Chapter 7-The Werewolf Within

10 minutes later…

Leo's side…

Leo, Van Helsing, and Carl walked up the middle path of the forest to head towards Frankenstein's castle whilst keeping an eye out for any enemies that might be hiding within the trees and bushes.

"It's so quiet…" Leo pointed out after a moment of silence.

"Indeed, Dracula's monsters are known to be very smart when it comes to staying in hiding…" Van Helsing said in agreement.

Rustle, rustle, rustle!

"What was that?" Carl questioned anxiously.

"Something's over there…" Van Helsing whispered as he pointed at the bush to his right.

Leo was the first to decide to investigate the noise, and he slowly and quietly crept towards the bush.

"Be careful, Leonardo…" Carl warned nervously.

Leo nodded in understanding before he continued his move over to the bush. It was then that he caught a glimpse of a familiar purple-coloured ninja mask and a red and white-coloured top from a distance.

"Oh, it's just Donnie and Anna…" Leo identified, breathing a sigh of relief before he, Van Helsing, and Carl moved closer to the bush.

As they walked through the bush, however…

"Whoa!" "Aarrgh!"

They heard both Donnie and Anna cry out in terror.

/

Donnie's side…

On the right side of the forest, Donnie and Anna were walking whilst looking at every tree and bush for any movement or noise that might involve an enemy.

As they were doing this, Donnie noticed that Anna had a very anxious look on her face and was looking a bit pale.

"Are you alright, Anna? You look worried…" He asked in concern.

"Oh, no I'm fine…I was just thinking about my brother…" Anna answered, even though she wasn't being 100% honest with Donnie.

The purple-banded turtle felt very sorry for Anna; he could tell that she was feeling guilty deep down because her brother Velkan had become a werewolf after risking his life to protect his sister, and he was now fighting against her and her friends without thinking twice.

"Don't worry, Anna; we'll find a way to help him and turn him back to normal…" Donnie said reassuringly whilst placing a comforting hand on Anna's shoulder.

Anna smiled at Donnie in appreciation before she jumped when she heard faint voices nearby.

"Did you hear that?" Anna asked anxiously as she and Donnie looked around to figure out where the voices were coming from.

"It's coming from over there…" Donnie said as he pointed at a large bush, which rustled again, before deciding to creep up to it to check it out.

"Be careful, Donatello; you don't know what might be hiding in there…" Anna warned, worried that Donnie might get attacked as soon as he got close enough.

Donnie nodded in understanding before he carried on creeping towards the bush. As soon as he got there, he visually assessed the bush first before he carefully parted the bush and looked closer inside it.

It was then that he saw three pairs of eyes in the darkness!

"Whoa!" "Aarrgh!" Donnie and Anna cried out as they quickly backed away from the bush and grabbed their weapons.

"Wait! It's ok, it's just us…!" Leo said reassuringly with his hands halfway in the air as he, Van Helsing, and Carl slowly walked through the bush to be in front of Donnie and Anna.

"Oh, for goodness sake, you three, you scared us!" Anna scolded as she worked on calming her rapid heartbeat down.

"Sorry about that; we thought you were an enemy…" Leo said guiltily.

"Don't worry about it, Leo; I think we're all a bit on edge tonight…" Donnie replied in understanding after he too got his bearings from that scare.

"I'm guessing you haven't seen any enemies yet too?" Carl questioned.

"No, and we also haven't bumped into Raph and Mikey yet either…" Donnie answered anxiously.

"I hope they're ok, we haven't seen or heard from them since we split up…" Anna said with worry and anxiety building up in her heart, especially since she was having a bad feeling about Mikey.

/

Raph's side…

On the far left side of the forest, Raph was taking the lead as he and Mikey walked up the partly grass-covered ground to try and reach Frankenstein's castle and meet up with the others.

However, Mikey was lagging behind because he suddenly felt a bit woozy and unsteady on his feet. Raph noticed this when he looked behind him to check on his brother.

"Mikey? Ya doin' ok over there?" The red-banded turtle asked as he walked towards him.

"Ngh…I-I feel…dizzy…" Mikey managed to say as he leaned against a tree and held his head during his dizzy spell.

"Don't worry, bro, it'll pass…Yer probably just tired still from dat attack last night…" Raph soothed as he held Mikey steady before reaching for his water bottle in his belt.

"Here, drink some water…" He said after opening the bottle and putting it close to Mikey's mouth.

Mikey accepted the bottle and took a few sips of water before giving it back to Raph.

"Thanks, Raph…" Mikey breathed out after feeling a little better.

"No problem, bro…C'mon, we gotta keep movin'…" Raph replied before he released Mikey and continued walking.

However, after another few minutes of walking, Mikey stopped and held his chest when he suddenly felt an intense pain in his heart and the muscles in his body. The sensation felt as if he was being ripped apart from the inside out.

"R-Raph…I-I don't…Aarrgh!" Mikey cried out as he collapsed to his knees and held his chest.

"Mikey!? What's wrong!?" Raph said worryingly whilst rushing towards his little brother.

"Aarrgh-Owooooo!" Mikey suddenly howled as he continued to double over in pain, stunning Raph.

/

The others…

"Owooooo!"

The sound of howling echoed through the forest, causing Leo's group to freeze and look behind them.

"What was that…?" Leo said with his hands on the handles of his katana swords.

"It sounded like a werewolf!" Donnie theorised anxiously.

"You're right, and it must be coming from Raphael's and Michelangelo's location!" Van Helsing replied with a nod whilst preparing his crossbow.

"Velkan…?" Anna whispered worryingly.

"C'mon, we have to help them!" Leo said before he made a dash towards where Raph and Mikey were, with the others closely running from behind him.

/

Raph's side…

"Hold on, Mikey! I'm gonna get ya ta Donnie!" Raph said reassuringly as he tried to stand his ailing brother up.

"N-No! Get back…!" Mikey managed to cry out before he pushed his brother further away from him when he suddenly begun to feel a change within his body.

Raph got back up and he could only stand and watch in horror as Mikey's body slowly grew taller and light brown-coloured fur begun to cover his green skin. His fingernails then grew into long sharp claws and his face changed to resemble that of a wolf with big pointed ears, a long dog-like muzzle, and sharp fangs. He also developed a furry tail, but his shell-covered back and plastron remained unchanged. His orange mask was now around his neck and his cloak, belt, wrist bands, and pads were ripped off during his transformation.

"Grrr…" The first thing that came out of Mikey's mouth was an intimidating growl before he lifted his head up, showing his now yellow-coloured wolf eyes!

"Oh, no…Mikey!" Raph shouted, now extremely horrified at what his baby brother had turned into.

"Rrroooaaarrr!" Mikey let out a howling roar before he charged towards Raph, who quickly dodged out of the way.

"Hey, hey! Bro, stop! It's me, Raph!" The red-banded turtle shouted out to try and snap Mikey out of it, but it didn't work as his orange-banded brother just stood in his place and looked at him with an aggressive look on his face.

"Raph, are you and Mikey ok? What's-" Leo cried out as he and the others ran back to where Raph and Mikey were before he cut himself off when he saw the turtle-looking werewolf with an orange-coloured mask around its neck standing in front of them. "Mikey!?"

"What the shell's happened to our brother!?" Donnie questioned in shock and horror at his immediate younger brother's new form.

"He was struck with the werewolf's curse by Velkan!" Anna answered sadly.

"Wait…so when he took that bite for Raph last night…" Leo gasped in realisation when he thought back to last night's events.

"Yes, the curse was passed onto him through his bite…!" Anna gravely finished the sentence for Leo.

"And ya didn't tell us dis sooner!?" Raph scolded accusingly with a glare towards Anna.

"We'll worry about that later, Raph, we've got bigger problems!" Leo shouted as he readied himself when he sensed another presence in the forest.

Suddenly, another werewolf and a gang of smaller vampiric creatures jumped out of hiding and surrounded the group.

"An ambush!" Carl shouted out.

"Oh, Great! More freaks!?" Raph groaned as he prepared his sais for the fight.

"They must be some of Dracula's minions!" Donnie theorised whilst preparing his bo staff and standing in a defensive pose.

"Velkan!" Anna cried out towards her brother after seeing him.

The werewolf only howled as his response before he and his demonic teammates charged towards the group for the attack.

"Everyone, attack!" Leo commanded before he and the others charged towards the monsters with their weapons in hand.

Mikey, on the other hand, was having an internal battle with himself. Part of him wanted to kill everything that was in front of him, but the other part of him didn't like the idea of going berserk and hurting those around him. He had looked around from where he was standing and saw another werewolf with small demonic creatures fighting three turtles and three humans.

The weird thing was…he had no clue who either of these two opposing groups were. His mind was a complete blank.

About five minutes went by, and the fight was starting to tire out Leo and his group; no matter how many vampiric creatures they took out, Velkan would just howl and call for more to back him up as he fought the turtles, Van Helsing, Carl, and Anna.

"There's too many of 'em!" Raph shouted as he slowly started to feel tired from fighting for too long.

"Don't give up! We can defeat them!" Van Helsing cried out whilst shooting more arrows towards the vampiric creatures.

"Velkan! Please, stop! It's me, Anna! Your sister!" Anna pleaded as she confronted her brother, who was just growling and looking at her with intimidating eyes as his response.

"Anna, get behind me!" Donnie told Anna firmly as he stood in front of the female human before Velkan charged towards them.

"Back off, beast!" He then shouted at the werewolf as he tried to land a hit with his bo staff.

However, Velkan was too smart and he dodged each swing before launching at Donnie, who managed to stop him from biting Anna and himself by holding both ends of his bo staff in a straight line and making Velkan bite and grab the weapon instead of the duo's flesh. However, Donnie was soon finding it hard to stand straight and keep his grip because Velkan was starting to push down on the purple-banded turtle's bo staff.

As panic slowly started to set in, Donnie quickly looked over at Mikey and noticed how out of focus he was.

"Mikey, HELP!" Donnie cried out towards him in desperation and fear as he struggled to keep Velkan from biting or scratching him and Anna.

Hearing a cry for help from the purple-banded turtle immediately snapped Mikey out of his confused state temporarily before he looked over to where Donnie was located. As soon as he saw the amount of danger that he was in, Mikey suddenly felt his protective instincts kick in and he quickly charged towards the furry creature and begun swiping and biting him with his claws and sharp teeth, causing Velkan to back away and howl in pain.

A few of the vampiric creatures then appeared to give Velkan some back-up, but Mikey was stronger than them and was able to defeat them by grabbing them and slamming them down to the ground before biting them hard, killing them instantly. Donnie, Anna and the others looked on in silence and awe.

After the demon creatures were defeated, Velkan managed to escape after deciding to retreat for now. Donnie and Anna then got up from the ground and ran towards the others as they gathered in front of Mikey.

"Thank you, Mikey…! You really saved us!" The purple-banded turtle said gratefully.

However, instead of being happy to see his brother being safe, Mikey was suddenly back to his feral and uncontrollable side to his werewolf form and he looked at the others with now angry red eyes.

"Uh oh…" Carl said nervously.

A moment later, Mikey pounced and charged towards the group with a roar.

"Run!" Leo shouted before he and the others ran for their lives whilst going deeper into the forest.

After a few more minutes of running and dodging Mikey's attacks, the group reached another clearing and they stopped to catch their breaths, but their rest didn't last long as Mikey soon appeared out of the shadows and growled loudly at the group again from where he was standing.

"Mikey, bro! Snap out of it!" Raph shouted to try and make his baby brother come to his senses again, but it wasn't working as the orange-banded wereturtle continued to stare at them with menacing eyes whilst preparing to pounce on the group again. "What da we do now!?"

"We need to restrain him and calm him down!" Anna answered as she readied her weapon.

"But how? He's twice as strong as us, now!" Donnie stated after witnessing Mikey take out Velkan and then some of the vampire creatures all at once earlier.

"I have an idea; distract him!" Leo commanded quietly before he hid himself among the trees.

"Wha-? Distract him how!?" Raph hissed anxiously as he watched Leo disappear into the forest.

Just then, he and the others heard Mikey let out another growl and they braced themselves as he charged in for the attack again.

"Scatter!" Van-Helsing shouted before he and the others spread out to dodge Mikey's incoming attack. Mikey then stopped and growled as he looked around, deciding on who he should attack first.

"Yo, Mikey! Over here!" Raph shouted as he waved his hands in the air to get his attention, which had worked because Mikey turned to him and charged towards him.

As soon as Mikey was close enough, Raph jumped over him and landed behind him as he continued running. This resulted in Mikey crashing into a tree, causing him to yelp and become dazed for a moment before snapping out of it and readying himself to attack the others again. However, what he didn't know was that Leo was now up the same tree that the wereturtle crashed into earlier.

Just as he was about to attack the others once more, Mikey suddenly felt someone land on his shell-covered back; it was Leo, and this caused him to become startled and buck around as if he was a bull in a rodeo to try and get him off.

"Mikey! Mikey, listen to me…! It's me, Leo! Your oldest brother, remember?" Leo called out to his little brother whilst doing his best to keep holding onto the ridges of his shell. "You know me! You know me!"

A moment after speaking to him, Leo felt Mikey freeze for a minute before he heard a gruffy but clear voice coming from him.

"Le…L-Leo…?"

"Yes…Yes, that's right, little brother…It's Leo…I'm here…!" Leo replied whilst stroking Mikey's head, relieved to hear a response from his youngest brother. He then pointed towards Raph and Donnie and spoke again.

"Do you recognise those two over there? It's Raph and Donnie; your other brothers…!"

Mikey looked over at Raph and Donnie, who were looking at him nervously but with hearts full of hope, and his eyes changed from an angry red to a normal wolf yellow colour before they softened even more.

"R…R-Raph…? D-Don-nie…?" He managed to call out in his werewolf voice.

"Yes, Mikey…it's us…you're safe…" Donnie replied soothingly as he slowly walked towards his immediate younger brother.

"Yer gonna be ok, bro…we're here fer ya…" Raph then said reassuringly as he followed Donnie's lead.

Hearing his other brothers' voices, Mikey became less tense and lowered himself down to their level so that he was on all fours instead of standing on two feet. He then looked down at his furry clawed hands and whimpered in sadness with small tears developing in his eyes when he realised what he had become.

"Hey, hey…Shhh…It's ok, Mikey…" Donnie soothed as he leaned his head against Mikey's shoulder in comfort.

"Yeah…we're gonna get ya through dis, ok…?" Raph said in agreement as he placed a comforting hand on Mikey's furry cheek and stroked it.

"That's right…and we're not gonna rest until we free you from this curse, little brother…" Leo said next whilst leaning his head against the top of Mikey's in comfort.

"I don't believe it…that tactic normally never works…" Anna said as she watched the scene in astonishment.

"Mmm…Those turtle brothers must have a very powerful bond if they are getting through to Michelangelo so easily…" Van Helsing replied as he too observed the scene, with Carl nodding in agreement.

Just then, Mikey looked over at the human trio and walked over to them slowly before stopping in front of them and bowing his head.

"S-Sorry…" He said before he looked back up with a sorrowful expression on his face.

"It is alright, Michelangelo…This was your first werewolf transformation, you couldn't expect to remain in control of yourself…" Anna replied sympathetically whilst shaking her head.

"Yes, and you did great work taking down those monsters…!" Carl said in agreement.

"I think we should put our mission on hold for now, head back home, and regroup…" Van Helsing suggested in a serious tone when he noticed how worn out the group looked.

The others agreed, despite feeling a bit down that they couldn't investigate Frankenstein's castle, and they started making a move back to Anna's Castle.

/

1 hour later…

The group took their time with their walk back to Anna's castle because they were all tired and achy from their fight against Velkan and vampiric creatures. Leo also remained on Mikey's back in case the young wereturtle lost control of himself again during the walk.

As the group was halfway through the forest, Mikey suddenly froze again for a moment before he stood back up and howled in distress, worrying his brothers.

"What's happening now!?" Leo questioned in concern as he struggled to hold onto Mikey's back.

"He's changing back! Quick, Leonardo, jump off!" Anna answered in an urgent tone after looking at the sun slowly rising up in the sky.

Leo did as he was told and jumped off of Mikey's back just as his youngest brother was starting to change. Slowly but surely, his werewolf form was beginning to fade, his body shrunk back to normal size, and his turtle-like features returned to him.

Shortly after fully turning back to his normal turtle form, Mikey groaned before collapsing to the ground with no sign of getting back up.

"Mikey!" Leo, Raph, and Donnie called out to their weakened brother as they rushed over to him and Raph gathered him up in his arms, with the others gathering around him.

"Mikey…? You alright, bro?" The red-banded turtle asked in concern.

Hearing his red-banded brother's voice nearby, Mikey groaned again and slowly tilted his head towards Raph's plastron as he opened his eyes to see his brother's worried face.

"…R-Raphie…I-I'm so sorry…" Mikey breathed out tiredly after coming round a little, his eyes filling with guilty tears.

"Don't be…It's my fault yer like dis…" Raph countered soothingly as he shook his head whilst holding Mikey close when the youngest turtle started to sob.

"No, Raph; neither of you are at fault…The only one responsible for this mess is Dracula!" Donnie countered reassuringly as he placed a comforting hand on Raph's shoulder.

"Donatello is correct, Raphael…Let us head back to the castle, so that we can regain our strength and regroup. The sun is almost up and regular hunters from the village will be arriving here soon…" Van-Helsing pointed out as he looked at the still-rising sun.

"You're right, Van Helsing…C'mon, everyone; let's go…" Leo said in agreement before he sheathed his katanas back in their cases on his back, and then watched as Raph stood up whilst holding Mikey in a bridal-style hold.

"I gotcha, lil' bro…" Raph said to his little brother softly.

Mikey looked at him tiredly and developed a small smile on his face before he slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep seconds later. Donnie then came over and covered the youngest turtle with his fallen cape to keep him warm.

"Don't worry, Mikey; we'll find a way ta cure ya…I swear it…" Raph promised in a whisper before he started walking with the others to head out of the forest and back to Anna's castle for safety.

/

Valerious Castle…

Everyone was able to return to Anna's castle without running into any more trouble.

As soon as they reached the shared guests' bedroom, Raph gently laid Mikey down onto one of the beds before backing away slightly to give Anna and Donnie some space to give the orange-banded turtle a check-over.

"Raph, can you get me a bowl of water and a small rag, please? Mikey's starting to develop a fever…!" Donnie suddenly demanded when he felt heat coming off of Mikey's forehead.

Raph was shocked by this, but didn't ask any questions and just nodded before he immediately ran out of the room to get the much-needed water and rag, whilst Leo just stood and looked at his now ill brother with worry on his face.

"But why is he-"

"I think it is an after-effect of his first werewolf transformation…it should fade after a few hours, though…" Anna cut off a worried Leo in a calm tone.

"Alright…Then, let's re-bandage his bite wound and treat his other wounds in the meantime…" Donnie said as he took out a bandage roll from his belt.

Anna nodded in agreement and went straight to work with helping Donnie in treating Mikey's injuries.

/

Half an hour later…

Donnie and Anna were able to clean and re-bandage Mikey's bite wound, and then did the same with the cuts sustained by Dracula's minions. Shortly after that, Raph came back into the room with a bowl of water and small rag needed to help stabilise Mikey's fever.

"How's he doing?" Leo asked when he entered the room after Raph to check on Mikey, who was still asleep.

"His wounds have been treated, and his fever is high but it should break after a few hours, according to Anna…So far, he seems to be sleeping comfortably…" Donnie answered in his 'Doctor Don' tone after placing the wet rag onto Mikey's forehead.

"That's good to hear…However, that's not what's worrying me the most, though…" Leo then said with a sigh.

"I know…you're worried about the werewolf's curse, aren't you?" Anna guessed sadly.

"Yes…In fact, we would like to have a word with you about that in the dining room…please…" Leo answered in a slightly more serious tone.

"Of course…" Anna replied, knowing in her heart that she would be questioned about this sooner or later.

"But what about Mikey?" Donnie asked in concern due to not liking the idea of leaving his weakened little brother all alone.

"Don't worry, Don; he'll be alright by himself for a bit. Besides, this won't take long…C'mon, let's let him sleep whilst it's quiet…" Leo reassured his purple-banded brother softly before encouraging him to leave the room with them.

Before he left, however, Donnie looked at his sleeping brother before he tucked him in a bit more with the blanket and gave him a soft kiss on his head.

"I'll be right back, Mikey…sleep well…" He said softly before he turned around and left the bedroom to allow Mikey to sleep in peace.

/

The dining room…

Leo, Donnie, and Anna all walked into the dining room where Raph, Van Helsing, and Carl were waiting for them whilst sitting by the dining table. As soon as everyone was settled into their seats, they started the meeting.

"So, what is it that you wish to talk to me about?" Anna questioned calmly despite feeling a bit anxious as to what the turtles might ask her.

"I just want to confirm something with you…it's been nagging me for a while since Mikey got bit by Velkan…" Leo answered calmly.

"Ok, what is it?" Anna asked curiously.

"Did you already know that Mikey would become a werewolf after getting bitten by your brother?" Leo questioned whilst looking at Anna with a firm look, as if to say 'Don't even think about lying to me, I want the truth'.

"…" Anna was silent for a moment as she closed her eyes and looked down slightly.

"Hey, answer da question!" Raph snapped impatiently.

"…Yes, I did…" Anna finally admitted in shame after another moment of silence, shocking the others.

"Why didn't ya tell us dis!?" Raph questioned heatedly.

"Even if I did, it wouldn't do any of us any favours!" Anna answered in frustration.

"What do you mean?" Donnie questioned anxiously.

Before Anna could answer Donnie's question, Carl had already beaten her to it after sensing what she might be thinking.

"You don't know whether or not there is a cure for the werewolf's curse, do you?" The inventor questioned carefully.

"…No, I don't…" Anna answered sadly whilst shaking her head slowly. That was an answer that none of the three older turtles wanted to hear, especially Raph.

"Wha-? Are you SERIOUS!?" Raph shouted heatedly before he grabbed a spare chair and threw it across the room in a rage, making everyone jump.

"Are ya tellin' us dat Mikey might stay cursed as a werewolf fer da rest of his life!?" He then questioned angrily.

"I never said that…!" Anna denied instantly.

"It sounded like it ta me…!" Raph bit back darkly as he placed a hand on one of his sais.

"Raphael, calm yourself down!" Van Helsing scolded him firmly but calmly.

"How can I calm down!? My lil' bro is-"

"We know, Raph, we get it! But getting angry at Anna will not resolve this matter for Mikey…!" Leo cut his red-banded brother off firmly whilst placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Look, I didn't say that there's no cure at all…! I'm just saying that I don't know for sure if there is one unless we go to the source of where the curse came from!" Anna continued in a more specific term.

"And where's that?" Donnie asked, now even more curious.

"…Dracula's castle…" Anna answered with a sigh.

"What!?" The others shouted in shock.

"How can you be so sure that it's in there?" Van Helsing questioned with his arms crossed.

"Dracula has been creating and using werewolves as his servants for centuries, meaning that everything that's been used to create and cure them are based in his castle…" Anna explained, her eyes showing determination and confidence.

"She might actually be right, you know…" Carl said in thought.

"Huh?" The others said in confusion.

"Think about it; there are no curses without a way to break them, right? So, if the werewolves were created by a curse, then there's a possibility that a cure has also been created in the same place from where the curse was made…!" Carl explained his theory.

"That's true...!" Donnie said in surprise after letting that information sink into his mind.

"Then we need ta storm dat freak's castle and get dat cure!" Raph suddenly said before he started making his way towards the door.

"Whoa! Hold on, Raph! We're not fully prepared for a battle with Dracula yet, and we don't even know where Dracula's castle is!" Leo reminded his brother as he blocked his path.

"But-"

"I understand that you want to save your brother from a horrible fate, Raphael, but if we charge in without the right equipment or a proper plan, we will stand no chance against the threat within it…" Van Helsing cut Raph off with his words of wisdom.

Raph really wanted to debate against the option of waiting, but after letting Van-Helsing's words sink in, he realised that the man was right. Nobody in the group was fully ready and prepared weapon-wise for an ambush on Dracula, and Mikey was also currently out of commission due to the effects of his first werewolf transformation.

With this in mind, Raph sighed as he calmed himself down before he told the others that he was going to get some air, and then he made his way towards the front door again.

"Van Helsing, will you stay with Raph for me please? I don't want him to be on his own right now…" Leo asked the male hunter.

"Of course, Leonardo…" Van Helsing accepted Leo's request and followed Raph out of the castle.

"I'm gonna go and be with Mikey…" Donnie then said before he hastily walked away to go back to Mikey's side.

"We're right behind you, Donnie…" Leo replied as he and Anna followed Donnie towards Mikey's room after telling Carl to remain in the dining room to look out for Raph's and Van Helsing's return.

/

The shared bedroom…

Donnie was the first to walk into shared bedroom, and when he looked at Mikey, he suddenly noticed his little brother's face showing discomfort as his head moved from side to side.

"Mikey?" He called his brother's name before he hurried towards the bed.

"N-No…please…d-don't…" He heard Mikey mumble in fear, worrying him more.

"What's wrong with him!?" Leo questioned quietly in concern when he saw Mikey's struggle for himself.

"Fever dream…" Donnie answered after assessing Mikey's behaviour and temperature.

"Michelangelo, it's alright…you're dreaming…" Anna said softly as she too got closer to Mikey's bed before she soothingly comforted the young turtle to try and calm him down.

"S-Stop it…please…I-I won't…" Mikey continued mumbling with sweat still dripping down from his forehead.

"Mikey, wake up…!" Donnie begged as he shook his brother's good shoulder firmly but gently.

"NOOOO!" Mikey suddenly cried out as he snapped his eyes open and sat up quickly in fright, causing the others to jump back, before going into a full-blown panic attack.

"Mikey! Mikey…Shhh…It's ok, I'm here…I've got you…" Donnie soothed as he immediately engulfed Mikey into a hug and held him close.

"I-I'm a monster…! A-A monster…!" Mikey choked out as heavy tears fell down his cheeks.

"You're not a monster, bro…calm down…we're all safe…" Donnie countered as he slightly tightened the hug and nuzzled his head.

"Deep breaths, Mikey…You're ok…" Leo said softly whilst rubbing his little brother's back.

Mikey eventually did what Leo said and took a few deep breaths to try and calm himself down. After a couple of minutes went by, Mikey was a bit more settled and he slowly lifted his head off of Donnie's shoulder and looked at Leo, Donnie, and Anna with tired but surprised eyes.

"…Y-You're a-alive…" He rasped before a single tear fell from each of his eyes at the sight.

"Of course we are, Mikey…Why would you think that we're not?" Donnie replied whilst gently wiping the tears off Mikey's face.

"I-I thought…I-I lost control…a-and killed you…" Mikey said as he hiccupped and sniffled.

"No, no, you didn't hurt or kill any of us, little brother…We're all still here, and you're you again…" Leo reassured his baby brother.

"Whatever you experienced in your dream was not real, Michelangelo, and they were caused by your high fever…" Anna explained comfortingly.

Mikey slowly looked at his shaky hands, which he noticed were green with no fur or claws, and then he felt around his face to confirm for himself that he was his normal mutant turtle self again, making him sigh in relief.

As he looked around the room, however, he started to worry when he noticed that Raph was nowhere to be seen.

"W-Where's Raphie…?" He asked in a scared tone.

"He's outside with Van Helsing; they're keeping an eye out for anything that could try to break into the castle…" Donnie explained with a small lie to keep Mikey calm before he placed a hand on Mikey's forehead to check his fever.

"You still have a burning fever, Mikey…you'll need to stay in bed and rest until it breaks…" He said with a sigh. Mikey reluctantly nodded to say that he understood and would obey his brother's words.

"I'll go make you some tea to help calm your spirit, Mikey…" Leo said before he made his way out of the room to head for the kitchen to make Mikey a cup of herbal tea.

"D-Donnie?" Mikey said after a moment of silence.

"Yes, Mikey?" Donnie replied.

"…I-I know now how terrifying it must've felt and been for you…to slowly turn into a mindless monster out of nowhere…Y-You suffered so much back then, didn't you? I-I'm so sorry, bro…a-at least it's me and not you this time…" Mikey managed to say before he covered his face with his hands and completely broke down crying.

Donnie looked at his little brother in horror. He couldn't believe that Mikey was apologising for something that had happened to the purple-banded turtle a few years ago, and that his little brother was glad that he was the one suffering from a similar fate himself and not him.

"Oh no, Mikey, come here…" He said as he engulfed Mikey into a secure brotherly hug again before he spoke in a comforting tone.

"You should never apologise for something that was beyond your control…What happened to me back then was all Bishop's fault from the start…! But it's all in the past now, and I'm doing fine too, thanks to you guys…"

"B-But-"

"No buts, Mikey…Like what happened with me, you're not going to be facing this alone, because we're all here to help you through it and we will find a way to cure you…!" Donnie cut his brother off firmly with determination burning in his heart.

"Michelangelo…" Anna said as she crouched down to Mikey's level.

"Y-Yeah?" Mikey replied shakily due to tiredness and high fever.

"I…I owe you an apology; you wouldn't have been bitten and cursed by my brother if I had just told you sooner about the werewolf's curse first before you and your brothers fought him…I am so sorry, my young friend…" Anna said with her voice full of guilt and regret as tears developed in her eyes.

"I-It's not your fault, Anna…E-Even if you told us, there's still a chance that one of us would get bitten during the fight…" Mikey countered whilst shakily reaching and holding Anna's hand, surprising the female human but she accepted his hand in gratitude.

"You're right, Mikey…We can't change the past, Anna, but we can move forward in the present and find a way to resolve this to make a better future for all of us, including your people…" Donnie said in agreement as he placed a hand on Anna's shoulder. Anna blinked before she nodded in agreement with a sad smile on her face.

"I'm back…"

The gruff but tired voice of a red-banded turtle was suddenly heard from the doorway, and the trio looked over to see Raph standing there looking a bit tired.

"Hey, Raph…Are you ok?" Donnie asked in concern when he saw how exhausted Raph looked.

"Yeah, m'fine…nothin' dat a good nap won't fix…" Raph answered as he stretched his arms before he noticed how nervous Anna looked towards him.

"Calm down, I'm not mad at ya anymore…" He reassured flatly, making Anna feel less tense.

"How're ya doin', bro?" He then asked his little brother.

"M'just tired…" Mikey answered before he let out a yawn.

"I think we could all do with some rest…we had an eventful night after all…" Donnie recommended after noticing how tired Mikey looked.

"Good idea, Donnie…"

Leo's voice was suddenly heard before the others looked over at the doorway to see Leo walking in with a hot cup of tea for Mikey in his hands.

"Once Mikey has finished his tea, we'll all have a nap for a couple of hours to regain our strength…" Leo then said as he walked over to Mikey and passed him his cup of tea. Mikey thanked him quietly before he started drinking the warm and herby beverage.

After a few more sips, Mikey finished his tea and gave the cup back to Leo with another small thanks before being helped with settling back into bed by Donnie.

"Remember, Mikey; if you need anything or feel unwell at any time during your sleep, just let us know…" Donnie said softly as he tucked the blanket in a bit more around Mikey.

"Ya don't have ta worry about dat, Donnie, cos I'm gonna keep an eye on him…" Raph suddenly said as he pulled a chair up next to Mikey's bed.

"Are you sure, Raph? Like Mikey, you need your rest too…" Leo questioned, worried that his red-banded brother might not get enough rest.

"It's fine, Fearless; I've slept on chairs before…Now, go ta bed…!" Raph answered gruffly.

Knowing that Raph was not going to budge, Leo and Donnie decided to leave him to it and, after saying 'sleep well' to him and Mikey, they headed for their own beds to get some rest, with Van Helsing, Carl, and Anna following their lead by leaving the room to head for their own rooms.

Raph then looked back at Mikey, who was close to dozing off, and placed a hand on his shoulder before he spoke in a gentle tone.

"Hey, Mike…Don't worry; we'll get ya dat cure and break da curse…so, stay strong fer us, ok?"

"…Y-Yeah…" Mikey whispered shakily with a small smile.

"Good…Now get some sleep…" Raph commanded softly with a smirk as he gently rubbed Mikey's head, which was helping the young turtle to slowly fall back asleep.

A moment later, the youngest turtle was fast asleep and was wearing a small content smile on his face instead of a pained grimace like he had earlier.

Happy that Mikey was sleeping comfortably, Raph settled more into his seat and kept his eyes on him in case his little brother had another troubled slumber.