"This is DEFINITELY weird…"
Leonidas nodded as a curious snow leopard, his head on Andy's lap.
It had taken a while, but Angel and the turtles had explained what happened to Lilly and how the turtles and Splinter had come into being.
When Angel got to her part, when she mentioned the man she'd never met, Baxter Stockman, Leonidas hissed softly, moving slightly in front of a shaking Anexa.
'Guess this REALLY isn't a good guy…'
"I don't think I woke up this morning thinking I'd meet four mutant turtles, a mutant rat, and someone else with a daemon."
"I didn't wake up this morning thinking I'd meet ya guys either." Angel replied.
"Touché…"
"They're nice, though…" Lilly added in.
"Yeah…look, I'm grateful to you for watching out for Lilly, but I think we should head home."
"But ANDY…"
Lilly was using her whining voice, and Andy flinched slightly.
"We can't stay, Lilly." She stated firmly, and Leonidas bared his fangs slightly at Anexa, who was soon on Lilly's shoulder as a chameleon.
"I'll go with ya, in case there's any trouble." Angel offered, Aradion perking on her lap.
"…If you really don't mind…"
"Then let's go!"
After saying goodbye to everyone, they headed out into the sewers. Once topside, Angel said she'd follow in the shadows, just in case.
Leonidas became a grey alley cat, padding ahead of them, and Anexa became a puppy in Lilly's arms.
"I wonder what they'll be when they stop changing…"
"Nobody knows until it happens, Lilly…"
The crackle and snap of flame reached their ears…from the direction of their house…
Panic gripped them, and they started running as fast as they could, Leonidas becoming a cheetah and Anexa a swift. They soon saw the bonfire, their house, the fire reaching to the starry sky like a mountain.
'No…'
Andy looked around with wide eyes, panic still making her heart race, and saw what she'd been dreading. A burning message in a wall of the house that made her blood run cold and block it from Lilly's view.
'You can run, but you can't hide.'
"Looks like someone got here first."
Andy jumped slightly, and turned to see Angel looking at the blaze, the warm red light shining off her hair.
With her ocelot daemon beside her, Andy could see all the memories that must be going through the girls head.
'They're one…they really understand each other…they listen to each other…they help each other…'
'We do to.' Leonidas thought stubbornly back.
"It'll be safer if ya guys stay in the lair. There's nowhere safer in all New York. Don made sure of that."
Andy nodded slightly, defeated, and Leonidas became a wolf, a few whimpering howls escaping his throat.
"Let's see if anything survived the flames." Angel suggested, watching the firefighters as they wrestled with the blaze.
"…We should just go…"
Angel nodded, saying, "We'll travel through the sewers."
They walked into a nearby alley, and Aradion kept watch as Angel pulled off the lid. She jumped down, bending her knees to absorb the impact, and stood under the manhole.
"Jump down!! I'll catch ya!!" She shouted softly, and Andy looked around uncertainly.
"You go first." She said.
Lilly nodded, and jumped down, Anexa a hare in her arms. Angel caught her safely, putting her down.
"Come on, Andy!!"
Andy hesitated before jumping down, Leonidas following as a hawk. Angel caught her, and climbed up the ladder, picking up Aradion and closing the lid.
They started heading to the lair, Angel leading the way, and Andy thought it would be good to start a conversation.
"…Why do you live down here? You could live up there…"
"My family is down here…I can't leave 'em…"
"How can you stand the darkness?" Andy questioned.
"I trust the shadows of night more than the light of day."
Angel looked thoughtfully at the ceiling.
"But…I always thought there was a light inside us…that led us through the darkness…"
"What light?" Anexa questioned.
"…Hope…"
"Hope? What do you mean?" Andy asked.
"Have ya ever stopped hoping everything would turn out alright? That everything would go back to normal? …That ya can stop living in fear?"
Andy shook her head softly.
"Ya can't kill hope…no matter how much darkness surrounds you, ya never stop hoping…it lights yer way in the dark, keeps yer soul from falling…keeps yer heart from breaking…"
Aradion purred comfortingly, rubbing his head on Angel's leg. Angel nodded, scratching his head.
"Angel…are you okay?" Lilly questioned solicitously, eyes sincere and worried.
"…I'm okay…just some old memories…" Angel answered, opening the door to the lair.
"Back already, Angel?"
"There was a…complication, Raph…"
Raph and Mikey looked up from the couch.
"What happened? Why aren't they home?"
"That's the problem…"
As Angel explained the situation, Mikey coaxed Lilly to play 'Super Smash Brothers Melee'. Leonidas was a snow leopard, sniffing around Andy's legs, getting an awkward pat every now and then.
"That's harsh…" Raph stated after Angel finished explaining.
"Those damn Purple Lizards are escalating…they might try to burn down all of New York!"
Aradion hissed softly in agreement.
"YAY!!"
"That wasn't fair! I didn't even know Zelda could do that!"
"But she can, so HA!!"
"Rematch!!"
"Gladly!!"
Andy smiled, seeing Anexa as a ferret on her sister's shoulders.
'We'll be safe here…'
'How can you be so sure, Leo?'
Her daemon shrugged lightly.
'I don't know…it's just a feeling, Andy…'
'I know…I just hope its right…'
"Andy? Andy?!"
Andy looked up as if waking from a trance.
"Yeah, Angel?"
"Ya wanna come meditate with me an' Leo?"
"Um…sure…"
Andy followed Angel into the dojo, where Leo was already meditating.
"Hey!! Leo!!"
"What is it, Angel?"
"Can ya help Andy out with meditation? I have things to do, but I'll be back."
Leo sighed, opening his eyes.
"Why's Andy here, anyway? I thought you were taking them home."
Angel explained what happened, not going into detail.
"So I'm gonna see if they can stay. I need to talk with sensei."
She gave him the puppy-dog eyes.
"So can ya help her out?"
"…Fine…"
Angel smiled.
"Yer the best biggest brother EVER!"
Once Angel left to Splinter's quarters, Andy just stood there awkwardly, Leonidas a bobcat now.
"Sit down."
The order was gentle, but she felt the force behind it, and obeyed.
She copied the meditative stance, and breathed out in relief. As he instructed her, she listened intently, Leonidas not trying to distract her.
She felt herself sink into that meditative state she'd only heard about, and relished the peace and tranquility bathing her body like water.
Leonidas became a white cat, a single black spot over his right eye, and nestled peacefully on her lap.
Leo took this chance to look at the girl more closely.
Her wavy red hair brushed her shoulders, tints of gold visible when the light hit it at just the right angle. Her skin wasn't ivory like Angel's or Lilly's, it was a bit darker, but without scars or wounds blemishing the skin. Nearly flawless hourglass figure, eyes like emerald stars…
Leo shook himself from the trance he'd found himself in, and blushed.
'Get a hold of yourself, Leo!' He chided himself.
'Like a girl like that would be interested in a mutant turtle!'
'Why not?' A voice echoed in his head.
'Why wouldn't she? Why can't she? Why not?'
The questions in his head set a light in his chest, one Angel would've been able to name…
Hope…