Chapter 11: Cactus
"Don, what the shell is that thing?" Raph asked as he spotted his brother setting a pot on one of his tables.
"It's a cactus, Raph," Don replied. "April got it for me. She figured I'd enjoy studying it and taking care of it."
"Yeah, but it ain't that special," Raph told him. "It's got those thorns so you can't really touch it anyway."
"Yes, and those thorns are its defense mechanism," Don responded. "It's kind of like our shells and how they protect us from harm."
"Or like Leo," Mikey piped up as he entered the lab.
"Say what?" Raph asked him.
"Leo's like our cactus," Mikey replied. "He protects us from harm. His swords are kind of like those thorns, and he uses them to defend us."
"Yeah, he's also kind of like those thorns in that he can be a pain in the shell with his damn lectures," Raph complained.
"That's true, but once the lectures are over, it's like having the thorn taken out," Mikey answered. "Then you don't have to deal with it again until the next one." He turned to Don. "Hey, can I touch it?"
"No, Mikey, it's too dangerous," Don told him. "You'll just get hurt if you do."
Mikey pouted. "Fine, I don't know why you even care about that thing anyway," he said. "Raph's right. I'd rather take care of flowers." He left the room to go play video games, and Raph followed.
Don smiled lovingly at his new plant. "Don't worry, little guy," he said. "They'll learn to love you as much as I do one day." Then he filled the pot with water so the cactus could absorb it then went to his computer to do some research. He just felt that the cactus was just like any other plant and that it needed to be cared for and given some love.
A/N: Hit the 317 mark with this one. Once again, not the best ending, but the best I could come up with on short notice. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.