Searing Hurt Pt. 4

Ara

Ara let out a contented sigh as she slowly strolled through the woods that lay outside of the clearing that held the farmhouse. She ran her hand over the rough bark of the trees as she passed them, closing her eyes and breathing in the rich, earthy smell of the forest. In this place time seemed to stop, and it was easy to forget the chilly breeze that filtered through the budding trees. She carefully stepped over the roots and shrubbery that lay in her way, focusing on sensing the objects surrounding her with her eyes closed as Sensei had been instructing them.

They had arrived at the farmhouse late last night, and as far as she knew, everyone was still fast asleep. She had found herself wide awake at the crack of dawn. Something about being in nature instead cooped up in a sewer stirred an eager excitement deep within her that would allow for no sleep. She had quietly pulled on her gear and slipped out of the house. Before long she wandered into the woods, savoring the sound of warbling birds and rustling branches.

She absent-mindedly began to hum a little tune from a movie she had loved when she was little… what was the name, again? Oh ye—

Out of nowhere, something grabbed ahold of her arm and dragged her to the ground, the sharp branches of a large bush scraping her face as she was pulled into it. Her eyes flew open, and she let out a muffled shriek as a large hand clamped over her mouth. Ara lashed out at her captor, managing to get a good blow at something she hoped was the face. There was a little yelp, and the thing loosened it's grip. Ara whirled, her eyes widening as she recognized Leo's indignant features shrouded by the bush.

Her hands flew to her mouth in surprise before clenching into fists. "Leo, what are you—?" Leo put his hand to her mouth, using the other one to cut at his throat in a 'shut up!' motion.

Ara bit back a groan and jerked his hand away. "What is it?" she mouthed. Leo gestured to the other end of the bushes. Ara crawled over, parted a few of the branches, and peered out. What she saw made her gasp aloud.

Three mutants stood in the tiny clearing in front of her. The first was a fox. She was about five feet tall, boasting gleaming orange and white fur and bright green eyes. The vixen wore a short dress made out of an odd, soft-looking leather and green leggings that seemed to be woven out of some sort of plant. A quiver of arrows was strapped to her back, and she held a bow in her hand. Her thick, bushy tail twitched uneasily from side to side, and she gripped the bow tightly as she scanned her surroundings.

The second creature was some sort of shiny green frog. He sported a pair of threadbare shorts and a smudged white shirt, his only weapon seeming to be a small dagger slung around his waist. Though it was hard to tell, he looked no older then ten, while the fox seemed to be in her older teens. His big, golden-flecked eyes did nothing less than sparkle, and a spray of freckles dotted his nose. His hands and feet were webbed, and when he opened his mouth to yawn, a large tongue stretched six inches from his face before snapping back inside. Because of this, his words had a slight lisp to them. "C'mon, Fern, I'm booored. Leth's do somethin fun."

"Shut up, Tad. I'm seriously hearing something." The fox's, no, Fern's ear twitched in their direction, and Ara regretted the noise she had been making.

"I'm sure ith juss your imaginathion. Now leths-"

"Fern said she heard something," a deep, harsh voice growled out. Ara's gaze snapped to the last mutant. He was a huge wolf, his coarse grey hair bristling in every direction. He had flashing white fangs and sharp claws. His eyes were an icy blue, and his only clothing consisted of a rough covering hanging from his waist. A strap of explosives crossed his broad chest, and he held an old hunting rifle carelessly in his hand as if it was an extension of his arm. The huge beast stood seven feet tall and looked to be in his early forties by Ara's best guess.

The wolf advanced on Tad, snapping a finger in his face. "Now be quiet so she can listen, y'hear? This may be fun and games ta you, but you never know what could be lurking in the forest these days. So shut yer trap for two seconds, or I'll give ya a thrashing yer not likely ta forget, understood?"

Tad nodded, ducking his head under the wolf's hard gaze. "Yes, father."

"Good." His gruff voice softened, and he turned back to Fern. "Anything now?"

Fern furrowed her brow. "No. The noises have stopped, but…"

Leo picked that moment to sneeze. The sound rang through the air, and the mutants froze, all three of them shifting their gaze to the bush. Ara snapped around to glare at Leo, whose eyes had gone as big as saucers. "Oops."

"Yeah!" Ara hissed, knowing it was far too late for stealth. "Oops sums this up pretty well!" Just then, the sides of the bush were jerked apart, and the turtles found themselves staring up into the cold blue eyes of the wolf. He uttered something between a growl and a shout and lunged for them.

"Ahh!" The pair skidded back, stumbling to their feet and crashing through the undergrowth. Ara swerved left and right to avoid trees, trying to keep by Leo. "What are we going to do?!" she shouted across to him.

Leo glanced over his shoulder and gasped, grabbing Ara's arm and jerking her towards him as a bullet embedded itself into a tree where Ara had been seconds before. Ara paled. "Thanks," she breathed, leaping over a dead log that was blocking the path.

"Don't mention it," Leo replied, ducking under a low-hanging branch. "Follow me, okay?"

"Always do, chief."

They reached a clearing that held a small, clear lake. Leo didn't slow down, racing straight for the water. "Uhh, Leo? What's the plan? What are we going to do, hold our breath?!" Ara panted in disbelieving alarm.

A grim smile spread across Leo's face. "Yep!" he managed to say the instant before they leaped and plunged into the sparkling waters.