Disclaimer: I don't own them. Never have, and there's a 99.999999912 chance that I never will. Phooey.

A/N: The majority of this chapter has been taken up by Mikey's segment. That's only because I had a magnificent brainstorm and started writing it all down. And the tome of a chapter is the fruits of my labor! Enjoy!

13.

Mike nervously looked around. The child whimpered in his arms and grabbed the edge of his plastron in fright. "What reason do you have for harming a defenseless little girl?" the leader growled from behind his bow, eyes and face hidden beneath a dark green hood.

"Um, hello! Do you guys see the dead…" He went with his finger to point out the carcass of the dead wolfena, but to his dismay, it wasn't there any more! "Shell. Where'd that bugger go?" He still noticed all the arrows trained on him. "Look, guys, how could I draw blood?" he asked with a scowl. "I've got these!" With one hand, he carefully pulled out a nunchuck. "Pieces of wood! Get it?"

"That may be so, but what were you doing in this forest in the first place?" the leader said, not lowering his arrow.

"I'm traveling. Why else would I go in this dank and smelly pit of mush?"

The girl clinging to his chest looked up at the turtle. "Are they gonna hurt you, mister?" she asked naively.

Mikey petted her head. "'S okay, kiddo, I've been shot with an arrow before. Except that one hurt like shell…"

The leader of the group fell silent for a moment or two. "Give me the child, now."

"Look, bub, I'm not giving her to anybody but her own daddy, alright?"

"Give her to me or become a living pin cushion!" he snarled, loosening his grip on the arrow.

Mike crouched, rebelliously flattening his yellow ears to his skull. "Sorry, no can do. I'm getting there myself and I don't need your help." The leader's eyes flashed. "Besides, what's one more arrow in my chest?" he said casually, watching the other guys' movements of uneasiness. "You aren't Aireilei, so you probably couldn't even make me grunt when it hits."

The leader growled. "Stick him, boys!"

Mike jumped up with a squeal, all manner of bravado gone, avoiding the arrows and grabbing a tree branch. "No-no-no-no-no! I…Eeep, watch you're shooting those things!" he cried as three flew past him and into a trunk. "Ho boy, Mikey, you're in for it now!" He fell to the ground and dashed through the forest, ducking whistling arrows and hopping over tree roots. "Why me?" he moaned, shifting his burden to under his arm.

The girl cried out suddenly. "Owie, that hurts!"

From behind, he heard an angry shout. "You fool! You shot the girl!" Mike cursed and stopped briefly to check his passenger. She was doing her best not to cry, but it looked painful. The arrow had embedded itself in her wing arm, the one that hadn't been bitten.

"Are you guys insane!" he bellowed down the path, ducking a few more projectiles. "You could've killed her!" At that moment, one buried itself in his right calf, sending a wave of pain up his leg. "Aw, crap, I don't wanna die Boromir's death!" He climbed up a gnarled tree to rest, finding himself cornered. "Well, kid, it looks like we're caught, eh?" he panted. "Here, lemme get that thing out for you…be a trooper and bear the pain, 'kay? It'll only hurt a sec…" Mikey gingerly grabbed the shaft of the arrow and deftly yanked it out. Despite her obvious efforts to stay quiet, she still let out a whimper.

"There you are." The turtle was staring down the shaft of another arrow. "Come down and I won't kill you." Mikey grunted, deceivingly getting up into a jumping position, and braced the girl on his plastron so she could grip the edge and hold on tighter. The hunter thinks he has the hunted, but I've got a few tricks hidden up my tail. He gathered himself for a giant leap and sprang out of the tree, grabbing a nearby branch with his tail and swinging off it.

"There he goes again!" somebody yelled as he landed on the ground and shot off like a bullet.

"Jhadie, keep chase! Get him!"

The turtle smiled grimly, ignoring the hot blood coursing down his leg. There'd be no avoiding them now; they could track him using the trail he left. He accidentally miscalculated a step and whacked his injured leg against a tree, sending waves of pain up through his torso. "Ouch, if Raph could see me now! Yikes!" An arrow whizzed past him into the dark, loamy soil. "C'mon, Mike, you're a ninja, think!"

His pace was slowing down noticeably, despite his efforts to keep sprinting. "Oh, dang it, Iwansi, where are you?" he grunted, hopping nimbly over a stream and landing heavily on the rocks on the other side. The pain coming from his leg was excruciating. "Yeow!" he squeaked, feeling another arrow bite him, this time in the left upper arm. "Geez, people, I'm not rubber! I've got nerves too!"

"Got him!" one of the hunters cried jubilantly.

"Bring him down, I don't care how you do it, bring him down!" the leader roared.

Several more arrows flew past him as he rounded a corner. "This sucks! This sucks, this sucks, this SUCKS!" he grumbled. (A/N: Chibi, recognize that from anywhere?) The girl nestled in his right arm was crying. "It'll be okay, kid, don't you worry! Your Uncle Mikey's gonna get you outta here!"

"I want my daddy!" she sobbed. "It's scary in here! And my arm hurts!"

"Hang on tight, babe, I'm gonna jump!" Her grip tightened as he vaulted over a ravine and landed somewhat painfully on the other side. "Stupid arrows…I can't move around – Whoa!" He sidestepped an arrow just in time. "Man, too close!"

"Get him, he's stopped!" the leader shouted.

"Yeah, says you, Strider!" Mikey shot back, starting off again. "Oh boy, I can't keep this up…" He ran as fast as he could, but it wasn't fast enough. They were gaining ground. "Shoot, how can I lose them?"

Mikey!

"Wah!" he cried in surprise, tripping over a root and falling flat on his face. "Owch, gimme a warning next time you yell, Aireilei!" He got up with lightning speed and dashed again. "You nearly got me killed!"

Shut up and listen, Robin Hood. Where are you?

"You of all people should know!" he grunted, ducking more arrows and jumping over a tree root.

No, I don't. Kiara just came back and said you had disappeared from where she left you. I can hear bow shots from where I'm flying. Did you get hit?

"Twice by Prince Jon and his rabble of followers," he grunted, feeling the pain renew.

Ouch.

"And how am I supposed to know where I am? These dudes are trying to kill me! It's not like I've got time to admire the scenery!"

Okay, Mikey, I've got a plan. Keep going the way you are-

"I can't turn either, so what's the use of telling me that?"

Look, shut up and let me talk! she growled impatiently. You'll come across a stream if you keep going straight. Follow it downstream to the river it feeds and follow the river to a waterfall. When you get there, wait for my signal. Then- The communication was abruptly cut off and Mike was left alone.

"Aw, shell, great time to cut off the line!" he moaned, coming across the stream. It came out of a gnarled mass of roots, across the path, and into a thicket. "Man, as if I don't have enough problems!" He was beginning to feel a bit lightheaded from the pain and blood loss.

As an incentive to keep him going, another arrow whizzed out and hit him, again in the same arm. He cursed loudly and jumped into the bushes. "Where in the hells is he going!" a hunter yelled.

"The waterfall! He'll be cornered there, keep chase!" the leader commanded.

Mike snagged the feather fletching on the arrow in his leg on a tangled bush, sending bolts of agony up his nerves. "Perfect!" he growled, yanking the arrow out of his leg and leaving it there. "Aireilei never told me I'd run into a dead end! I'm dead meat!" The child in his arm sniffled.

"Are we gonna die, mister?" she asked innocently, a tremble in her voice.

He gritted his teeth as he sighted the river, a wide azure expanse of water. "Not on my watch, kiddo! Not in a million yearsam I gonna die!" He darted along the pebbly shoreline of the river, the pounding of his feet making his wounds throb. A distant roar filled the air. Mist started appearing at the end of the river, proof that the falls were coming. Suddenly, a heavy force pushed his shell and he lost his footing on a slippery rock, falling into the rapids.

The water filled his yellow ears as he fought to surface. With a gasp, he broke the surface and held the girl over the water so she could breath. "Shell, this sucks!" he panted, pumping his legs to keep above the roiling water. "Just perfect, why can't I ever leave the helpless alone?" The shore whizzed by at light speed, so fast he could barely keep his bearings.

"Hang on, kid, we're getting outta here!" He placed the child on the upper edge of his carapace, where she readily grabbed his ears with her two fingers. With both arms free, he began powerfully swimming toward the shore. He didn't seem to be making any progress, though; the current was far too strong. "Geez," he grunted, changing to a different tactic. He stretched his toes out for the riverbed but couldn't seem to touch. "I always liked Indiana Jones, but I never wanted to die his death! Great, just great!"

A wave tossed him over a boulder and underwater again. It was so sudden that he accidentally inhaled some water. When he surfaced again, he choked it out. "You okay, kid?" he coughed.

She, also, was spewing water. "I think so, Mister! But water went up my nose and it hurt…" The little gunghir snorted more spray out her nose.

"You're a real trooper, kiddo! Hang on a bit longer!" Mike's arms and tail were starting to ache from swimming, and the arrows weren't helping much.

"Mister, I see a branch!"

Mike looked up. Sure enough, right over the falls was a scraggly tree, stripped of its leaves and branches dragging in the rapid flow. "Alright, I'm gonna try and grab it when we go over the waterfall, okay?" he yelled. The child tightened her death grip on his ears so that every sound had a weird distortion to it. The turtle took a deep breath and reluctantly began swimming with the current. His progress was frighteningly fast and before long he was thrown into midair at the edge. He grabbed for the branch and caught a twig that surprisingly held his weight when gravity tried to pull him down. He was scared even to breathe for fear it would snap.

Gingerly, he raised his wounded arm, which still had the arrows imbedded in it, and gripped a stronger part of the tree. It held. "Phew, that was a close shave, huh?" he exhaled with relief. The child didn't answer, and Mike guessed it was because she was paralyzed with fear. "Hoo boy…" The dull roar of the waterfall drowned out whatever else he had to say. In that moment, the leader of the hunter's appeared over the branch. "Shell. You again," Mike grumbled. The guy held out his hand and motioned for the kid on his head. "No way no how, dude. You want her, you'll have to pry her off my dead body. I told you, the only person I'm gonna give her to is her own Pops!"

Coldly, the leader nocked an arrow on his bow. "Then you will die."

"I've had brushes with death before, Little John," Mike retorted. "And an arrow doesn't scare me one bit. So do your worst, you fat old bear!"

"I'll give you one last chance to live. Give me the girl."

"Oh yeah? You tell me something: what the shell do you want her for, because I'm reading your mind right now and I see something I don't like."

His bow didn't move. "I suppose I wouldn't hurt to tell you, since you're about to die." Mike stuck his tongue out tauntingly. At that moment, a gust of wind blew his hood back and the kid on his head screamed.

"You are quite possibly the ugliest thing I've ever laid eyes on," Mike stated, a bit horrified but determined not to show it. He added another comment to conceal his surprise. "Besides the Garbage dude." It was a mouse brown rukit, but so mutilated one couldn't tell from first glance. His muzzle had been smashed into his face from some old encounter, making him look like the Pug of Haradris. A wide slash mark from wolfena paws ran down the left side of his face, stopping at a ripped-open cheek that revealed his chipped teeth. Harsh scars crisscrossed his face and one of his ears was in tatters. The other was gone completely. Deathly honey yellow eyes peered out from beneath unkempt eyebrows.

He grinned, an even scarier sight than seeing him frown. "Coming from one who's half dragon such as yourself, you're not too pretty either." The kid whimpered and inched down behind Mike's head, trying to get out his eerie eyes' gaze.

"Yeah, well my face ain't ripped open, pal," Mike retorted, pointing at him with his tail. "And before your fearsome mug was revealed to the world, didn't you have something to say, King of the Uglies?"

"You're too daring for your own good, dragon kin. I knew I should've tipped those arrows with sedative."

"Getting back to my question, King Ugly: what use would a kid of her age be to you? Are you gonna eat her or something?"

He chuckled. "Amusing, but no. She has something of use to me. Something that will put me in Xetyphaes' favor."

"What's that? A dental plan?" he shot back.

He started laughing raucously. Actually laughing. "You're funny, I'll give you that, but your pathetic insults won't do you any good."

"Except make you angry, Ugly Man."

"The girl has the potential to become an insanely powerful wind mage. Didn't you notice in the forest, nearly all the arrows missed you?" Mike nodded guardedly. "That's because she felt the need to protect you arise in her instincts, and so unknowingly blew them away." The turtle whistled. "The ones that hit you were the ones she didn't notice. She has an awareness of what goes on around her that would be deadly if she were to come across the rebels and join them. So, I must eliminate all that protect her and then bring her to my master for training as a mage under his command. And that includes you, who stupidly defended her from my wolfena."

Mike sneered. "If you kill me, you'll be killing her."

"Stop that false bravado, dragon kin. Do you think I would've bothered to push you in the river if I knew you'd grab the branch? I have my ways of saving that which is precious." He lowered his bow and rummaged around in a bag near his waist, pulling out a grappling hook and rope. "I'm an expert with this. Use your imagination."

"Oh, I'm usin' it and right now, my imagination's kickin' yours." Mentally, he cried out, Aireilei! I need help, I'm gonna die I'm gonna die…He kept the chant going on and on as the rukit picked up his bow and arrow again, keeping his face devoid of fear.

"And since you seem so bent on returning this child to her parents, I'll tell you something." He grinned, an extremely horrific sight. "They're dead. I killed them when the girl was safely inside the forest." Mikey went cold with rage. "Now then, goodbye, and have a great time in Hela." The turtle gritted his teeth as the rukit sighted down the shaft and prepared to release it. At least I'll die for a good cause…

Several things happened at once. The girl on his shell hopped nimbly back onto his head and screamed with anger just as the rukit loosed his arrow. The gunghir kid let fly gusts from her fingers, causing the arrow's path to angle up and bury itself in Mikey's hand. The turtle valiantly tried to hang on but lost his grip and fell into the mists, clutching the girl in his arms. A white form dove from the sky, roaring her fury.

From above, ivory flames incinerated the mutilated rukit, leaving a pile of ashes where he had knelt on the pebbles. Streaming smoke out her nostrils, Aireilei shot down into the mist. After a few seconds, she emerged with a wounded Michelangelo in her arms, and a severely shaken three year-old gunghir perched on her horns. Aireilei cursed profusely as she landed on the shore.

"Jhadie, Mike, I'm so sorry," she growled, laying him on the ground and kneeling beside him. The sun cast a cloud's shadow on them both, shielding them from Her heat. "I should've found you sooner…" He grinned weakly, almost said something, and passed out from pain and blood loss. The little gunghir fell down from atop her head and crawled to the turtle, whimpering. Finding him not moving, she let out a sob and fell onto his unmarred right hand, clutching it and talking in her own language. "You did good, kiddo," the dragon consoled, stroking her head. "I'm proud of you. Now, let's get those wings fixed up, shall we?"

She resisted Aireilei, crying for 'Mister' and keeping her grip on his limp hand. "No, lemme go, Mister's hurt!" she sobbed.

"Shhh, c'mere, I'm going to make your owies all better," she whispered soothingly, prying her off Mike's hand and holding her up in the air. The little child's skirt was now almost non-existent and beginning to look like a loincloth. It probably would've suited the girl better, too, for she was small for her age, almost the size of Iwansi. Scratch that, she could ride Iwansi. Aireilei chuckled, thinking of her sister bearing the girl like a princess. The arrow wound in her wing had begun to crust over a bit and the bite on her other arm was deep and coursing blood. "You poor kid," she mumbled. "That must've hurt. Hang on, you can get back to Uncle Mikey in a minute." The white dragon muttered a few words in elvish and the child's flesh began knitting back together. Before Aireilei could finish, however, the girl blew her hands apart with wind and crawled back to Mike's hand.

"Boy, you are pretty strong, kid," she said, surprised. "But you need healing, so come back here." Aireilei attempted healing several times more, but every time, before she had finished, the girl would blow out of her hands and go back to her only consolation, Mike's hand. Finally, the dragon gave up. "You're determined, I'll give you that, kiddo," she muttered. "But Iwill finish this, you mark my words." The girl scowled and clutched her makeshift security blanket all the tighter.

"Aireilei!"

The white dragon looked up and saw Bima running towards her. The silvery-blue dragon had made a spectacular recovery from her mortal wounds, now only scarred and missing wings, half of her right ear and three fourths of her tail. "Help me, Bima!"

She scowled when she reached Mike. "Good golly, what happened?" Her eyes went from shock to absolute rage. "Where's the guy that did this? I'll…I'll…"

"You can do what you want to his ashes." Aireilei pointed at the pile of feather-light remains that was fast being carried away on the wind. "Or you can hunt down his cronies and burn them too, but that'd endanger the forest," the white dragon stated bluntly.

"Darn you to hell, Lady Fate!" Bima snarled, clawing the ground in her fury.

A sudden whimper from the little girl drew their attention. "Mister needs help, he's got big splinners in his arm!" She crawled up Mike's forearm and grabbed one of the arrow shafts, weakly pulling on it. The unconscious turtle visibly hitched his airflow whenever she renewed her efforts.

"Hang on, you little trooper," Aireilei said, gently lifting the girl off Mike's arm. She fought like a demon, blowing gusts everywhere and nearly knocking Bima off her feet.

The silvery-blue dragon's anger vanished with surprise. "Holy smokes, that's one powerful gale you've got going there!"

Aireilei struggled with her, trying to keep the child in her hands. "Slippery as an eel, this one!" The white dragon growled. "Hold still!" Bima gently took the kid in her paws and pinned her to the ground.

"Now, you hang tight, kiddo, Auntie Aireilei's got to make Uncle Mike all better, okay? She doesn't need you getting in the way…what? Why're you looking at me like that?" she scowled, seeing her companion hide a smile.

"Auntie Aireilei?"

"Well, what about it?"

She grinned. "Oh, nothing, just thinking you'd make a lovely nanny."

"Hah. And you'd make a lovely target for flying reject mustard packets from Jack-In-The-Box. Shut up." She wrestled with the girl, who was steadily wriggling out of her grasp. "Geez, kid, can't you be away from your Uncle Mikey for five minutes?"

"Name's not Meki, it's Mister!" the girl growled from beneath Bima's belly.

The dragon smirked. "No, say it with me: Mie-kee."

"Meki," she ground out, still wriggling like a fish.

"Mie-kee."

"MEKI."

Aireilei chuckled. "And now, Hooked On Phonics with instructor Bima."

"I thought I told you to can it, Auntie Aireilei," Bima growled, pouncing on the girl when she happened to get out of her grasp. The white dragon rolled her eyes and carefully extracted the two arrows left in Mike's arm, making the turtle cringe in his uneasy slumber. After checking him for any embedded arrowheads, she promptly began glowing a soft white. The blood flaked off his scaly skin, and halted flowing from his arm. Muscle and skin knitted together over the wound, leaving a barely noticeable scar. She did the same with his other arm and his calf.

"Hey, are you done yet?" Bima said. "I'm having trouble keeping this little fish in one place."

"You can let her go now," Aireilei responded with a nod. Once released, the girl made a beeline for Mike's hand and clamped onto it like a tick. "Wow, such devotion for somebody she's only just met."

The child ignored them and closed her eyes, pillowing her head on the turtle's palm. "She's so naïve, it isn't hard to see why she loves him so much. He just about got killed back there. Defending her from a wild dog that could've easily eaten him too, defiant when surrounded by archers training their arrows on him, getting shot three times, falling into the rapids and nearly going over a waterfall…Lives a dangerous life, this one."

"So do you. What's your point?" Bima grunted in response.

"What do you think her name is, Aireilei?"

"I dunno, you mind read her."

Bima made a face. "Oh, that'd be painful. Considering how jumbled the mind of a toddler usually is…alright, I'll do it…sheesh." The dragon immediately delved into her mind reading ability, stretching out her consciousness until it connected with the girl's.

"Well?" Aireilei asked when Bima resurfaced.

"Palaesi."

The white dragon looked puzzled. "Only the elves would consent to name a child that. She couldn't have had parents with such knowledge of elvish."

"What's it mean?"

"Gale, or in full context, Stormy Gale, if used with the other name that goes with it. Of course, with her magic prowess, it's easy to see why."

Bima looked at the now sleeping child. "Palaesi, eh?"

"Aye."

At that moment, Lharom leapt forward with an ear-renting scream and lashed out with his claws, catching the first guard in the gut and ripping his bowels out. The griffin savagely threw the unfortunate victim into the wall. With another raptor call, he lunged and seized another's head in his beak, crushing it and dropping it on the floor.

"Aeki, run!" Don bellowed, charging into the hallway past Lharom and bringing his staff down on the captain of the regiment. He blocked it with his sword and caught the other blow when the turtle maneuvered his Bo around his sword in an attempt to smack the rukit in the side. Aeki scowled and made as if to pursue him into the fray, but one glare from Raph made her quail and turn toward the window, dragging Dakari with her. The rabbit moaned, planting his feet.

"What…" he began in a hoarse voice, but Saesha lifted him with telepathy, effectively cutting off his question, and carefully brought him through the window and down.

"You aren't lifting me," Aeki declared vehemently, diving out the window and landing in the bush outside.

Meanwhile, Raph had whipped out his Sais and joined the melee with Don, jabbing and thrusting with the atrocity of a viper. "Eat this!" he growled, powerfully kicking a rukit in the stomach and sending him into the wall. He ducked a slash from Lharom and continued whirling like a dervish. "How you doing, Don?" he grunted, blocking a downward hack from another opponent.

Don geared up for a thrust, dodged a slash from the captain. "Not too BAD." His last word was emphasized with the impact of his Bo in the captain's solid chest plate. "Yikes!" The turtle barely sidestepped a deadly jab with the sword and jumped up, feinting a vertical blow. At the last second, he brought it in and crouched on the floor, doing a swift three-sixty. His staff hit home, bringing the captain down, his legs knocked out from under him. Don quickly stood and dealt the rukit a firm smack over the head, effectively knocking him out.

Lharom's battle was more bloody. He backed away from a spear-wielding rukit, watching the guy's face contort in a smirk. "Gotcha now, you joke of a shape-shifter," he crowed, needling the griffin in the paw. He roared and changed into a wolfena, promptly leaping forward and crushing his head in powerful jaws. By this time, only a few stragglers were left, and they skittered away, skirting corpses and barely withholding the hysterical screams of terror bubbling up inside them.

"That was fun," Raph grunted, jabbing his Sais back in his belt.

"Then your idea of fun must be skewed by the insanity you harbor deep down in that shell of yours," Don remarked, putting his Bo into its holster and ignoring the fiery glare he received from his brother. "They've gone to get reinforcements no doubt. We need to escape."

The hothead growled a challenge. "Let 'em come, I can take them all down!"

Don eyed him. "You know, that isn't at all healthy to be thinking. Come on, let's get out of here." He did an about face into the room, looking around for anything they might've left.

Lharom limped up beside him. "Don't you dare forget those katanas. Dakari would kill me."

"Provided he can even comprehend what we tell him in his state." The wolfena grunted in reply and grabbed the swords, sheaths and all, in his teeth. Distant clinks of armor came from in front of the inn. "Let's go, they're going to surround the building if we wait any longer." And with that, he sprinted for the window, whipped out his Bo, smashed what was left of the window, and hopped nimbly out into the coolness of night. Raph followed, along with a less graceful Lharom, who had been burdened with the katanas. In that, he had to angle his head at an odd position to get out of the room.

Then, he dropped the swords and shifted into his griffin form. "Everybody on, let's go!" Raph scrambled on without complaint, but Aeki, who was less compliant when it came to straddling a giant bird-lion's back, had to be thrown on. The griffin allowed Don to hop on before launching himself into the sky, tailed by Saesha, who was keeping the feverish Dakari aloft with her telepathy.

"That was close," Don observed, looking back down on the inn, which was now an anthill of mayhem. Shouts and shocked yells rent the air, along with several crashes. "Don't you think so, Raph?"

He got no reply for a while. "Don't…make me look down there, Donnie," he groaned. "You know I hate flying."

Aeki stretched. "I think it's wonderful. I've never flown before."

"Yeah, well if I had my way, I'd ban flying!" This was accompanied by an 'oh shell' and a retching sound. "Crap," he growled weakly. Aeki chuckled at his expense.

"Hey, watch where you're barfing your guts!" Saesha called from below. "You nearly got me!"

Raph leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Lharom's neck for stability. "Oh, what a shame I missed," he lamented, his heart clearly not in it.

When they finally landed on the outer edge of the forest, Orcaine was waiting. "What did you guys do to get kicked out so early?" she scolded.

"You know what, shut up," Raph growled, sliding off Lharom's back. His mouth clapped shut, courtesy of Saesha.

"Don't talk to her that way, scoundrel," the purple dragon hissed as he slumped in defeat.

Orcaine grinned. "It's quite alright. I never got this much cheek from my mate when we were together, so it's refreshing." Saesha grunted and set Dakari down. "Still running a fever, eh?"

The rabbit rolled over and feebly got up onto his feet. He would've fallen had Lharom not been there to brace him. "What happened?" he croaked, now leaning bodily on his helper.

"You don't remember a thing?" asked Don, frowning.

Dakari rubbed his eyes weakly. "I remember some stuff…it's mostly a blur though. I recall…falling off a cliff with a companion, but the name eludes me as of now…I do hope he's alright. And…" He shot bolt upright. "Watishi!" he moaned. A reassuring nicker emerged from the bushes as Watishi trundled out. "Thank heaven…come here, friend, let me embrace you." The teela butted him gently in the chest as his arms encircled her neck, squeezing her slightly.

"Can you see at all, Dakari?" Lharom inquired, wincing when Watishi accidentally stepped on his maimed paw. "Hey, watch where you're putting those things, you hare-brained animal!" The teela gave him a solid kick in the ribs, making him wheeze. "Alright, alright, just don't kick me!"

The samurai didn't seem to notice the bickering that went on. "Well, no, not really. It's quite dark, though I can see shapes moving around. And…two pairs of purple eyes?"

"He's not blind, at least," Saesha muttered.

Orcaine snorted. "You make it sound like a bad thing."

Raph started when a voice called out from the forest. "Hey, Orcaine, is it safe to come out yet?" Kyrunir whimpered. "It's kinda scary in here. Ow! Don't kick me, Ukeera!"

She tumbled out of the shrubs, glaring profusely at her wussy companion. "Grow some backbone, Ky," she grumbled.

"Yeah, I don't like having to reassure you that every single sound isn't a wolfena coming to eat you," Rijinn commented sourly from atop Ukeera's shoulder. Kyrunir squeaked when he saw Lharom, but received another kick in the shin from Ukeera.

"It's just Lharom! Geez, get a hold of yourself, wimp!"

Aeki pried the two apart. "C'mon, guys, knock it off and get away from each others' throats, will you? We don't want another murder on our hands."

That only made the problem worse. "You killed someone?" he whispered incredulously, eyes growing to the size of grapefruits.

The fact that Raph's jaw was held shut by telepathy only permitted him to groan in exasperation. The young rukit's breath quickened for a brief moment, and then, his eyes rolled up into his head and he fainted.

Don backhanded him in the head. "Leave the poor guy alone, Raph!" he growled. "I wouldn't laugh; you're the one afraid of itty bitty—Ouch, point taken." He rubbed the part of his arm where Raph had slugged him to shut him up.

Saesha sighed. "That's it, I'm afraid those two – and you, Aekishala – are going to go back to the Secret Caverns where they'll be safe."

Aeki went stone-faced. "I don't want to go back to any place where I'll be forced to sit around and make lace all day! Do you hear me?"

The dragon glared at her. "Yes or no, you're going." With that, she pinned all three of them together with telepathy, Kyrunir as well, and turned to Don. "Be right back. Just before she teleported them, Rijinn hopped off Ukeera's shoulder and landed near Raph's feet.

"Garr, no warning whatsoever!" he grunted, climbing up Raph's leg and perching on his shoulder. A few seconds later, Saesha reappeared, satisfied.

"There. Now then, I say we get a move on, because that town doesn't look all too friendly. See what I mean?" She meant the line of torches steadily moving toward them, flickering in the darkness. Dakari grunted and tried standing on his own, but had to grab for Watishi's mane. "Master rabbit, you're in no shape for that sort of activity. Knock it off," she scolded. "Now then, shall we go? They're not looking any nicer."

Don scratched his jaw. "Well, which way?"

Lharom shook his head vigorously. "I say northwest, same way we've been going. We want to avoid going straight north because there's a fort on the connection on land between Fruruwur and southern Hseiey. I've been over there twice and it isn't pleasant at all."

Dakari's floppy ears perked up. "Where are we?" he asked tentatively.

"On the outskirts of Lidiwa. Why?" The samurai looked around, squinting.

"Who travels with us?" Rijinn grunted and flared his back into a spine of fire for a brief second.

"They would've seen that," the dragon mumbled, inclining his head toward the villagers. Dakari was rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

"Would you perchance be two of Leonardo-san's brothers?" he croaked. Don and Raph exchanged looks that could've been somewhat close to excitement.

"You've seen him?" Don inquired.

"Yes, and traveled with him for a short while. But we became separated in the turmoil following an earthquake and both fell into the ocean." Don's ears drooped. Raph looked crestfallen as well for a second, then rearranged his features to a blank stare.

Oh, come off it. He's just as alive and kicking as you or I, somebody insisted dryly. Dakari fell over with a sharp yelp, his support having been removed, and was saved a face plant by a beak seizing the back of his tunic. Bleh, she spat, letting go of him as well. You taste sweaty, Dakari.

Don whipped out his staff and crouched. "Who are you, and what do you want?" he growled.

The pale blue bird looked him over with fathomless black eyes. Put your stick away, Donatello. Bewildered, the turtle gradually stood, his staff still in his hands as a precautionary measure. Now, as to who I am, you hasty fellows, I'm known as Kadi. Her black eyes glittered. However, Dakari, to you I'm called Watishi.

Rijinn cocked his head and ground out, "Say what?"

You heard me, stone ears. The dragon snorted. And as for your brother, Leo, as I said, he's as alive as he needs to be. Perhaps a bit disoriented, but alive never the same.

"How do we know? You could be lying."

Kadi ruffled her feathers and glared at him. You're the moron of the bunch, aren't you? Don grabbed Rijinn by the tail to restrain him. I know he's still vitalized because my counterpart travels with him. I'm sure you remember Tunali, right, Dakari? The samurai nodded slowly. He's a phoenix in disguise, just as I was an icunix in disguise.

Saesha unfurled her wings. "But why the secrecy?"

Oh, you know how it is. The feathers are magic, all that turd. People get the wrong impression because we're birds that'd rather keep to ourselves instead of singing our fool heads off in some forgotten forest where there are sweet little deer and squirrels to keep you company. That's for idiots, those tales are.

They fell silent for a few minutes, and Raph, who couldn't talk if he wanted to, made it clear like he would love to be the one to break it. "So," Don said slowly, "we can get to Leo? You actually know where he is?"

Kadi unfurled her wings and yawned. To a degree. But my, let's get out of their sight, shall we? The icunix crouched down and slid her neck under Dakari, between his legs, and shrugged him into a position right above her wings. A shout from the villagers spurred them into action. Saesha and Rijinn both launched into the night sky, pumping her wings to gain altitude. Kadi raised her wings and brought them down in an almighty down beat, joining the two dragons in the air. Finally, Don and Raph scrambled onto Lharom's back.

They were just about to leave when Orcaine yelled, "Hi, you amnesiac fools, what do you expect me to do? Run through the forest?" This was a subtle reminder that she was without wings. Saesha called an apology and brought her into the air with telepathy, Lharom following the vern in her artificial flight. Then, together, they shot off to the northwest.

Tahkar jumped first, sliding around the corner and snarling like a demon. She looked the part as well, her hackles standing up like needles, her teeth bared and her eyes red. Leo and Tunali were about to follow suit when they heard a surprised yell, a grunt of "Ow" and a warning growl from their canine companion. Leo leapt out from behind the corner and stopped.

The serulaf had a diminutive little person pinned to the floor of the ravine. He looked rather flustered and would have been wearing a pack had he been standing. As it was, it had been flung to the side when Tahkar ambushed him. Tunali peered at them through wide eyes. "Oh, for crying out loud, you great stupid phoenix, it's only a dwarf," she growled through bared teeth.

"Only a dwarf?" he squeaked in indignation, squirming fiercely. "Only a dwarf? I'll have you know that I'm a most professed scholar, you hare-brained brute!" Tahkar pressed her forepaw to his throat as a warning.

"Hold on, Tahkar, let him up," Leo blurted, hiding a smile. "He's not likely to do any harm."

The serulaf only snorted. "He's probably studied hundreds of spells, Leonardo, and for all we know, he could prove dangerous."

The dwarf pursed his lips knowledgeably. "Well, yes, that's true, but mind you, I can't necessarily use magic. Now, get off me! You're crushing my arms!"

"Hrmph. What were you doing, sneaking around here for?"

"Gathering mushrooms! What else could a potions master possibly find in this dead place?"

Tahkar bared her teeth, suspicions renewed. "It strikes me as a trifle strange to find one of your kind wandering here, dwarf."

Leo sheathed his swords and pulled the overprotective female off him. "Will you quit interrogating him, Tahkar?" he asked. Tunali came out of hiding, lowering his head as he came to stand by the serulaf, who snorted with contempt.

"Coward," she muttered. The dwarf got up, gave her an icy glare, and dusted himself off. Now that he was not obstructed by Tahkar's angry form, Leo saw that he was only about three and a half feet tall, but not clad in garments one would expect a scholar to wear. His tunic was a dark forest green, held in by a belt that restrained his paunch. His boots were large and dusty, nicked with travel. From beneath bushy eyebrows twinkled viridian eyes. His mouth was almost hidden in the scraggly length of braided auburn beard that melded with his hair and extended down to his belt. And planted on the very top of his head was an iron cap.

"Ah, yes, thank you…erm, noble green fellow," the dwarf grunted, crossing his arms. "Am I correct in assuming that you are one of the rebellion's spies?"

Taken aback, all the turtle could manage was, "Well…er…"

"Yes, yes, splendid, very good," he muttered. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Bokur, one of the last remaining dwarves on this plagued planet. At least, that I know of. And that's saying something if a scholar such as myself admits to it." He frowned at Tahkar and continued. "Before being oh so gently tackled" (he put a great more emphasis on gently than was needed) "by this most dignified of serulafs, I had been gathering these fungi for a potion. I pride myself in being a bit of a scientist—"

"And apparently a hela of a braggart," Tahkar grunted snidely.

Bokur glared at her. "Only to the mind of an uncivilized animal such as yourself." Tahkar snorted and pinned back her ears. "As I was saying…" He rummaged around in his fallen pack, finally extracting several small mushrooms. The caps of them were a pale, luminous white that glowed in the dark while the stems were a dark green and the gills were glowing indigo. "These are called Veiled Ashes, and have quite a potent poison when treated in a cauldron the correct way."

"What were you planning on using them for?"

His answer made Leo groan. "Breakfast, you dolt! I didn't say they weren't edible!"

Tahkar raised her eyebrows. "Really, at this time of night?"

"Oh, for the love of Yulakai, they can't be seen in the daytime!"

"But what was that noise you made when she growled at you from around the corner?" Leo asked.

Bokur blushed. "I…er…"

Tahkar sniffed the air and wrinkled her nose, coughing. "Oi, dwarf, that's some powerful stank!" Tunali started coughing as well, only his meant laughter.

Leo was still in the dark, however. Literally, if you wanted a corny joke for the day. "Why, what'd he do?" he asked, puzzled.

Seeing that he had not lost all of his dignity, Bokur promptly put on a straight face and grabbed his pack. "Never you mind, chelonian," he grumbled, walking back up to the place where the ravine traveled back up to level ground. Once all four of them had gotten out into the place where Leo and Tunali had been ambushed, Tahkar simply could not take it. She started laughing. "Haven't I gotten enough grief from you already?"

Tunali started rolling around on the ground as he coughed. "Hahahah, we were afraid…of a dwarf with…gas problems!" Tahkar gasped as she tried to regain her breath. Now Leo finally understood Bokur's embarrassment.

"Oh, really, guys, give him a little slack." The turtle attempted to preserve the dwarf's dignity but failed miserably. He started chuckling uncontrollably, thinking of the time when Rijinn had taken control of Raph's bodily functions and used them to a nastier extent. Leatherhead had been able to dive underwater but Leo had been stuck right behind to farting turtle.

Bokur grumbled. "Meet a guy and you exploit his weaknesses for no reason…" He grunted and started off in the direction that Tahkar had come from.

Leo decided to walk with the flustered dwarf. "Would you mind answering a question, Bokur?"

He sneaked a look at him from out of the corner of his eye. "If it's to do with the you-know-what, yes."

The turtle raised his hands. "No, not that. I mean about Tahkar, what she said. It's suspicious for a dwarf to be seen here?"

Bokur sighed. "Anywhere, for that matter. We've gone into hiding; you can't scarcely hear or see a dwarf in any part of this world because if we were walking freely like those two back there, we'd be promptly caught. We dwarves are commonly metal workers, and if Xetyphaes were to enslave us, he'd have an arsenal up his sleeve." Leo nodded, seeing the masterful card that would be to play. "So you see, we never walk outside unless at night and even then we may only sneak around for fear we might be sighted."

"But you say commonly metal workers."

"I say it because my people (or at least, my clan, I suppose) think it absolute poppycock to waste time filling their heads with things such as books, vocabulary, potions, anything that involves sitting around and burying their noses in a textbook. They'd rather make swords, spears, anything brutish and used to kill. That's one of the reasons why you'll never see me wearing a weapon. It's simply barbaric."

Leo pulled out a katana and observed the disgusted look Bokur gave it. "Bokur, a weapon on its own can't do any harm, but in the hands of a master may strike killing blows or save. It's up to the wielder what he should do with it: defend or take life. Case in point, if you think of it as killing, it will be. But when you see it as protecting those you love and having to kill to do it, you feel no remorse, as it was the person's own choice and fault to threaten your family. Therefore, making weapons isn't brutish if it's for a good cause." The dwarf looked thoughtful, then grunted.

"Hmph," he said, shuffling for a few steps. "I'm insulted I, a scholar, didn't think of it that way." Leo smiled and sheathed his sword again.

And that's chapter 13.As for the last part in Leo's segment, forgive me. I'm not sure I understood that 'life and death' thing myself. Kinda hard to word. Anyway, I hope you all won't kill me for having Mike on the brink of death today. Gotta go, see ya!

Ashite Imasu,
LN