Flights Of Fancy

Disclaimer: I deny any ownership of any adolescent transformed shadow warrior chelonians.

Chapter Twenty Five: Going Underground.

Mike did his best not to grimace, he really didn't like the thought of these creepy crawlies getting in under his shell. He was just as glad that he could see in this place as well as he could because he wanted to pick off any vermin before they got too close, he recalled far too many horror movies that dealt in giant bugs, or bugs taking over the world, and of course the rodents that were moving with the insects didn't look very welcoming either, they definitely were not relatives of Splinter, and even if the rodents were related Mike decided he wanted nothing to do with them. "Why'd it have to be bugs?" He moaned as his chuck came down on a horde of them, there was the unmistakable squishing noise as the bugs crunched under the wood. He made a face this time "Don't tell me these things are magic too!"

'Magic would be wasted on such life forms as these' Shanza insisted, her horn wasn't of much use so she was using her hooves to stomp on any of the beast that got too close. ' This pass was enchanted by some one who wanted to hinder our path through, which means a wizard did this.'

The toshe pack moved in almost chain form, sneaking in and around the other's feet, managing to narrowly miss the crushing blows of the larger mammals or darting out of the way of a weapon that was coming a bit too close for comfort. They grabbed and bit hard enough to kill with one hard bite, then dropped the prey item to go after another that was too close to a friend, they had to bite a lot harder on the insects as their hard exoskeleton protected them to some extent.

Raph found that many of the rodents leapt at him, which made it all too easy to stab them with a sai, but he often had to crouch to hit the bugs that came near his feet. He impaled a large rodent and flung it against the rock wall and heard a scuttling, scraping noise as a swarm of beast ran towards it to consume it. He glanced over at Leo who he saw had adopted the same crouching motion to get the beasts that were attacking. Raph grunted a bit, in acknowledgement, Leo's handling of the sai, was typically superb, but Raph quickly noticed that a sudden spin move wasn't executed quite properly and he couldn't resist putting his brother in his place. "Leo you got to use more wrist" he yelled.

Leo gave him a strange look "I don't think these beast care about technique Raph" he retorted quickly.

"That's not what ya'd say if Splinter were here correcting you" Raph remarked a wicked grin crossing his face, "Ya want to put on a good show for all of his relatives don't ya?"

Leo didn't bother replying to such a remark.

Marina seemed totally in her element as she pounced on first one bug and then attacked a rat, her tail flicked with pleasure as she chased and batted at the creatures that scuttled all around them.

Don used his staff to bat the annoying pest to whoever might be free to handle them, but in the confines of the passage he had to be careful and watch out for all his friends, for he had no desire to send them flying or to smack one of the equines.

Shanza snorted tossing her head she had enough of this dark pass, and all the critters that inhabited it and she decided then and there that she had enough, she lowered her head and her horn began to glow, shining brighter, until it's glow seemed to rival the light of daylight, Leo shielded his eyes as did the other turtles, while Marina blinked in confusion her eyes quickly adjusting in time to see the last few nuisance beasts scuttling off into the rocks. Shanza blew out a few times quickly and pawed the ground.

' Well that seems to be that!' She announced boldly, 'Now lets see if we can find a way out of this pass.'

Lobo whined perking his ears up "Anyone else hear that?"

"Hear what?" Mike demanded, "What are we trying to listen for?"

"Sssh" Symbia hissed his way as she cocked her head to one side, "There is the sound of dirt and rock shifting" she murmured her eyes growing large.

Lobo nodded "Exactly, and that means we have to get out of here fast."

Marina sniffed the air her own ears moved as she listened " It isn't just that! Someone is tunneling further down and ... well not the way we want to go."

Lobo curled his lip at this information, considering who had offered it he wasn't very sure how trustworthy it was, the catafly might only be trying to make herself look important, still if he didn't believe her she would make a fool of him again; much as she had when she had returned Leo's soul, while they stood around and argued. While toshe absolutely hated being referred to as dogs, they, like their relatives had the same distain for any cat who showed them up. Therefore Lobo decided the wisest thing to do was hedge his bets and err on the side of caution as it were. "All the more reason for us to vacate this pass as quickly as we can" he remarked calmly.

Marina gave him a smug knowing look and arched her back a bit "Any suggestions on how we plan on doing that?"

' Come on the exit should be ahead an maybe that the bugs are gone now, we can proceed' Shanza suggested hopefully as she turned and walked towards where the exit ought to be. ' Its funny I can see Gimod from where I am, but I can't smell or hear him, nor can I reach him to speak with him.'

Lobo pushed forward and saw that what the unicorn had said was true for he could see Gimod perched within a couple of feet from where he stood, his ears swiveled and he barked sharply "Gimod we are here!"

The dragon didn't flinch, though he looked upward and behind himself in a highly agitated way, but it was clear that the dragon seemed to have no knowledge of his friends being so close by. His agitation was probably due to the fact he had no knowledge of what his friends were going through.

' That settles it' Demon snorted, ' Whatever dark magic is holding us trapped in this pass plans on keeping us here.'

"For how long though and why?" Leo wondered aloud, "I mean the dark forces might want to capture us, yes, but they can't collect on us unless they come here. If they do that then Gimod would see them."

"They may only trap us to prevent us from freeing Shaman." Symbia replied, "They would only have to hold us here until they are able to perform the magic necessary to gain control."

Leo nodded, "But if they get distracted by casting spells to obtain power or control of Necron, would what ever spell they have here weaken a bit?"

' Possibly it will but by then it will be too late to save Shaman' Shanza nickered forlornly.

Demon nipped her tenderly on the withers, ' Come on we aren't beat yet. Let us see if we can combine what magic we have to break us free.' He stomped down a hoof, 'Symbia when Shanza and I try to burst through shoot an arrow to the front and up so it will miss Gimod.'

"It won't work and what if the barrier warps things so that I hit the wyrm?" Symbia protested.

' We have to try besides,' Demon's lips curled almost into a smile or as much of a smile as was possible given his equine lips, ' I thought centaurs never missed what they aimed for.'

Symbia clenched her jaw and laid back her ears tossing her mane, " You are more likely to weaken yourselves first." she retorted in a snippy fashion.

Demon unfurled his wings, as much as the short passage would permit, he held them up and slightly back so the feathers of his wing tips touched the dirt path, he began to snort and strike the ground, working up his magic through hoof and wing until it almost seemed that vapor escaped his nostrils and his eyes seemed to glow ever so slightly.

At that point Shanza arched her neck, and lowered her horn so that it's tip was pointed forward, she half reared squealing slightly then fell still focusing on her one desire, to break free of whatever held them here.

Leo looked at his brother's he detected a change in the air around him and saw the toshe and catafly's hair standing on end as if there was electricity being formed, yet this was something else, there was a charge built more on...mental energy, Leo realized suddenly. He communicated with his brothers, "Let us meditate maybe they can draw on that energy."

"Do we have to!" Mike moaned.

Raph thumped Mike and gave him a dirty look "What d'ya think?" he demanded sharply giving a shake of his head in disbelief.

Without further protest the brothers entered meditation, linking further with one another and to the unicorn and Pegasian, both of the animals acknowledged and gratefully accepted the turtles assistance in this matter. For with the turtles help, it increased their chances.

'Symbia NOW!' Demon called out for he was finding that it was getting difficult to maintain the magic they had generated between them.

Symbia had her arrow notched and ready she let it loose flying into the barrier, something seemed to shift, or ripple in front of them, and a light flashed.

XXXX

Gimod rumbled darkly he had been waiting for what seemed hours now. He wished he had the power to shrink down, but as very few dragons had that ability. He had venom, he could control some beings minds, and that was about it for his range of what he could do that wasn't ordinary fire breathing, telepathic speaking dragon stuff. All he could see was the empty rock passage in front of him, and no sign of his friends.

Gimod continued to call out for any of them, but heard no response to verify they had heard any of his many calls, meaning they either couldn't hear him, or they could hear his calls but for some reason he was not receiving theirs. 'When I get a hold of those wizards and larger wyrms I'm going cause so much trouble they'll think I'm a destructive chaos.' He told himself, destructive chaos being a term meaning a great number of dragons.

Suddenly he felt something whistle past him and he shot into the air to find out what it was, for Gimod knew it may be a clue to his friends, he saw the arrow and recognized it immediately as belonging to Symbia, he grabbed the arrow clutching it ' They are alive at least, and somehow trapped within the passage.' He assured himself. Though that quick reassurance only lead to more questions and very few answers.

Gimod let out a blast of fire in anger and frustration, he was not patient by nature, though far more patient then most of his kind, and he was even shorter on patience when it came to waiting for those he knew might be in danger and needing his help. In his fury he lashed out with his tail, hitting the rocky cliff side then realized too late his mistake in acting out so. For that bash of his tail, had caused the start of what could only be a massive rock slide.

Gimod bugled in alarm as he realized the rocks and dirt that he had unleashed might effectively block off the pass where his friends were trapped, but he didn't have the ability to change the past, not even by a minute or two, like he had heard some of the older dragons could do. This was going to be bad., very bad of that there was no doubt. Gimod however could only watch helplessly and wait to see how bad it was, but then, there was a chance he could block some, if not all of it, with his own body.

However Gimod quickly realized to do such a thing would be suicidal and still might end with his friends no better off. If he knew he could save his friends by doing so then it would be worthwhile, but without knowing the outcome for sure he could only watch the rocks and dirt bump, roll and tumble faster down the mountain, causing other debris to flow along the wild avalanche.

XXXX

Marina sighed, "Still here I see. Well I am rather tired of this place." she murmured flicking her tail, " And I don't even hear the sound that was happening earlier when the bugs left." She sniffed a bit in disdain. "I think I'll get out of here now."

"If we can't get out what makes you think you can?" Don asked.

"Easy. I'm a catafly" Marina said boastfully, " We cataflys can not be told where we can or can not go. Someone says it is impossible to get there and a catafly will do it just to prove you wrong." She informed Don with a wink.

Don considered this answer and recalled that Klunk, Mike's cat had a habit of forever getting into his lab at home, no matter how he secured the lab to insure the inquisitive kitten would not get in, he would find Klunk sooner or later perched on a pipe or shelf, or hiding in some shadows with a smug knowing look on his face. If what Marina said was true, and considering how easily and often Klunk seemed to make such a feat, Don had no reason to doubt it, then perhaps it was Marina who would save them again.

"Now no body look because I refuse to move while everyone is watching me" Marina insisted.

"Probably because she wants to hide behind a rock or something" Traba growled softly to Noharn.

" I don't see what we have to lose by doing it." Symbia shrugged.

" At the moment I am open to any suggestion and the more ludicrous the better.' Demon humphed.

So everyone obliged by turning their backs, and not watching Marina. The Catafly waited until she was absolutely sure that no one was watching, especially those mangy toshe, one really couldn't trust a dog. Before she sauntered towards the barrier, she began to push and squeeze her way through finding an exit that only a catafly, or perhaps a cat, may find. She was part way through when she noticed the landslide, it was too late for her to turn back, even though she was fast, she wasn't that fast.

The others heard only a faint rumbling and a bunch of dust that seemed to billow towards them.

"MARINA!" Don yelled, as he and the others watched helplessly as where the barrier, the exit had been was suddenly covered by rocks.

"Do you think she made it through?" Mike asked uncertainly as he shifted.

'No she was caught I sensed a moment of fear and then nothing' Shanza replied her head was bowed, and she burrowed her face in Demon's mane, her tone was full of sorrow.

"Curiosity" Traba said simply.

"It wasn't curiosity that got her" Symbia snapped flicking a hind leg back Traba's way, she coughed clearing the dust from her lungs and went forward, "I can touch the rocks and the dirt."

Lobo perked up as he noticed she was resting a hoof on one rock while holding another, "Can we dig our way out?"

"Possible but it won't be easy and we will have to do it before we lose air and with so many of us in here." Leo began.

"I smell air though" Trina interrupted she began to walk with nose in the air sniffing, "Ah here in the side of a mountain, a pathway has opened up."

"A path into the mountain means Trolls" Symbia shuddered, her skin flinched as if a fly had landed on her and bit.

"Then together lets see if we can dig our way out." Leo decided, he didn't want to mess with trolls if they didn't have to. "We'll all take turns" he suggested.

They had been digging for some time and of course carting the larger rocks further off at least where they could, but the wall of dirt and rubble in front of them didn't seem to be diminishing. Noharn, Nomac, Mike and Leo were working at the main digging at the moment when Mike yelled suddenly jumping back as if startled.

"Mike what is it?" Raph asked hopefully.

Mike looked up tears in his eyes, "I found Marina" he sniffed as he reached back into the rock pile and drew out her limp body."Face it guys if she couldn't make her way out, we don't stand a chance this way either. Maybe we ought to leave her enshrined in these rocks." Mike felt a tear trickle from his eye, his fingers had abruptly brushed against the catafly's fur where it had been buried.

Shanza raised her head slowly, ' I think you may be right Mike and while it is a dangerous path we must walk, it may be the quickest way. We have wasted too much time here' Shanza confessed wearily, ' But don't leave her here in those rocks. A catafly should be buried where the sky can be seen. Bring her body so we can do that for her. I would revive her but...I can't. Not here and not now.' Shanza's voice broke into a sob.'I wasted much magic in trying to get us out and with having to face the trolls, I may need to use it again.'

Symbia nodded, "Yes bring her body, I will carry her if you like" She held out her hands and Mike placed the catafly's body gently into them, "She should be buried according to the customs of her kind, if it is necessary."

" What do you mean by that?" Raph asked curiously.

" Nothing just. A possibility, perhaps it is nothing." Symbia answered, as she held the catafly stroking it's soft hair and wings.

Together they all turned to head down the passage into the mountains where the trolls dwelt though none of them were to happy about having to go that way, all of them were quiet for the loss of one of their members was hard to accept, no matter what one's personal feelings towards Marina may have been.

TBC