Donnie awoke damp and in pain, an unpleasant combination. He lay for a moment before forcing himself to sit up. His whole body burned with the effort. His head throbbed as waves of nausea crashed into him. He grimaced and brought his hand to his face, trying to alleviate some of the pain. Of course, it did nothing.

Donnie waited for the sickness to lessen before slowly opening his eyes. His breath caught. Gone were the skyscrapers and the concrete, replaced instead with towering trees and various underbrush. The sun was bright but the air was cool. The leaves rustled, dancing in an overlapping choreography of deep autumn colors.

Donnie creased his forehead. Based on the vegetation, the forest was deciduous, a type of forest most commonly found in the western United States, Canada, Western Europe, and parts of China. Unfortunately, that didn't narrow down their location much.

He caught himself. Their location? He meant his. His location since his brothers stood nowhere near him. The uneasy feeling in his stomach returned. Mikey. His stomach threatened another wave of nausea. Where was Mikey? Donnie scanned the surrounding area, getting a full three-sixty. He needed to find Mikey now. Or.. or… "Mike-!" His voice caught in his throat, his eyes going wide. Or what? Don desperately tried to recall what was threatening Mikey but couldn't get a clear answer from his colluded brain.

Separation didn't bode well, especially in an unknown location. Who knew what was out there? Foxes, bears, wolves, and cougars came to mind first. Foot clan, Kraang, and the turtles' numerous other foes came second. The turning weather, indicated by the changing leaves, was a tertiary concern. As far as he could remember, it was summer in New York. The sudden change in season was odd at best and dangerous at worst. He'd hate to get caught in winter weather without a reliable source of heat. So many threats, so many possible dangers that could hurt Mikey. He had find him and soon.

Looking around, Donnie didn't see any clear indication of which way he should go. He couldn't just march off in any direction. He had to choose wisely. The forest provided no obvious choice. But the sun was a viable option. At least then he knew he was either going east or west, depending on the time of day. Donnie paused. The fact that he had no sense of time bothered him. He had no clue how long he'd been out. He assumed no less than a day but he was still unsure. He could already be too late. A shiver fell down his spine. The best he could do now was follow the sun until night and hope that gave him a better sense of direction.

As Donnie wandered the woods, he felt his stomach ache with hunger. Food was certainly a concern although a minor one in comparison to finding his brothers but important nonetheless. Water and shelter as well. He could do without them for a few days but it wouldn't be wise to go much longer. He hoped he'd find his brothers before that became necessary but he doubted they could just transport themselves back to New York. They'd probably have to provide for themselves until they found their way back. Plus, if Mikey really was in danger like his gut told him he was, he'd have wounds to tend to. He'd keep his eye out for potential food and water sources. Just in case.

As nighttime approached, Donnie felt fatigue unparalleled by anything he'd ever experienced. Even after Master Splinter's hardest training sessions, Donnie hadn't been this exhausted, this depleted. At least, after training he felt like he'd accomplished something. Here he'd been walking in the same direction with no results.

Donnie half-heartedly kicked the nearest branch. What was he doing? His brothers were out there, probably in danger, and he was wandering aimlessly through the woods. There had to be a better option.

Donnie frowned in concentration. He looked up at the darkening sky and had a stroke of genius. Of course! He could use the trees! They weren't quiet the rooftops of New York but they were just as fast and allowed him a great vantage point. He also stood further out of danger from the predators the likely lurked below the canopy at night.

Donnie looked for the best way up, quickly finding an appropriate tree. Donnie crawled his way up to the top, muscles protesting the whole way. The branches were smaller at the peak but they'd hold his weight for now. Squinting, Donnie scanned the section of forest he could see.

Nothing unusual but that was to be expected. Disappointment fed into his rush of emotions. Of course he wouldn't find them that easily. But anger, anxiety, exhaustion, and desperation all swirled in his stomach despite his logic. Donnie closed his eyes against crash of feelings, suppressing them and refocusing his mind. He had a lot of forest to cover. No sense in stopping just yet. The sun had yet to fully settle behind the horizon. Donnie clambered down a little lower in order to reach the slightly sturdier branches before launching himself to the next tree.

It took a few miscalculations of distance and branch strength but he eventually got the hang of leaping from tree to tree, branch to branch. He kept his eye towards the ground, scanning.

He should've stopped sooner, the bright lights of the city weren't here to guide his jumps but the terrors his mind imagined for Mikey urged him forward late into the night. Maybe the next tree. Just a little farther and he'd find them. Just one more.

Between his worry and his focus on the ground below, Donnie's attention fell away from the next branch. He realized a moment too late that he'd missed his target and was falling fast towards the ground. He scrambled for nearby branches as he fell either missing them by an inch or breaking them with his fast-falling weight.

Just before he was about to hit the ground, Donnie caught a particularly sturdy branch, abruptly stopping his descent. He cried out as his left shoulder caught his entire weight. With the increase in force created by his fall and the effect of gravity on descending mass, his arm pulled at a lot more weight than it was strong enough for.

Donnie briefly squeezed his eyes closed in a weak attempt to block out the pain. Donnie looked up at the branch he was holding and swung his other arm up, grabbing on with both hands. With an injured shoulder, he wasn't going to be able to lift himself up. He looked down and saw the drop was still dangerously high. He sighed. He'd jumped off a helicopter and survived. He could drop off this.

Yet he stayed hanging for a few extra seconds. It had been so much easier when jumping was in order to save a beautiful girl… But his arm wasn't going to hold him much longer. Donnie took several deep breathes before letting go. He hit the ground with a roll, taking some of the impact away from his legs. He came out of the roll kneeling and winced at the angry twitch his ankle gave him.

The pain was irrelevant now. He'd lost his ability to use the trees for a vantage point. His frustration rose and threatened to burst. Donnie squeezed his eyes shut, regulating his breathing and refocusing on the task at hand. Maybe he should rest now instead of pushing his luck. Fine. Good enough for now. He could keep looking later after he inspected his injuries.

As Donnie was about to stand, a shuffle nearby froze him in place. Shell.