As the trio shuffled forward, their sprits tanked to an all time low. They'd gotten stuck in the old pattern of walking in some random direction and hoping it'd take them where they needed to go. Raph was almost too tired to be angry.
They broke through a line of bushes and entered a small glade. It looked like a small paradise, the sun highlighting the bowed branches that shaded the area but Raph didn't admire it.
Donnie inhaled sharply. Leo and Raph looked up from their feet. Donnie's face was a mix of shock and anger. A look Raph had never seen on his brother's face before. Raph followed Donnie's gaze and his stomach flipped.
There in the middle of the glade, hung Mikey. His arms were pulled towards the trees with thick rope that wrapped the entire length of his limbs as the rest of his body hung limply in a straight line.
Raph's heart rate spiked as he looked over his little brother. He had lost a lot of weight, his collar bone stuck out clearly and the circles under his eyes were a deep purple. Blood ran down his right arm and slowly dropped to the ground. Raph began to tremble in fury. The throbbing in his head returned. Donnie gripped his staff so hard his knuckles turned white. Leo's face was unreadable.
"I'm cutting him down." Raph growled after a several seconds of terrible silence. Leo nodded his consent, "We'll need to think about this with our injuries though."
"Look. I can still climb that tree and drop him down to you," Raph asserted. "Think you can catch him?"
"We should probably cut both sides down at the same time." Leo replied. "I'll try to time my shuriken to hit at the same time you do." Raph nodded before jogging over to the nearest tree.
"I guess I'll just wait here." Donnie grumbled. Raph heard Leo mumble something to Donnie that seemed to calm him down. It took Raph a few painful jumps to get high enough, his wounds felt like they reopened. Raph check his arm. In fact, they had. Blood tricked down the deepest cut in his arm. Great. "You ready up there?" He heard Leo call.
"Uh. Yeah." Raph refocused on the task.
"Ok then. On three," Leo ordered. "One, two, three." On three, Raph slashed through the rope on his side as Leo's shuriken sliced through on the opposite side. Mikey dropped. He let out a small whimper as Leo caught him with a small grunt.
Raph climbed down, ignoring the renewed pain of the lacerations on his body. By the time he jogged back over, Leo was already trying to calm down their whimpering little brother. "We're here, Mikey. We're here." Leo continued to coo as Donnie methodically checked him over. Raph felt his anger subside a little. A least, Mikey was back with them. At least, now he could protect him.
As Raph took a knee next to his brothers as deep, rumbling laugh echoed across the glade. Raph scanned the area for the source of the noise.
"Poor little turtle. His brothers were too late." Raph's chest tightened, fear and anger again chilling his heart. Out of the corner of his eye a flash of red appeared. Raph looked to see a menacing, russet colored dragon. It towered in the glade. It's head brushed the canopy. It's massive tail slid in a serpentine pattern behind it, adding a foreboding element to it's already intimidating aura. It's giant, glinting claws wrapped around an odd looking, T-shaped staff. Gold wrapped around the base leading up to a ruby laid at the intersection of the T. The dragon's black eyes caught Raph's as he glared. As the beast's laugh resounded across the glade, Leo's eyes narrowed and Raph's fists clenched.
"What do ya mean too late?" Raph growled. The dragon smiled a grin full or dagger teeth.
"The poison is spreading through his system as we speak. He has hours to live." Raph poised to attack but Leo held him back, clearly trying to control his own anger as well. The dragon chuckled. "Smart choice. As it is, I have the antidote. I'm still deciding whether or not to give it to you." His smiled widened as all three turtles tensed.
"How can we convince you to hand it over?" Leo asked. Raph shit Leo a look but the eldest just shook his head slightly.
"Good question, mutant," he hissed with slight disgust. "You may have it if," he dragon paused for dramatic effect, "you agree to play my game for the rest of eternity," He paused again. "Or until I get tired of your sad, little faces." Raph's scowl deepened.
"And what's to say we can't just take it from ya?" Raph threatened. The dragon snickered.
"You are welcome to try but you'll just be waisting your time."
"I don't see any antidote on you. What's to say you'll keep up your end of the agreement." Leo countered.
"Ah, don't fret. I have it right here." As he said this, the dragon flipped out what resembled a syringe. Twirling it in his claws the dragon continued, "As to your second question, if I am to enjoy toying with you for the rest of your pitiful lives, I can't have you dying on me." He paused, considering, before adding, "At least not so soon." Raph shot a look at Leo who looked hard at Raph and shook his head.
Raph didn't care. He leaped towards the dragon, sais shining dangerously at his side. Leo called out as Raph attacked head on. The dragon easily countered, tossing Raph towards the ground. But he was up in a flash, striking again, harder and faster. Raph could feel his rage seep into his attacks. The pain in his limbs and head sparked fiercely, breaking his concentration further. The image of scared Mikey urging him to strike faster, hit harder. Vicious and merciless. Don't let this monster touch your brothers again. It said. Raph swung again but it sailed a little wide and the creature knew it. He grabbed Raph by the wrist, twisting his arm around and forcing Raph to kneel.
"I think it's time to end this little game," the beast chuckled. Raph felt his blood run cold.
Hope you enjoyed! I'll try and update tomorrow!