Disclaimer: As you probably well know by this point, there's no way in heck Peter Laird would give up his money-making turtles. Which means a scrawny teenager wouldn't have any way of gaining them. Hence I don't own the Ninja Turtles. No suing, you silly people, I didn't do anything wrong.

A/N: And here we are with another chapter! I did change what happened to Naicro, and changed Bima's behavior toward him. Now everybody hates Naicro because I got the sense to assess his betrayal like a real author! The credit goes to the people at Stealthy Stories for putting up a thread that reminded me of it. Thank you all, my reviewers, and the responses are now at Stealthy Stories! Oh, and Italics are thoughts and dream sequences!

16.

As they limped along in the forest, Naicro found it increasingly difficult to keep up his stumbling walk. Twice now he nearly fell, only saved by Kiara's supportive shoulder. Bima had stayed behind him to guard their rear from further spider attacks. She'd fended off quite a few with blazing flames now, a couple close calls giving her scratches. The vern's eyelids began to droop. Thank the stars this poison worked slower than molasses, otherwise he would quite possibly be dead right now.

He sighed. As he expected, the two didn't get mad over why he betrayed them. When they had found of his traitorous intentions at the ruins a bit after Bima had been healed, they, with the exception of Mikey, wanted to rend him with a sword. But something he couldn't understand was why Xetyphaes let him leave his service without killing him first. Perhaps he didn't consider any of them much of a threat. That irked him. Why had Xetyphaes let the very dragon who nearly defeated him last time escape him? Naicro took a shallow breath. Obviously he had no clue what would happen to the biologic process of clutching with dragons, because there wasn't any way that the hatchlings could survive that mating process.

"Can you see any light at all, Kiara?" Bima called irritably from the back. "I'm going permanently nocturnal here!"

The rukit squinted into the bleak distance. "I see a speck, but I might be hallucinating." A clicking hiss came from the trees and Bima shot down another spider with a speeding bullet of fire that penetrated through to the heart, killing it instantly. "What's that one?"

"Number twenty-seven," the dragon sighed with feigned weariness. "Man, you'd think with all the early Fourth-of-July barbecuing I've done that they'd beat it."

"Excuse me?" Kiara asked, puzzlement evident on her features.

"Sorry, forgot you don't have Independence Day here."

"Maybe we will once somebody gives Xetyphaes the boot," she grumbled darkly. Naicro groaned and stumbled again. "Hang on, Naicro, just a bit further."

"Bit further my tail," Bima muttered almost inaudibly. "I wish that spider had eaten him whole," she grumbled acidly. Another hiss, another bolt of flame, and another dead-as-a-doornail spider fell to the composted forest floor. "Twenty-eight. Sheesh, when does Mirkwood forest end?"

Kiara gave her another confused look. "Say what?"

"Lord of the Rings, you wouldn't understand."

"I'm sure," she retorted dryly. "Now, keep a look-out for spiders, I see light up ahead!"

"You telling the truth, or is the pressure getting to you?"

Kiara sighed irritably. Bima was really treading on her last nerve. "Yes, that's light, and I'm not hallucinating," she growled, grunting as she heaved Naicro's heavy neck up so she could grip it better. The result almost made him fall. "Keep him awake, Bima, by any means necessary," she warned wearily, indicating his half-shut eyes. The little dragon eyed his tail with a malicious smile and nipped it, making the vern jump forward about an inch, all the sleepy motion gone.

Just then, several more low clicks and hisses met their ears and Kiara had to duck to dodge an amazingly agile spider trio. The arachnids landed on the forest path behind Bima, baring their fangs. She snarled at the three, opening her jaws. A soft rumble came from her belly and the spiders had an understandable look of 'oh shoot' on their faces as the tongue of blue-white flame struck all three in a row. "Thirty-one," Bima said, kicking one of the smoking, hairy carcasses.

"Alright, Naicro, c'mon, this last hill and then we're home free," Kiara encouraged the faltering vern. He inhaled and exhaled shakily, barely able to take a step further. She pulled on his neck, as they reached the top of the rise, coming out into broad daylight. The setting sun blinded them for a few seconds before they had the sense to get hurriedly away from the forest, all its evils left behind in the inky blackness.

"Where are we?"

In front of them lay a vast expanse of cracked prairie land, the dry brown grass rustling in the hot breeze. In the distance rising over a giant wood structure was an enormous volcano, belching smoke, fire, and ash onto the land. Far away several more rose in a line, ending with spectacular composite volcano, possibly hundreds of miles away. No herd animals could be seen in either direction on the unforgiving landscape.

"Not where we should be," Kiara muttered grimly. "That's the first volcano of the Dragon Peak range. The largest one, and the farthest, is where the High Dragons used to live. In other words, you, Bima. And that thing over there," she said, pointing to the wooden structure, "is an enemy fort."

"Well…jhadie," Bima said, stumped. "Where'd Aireilei and the others go?"

"My guess is south. And judging by the position of the sun…we've gone too far west in the 2 hours that we were in that forest." The little dragon, silent, stared at Naicro with almost evil amusement at his plight. His back end had collapsed, and his front was well on the way to being on the ground too.

"Kiara, there's something wrong with back-stabber boy here," she stated, poking his left hind leg. It didn't twitch. She stabbed it even harder with her claw, and he gave no sign he felt it, only letting his head drop further down. Kiara staggered under the weight of his large head.

Amid gasps, she managed to get out, "The venom must have something in it to completely paralyze the victim." The rukit's eyes narrowed. "Because he's a dragon, he's had more time…the stuff in dragons' blood keeps it from moving faster. But we don't have much time before he's completely paralyzed. Or dead. I doubt that the spider wanted him alive for very long."

"Yeah, well, why can't we just leave the no good bakira in the forest for the spiders to eat?" Bima spat, glaring at his hindquarters. Kiara frowned at her. "What'll we do? Search for a village or something?"

She furrowed her brow as Naicro's breathing noticeably deepened. "No, this climate is much too hostile for villages." Then she groaned and cursed with a smack to her forehead. "I bet they have antidote somewhere," Kiara commented ruefully, pointing to the fort. "But they'd sooner kill Naicro than give him the antidote…"

Bima glared murderously. " We could put him out of his misery right now…Alright, alright, I'm laying off. You'll have to go in alone…and you'll have to be sneaky about it," the dragon announced slyly.

"What? Infiltrate an enemy fort?" she exclaimed incredulously. "Heck no! That's suicide!"

"You got a better idea, fearless leader?" The rukit grumbled out a 'no'. "Well, then, hop to it! I'll stay here and guard Wonder Butt from other giant insects that could be lurking."

"But…"

"But what, twit? You scared of a little ninja work?"

"Come again?"

"Ninja. It's what Mike and his bros are. Sheesh!"

Kiara gave her a death glare before dragging Naicro, not without grunts and groans a-plenty, to a safer spot away from the forest. There she deposited him on the ground. "Alright, I'm going in, but whatever happens, you'd better not come after me," she warned. "They'll do worse stuff to you than me."

"Shyeah, right. Whatever." The rukit sighed before trotting stealthily toward the fort. Almost five minutes later, she cursed herself. Her fur color would show up on the tan grass, easily spotted. What she'd give for Knami's cream pelt right now. Looking back at the distant form of Naicro, she started for the fort again.

Twenty minutes passed. Kiara was just edging along the fort wall when a face looked over the wall. She froze in fear and flattened herself against the rough wood, praying her tunic wasn't noticeable against the rough wood. The face grimaced and slowly drew itself back over into the fort. The rukit exhaled slowly. Luckily she had picked the shadowed side to infiltrate, else that guy would've surely seen her and sounded the alarm. And the sun was now almost gone. Darkness filled the sky.

She reached the stables part of the fort. How she knew? The stench of manure, and the sound of mooing teelas. She wrinkled her snout in distaste at the smell. Good grief, where do they dispose of the stuff? She soon got her answer. A pile of it, and she barely saw it, came down just in front of her face and landed with a sickening splat on a growing mound in the dirt. "Aw, gross!" she whispered, inching around the mound in disgust. Now that she was near the fort, she had to think of how to get in. Climbing the wall wouldn't work, she'd be a pincushion in seconds. She'd have to find some sort of exit, one rarely used.

Sighing, and taking a step, she started for the far corner when a rogue thought came to her mind. She could pretend to be a wounded traveler and go up to the gates. She scratched absently at her tunic. But…would they take advantage of her? Kiara shuddered in terror. Oh, mercy, please not that! No. That wouldn't work.

Taking her rapiers out, she held one up like a javelin and threw it as hard as she could at the wall. It penetrated the wood, sticking into it a half a foot. She jumped, grabbing hold of the handle, and threw her free rapier at the wall again. Pivoting and letting go of her other sword, she caught the hilt, swinging gently back and forth. She gulped her heart down as a watchman walked by. As soon as he was safely far away, she stealthily reached down for her first rapier, and yanked it out. The wood squeaked, making Kiara involuntarily cringe. When nothing was forthcoming on the guards' parts, she heaved her body over her rapier and placed her feet on the quivering flat of the blade. Bracing herself against the rough grain, she peered over the wall.

She had to keep from yelling in outrage. In the middle of the yard, where most of the guards were gathered, there were two poles side by side, and almost five feet apart from each other. Bound between them was a small, burnt sienna-colored rukit child, crying in fear. His fragile body, naked from the waist upward, was bruised with purple blotches. At least the bakiras had enough compassion to leave what trousers he had on.

Kiara cursed in anger as another guard came by, making her duck. The idiot must've been drunk with wine, because she was able to, when he passed, smack him in the back of the head with the flat of her sword, knocking him out. He collapsed with a soft moan on the deck. Checking for any others, she pulled herself over the wall, shoulders screaming as she lifted her weight. Once safely over, she wrenched her other sword out of the wood, sheathing it with its twin, and turned over the person she'd smacked.

A revolting reek came from him that almost made her lose what lunch she had left. Swallowing her bile, and pride, she stripped off his cloak, and after a few second thoughts, left the tunic alone. But she did push her swords to the back of her belt and take his larger, more cumbersome broadsword, so as to blend in. Grimacing at its weight, she strapped it to her sword belt before putting on the cloak, wrinkling her snout at the stench. "Okay, Stinky, over you go," she whispered, grabbing his hands and tugging fiercely. He was so heavy! Gasping, she managed to heft him up onto the edge of the wall, and stopped to catch her breath. Then, with a disgusted grin, she heaved him over, hearing the bone-shattering crack.

Now that it was fully dark, she hoped to escape notice. She was far shorter than any of the other guards, she acknowledged ruefully as she took in the view. Taking a last glance at the chestnut-furred child, she made her way to the ladder. Kiara saw it was obviously poorly constructed as she put her right foot-paw on it. It creaked as she went down to the next rung. When she reached the bottom, she had to run quickly into the shadows so as not to be seen. Okay, where's the dumb infirmary here? She entered a hallway, looking at the labels on the doors. Hmm…Mess, barracks…Toilet! The rukit quickly scampered past that room!

Finally finding her target door, she tried the latch. Unlocked. Good. Kiara opened the door and froze. Uh-oh… A scarred doctor, who wore a black eye patch over his left eye, was attending to two injured guards. He turned his head to look at her, confusion written on his face. Jhadie…

"Summat the matter, Ghralik?" he rasped. Ghralik. Great, I just had to get mistaken for a guy named Ghralik.

She tentatively nodded. Oh, think, Kiara, think, what're you going to say? she thought frantically. On the other hand…The rukit reached behind her and closed the door with a click. "Er, I just, uh, was wondering if you could, um…point me to the…uh, spider poison antidote," she grunted in the most masculine voice she could muster. I sure hope this guy I'm impersonating isn't a baritone!

The doctor raised his eyebrow. "Got's a problem with yer voice there, Ghralik?" Yatin. He is.

"No, I just…um…was yelling at the other guys."

"Fer what? Do summat wrong, did they? I didn'a hear no commotion," he admitted, scratching his head. Jhadie! Just my luck they didn't have a scuffle!

"Uh, no, they…" Subject change, subject change! Think of something! "What happened to them two?" she asked gruffly, pointing to the duo of injured rukits.

The doctor huffed and eyeballed her. "Yeh been 'sleep all day? That kid they brought in's got sum mighty pow'rful wat'r magic innim. Formed sum ice balls when they came to get 'um from 'is village. These two got smacked around pretty badly." A mage prodigy! Just like Palaesi! "Naow, what 'cher want with tha' spider antidote? Been doin' sum venturin' in the forest, have yeh? Mighty foolish of yeh, Ghralik."

"Please show me, he's, uh, barely hangin' on!" Kiara ground out urgently.

"Ghralik, yeh even know how t' apply the stuff?" The rukit gave a terse shake of her head. Just show me where it is, you good for nothing…"Right over there, in'nat jar." He pointed to a bottle of sickly yellow liquid. "Yeh just make 'im ingest the stuff an' 'e'll be fine. An' you should get summat goop t' put on yer throat too, Ghralik. Yeh sound terrible." The doctor handed the bottle to Kiara, who reached for it. Time for this moron to shut up.

Kiara quietly put down the flask on a table and took out a rapier. "Nighty night, grammar nightmare," she whispered cheerfully, giving him a smack on the side of his head. His eye crossed and he fell back onto the floor. "Boy, I'm hating this undercover work." She grabbed the flask and put it in her pouch, opening the door and locking it once she was outside in the hallway. A roar of laughter came from the gathered guards, making her dash for the yard.

Trying hard not to stand out in the crowd, she peered over a guard's shoulder, nearly blowing her stack. Two arrogant, cruel rukits were needling the boy with their spears, poking the tender pads on the bottoms of his bloody feet. Kiara gritted her teeth with anger. Every time the sharp point made contact with his tender skin, he cried out and tried to bring them towards his body, stopped by the ropes that held them outstretched. This has to stop…

She let the broadsword fall to the ground and moved her rapiers back in front. Roughly elbowing the antagonists out of her way, she stalked toward the poles. A hush fell over the mob. "Hey, Ghralik! Get'cher stinky butt outta there 'afore we stabs yeh too!" one jeered.

Kiara stopped near the crying child, staring down at him. He craned his neck around to meet her with watery blue eyes. His gaze seemed to send a message across it: Help me! "You're all a bunch of bakiras!" the rukit bellowed, losing her masculine imitation. Several cries of "What the…!" and one even said "Grief, I swears he was a male jus' this mornin'!" "What reason do you have for antagonizing him?"

The two with spears stood there, sneers on their faces as she drew her swords. "What's it to yeh, Ghralik?" one growled. "Yeh knows we got t' give 'im to the master!"

Kiara snarled and darted forward. With deft movements, she slashed the ropes and snatched the boy off the ground. Suddenly, somebody came up behind her, yanking her cloak off. A collective bunch of whistles came from the group. Swears replaced the whistles as she dashed for a shocked, perverted rukit.

"Hey, git after her! She's gonna ruin our chances of – " The speaker was abruptly cut off by a rapier running through his throat. The stricken rukit fell forward, blood gushing from the major arteries. Enraged roars came from Kiara's left as five guards rushed her with their lances and swords. She jumped agilely over one lance, slashed off the hands of the owner, and ducked a broadsword with a chuckle.

"Where'd you learn to fight?" she taunted, parrying a strike. "My grandmother could do better!" The boy in her arm squeaked with fear when a lance angled for him. Kiara hopped to the left, avoiding the thrust, and brought her sword in a downward sweep across the shoulder of the offending lance-man. He fell with a howl of pain as she jumped onto his back and vaulted up to the deck of the fort.

Arrows whistled past her ears as she ran across the wood. One narrowly missed her leg, embedding itself into a guard nearby, who hadn't enough time to move. She was getting a stitch in her side now, and breathing was harder. The rukit slammed into an obstructing guard, knocking him over the wall. A distant crack told her he was as good as dead. As she rounded the corner to start running for the gatehouse on the second level, she saw it was cut off. Turning around, she found her other way was blocked as well. She cursed.

"Got yeh now, you thieving whore!" one spat, arrow trained on her. "Hand over the kid and we migh' jus' let yer off easy." A few chuckles from the person's comrades told her that her gender was completely against her. The exact situation Mike was in. Man, my luck stinks. The boy shuddered in her arm. He was getting colder by the minute. It's not cold tonight, what the heck is he doing? Kiara wondered. Regardless of the child's motives, she brought up her sword with a snarl. There was no way she was giving up escape and Naicro's cure now.

The rukit was whimpering now, his body getting so icy that it was a battle to keep her arm around him. "What in Claw's name are you doing?" Kiara finally whispered, looking down at him. His eyes were watering, and not because of his wounds. A faint blue glow surrounded his slight frame, sparkling in the warm darkness of the night. Several curses rang out as a few of the guards backed away.

"He's at it again!" one yelled, breaking away for the ladder. A few seconds later, cries of "Holy hela!" and "Run!" filled the air as bullets of razor sharp ice flew from his tiny hands. Many fell under his barrage, the frozen water embedded in their throats and hearts. Blood made the wood slippery as Kiara, almost shocked into a stunned daze, got her wits together and started running toward the ropes that held the gate tightly shut. However, the many on the floor level weren't so stupid, and raised their bows and spears.

One arrow zipped past her head, going through her right ear. The sting was enormous for such a small hole, and the blood trickling down into her ear obscured her hearing somewhat. She rolled, avoiding several more trajectories, reaching the portcullis. She slammed her fist onto the lever, swinging the gates open into the walls with an echoing slam. Safety notwithstanding, Kiara sheathed her weapon and slid down the chain leading to the massive doors, landing with a heavy thump in the dust.

Leg muscles screaming, she sprinted for the grass where she could find temporary cover. More arrows and poorly aimed spears thudded into the dry dirt behind her. Kiara looked back for a brief second at the fort, which was now an angry anthill of activity. Torches were being lit, bellows heard, and empty threats uttered from the superiors hurled at the guards, incompetent though they were. The rukit gritted her teeth and turned her sights back to the black line rising against the waning gibbous of Larui.

Abruptly, she tripped over a thick root in the ground, taking a face plant. Forcing her weary body upright, she ran as far as she could before collapsing behind a huge speckled boulder. As Kiara fervently prayed they wouldn't find her, a rustle in the dry grasses came from the right. Lifting her tired right arm, she grabbed her sword and held it out, pointing it toward the sound.

She whirled and snarled at her attacker, a large wolfena, bloodthirsty and hungry. With a warning growl, the pup backed away from the ravenous carnivore, but he kept advancing on her. Finally her rump ran into a solid wall of tough soil, barring her escape. Fear suddenly showing through her decidedly brave countenance, she franticly glanced left and right for an opening. No such luck came. Ready to face her doom, the pup turned back to face the wolfena, her black fur ridge raised and puffed out to its maximum.

Just as the wolfena leapt to bury his fangs into her neck, he disappeared, as did the scenery around her. Now she stood on a rocky ledge on a volcano. Ash and smoke rained from above, and every once and a while a flaming ball would tumble down from the fire-heights. Confused as to her dream's change, she looked around. A rumble traveled up through her paws and into her skull, sending a shiver down her spine. Abruptly, she heard a noise unlike the rest come from behind. Turning slowly around, the pup chanced upon a curious sight: a dragon, its color blurred by smoke and ash, stood next to a small child, its race also unable to be discerned. On the dragon's other side was another, similarly resting its hand on the dragon's side. What could be seen was strange. The left person had a shock of dark brown hair, while the one on the right seemed to be tinged red. The surroundings made it difficult to see.

She opened her mouth to ask what was happening, but the inquiry was silent. Her voice gave forth no noise. The dragon nodded grimly to her before a startling transformation took place. It grew almost ten times its normal size, white eyes glowing through the smoky ash. Still the children showed no fear, their hands now resting on a muscled thigh each. Before the sky shattered and an ivory crescent moon with a dot in the empty space pierced through the haze, she glimpsed a rainbow dragon on the slopes, fighting gravity with torn wings.

Tahkar jerked awake with a snarl, raising her hackles like needles. It took her approximately five seconds to recall her dream, and where she currently was. Dawn's rays had yet to be seen. The sky above the horizon was colored a sickly gray. Stars winked in and out of the lingering night blackness. Larui could be seen retreating behind the trees and forestry.

The serulaf got up and yawned, showing her teeth. She stretched her forelegs, then had a good roll in the warm sand before shaking herself out vigorously. Tahkar, feeling nothing better to do with her time, looked over their camp. Leo was now humorously sprawled spread eagle on his plastron, Hytis perched on top of his carapace. The phoenix's long curled tail was wrapped around the turtle in a circle. Dakari was rolled in a ball, Kadi's wing shielding him from the elements. Orcaine had moved during the night, now resting on her back, paws in the air. Raph had refused to give up his cushion, by the looks of it. He was draped over her stomach, head resting on her rib cage. Rijinn was curled up in the space between Raph's legs.

Don and Saesha had stayed in their original positions. Somehow, though, the turtle had burrowed a mound of sand behind his back, which currently hid his shell from sight. As Tahkar looked around for Bokur, she spotted him next to Lharom, currently in griffin form. The dwarf was nestled comfortably in Lharom's downy neck feathers, a smile of utmost pleasure on his red-cheeked face. The black bulk of Yulakai was nowhere to be seen. Confused, the serulaf yawned again, on her feet.

At least she'd have time to hunt for breakfast, she grumbled inwardly, trotting toward the waves. The cool water lapped at her paws almost playfully, the pull of it enticing her to come in with it. Small mollusks fluttered around in the deeper water, their white shells catching her eye. Deciding that clam was against her sense of diet, she made her way toward the more rocky parts where she would find tide pools. At least there she could find abalone!

When she arrived at the tide pools, she could see many little creatures flitting around in the calm, clear water. Every now and then an octopus or two would stir up the sand into a submerged tornado. Crabs scuttled along the bottom, poking their pincers inquiringly into every nook and cranny they found worthy of exploration. Anemones opened and closed their flowery mouths. Feeling slightly curious, Tahkar poked her snout into the water. She immediately withdrew it, snorting water out.

"For the love of…" she muttered, taking a breath this time. The serulaf put her whole head underwater this time. Her view was blurry and undefined. Finding this disturbing, she jerked her head back out to see if she was going blind. Seeing that her eyesight was flawless again, she frowned and repeated the process. Baffled by the results, Tahkar took her head out once again, staring at it.

Never swum underwater before, Tahkar? The serulaf jumped to find Yulakai staring at her through deep red eyes, half-submerged on the shoreline by the pools.

"Be quiet, you scaly imp!"

The dragon blinked. I was only observing your confusion, little one. I merely wanted to know what you found intriguing.

"Now you know, so go back to whatever you were doing!" Tahkar growled, stalking back towards the camp.

Would you like to learn how to swim?

"Don't be silly! I know how!"

Yulakai raised his head and smiled. Then why don't you? I can read your mind, he informed her when she stopped short. Don't be so ashamed. After what Hytis told me of your knowledge about the draconic history, it doesn't surprise me that your pack wouldn't teach you to swim. Now, would you or would you not like to swim?

Tahkar scowled darkly, having no answer for the question but the fervent 'no' she so desperately wanted to say. "Well…I guess so," she relented, trotting back to the place where he was. "But don't you dare tell the others about this, or I swear on the Claw I'll slit your throat."

By all means try it, but I am sufficiently armored against canine claws. Tahkar took a nervous look at the lapping seawater, shifting her weight from paw to paw. Come in, it's really not that difficult, Yulakai encouraged, extending his head. If it makes you feel any better, I am here to catch you if you falter, he reminded kindly. Taking a gulp, Tahkar bolted into the warm water, leaving the shallows almost instantly. In her surprise, she forgot to paddle and went under.

Panicking that she wasn't able to breathe in the crystalline liquid, she floundered around, trying desperately for the surface. Air bubbles escaped her mouth and nostrils as she sank. Just then, a gentle pair of paws encircled her and lifted her above the water into the air. Tahkar snorted and coughed water out, sneezing and feeling efficiently embarrassed from her terror. I told you I would never let you drown, yes?

"Well, you sure fooled me!" Tahkar retorted with another sneeze.

Here is a tip, dear: take a deep breath before going under water. To be on the safe side, I shall hold you while you are underwater. To keep it from going up your nose, you must learn to blow bubbles out your nose whenever you happen to feel it going too far. Let's try again, shall we? Yulakai gingerly submerged Tahkar after she took a large inhale. The clear water was still strangely blurry to her eyes, but it was easier to keep from panicking this time.

She felt water inching its way up her nose and snorted bubbles out. Invariably she did too much and lost all her air within two snorts. The dragon pulled her up again. No, regulate it, dear. A small amount does the largest of good. With that tidbit of wisdom, he gently put her under again. Tahkar felt the waves above tickle her mane by making it wave back and forth like grass in a breeze. True to Yulakai's advice, she waited ten second intervals between each snort, finding it a better way of keeping her head.

All too soon the dragon lifted her up. I am off to find all of us some breakfast. You may, if you like, get shellfish for breakfast as well. There are also wild fruit bushes in the trees. He set her off toward shore, and she paddled for all she was worth, feeling relief when her paws touched sand. Feeling a smothered sense of accomplishment, Tahkar waded out of the water, and once completely on land, shook herself furiously. Droplets flew everywhere, pelting the dry sand and nearby patches of salty sea grass. She felt like a foolish, puffed up porcupine.

As she walked back to the camp, her still-damp black ridge of mane flopped around like a slab of rubber. Annoyed, she shook herself again. "Bad hair day?" somebody grumbled sleepily. Tahkar found herself being blinked owlishly at by Leo, currently still under Hytis' talons. "Why am I on my stomach? I could swear I went to sleep on my side." He attempted to turn over but the added weight of Hytis prevented him from doing so. "And how the shell did you get up there?"

"Well, seeing as you can't move, I'll enlist some one else's help," Tahkar grunted, walking toward Don. She could tell just by Raph's grimace that he was a grouchy sleeper. Sighing, she nudged the turtle in the head with her wet snout. He groaned and mumbled and incoherent phrase, twitching his hand. Deciding on a rougher course of action, the serulaf grabbed his arm with her jaws and pressed ever to slightly on the tough skin.

"Hey, ow, that hurts!" he cried in a hushed tone. "My arm isn't on the menu!"

"Yeah, well, sea food and fruit is," Tahkar growled. "Get your lazy butt of the sand and let's go get some shellfish."

Don scratched his head, on his feet in a matter of seconds. Saesha didn't move. "Well, you certainly didn't have to bite me to get my attention."

"Hah. You sleep like a rock, Donatello."

He grumbled and stretched his stiff joints. "If I were a rock, your teeth would be chipped." Tahkar huffed at that and trotted away toward the tide pools. When they both got there, Don frowned. "Now, how do you plan to get those things off the cliff face?" he asked, pointing at a gathering of mussels attached to the rock.

"Well, I was thinking more along the lines of crabs, but those will do too. Just whack them off with your staff."

"Whack them off?" he asked incredulously. "They'd fly into the water!"

"And I'd go get them," the serulaf finished. "Now, get swatting, you! I'll only stay this voluntary until the rabbits come out of their burrows!" Don took out his Bo, wound up for a swing, and hit a shellfish with all his might. A sucking crack resounded as it was removed forcefully from the cliff and sailed into the water, making a plop of a splash. Tahkar ran and jumped off a rock into the ocean, coming up with her prize. She swam back to shore and dropped it on the sand. Don examined his staff. "Next!"

About ten minutes later they had a sizeable pile of mussels on the sand, their shells gleaming wetly. "How do we get them back? Tahkar grumbled, nosing one. Don scratched his chin thoughtfully, and looked around.

"Well, any palm trees around here?" he suggested.

"What, you want to weave a basket, now suddenly masterful sewer?" she snorted.

"Not really. I was just thinking of tying the leaves together to form a sort of sled which I could drag back."

"Or you could ask me," Saesha said, appearing out of nowhere. Don jumped back with a yelp, as though he'd been stung.

"Shell, Saesha, you scared me to death!" he cried.

She eyed him disapprovingly. "You're ninja, right? How the claw can you get scared?"

"Easily!" Don retorted rather lamely. The dragon rolled her eyes and levitated the shellfish into the air. Just then, a loud, low chirrup made them all look out to sea. As they searched for the culprit, they saw a black scaly head breach the surface, the momentum of his launch carrying him into the air. Yulakai roared with pleasure and let gravity take him back, muzzle first, into the deeps. The large wave produced swamped the trio on shore. The next time he emerged, he was carrying a large fish the size of a full-grown man. To the dragon, however, it was more like a small trout.

They watched him spread his enormous wings and bring them down with a powerful down beat that made even more ripples in the water. Airborne, he flew to the campsite and unceremoniously dropped the fish right into the middle of the group. It quickly became pandemonium when the fish's tail started flopping around and spraying sand everywhere. Raph awoke with a bellow of anger, scrambling off Orcaine like greased lightning, causing Rijinn to tumble off his shell. The vern, now unmistakably awake, rolled over and opened her mouth to ask a question but it was promptly filled with white sand. Hytis squawked in surprise and fell backwards into the shallow pit Leo had made in his own dash for safety. Bokur yelped and dove for cover behind Lharom. Dakari, in his yet weakened state, could do no more than sit there and get a scouring. Kadi shielded him with her gleaming wings, all the while roaring out complaints at Yulakai.

The senior dragon grinned at her, obviously in a better mood than last night, and went back to open water, diving in with a huge splash, his tail vanishing. "I'd say we don't need help waking them up to make breakfast now," Saesha muttered. "And from the chaos over there, I think it'd be safe to stay here until somebody puts that blasted fish out of its misery!"

Raph inevitably did the honors, jumping on the fish's flailing form and stabbing it in the skull with a Sai. "If that overgrown dino comes back, I'm gonna give him the what for!" he growled, extracting his weapon from the feebly struggling fish.

"Well, I must admit it was quite unorthodox," Bokur called from behind Lharom's hefty figure. Oddly enough, the griffin hadn't been the least bit disturbed by the fish and was currently snoring his cares away, loudly I might add.

"Unorthodox and downright rude!" the turtle retorted, getting off his quarry with disgust.

"At least we've got breakfast," Rijinn ventured with a feeble smile. Raph glared at him and stumped away to find some firewood.

"It appears to be safe – Oh, never mind. We might as well just camp out here," she grumbled, setting the mussels down. They soon saw the reason. Yulakai was coming in with an even larger fish, ten feet long and wriggling with the strength of a blue whale.

"Take cover!" Dakari bellowed, doing his best to dive aside as the catch came down with a thud. This time, the black dragon stayed, pinning his breakfast with a strong paw. "Warn us when you're bombing the camp!" he cried from behind the shelter of deadweight Lharom. With a powerful smack of his paw, Yulakai effectively broke the fish's spine, making it go limp.

If you'll excuse me, he said happily, I shall eat my messy meal elsewhere.

"Please do!" Bokur shot back. He trundled away about twenty feet, yet his tail was still intruding upon their camp.

I must fight the urge to freeze that thing, Kadi muttered privately to Dakari.

Oh, come now, he was only getting food, Hytis defended.

"At the cost of our beauty sleep!" Raph grumped, coming out of the shrubs with a sufficient amount of tinder and branches.

"We might want a few stones," Saesha said, coming up on the group. "The fish will take a while to cook and I doubt even you will want to turn a spit."

"And we must gut it," Dakari pointed out, standing. With a wild squawk, he fell over.

Do yourself a favor and just cut off your legs, Kadi said dryly. They're not doing you any good at the moment.

The rabbit samurai scowled. "Can you stop railing on me even for a moment?"

Not when you're as weak as a two day-old chick. He snorted, but crawled with dignity to the fish. Taking out his short sword, he located the (A/N: Pardon the term, but I looked it up and it said to do this.) anal opening and carefully slit it vertically from that point all the way up to the head. He called Rijinn over for help and the red dragon was coerced to stick his paw inside the fish and wrench out its guts. With a sneaky grin, he gently removed the entrails and placed the slimy mass near Lharom's head. Then he ever so slightly pried the griffin's beak open and waggled one end of the guts into his mouth.

The ticklish feeling took effect immediately and made the griffin wake in a tizzy. "Whoa, oh, holy mackerel, what was that gross feeling, I…ugh!" He shuddered, puffing out his neck feathers until it looked like his head was being engulfed. He gave several owl-like hoots from his black beak before eyeing the conveniently innocent Rijinn sitting next to Dakari, watching the rabbit being to skin the fish. "Can't say I'm happy about the wake-up call, fellas." Then he spotted the entrails of the fish and gobbled them up hungrily.

"Get your own, lazy buzzard," Saesha growled when he eyed the fish Dakari was now skinning. Lharom grumbled and got to his feet, springing into the air and arrowing for the open water.

"Got 'cher rocks," Raph grunted unexpectedly from the left. He had a large slab in his arms, smooth and gray. And from his exerted pants, it was very heavy. He dropped it in the center of their gathering with a ragged exhale, and collapsed on his rump.

Almost an hour later, in the hot morning sun, the group had satisfied their stomachs with mussels and pieces of fish flesh. Lharom, Saesha, and Rijinn were picking the bits of meat still left on the carcass off. "Well, I'm stuffed, I dunno about you guys," Raph sighed, falling back onto his shell with another sigh of contentment.

Me as well, Hytis agreed, cheeping sleepily.

At least I'm not so full I can't waddle, Kadi commented snidely, giving her friend a suggestive glance.

Yulakai settled on his haunches, letting out a thunderous belch in the process. Now then, we must discuss this splitting into two groups again. Leonardo, you shall be in charge of one, Donatello the other. The turtle protested with a squeak but one look from the black dragon silenced him. You don't give yourself enough credit, child. You will be leading the second group, he said firmly, quelling Don's fish-like gaping of the mouth. Now, who is comfortable with being with Leonardo?

Dakari attempted to stand but failed miserably, plopping down. "I am, with no doubt of him in me!" he declared fervently, receiving a nudge from Kadi in his back.

Don't overexcite yourself, the icunix scolded.

Raph sat up laxly and slowly eyed both of his brothers. "No offense, Leo, but I think I'll go with Don." Leo nodded, as if expecting this choice.

Saesha landed on Don's shoulder and pretended to swat him in the side of the head with her paw. "Somebody's got to keep you out of trouble," she quipped as he grinned uneasily, still not particularly comfortable with being appointed leader. Rijinn scooted over until he was next to Raph, his choice obvious.

Bokur harrumphed. "I suppose I'll stay with the green-eared fool over there. He sure is grinning like one," the dwarf snorted.

Orcaine lowered her head humbly. "I'll go wherever I'm needed really," she said, face contrite as though she had committed a crime of some sort. Yulakai nodded agreeably.

Tahkar looked over the two groups. "I'll go with purple eyes over there," she grunted, jerking her head in Don's direction.

Lharom raised an eyebrow and lashed his tail. "Seeing as you've got no fliers, I'm going with Don," he said, dipping his head with a wink.

Hytis looked at Leo, eyes glimmering brightly. I promised to take care of you, and I will not break it now, he said softly, nuzzling his charge's arm.

We have Lharom, Saesha, Raphael, Rijinn, and Tahkar with Donatello. And Bokur, Dakari, Kadi, and Hytis with Leonardo. Orcaine, you are hereby in Leonardo's group. Yulakai flared his wings briefly. And I…I shall travel with Donatello. Are we clear on who is with who?

"Yes!" chorused twelve different voices.

Good. Here is where we must part. Remember, when the next new moon comes you must be at Mount Kairu. If you are not, I must tell you something I neglected to mention last night. The group that gets there first must be ready to send somebody inside the fort.

"Why? Raph demanded, on his feet.

Because, if we do find Michelangelo, we will need a plan for what to do afterwards.

"Such as a plan of attack on Xetyphaes' palace!" Dakari said as it dawned on him.

Precisely. I would like to know what those bakiras are planning for our crippled world. Yulakai slapped the sand with his thick tail. By now they will have noticed that we are rallying our forces, but what puzzles me is that Xetyphaes hasn't sent anything after us, excluding the beihls that relentlessly pursue us. They are just to keep us busy, I assume, while he perfects his master plan. We don't know what that plan is, so I'm thinking he has some sort of clues as to what it is inside the fort. Fort Kairu is one of his main outposts.

"Why didn't 'cha tell us that last night?" Raph cried.

You were extremely tired, Yulakai said, puzzled as to his outrage. I did not think you would have liked another subject for the meeting. Raph grumbled in agreement and quieted down. Now, while we search for Michelangelo, there is something I wish for you, my son, daughter, and Orcaine, to do. You must open your minds for a radius of five miles. That way you can sense a draconic mind nearby. I'm willing to hazard a guess that my first daughter is with him.

Orcaine nodded. "It's a good plan, Father," she said, adding the title as a sign of respect. For even though she was a vern, she was still distantly related to the dragons that first came to Haradris.

Very well. Say your good byes, and then we must leave.

"Rijinn, keep Raph from slicing off Don's head when he gets angry, alright?" Leo quipped, grinning at his brother, who gave him a sullen glare. Rijinn nodded with a smile. "Saesha, I'm counting on you to keep Donnie out of trouble."

"Yes sir," she retorted sarcastically, giving him a fumbling salute.

"Hey Leo, keep them swords from cuttin' your overgrown tail off!"

"Yeah, I love you too Raph."

By now, Raph and Don were on Yulakai's wide back, the dragon having rejected Raph's want to perch on his head again. Lharom stretched his wings as Tahkar eye Yulakai. "How do you expect me to travel with you if I'm the only one without wings?" she snorted. The dragon smiled.

Easily remedied! He reared back on his haunches and stretched out his forepaws, grabbing the serulaf around the middle. She squawked in surprise as she left the ground. Leo's group skittered to a safe distance as the dragon spread his wings and brought them down in a smashing downbeat that distorted the air pressure. Farewell, and good hunting! he added, veering away to the northeast. The last thing Don and Raph saw before breaching the foggy cloud cover was Leo waving vigorously with both tail and arms.

Aaand, seperate parts again! What joy it is to be overrun with OCs! So many I have to write three-sectioned chapters...again. Man, I hope you're happy, Muses. (growls) Anyway, I will not kill Naicro in such a lame way again. I promise you that. So stupid of me. One of my friends, after I told him about it, declared that it was a sad way for a dragon to die. I agree now. (Naicro: "Thank the Lord.") Having said that, I will try my darnedest to get the next chapter up quicker. And by the way, we have officially exceeded fifteen chapters AND the one-hundred thousand words the entirety of Tatsu Morph was! If I'm not careful, it could be over thirty again. Oh all you readers out therrre...now would be a good time to revieeew...

Ashite Imasu,
LN