Chapter 2.

Leonardo and Tony

The morning sun rose up from the hills behind MonGoose City and all of the humans and animals of the city awoke from their beds and began their day with smiles on their faces.

On a hill on the edge of the city stood an animal style building, it was made with part-bamboo and it was also 40-meters tall and it was called the Anibenbow Inn. It was a 2 story building, on the bottom floor of the Inn was a dining room that the front door of the Inn led to, and there was also a kitchen with a storage room at the back of it, there was even a door that led to the basement.

On the second floor of the Anibenbow Inn were 22 rooms, about 20 of them were guest rooms and 2 of them were bedrooms for the owners of Inn Stanley and Rochelle Turtle and their son Leonardo.

It had been 7 years since Rochelle had given birth to Leonardo and Leonardo had gotten a bit older; seven years older, to be exact, he was fast asleep in his most comfortable bed in his bedroom that had yellow and blue striped wallpaper, at the opposite wall was a flat-screen TV with a DVD player and a Xbox 360, in another part of the bedroom there was a cupboard full of video games & DVDs of movies, next to the cupboard was a chest full of toys such as trucks, cars, a robot, planes and dinosaurs and there was also a bookshelf full of books that were appropriate for his age.

Anyway, Leonardo was fast asleep in his bed when there came a voice saying his name:

"Leonardo."

Leonardo stirred a bit, woke up and suddenly he heard the voice again:

"Leo."

Leonardo looked around the room but could not see anyone, suddenly...

"BOO!"

Leonardo's father, Stanley, jumped up from the side of the bed and Leonardo was startled by this.

"Dad!" said Leonardo with joy.

"Heh, morning, kiddo!" said Stanley with a chuckle as he gave Leonardo a playful noogie and then he pulled out a photo frame that had a photo in it, "Gosh, do you remember taking this picture?"

"Uh-uh," said Leonardo shaking his head.

"I figured you wouldn't. You were just a baby," said Stanley as he showed the photo to Leonardo, it was a photo of Leonardo as a baby turtle in the arms of Stanley.

"Wow…" said Leonardo in amazement.

"Yep," said Stanley and he sighed happily, "I came back from work after hearing from the hospital about you and when I made it to the hospital I saw your mother in her bed. And you… You were asleep in her arms. That was the first time I saw you and the next thing that happened just made my heart melt. You opened your eyes and you just looked at me and smiled."

Suddenly the father and son moment was interrupted when there came a female voice saying:

"Ahem."

Leonardo and Stanley both looked up and saw Rochelle standing in the doorway of Leonardo's bedroom and she was wearing a red apron.

"Good morning Mum," said Leonardo.

"Good morning dear," Rochelle said to Leonardo and then she turned to Stanley, "If you and Leonardo have finished your father and son moment, I have prepared a family breakfast of Pancakes, cereal, orange juice, bacon and eggs."

"Oh boy! My favorite!" said Leonardo and he jumped out of his bed and ran happily out of his bedroom; Rochelle had to move out of the way as he ran past her and Stanley and Rochelle were a bit surprised at this reaction but they both shrugged it off and both went out of Leonardo's bedroom and went downstairs for breakfast.


Meanwhile on one of the tall buildings of MonGoose City called The Plainlands Penthouses, Tony Lion, now 7 years old, was fast asleep in his comfy bed in his bedroom that had a flat-screen TV (equipped with Netflix and Disney+), a cupboard with tons of video games for Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony, a chest filled with toys, a box filled with LEGOs, and another cupboard with fun movies.

Tony was fast asleep in bed when his mother Sara Lion entered the room.

"Tony, sweetie..." Sara said, softly.

Tony opened one eye and another and then sat up in bed and yawned.

"Good morning, my little darling," Sara greeted him.

"Good morning, Mom," Tony replied.

"Are you ready for the day, sweetie?" Sara asked as she helped Tony out of bed.

"Uh Huh," said Tony.

Sara took Tony's hand and walked him into the bathroom so he could brush his teeth.


Back at the Anibenbow, Leonardo sat at a table in the dining room with Stanley and Rochelle and for breakfast they were having Pancakes, cereal, orange juice, bacon and eggs.

"Mom, Dad. Can I ask you something?" Leonardo asked Stanley and Rochelle as he bit onto some bacon.

"Sure what is it, Sweetie?" asked Rochelle.

"What is it, Son?" asked Stanley.

"Can I go to the MonGoose City Park please?" asked Leonardo.

"Yes, you can, Leo. But be back by lunch." they both said, smiling.

"Yeah thank you," said Leonardo.

"Your Welcome, Sweetie," said Rochelle.

"Your Welcome, Son," said Stanley.

As soon as Leonardo and his Parents Stanley and Rochelle had finished their breakfast, Leonardo went upstairs to his bedroom, picked up his skateboard that was, went back downstairs to the dining room, said goodbye to Stanley and Rochelle, walked out of the front door and rode on his skateboard to the MonGoose City Park.


Back at the Plainlands Penthouses, Tony was sitting at the table with Terence and Sara and for breakfast they were having Bacon, eggs and orange juice.

"Mom, Dad. Can I ask you something?" Tony asked Terence and Sara as he bit onto some bacon.

"What is it, Honey?" asked Sara.

"What is it, Son?" asked Terence.

"Can I go to the MonGoose City Park please?" asked Tony.

"Yes, you may, Tony. Be back later on, okay?" they both said nicely.

"Oh I definitely will," said Tony as he drank the rest of his orange juice.

Once Tony and his Parents Terence and Sara had finished their breakfast, Tony went into his bedroom, got his bicycle that was Red, with stripes, zigzags and dots coloured in black around it out from a cupboard, then he walked to the door of the penthouse apartment that he lived in with his parents, opened it, said goodbye to Terence and Sara, went out, closed the door and then he walked out of the Plainlands Penthouses and rode on his bicycle to the MonGoose City Park.


The MonGoose City Park was 3.41 km² and it was divided into thirds. From north to south, there was "North End", and it was north of a decommissioned reservoir called Jacquelline Kangaroo Oasis Reservoir, and between the reservoir to the north was a lake. The park also had five visitor centers: Chess & Checkers House, Charles A. Dalmatian Discovery Center, Belvedeer Castle, DairyCow and Colony Circle and there was approximately 18,000 trees in the MonGoose City Park too.

As Leonardo rode on his skateboard through the park, he looked all around at all of the humans and anthroporphic animals that were in the Park too as they were walking, jogging and cycling, some humans and animals were doing group fitnesses, others were playing ball sports and exercising their dogs and Leonardo rode past some human and animal children as they were playing happily with their friends.

Leonardo smiled as he watched them play happily.

"I don't need any friends I am happy to be by myself," Leonardo said to himself as he skated on through the park.

Suddenly, however as he skated past a few trees, Leonardo saw a 7 year old Lion cub with gold-yellow fur, beige muzzle, underbelly and paws and reddish-brown eyes riding on a bicycle.


As Tony rode on his bicycle through the park, he looked all around around at all of the humans and anthroporphic animals as they were walking, jogging, cycling, doing group fitnesses, playing ball sports and exercising their dogs and Tony stopped for a moment to watch some human and animal children as they were playing with their friends.

Tony smiled and then started to ride away from the group of children on his bicycle.

"I don't want any friends I am happy to be by myself," Tony said to himself as he rode on his bicycle through the park.

Suddenly, however as he rode past a tree, Tony saw a 7 year old Turtle with Emerald Green skin riding on a skateboard.


The moment Leonardo and Tony saw each other, they quickly stopped their skateboard and bicycle to avoid bumping into each other and then Leonardo and Tony looked at each other for some time in silence: at last Leonardo broke the silence.

'Hello,' said Leonardo.

'Hello,' said Tony.

"I'm riding on my skateboard," said Leonardo, "What are you doing?"

"I'm riding on my bicycle," said Tony.

"Have you got any friends?" asked Leonardo.

"No not at all," said Tony shaking his head.

"I'm Leonardo Turtle," Leonardo introduced himself to Tony.

"Tony," said Tony.

"Sorry?" asked Leonardo.

"I'm Tony Lion," Tony introduced himself to Leonardo.

"I live in a building called the Anibenbow Inn," said Leonardo.

"You mean that building that's on a hill on the edge of the city?" asked Tony.

"Yes," said Leonardo, "Have you heard about it?"

"Yes I have, my Dad said it serves the best food," said Tony.

"Okay and where do you live Tony?" asked Leonardo.

"I live in one of the tall buildings of MonGoose City called The Plainlands Penthouses," said Tony.

"How old are you?" Leonardo asked Tony.

"Seven," said Tony.

"I'm seven years old too," said Leonardo.

"Wow," said Tony and then he got an idea, he remember telling himself that he didn't want any friends but he chose to forget about it, "Leonardo, would you like to be my friend?"

"Yes please," said Leonardo nodding his head, "But if we are going to be friends, what are we going to do as friends in this Park with our skateboard and bicycle?"

"How about I ride my bike, and you ride your skateboard?" suggested Tony.

"Okay," said Leonardo and then he got an idea, "I know. How about we have race to see who can reach the park-gates first?"

"Sure!" Tony got onto his bike, while Leonardo got onto his skateboard.

"Whoever reaches the park-gate first, wins," said Leonardo.

"Got it," Tony said with a nod. "Ready?"

"Ready," said Leonardo.

"Go!" Tony called, and they took off toward the MonGoose City park gate.

Leonardo and Tony both zoomed down the pavement on their skateboard and bicycle and after a few seconds had gone by, Leonardo made it to the park gate and stopped. "Yes!" he cried out with a fist-pump. "I won!"

"Oh man," groaned Tony when he made it to the park gate, stopped and saw that Leonardo had won but he shrugged it off and told Leonardo, "That was a great race."

"It sure was," agreed Leonardo and then he asked, "What time is it?"

Tony looked at his watch. "About 1:00," he said.

"I must be going home now for Lunch," said Leonardo.

"Okay," Tony replied. "See you later."

"See you tomorrow and it was nice to meet you too, Tony," said Leonardo.

"It sure was," Tony replied with a smile.

"Goodbye," said Leonardo and he rode away on his skateboard and Tony waved to him as he left as well.

"What a nice turtle for a friend," Tony said to himself as he headed home.


Back at the Anibenbow Inn, the dining room was packed with humans and animals, eating Lunch, which Rochelle served.

"Mrs Turtle!" called Mrs Newton an elderly female bear with black fur holding up an empty glass.

"I know. Refill on the Raspberry juice, coming right up, Mrs Newton," said Rochelle as she walked towards a table where an elephant family sat, "There we go, that's one bowl of grass soup, two slices of twig and tree bark pie and a fruit salad. Enjoy!"

The door of the Anibenbow Inn opened and in walked Leonardo carrying his skateboard underneath his arm.

"Mom. I'm home," said Leonardo.

"How was your day, dear?" Rochelle asked Leonardo as she served a man a cup of tea.

"It was great," said Leonardo.

"I'm glad you had a good day, dear," Rochelle went on. "Did you meet anyone new?"

"I did," said Leonardo, "In fact, I made a new friend when I met this lion cub called Tony."

"Oh, that's lovely," Rochelle replied as she served a plate of Beignets and a cup of coffee to a male adult human.

"By the way, where is Dad?" asked Leonardo.

"He's in the living room reading the paper, if you'd like to tell him about your new friend, too," Rochelle replied.

"I'll do it after Lunch," said Leonardo as he sat down at an empty table. Rochelle smiled and she served him what she'd made him for lunch: two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

"Enjoy, dear," she told him and she rushed off to refill Mrs Newton's glass with raspberry juice.


Meanwhile at the Plainlands Penthouses, Terence was sitting on an easy chair watching TV while Sara was in the kitchen cooking dinner when the door of the penthouse apartment opened and in walked Tony with his bicycle.

"Mom, Dad. I'm home," said Tony.

Both of his parents heard him and looked over at him with a smile.

"Welcome home, dear," Sara greeted him.

"How was your day at the MonGoose City Park, son?" asked Terence.

"Oh, it was great," Tony replied. "I met a new friend named Leonardo Turtle."

"What was he like?" asked Terence.

"He's a pretty cool and nice kid," Tony said.

"What did you play with him in the park?" asked Terence.

"We had a race to the park gate; I was riding my bicycle and he was on his skateboard. I didn't win, but it was fun," Tony replied.

"I'm glad you had a great time with him," said Terence.

"I'm glad, too," Tony said. "It's nice to play with someone else for a change."

"Quite right," agreed Terence. "I'm planning on looking for him tomorrow so I can play with him if he has the time," Tony went on.

"That sounds nice," said Terence.

"I'm happy you found a new friend, too, dear," Sara said.

"Thanks Mom," said Tony.

"How would you like to sit down while I get your dinner ready?" Sara asked.

"Okay, I am getting hungry anyway," said Tony as he sat down at the table. Sara smiled as she went over to the refrigerator to decide what to make for Tony.

"Tony, would you like some macaroni and cheese for dinner?" Sara asked Tony.

"Yes, please," he replied with a nod.

Sara smiled, retrieved some macaroni and cheese from the fridge, then went over to the stove, pulled out a pot and started cooking.


Later on as the sun was disappearing into the horizon, with the sky turning an orangish shade above MonGoose City, Leonardo was in his bedroom playing Mario Kart 8 on his xbox 360, he was playing on one of his favorite stages, and having a great time throwing shells at other racers.

Suddenly, however, the bedroom opened and in walked Rochelle.

"Leonardo, honey?" Rochelle asked.

Leonardo paused his game and looked up at her at the sound of her voice.

"Yeah, Mom?" Leonardo asked.

"It's time for bed," said Rochelle.

"Oh..." Leonardo looked a bit disappointed, but turned off his Xbox and stood up. The 7 year old turtle brushed his teeth and climbed into his most comfortable bed.

"Can I ask you something, Mom?" asked Leonardo.

"Of course, dear," Rochelle replied.

"Can we someday have a cat as a pet?" asked Leonardo.

"Perhaps. We'll see what we can do in the morning," Rochelle said.

"Okay," said Leonardo.

Rochelle smiled as she tucked Leonardo into bed.

"Would you like me to read you a bedtime story, dear?" she asked.

"Yes please," said Leonardo.

Rochelle went over to the bookshelf, thought for a moment, and picked out a book. She went over to Leonardo, sat down on his bed gently and began to read.

"Once upon a time there were three little pigs..."

Leonardo listened to Rochelle's story, trying to stay attentive, but he could feel his eyelids growing heavy and by the time Rochelle came to the end of the story:

"...And the three little pigs live happily ever after."

Leonardo had already fallen asleep, snoring peacefully. Rochelle smiled, stood up, put the book back onto the bookshelf and kissed Leonardo goodnight.

"Goodnight sweetheart," Rochelle said softly and then she switched off the light and headed out of the room, closing the door quietly.

As Leonardo slept on, he kept thinking about his new friend Tony, whom he had met in the MonGoose City park earlier that day and he couldn't help but dream of everything he could do with him tomorrow...

Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review.