Gabby noticed a hook centered on the chain of her nunchuks and clipped it to the loop. She wondered how she would be able to run with the sticks banging against her leg. "Guess you get used to them flopping around, huh?" she asked idly.

"Yes, something like that." he commented, and then Leo motioned her to follow him outside. He nodded to Mike in greeting and he in turn, nodded back to his brother. Gabby noticed a slight smile on both her uncles' faces as she followed her sensei out towards the property line. Seemed kind of odd the way they looked at each other, she thought. Something was up between them, she was certain of that.

Gabby was starting to notice things, subtle indicators of communication that her father and uncles practiced. It was obvious that after spending so much time together, they had developed a way to convey ideas and thoughts without the usual vocal verbiage. It unnerved her quite a bit, but more so when she seemed to be the focus of it! She hated surprises!

They didn't start out running right away, but walked for the first fifteen minutes. Leo talked with Gabby about listening to the wind and what direction it was blowing. He pointed to the trees and asked her to tell him what compass point the needles were being directed in as the wind blew. She mentally pictured the house, noting that the backyard faced east and that she was walking away from the property. The branches were bending to her right, so she said, "South, I believe."

Leo smiled, "Very good!" He showed her that mushrooms around the base of the trees grew on the north side in the thickest part of the forest where sunlight didn't penetrate. Moss only grew on the north side when there was enough light to prevent it from growing on the south side. In the darkest part of the forest, the moss grew randomly. From Gabby's first experience in the forest nearly two weeks prior, she had that one already figured out.

Finally, Leo picked up the pace and Gabby followed. She was glad to stretch her legs again! Although the last time she had ventured out into the woods, Gabby ended up in the gym with an enraged Donatello. This time her mood was different. She was not lost, she was not trying to runaway from angry people, and she felt stronger. The feeling of freedom was almost intoxicating to her.

They ran for a good half hour, not fast or hard, but an even jog. Leo would take her to the right and then run straight for a while. Then, he would take her to the left and around an outcropping of rocks. At one point, they were going uphill and Gabby wondered just how far they were from the house. Leo was about ten yards ahead of her as they trudged up the incline. It was steeper than anything Gabby had tried and she was adjusting her footing and balance to compensate. Leo disappeared over the crest and as soon as Gabby reached that point, she stopped. Leo was gone!

She stood there, trying to catch her breath, looking around and wondering where he was. Leo was just not there, not anywhere, no matter how she turned or how far in any direction she tried to see - Leo had vanished!

One of Gabby's other fears was getting lost - and she had been relying on Leo to get her back to Mike's place! Needless to say, she had not paid attention to where they were going. Gabby looked around and realized that even if she called out to him, he would not answer her. She was certain Leo could see her and for that it gave her comfort knowing he would be there in an instant if something serious were to happen. Still, it unnerved her that he could so easily hide himself so well that no matter where she looked - and her senses had improved considerably - he could not be found! Yet, she was equally irked that he would just up and disappear like that, leaving her seemingly alone in the forest.

"Okay, fine, be that way!" she grumbled aloud. "So, this is yet another test", she thought. The wind had changed directions, she remembered that. It had been running south, but then it changed to east - at least she thought it was east. Leo had zigzagged so much through the forest she wasn't sure which way the wind had changed. Maybe it didn't and it was still heading south? There were too many questions and not enough action. Gabby decided to head into the deeper part of the forest to check for mushrooms. Not knowing what compass direction she was heading in, she hoped it was at least in a westerly way.

Finally hitting a dark patch of forest, she found some mushrooms. Gabby was almost heading west, she discovered, but it was more of a northerly direction. She was amused how easy it was to get turned around. Just as she decided what way she would head off in, she heard a snarl! Gabby froze. She listened and waited. There was some noise ahead of her, like something low to the ground moving through the brush. There was plenty of that growing around her and it wouldn't have been too difficult for a bear to hide behind. Or, a mountain lion for that matter! She stood there, allowing her newly heightened senses to assist her. She momentarily closed her eyes to reduce the distraction of what she saw, but then she heard that snarl again. Gabby's eyes snapped open in a flash! "Okay." she thought to herself, "I'm not stupid. Mike knows all too well how I reacted to that lion the day he killed it. Heck, I know how I reacted! I wouldn't be the least surprised if he told Leo about that." Then, audibly so if there was anyone close by, they would hear her, "Sensei, that's real cute! Poor rendition, though. Need to work on it a bit more!" and then she headed in the direction of the snarl. She took one of the nunchuks off her pants loop and held it at the ready. " You know, if I believed there was a lion - but it's really you - I hope I don't get lucky with this thing!" and she smiled wickedly.

Another snarl! Gabby tried to recollect if it measured up to that first experience she had two Mondays back. She did a three-sixty to survey her immediate area. She was nervous. Unfortunately, her emotions were going full tilt and she just couldn't match it or displace it from the lion she had encountered then. "Darn it!" she complained under her breath. Gabby mulled over her options. She could determine, first, which direction home was in and then head that way but keep herself aware of whatever it was that was stalking her. She was nearly one hundred percent sure Leo and maybe Mike were testing her, but that one bit of uncertainty nibbled at her imagination! Taking the other nunchuk off the belt loop and holding both of them firmly, she decided to turn towards the house using the mushrooms as her compass.

Gabby walked for a while, heading west but keeping her ears and senses alert for rustling and other unusual sounds. The wind was blowing to her left, so that was proof she had indeed been turned around! She caught sight of some squirrels hurrying along the forest floor ahead of her. They had their mouths full and she surmised they were collecting food for the winter. Although she doubted very much it would be as harsh for them here in Big Sur as it would be in Connecticut.

The animals scurried up one of the redwoods and she stopped to watch. They found a limb and scampered out its length. One of them continued on up a branch that hung just above the one it was on. The other stopped and sat there upright, its bushy tail curved up and over him. He nibbled on what he had in his paws, looking content. Gabby stood absolutely still as she observed him. She loved nature and squirrels were one of her favorite animals. They were so entertaining!

Then, suddenly, the animal stopped it's eating. It flicked its tail in irritation and he stretched out in alarm, looking in the opposite direction that Gabby had been heading in. He started making a chattering sound as if telling someone off. A few more chirps of warning and he leapt up to the branch above him, trying to catch up with his buddy who had disappeared into the heights of the redwood. The squirrels had not been worried about Gabby as she followed them along the path earlier. So, what would it take to alarm them when they were already high above the ground and out of reach from most predators? Maybe a lion? Gabby snapped her head around and looked back from where she had come from. Bushes and lots of them, that's what she saw. Any number of large carnivore could lurk among them and not be seen until the last moment. She was mildly alarmed. Up until the squirrel started acting up, she was confident that Leo and Mike were the ones making the sounds. Now, she wasn't so sure!

Picking up the pace and theorizing she had about an half hour to go before making it back home, Gabby kept west, but zig zagged to make it more of a challenge for anything to charge her. She did not run, remembering that lions preyed on those animals that did. Occasionally, Gabby would turn around while she walked and recheck her surroundings. But, mostly, she just kept herself aware of things 'unseen'. Her confidence that Leo had not left her high and dry and that Mike might also be along kept her feeling more safe than she would have been otherwise. Had this taken place last week, Gabby knew she wouldn't have been as calm.

She kept her focus on maintaining her westerly direction, taking note of mushrooms when the forest was dense and the lichen, or moss, when it wasn't. The wind whipped around at one point, seemingly confused what direction it wanted to go in, but Gabby kept pressing on.

Ten minutes into the walk from when she had the 'squirrel' encounter, there was a major snap of a branch high above her! Gabby pulled her nunchuks up and with her instincts on high alert, she swung viciously above her the way Leo had trained her for any aerial attack. She crouched down as she flailed the 'chuks, looking up and expecting some tawny brown, claw and teeth laden demon cat coming at her. What she saw, instead, was a rather large redwood branch that had broken away from its parent tree, descending for all it's worth like a spear! Her nunchuks connected with it moments before it would have hit her, forcing it away from her and then splitting the staff in two, the halves settling on each side of Gabby. In that moment, she felt elated. But then, in a fraction of a moment later, she realized how close she came to being impaled! It was an ironic thought. All this time she was afraid the 'cat' would get her, when in fact it was the redwood tree she should have been more wary of!

Once Gabby had collected her resolve and thanked Leo silently for the training he had imposed upon her, she set out once more for home.

Home! Yes, she had only been at Mike's for less than two weeks but it was already starting to feel like home to her. When she had first arrived, it seemed too alien and her desire to return to Connecticut underscored every action that she made. Gabby's refusal to get out of Don's sedan on both occasions before flying west the first time; her running away the first morning she was in Big Sur; to challenging everyone - including Riahna - who lived there. All of it was an expression of Gabby's need to get back home. But, as she learned soon enough, home was not a physical place, but a place where the heart resided. Having the professor at Mike's certainly helped, but falling in love with Seth was probably the turning point for her. The training was beneficial, but Gabby felt it only helped to equalize her with her new reptilian family.

Still, she wasn't convinced she wanted to be ninja. Time would tell, though. Once she absorbed as much information and training that her father and uncles felt necessary, Gabby could then make that decision more wisely. Of course, she wasn't sure if it was a decision she could or would be able to make. It was quite possible that when an initiate finished the prescribed course, regardless of how they defined themselves, they end up becoming ninja if only because of the training and education they received.

Finally, Gabby saw familiar trees! Now that she was approaching the edge of the forest, it was possible to determine the approximate time of day. Light filtered in more generously, illuminating the surrounding area and exposing shadows for bushes. The growl in her stomach confirmed that it was almost dinner time. The small clearing came up and the house loomed before her invitingly and friendly! Gabby rejoiced in the small victory of finding her way back home, her heart skipping in relief and her footsteps unusually light. No one was on the patio to greet her, but then she figured the others were having supper. Gabby hoped that she could be at the dinner table for a while before Leo – and maybe Mike, if he had joined him – returned from the forest.

Gabby climbed over the redwood fence and made for the house. The sliding door was opened a little bit and she could hear voices of the family inside. It sounded as if they were indeed sitting around the dining room table having their evening meal.

As Gabby slid the door opened wider to walk in, she heard Mike and Leo. Coming around and entering the dining room, she saw that they were nearly done eating! They had obviously been there a while. Rahab was sitting next to Mike and talking, while Leo was listening. The rest of the family was engaged in their own separate conversations, Raph talking with Riahna about something and Devon chatting with the professor. All of them seemed oblivious to Gabby's approach until she was nearly upon them. "Oh, hi there, Gabs! How was your run?" Mike asked as he took the last bite of his dinner.

Gabby narrowed her eyes suspiciously, not wanting to believe that she was out in that forest by herself that entire time after Leo had 'disappeared'. "What kind of game were they playing?" she thought to herself. It just didn't seem possible for them to be able to follow her for that long a time, and then make it home, only to have their dinner nearly gone before she found her way back. She knew that at least Leo had both been out there with her - watching her, creating sounds to scare her, testing her. At least, at this point she had hoped one of them was! Thinking about Mike's question, Gabby decided to bate them. She watched Leo intently, but casually, as she replied, "Uneventful. How was your run, Sensei?" Mike looked at his brother, barely a smile on his face. But, Gabby was certain there was definite mirth under that green skin of his! The other conversations stopped to observe Leo's reaction.

Leo turned to her and nodded, "'Bout the same." and then took a sip of his iced tea. He watched Gabby simply because he noticed she was quite focused on him. "Guess you found your way home!" he acknowledged, smiling at her.

"Guess I did." she said, her expression flat, and then Gabby excused herself to go wash up for dinner. As she left the room, she heard someone make a sound, much like a laugh that had been choked off. "Smart-alecs!" she muttered to herself.

Not one of them, neither Leo or Mike or the rest of the family, slipped up that night after dinner. Even the professor seemed to be pleased that Gabby found her way home. As far as what they projected, after Leo had left her, Gabby had been completely alone in the forest the entire time. He had explained it was his intent to leave her in the forest once he showed her the various signs to use for compass points. It was a test to see if she could beat her fear of getting lost and then find her way back to the house. As far as Leo was concerned, she had past the test.

However, this only heightened Gabby's questions as to what could have made the kind of noises she heard. The fact that there was something moving in the bushes only increased her anxieties. The family was either doing an acting job worthy of an Oscar, or Gabby was indeed in the forest on her own that entire afternoon! Somehow, though, she was determined to find out exactly what happened out there.

Rather than going over more Clan business, Leo decided to give Gabby the evening off. She was delighted and spent most of her free time visiting with the professor once he returned to the guest house. She tried subtly to get him to divulge what really happened out in the forest and if Mike had joined Leo. But, her father was either ignorant about what went on or he was well versed in subterfuge. Either way, Gabby went to bed that night quite frustrated – and freaked out entirely!