Note: Some areas in this chapter refer to Tyroth Darkstorm's fic 'Stories Between Friends'
Chapter Seventeen
Giving a Chance
A little while later, Tyroth was standing by the exit of Mutopia.
After breakfast was over, he had told Sephie that he was going to take Callum to the outer caverns for some practice in flying to which Sephie smiled pleased.
"He's giving his new body a chance!" she had said with a hint of triumph in her voice "That must mean he wishes to move on!"
"I hope so!" Tyroth replied "But we can't wish for anything major yet, it's still early days, and he still refuses to speak to Mona and Jake."
So saying he had looked over to Mona and Jake who had been in deep conversation with the turtles, the Chicago Knights and Splinter.
When they had arrived at the canteen they wondered whether to talk to Callum again, yet the Raven still stayed at the back of the canteen and didn't look at them, which gave them the indication that he was still angry at them.
Tyroth wondered if Callum would ever speak to Jake and Mona again, he felt sad for the three of them, especially since Callum had no choice with his mutation, and Jake and Mona had decided to either let him die or let him live as a mutant.
He could see Callum's point of view, but he didn't think he should have been so angry at his brother and sister since they only wanted to save his life.
He hoped that before the Turtles and Mona were to return to New York, depending on when they did, if Callum would speak to them again, or build bridges? He wasn't sure, but he knew only time would tell.
Before long, the Dragon saw Callum appear. He was wearing dark blue jeans yet his top half was topless and he had no shoes on his feet.
"Ah there you are!" Tyroth smiled "You ready to begin your first proper flying lesson?"
"As ready as I'll ever be." Callum replied looking back at his wings.
"Great!" Tyroth said "Then follow me!"
"Where are we going?" the Raven asked as he followed Tyroth into the dark caverns "Are we going to the surface?"
"Nope." Tyroth replied "There are some larger caverns down this way, in fact there are many tunnels that lead to many different parts of the upper world, in fact it's just this way towards Lake Michigan!"
"You sure we'll be able to find space to fly down here?" Callum asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Of course!" said Tyroth "There's so much space down here it's amazing! You could build a second Mutopia down here!"
Callum was skeptical as he listened the the Dragon but he shrugged and decided to follow him down the tunnels, the many crystals lighting their way.
Before long, Tyroth and Callum made it to an open cavern.
Callum felt a wave of air brush past him and over his feathers as they walked in.
"Here we are!" Tyroth said in a happy voice "This place is where I first got used to my wings!"
Callum looked around in awe at the large open spaces with walls of rock and earth along with some torches and crystals creating some light.
He could see it was twice as large as the centre of Mutopia, and there were many deep chasms from where he could feel some air blowing up.
"We have to be careful down here." Tyroth said "Well, those without wings have to be anyway, since it's a mighty long drop down there," as he spoke he peered down one of the chasms "In fact we nearly had a few instances where some have almost fallen, and I've had to swoop down to save them."
He then placed a red clawed hand on some wires surrounding some of the chasms.
"That's why we decided to have these put around, just to prevent any fatalities, that and we make sure no-one comes down here unless we're in a group."
Callum nodded understanding.
Tyroth then lead Callum to a cliff edge over the deep caverns and Callum looked down, almost feeling slightly scared of how high they were, and also how dark it was down there.
"Don't fret Cal." Tyroth said kindly "You'll be alright, and I'll be here to catch you if you loose control."
"Thanks." Callum said.
Tyrot stood up straight and opened his wings.
"Okay Cal." he said "We'll start by getting used to how our wings work? Okay? Gotta know how they move and how to use them before we go leaping off a cliff."
Callum rolled his eyes internally in annoyance at the way the Dragon spoke to him as if he was going to do something stupid, yet he nodded in agreement and watched as Tyroth opened up his wings.
"Just copy what I do okay?" he said "Open up your wings, then close them like me, okay?"
Callum nodded and watched Tyroth a few times before copying him, opening up his wings until they stretched out at the sides.
"That's it!" Tyroth praised "We done! You're getting the hang of it!"
Callum looked at his wings and smirked as he flapped them, he had been focusing on them hard and he was soon starting to feel them like extra limbs that he could control without thinking about them.
"Okay Callum." Tyroth said "You're getting the hang of it, lets keep it up a little longer, then we'll move onto the next step."
Back in Mutopia, Jake sat at the canteen with Sarah sitting opposite him drinking some orange juice.
Louie was in the kitchen humming to himself as he cleaned up the breakfast dishes and was starting to prepare a menu for lunch, Patch was also in there helping as well as taking a list of what the Cockroach wanted from the Greenhouse.
Jake was still writing his letter to his father and he was starting to feel stressed.
Sarah watched him sympathetically as she looked at the words on the paper.
"You still finding it hard Jake?" she asked.
Jake nodded.
"I've thought of so many things of why Callum can't come home, and it's just making my brain hurt now." Jake said.
"What are you planning to say to your father when you eventually go home?" asked Sarah "You know he will start to wonder why Callum will never be able to go back."
Jake sighed.
"I'm not going home." he said.
Sarah's eyes widened.
"Come again?" he asked.
Jake looked at the Cheetah his eyes serious and he chewed his lip.
"I've decided I'm not going home." he said "I'm not sure if I can return to Wisconsin again, so many bad memories, even though there were good ones, things just went to shit after Mona left, and then after mums death and Callum's going off the rails, it got worse, I don't want to face it again, I need a new outlook on life, I need to be somewhere new, where I can start afresh, get a new life myself."
"You mean you wish to drink from the well too?" asked Sarah, her eyes widening "That's a choice you won't be able to go back on! Once you drink from it, there's no turning back."
"I know." Jake replied "And no, I don't wish to mutate, but, after getting to know you all, and seeing how safe and peaceful it is here, I feel relaxed, more than I have in years!"
Sarah listened to Jake and chewed her lip.
"You wish to stay here?" she asked "As a human?"
Jake nodded.
"I also want to make sure Callum settles here too," Jake said "Like him, I wish to take the chance at a new life, I just hope Dad will support us, before we left, he asked me to make sure Callum would be okay, after the Shredder almost killed him, I thought I had broken that promise, but I hadn't, after bringing him here, in a way I am honouring my dad's wishes by making sure he stays okay whilst here, at least I know he'll be looked after."
Sarah smiled.
"He will be." she said "And that's a promise! And we'l take care of you too Jake whether you wish to stay down here, or we can help you find somewhere topside, we got some human contacts who can help you, very much how Mona and the Turtles have April and Casey."
"I'm glad to hear that." Jake said then looked down at his letter.
Sarah gave a sigh as she watched him.
"It's been years since I wrote my farewell letter to my parents, and I still wonder how they're doing, whether they've forgotten me, or they still think of me, wondering if I will ever come home?"
Jake looked up.
"You did the same?" he asked.
Sarah nodded.
"I had a good relationship with my parents," she said "But I never felt that I belonged anywhere, I was always trying to find my place in the world, but I never really settled, when I was old enough and had enough money I decided to go travelling to find where I belonged, stayed in one place and earning money through odd jobs to keep going, I learnt a lot on the way, including my fighting skills, then I finally found my place when I came to Chicago."
"And how did you find your way down here?" asked Jake taking a sip of orange juice.
"There was a heavy rainstorm and I was sheltering in the sewers, and it was there I met Jack and he took me to Mutopia, where after a few days I decided I truly belonged her and underwent the mutation, thus becoming who I am now."
Jake sipped his juice.
"I felt the same feelings you did Jake." Sarah said "Finding somewhere I could call home, that is if you wish to make Mutopia your home."
"It is a nice place." Jake said "And so peaceful, and I feel like I can relax here."
Sarah smiled "And we'd be happy to have you here as a Mutopian Jake, whether you decide to mutate or not, might be cool having a human in Mutopia!"
"Thanks again Sarah." Jake said, then looked back at his letter.
"If you need help writing your letter Jake." Sarah said "I'll be more than happy to assist."
"Thanks!" Jake then pushed the paper in front of Sarah, "What do you think of this?"
"Let's see." Sarah said looking it over.
Back in the Underground caverns, Tyroth had finished going over how to use his wings with Callum and they were standing together ready to begin flying over the cavern.
"Okay Callum." said Tyroth "I'll fly off first then you follow, and don't worry, if you fall, I will catch you, I've been flying for a long time, and I won't let you fall, okay?"
"I understand." Callum said, his knees were knocking slightly as he looked down at the cavern and the darkness, he didn't want to think about what was below should he fall.
Tyroth opened his wings and Callum watched him as the Dragon flew off the cliff side with ease and moved his wings as if he was swimming in the air before hovering over the open cavern.
Callum stared at the dragon then looked down and opened his wings.
"Just relax Cal." Tyroth said and hovered a little higher.
Callum swallowed hard and looked at his wings, and he felt his tail behind him fan out.
He glowered then remembered what he tried to do in the Village square of Mutopia.
Swallowing his pride and fears, he took a couple of steps towards the edge and he pushed himself off, clenching his taloned feet as he went.
He held his breath as he felt the wind from below the cavern catch his wings as well as under his feathered tail get pushed upwards.
"Whoa!" he cried out, his cry sounding almost like that of a Raven's call as he flew upwards.
Tyroth hovered underneath as he watched the Raven start to flap his wings to go higher.
"Wow!" Tyroth said "Great work Callum! You seem to have gotten the hang of it!"
Callum flapped his wings more then tried to balance himself in the air, but as he tried to he started to wobble and he suddenly dropped!
He cried out again as he dropped and Tyroth quickly moved forward to try and catch him, but luckily, Callum managed to regain himself.
"Gotta be careful there!" Tyroth chuckled "And remember, don't fight the air currents! Use them!"
He then watched as Callum flapped his wings and started to use the currents to take himself higher and he soon was above Tyroth creating a dark shadow over him.
The Dragon looked upwards as Callum hovered above him and flapped his wings.
"Wow..." Tyroth breathed as he watched Callum's silhouette above him, in a way he looked rather majestic, but also a little menacing as he overshadowed him.
"He seems to have gotten the idea of flying." He thought "I wonder what else he can learn and take with him as he adapts more to his mutation?"
So Callum is starting to learn to fly properly with Tyroth's help!
Also Jake is still trying to figure out what to write to his family, luckily he has Sarah there to help him, having been in a similar situation! He's also decided not to return to Wisconsin! Looks like Mutopia will have yet another resident, and a human one if he decides to stay.
Stay tuned for more coming soon!