After a battle with the Foot, our heroes are on their way back to the lair. And Tyroth will make a kind of discovery about himself.

I don't own TMNT

Chapter 8

Understanding The Mind

The gang made their way down into the sewers and back to the lair. They didn't speak much on the way, aside from Raphael who walked over to Tyroth.

"Hey, Tyroth." he said in a rather low voice, gaining Tyroth's attention. "I just wanted... that is... you know." Raph took a deep breath and spoke up. "Thanks for saving Mona's life."

Tyroth smiled. "No problem. I know that she means a lot to you, I have the same feelings for Sephie so I understand your concern for her."

"Still, thank you. I owe you one."

"Something bothering you guys?" Sephie asked Mona, Donnie and Mikey as she saw that they were pondering something, though she guessed that she knew what it was.

"Nothing important." Mona replied "Just trying to process what I've seen today."

"You mean Tyroth's healing ability, right?"

"Yes. I know that you told us that he healed very fast and both Leo and Raph said the same. But I still can't wrap my head around how fast it actually was."

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it, take it from me. I was terrified when he got shot the first time, in the stomach. The wound just pushed out the bullet and closed itself. I still don't like when he gets injured though." Sephie said, then she turned to Donnie. "What about you, any worries?"

"Not so much. I'm just curious to if there is something special in his body that allow him to heal that fast. Maybe I could get a blood sample from him to study."

"Maybe. If you ask nicely." Sephie looked over to Mikey "Your turn. What's going on in your head?"

"Oh, nothing." he said, not realizing that he basically said that his head was empty, causing Donnie and Mona to giggle while Sephie just smiled at the rather gullible turtle. Mikey raised an eyebrow. "Wonder if we have any pizza in the freezer."

Master Splinter walked over to the entrance to meet the young mutants as they returned from their patrol. When he saw the cuts and bruises on his four sons, he shook his head and sighed.

"Two nights in a row? You have to be more careful, my sons."

"Sorry, master Splinter." Leo said. "We were attacked by the Foot, but we defeated them."

"I'll make sure our wounds are treated, master Splinter." Donnie assured the old rat "Mona, could you help me with my wounds?"

"Sure."

"And you are not getting away this time, Leo." the purple-masked turtle said, pointing at his oldest brother. "You're first."

"That... really isn't necessary, Donnie." Leo said, backing away slowly.

"Oh yes it is. Every time it's the same, you always sneak off before I'm done with you." Donnie said rather annoyed "But not this time. You will stay in the medical room until I say that you can leave, even if I have to have Tyroth hold you down."

"Face it Fearless, you might as well do as he says." Raph chuckled, while Leo sighed and accepted his fate in the matter. As he was led by Donnie, the purple-masked turtle turned to the large dragon.

"Do you think I could get a blood sample from you later? I'd love to examine it and see what gives you that impressive healing power of yours."

"Why not, I've been wondering that myself. I'll stop by later, say one hour from now."

Donnie nodded and continued to lead his older brother to the medical room, while the other turtles went about their business, waiting for their turn. Mona and Sephie, who both had good healing abilities, didn't need treatment, so they walked over to the kitchen to get something to drink before washing up. Tyroth however, decided to talk to Splinter.

"Excuse me Splinter, but do you have time to teach me about meditation, as we discussed earlier?"

"Certainly, young Tyroth." the old rat smiled, "Follow me."

Tyroth was led into a large room that was decorated with Japanese flooring, screens, pictures and some plants. There were candles on small pedestals and a small table with incenses, the entire room had a very calming atmosphere.

"Please, sit down." Splinter motioned towards one of several small mattresses, Tyroth sat down on his knees and Splinter sat opposite of him with his legs crossed.

"In order to find balance, you must first find an inner peace. Once you achieved that you need to use that peace to gain control in battle, but we will get to that later. For now, let us focus on your inner peace. Close your eyes, relax and try to think of something that make you feel at peace, it can be a memory or a dream you have. Let it come to you, do not force it."

Doing as he was instructed, Tyroth closed his eyes and started searching after his peace, a task that was difficult not to force at the beginning. Taking a deep breath, Tyroth stopped trying after a few minutes and just let it happen.

In his mind he saw a summer night last year, he and Sephie had gone exploring the caves under Chicago and ended up on one of the islands in Lake Michigan. It was uninhabited with a small forest and a lone oak on a hill close to the eastern beach. Deciding that they could do with a break they sat down under the oak, Tyroth with his back at the tree trunk and Sephie against his chest with his right arm around her. They sat there for several minutes, gazing at the starry sky. Feeling that Sephie was getting a bit cold, Tyroth covered her with his right wing using it as a blanket. Sephie snuggled up closer to her love and kissed him.

As they kissed, the sun had started to rise, coloring the sky red and yellow with a purple area separating the warm morning sky from the dark blue, starry night sky, all being reflected in the mirror like water. For a moment it seemed like time stood still.

Tyroth smiled at the memory and felt truly at peace. Splinter could see that things were going well for the young mutant and chose to let him remain in whichever peaceful thoughts he had found.

In Tyroth's mind, he continued to enjoy the memory. As he reluctantly started to wake up from the pleasant memory, he felt something that wasn't part of the memory. Something that felt like a presence of some sort. Curious, Tyroth left his memory in search of the presence. The memory faded as he mentally moved towards what he believed was source.

He arrived in a large darkly colored space, with a rainbow colored sphere behind him. Guessing that the sphere was his conscious, he assumed that the dark area was his subconscious.

Looking around he spotted what looked like a red star, as he moved toward it the feeling of the presence grew. Arriving at the 'star' he saw that it was smaller than a basketball and pulsated almost like a heart pumped. Tyroth slowly reached for the small sphere, careful in case it would be dangerous. As his hands touched it, he could feel the presence much clearer, it felt strangely familiar yet still very alien in nature. He studied it for a few minutes before deciding to head back to his consciousness and wake up.

When he opened his eyes he saw the entire gang standing around him with worried looks on their faces. Sephie immediately threw her arms around him when she saw that he was awake.

"Thank goodness that you're okay!"

"Eh... Did I miss something?"

"Tyroth." Leo started "You've been completely unresponsive for almost two hours."

"What!? That can't be. It can't have been more than, what, fifteen minutes."

"Leonardo is right." Splinter said "We have been trying to wake you for over an hour. I have never seen anyone fall into such a deep state of meditation unknowingly. What happened?"

Tyroth told them everything but the details of his memory, when he was done, Splinter spoke.

"Most unusual. If it truly was your subconscious you experienced, then you may have far greater potential on a spiritual level than even I do. At the very least you have, as the younger generation would say, a knack for meditation."

"All I know is that it was strange, and that I feel a bit stiff. I think that I'll head over to your dojo for some solo-training so I can stretch, if you don't mind of course."

Splinter nodded in response, but before Tyroth could leave the room, Donnie stopped him.

"Wait, could I get that blood sample first?"

"Oh, I completely forgot about that. Sure, let's get it over with."

The procedure took only a few minutes and when it was done, Tyroth walked over to the dojo, sword in hand, while Donnie started his computers and set them to work on the sample. He walked out and joined the others at the entrance to the dojo as they watched Tyroth train.

Swinging his sword, changing between right and left handed use as well as using both, he alternated with kicks, punches and tailswipes. His style almost screamed brute force but was still executed with surprising speed and precision. But there was something off with his style.

"Is it just me or does he seem slower than before?" Mona asked, as she remembered how easily he defeated the Foot-ninja earlier.

"No you're right, babe." Raph said "I've seen him fight a few times now, shell I've even fought with him, and he was a lot quicker. Right now I could take him on solo."

"What do you think the reason is? It can't be fatigue, he got quite a good rest during master Splinter's meditation exercise. Come to think about it, he didn't spar with us before." said Leo. "Sephie, do you know anything about this?"

Sephie looked at the mutant she loved and sighed.

"You might as well know. Tyroth has some control-issues, see it as battle instincts that help him during battle. They allow him to move and react faster, a lot faster, but he's more like an animal, having very little control. Right now you see him as he would fight without those instincts, completely in control."

"That is the reason that he asked for my help." Splinter interrupted "And why I decided to teach him meditation, in order to gain control over his instincts."

The mutants looked at their large friend, even though they had hardly known him for twenty-four hours, they had learned that he truly was a powerful ally and a good friend that was ready to sacrifice himself to save those in need. But despite his strength, there was one foe that still had the advantage over him, and it was truly a beast within.

I hope that gives you all a bit of insight to Tyroth, as well as a want to learn more of him.

Next time, the secret of his healing is revealed. Please read and review. Good day.