For a few blissful moments, Leo felt good. Like really good. No worries, no pain, no coherent thoughts. Reality hit a few moments later. Growing sensations showed him that his body felt abused and broken. His leg throbbed, his arm pulsed with a dry heat, and his lungs felt like they were filled with a smoke. Leo turned over and tried to cough out the dryness. His eyes watered and his stomach curled. The last images before his black out took front and center.
"Leo?" A soft voice called. Leo blinked away the tears and saw Donnie surveying him, concern filling his deep brown eyes. Leo smiled.
"You're okay." He rasped, wiping residual tears away from his face.
"Yeah," Donnie smiled back, a confused look passing across his face. Leo sat up and put all his strength he had into a hug. Donnie chuckled. "Woah, Leo. Careful, you're gonna break me."
"Looks like fearless hit his head harder than we thought." A gruff voice joked from behind.
"Raph!" Never had he been so glad to see his hothead brother. He tried to get up but his muscles gave way under the exertion. Raph caught him on the way down, gently helping him back to his feet. Once he had his balance, Leo wrapped Raph in a hug. "Yeah. Definitely hit his head," Raph chuckled. Leo let go, still using Raph for support.
"Is Mikey here?" Leo asked hopefully. The look on his brothers' faces made the fear return. The on growing distress twisted his stomach in loops.
"We'll find him." Donnie placed a hand on Leo's shoulder, putting as much confidence as he could in to the statement. Leo nodded, returning to a leader's mindset.
"We should start looking now. We can update each other on our whereabouts as we search. Maybe together we can figure out what's going on."
"Woah, fearless. You just woke up. Might wanna give it a little while." Raph cautioned.
"No." Venom sliced through Leo's response. He didn't mean to sound that harsh but he let it stay. Raph's brow furrowed, anger flickering in his eyes.
"Raph's right, Leo." Donnie interceded. "I'm as worried as I am about Mikey, we aren't going to be much help to him in this state." Leo was about to retort but as he took in his brothers wounds and the pain of his own, Leo hesitated. Donnie had been slightly favoring his right arm, slight bruising and swelling punctuated his left. Raph was covered in scratches, a few ran deep, and dark circles rested under his eyes, indicated troubled sleeping. Leo doubted he look much better. He sighed.
"Fine. We take today. Catch each other up and then move after a night's rest." Raph's shoulders relaxed slightly and the two younger brothers nodded.
Guilt pricked his heart as Leo listened to Donnie and Raph's stories. He should've been there. He could tell they were leaving out some of the more sensitive details and he didn't want to imagine the unedited version. When it was his turn, Leo did the same, skimming over details, only telling the essential points of his story. He saw concern and worry crossed there faces despite his efforts to make the hazards he'd face sound trivial.
Donnie's face was easier to read than Raph's but the worry was there for both. When Leo finished, they sat in silence for a moment before Donnie spoke up, already in genius mode.
"What seems to be worth our attention is the fact that we all woke up with the same symptoms. Plus, we are in a forest not native to New York and a season that's different from the one we came. Thirdly, the odd animal behavior is worth our attention."
"What do you mean "odd animal behavior?" Leo questioned.
"Well, wolves usually don't attack unless provoked and they almost never hunt alone. Also, I've never heard of an insect that attacks and poisons their victims the way they did you, Leo." It had been weird, Leo realized thinking about it.
"So what's that mean?" Raph asked, impatience clear in his voice. Donnie's shoulders slumped.
"I have no idea." Silence descended, filled instead by the call of nocturnal animals.
"I'm sure it'll make sense soon." Leo reassured his younger brother. "Don't worry. You'll figure it out," was the unspoken message. "In the mean time we should get some sleep." Donnie nodded, eyes downcast, before clearing a little space and lying down. Raph let out a dissatisfied huff before following his brother's lead.
Leo stayed up for a little while longer, planning out strategies for every scenario his mind could conjure up. He felt doubt take hold in his chest as he looked over his brothers sleeping figures, their sides moving gently up and down. He should feel better now that he'd found two of his brothers but the worry still tugged at him, keeping him from sleep. We're coming, Mikey. Leo looked over at the slight movement of Donnie shifting in his sleep. His soft snore pairing with the chatter of insects.
"Go to sleep, fearless." Raph mumbled over his shoulder, back facing his older brother. Leo looked over at Raph for a moment before finally lying down. He stared up at the millions of stars that peaked through the trees. There was nothing like it under the city lights. Here each star shined and glimmered, distinct from its many brothers. Mikey would love this. Leo thought absentmindedly. He frowned, turning on his side and focusing on the soft breathing of his other two brothers. His eyes eventually closed, lulled by the sounds of their steady breathing.
A soft growl rose from the forest depths. Two yellow eyes peered into the makeshift campsite, the dying fire flickering in its eyes. A few moments later, more pairs of yellow eyes joined the first and a slow growled echoed across the pack. Soon. Once the prey was completely lulled into vulnerable sleep, they'd attack. For now, the alpha continued to eye its next meal, feeling the dull pain from past wounds. He bared his teeth, signaling the rest of the pack.
Sorry for being a little late on this! Life's still pretty busy. Thanks for all the people who've followed and liked this story! Excited to have you reading :)
Next week: Mikey...