Hi...okay so I am really sorry about the long delay, but you know…life. And what's more, I'm sorry it's so short, but at least you can enjoy it for now until the next chapter. And if you have the time please drop me a line and tell me what you think! At any rate, the story must continue…

Leo continued to watch over his sick brother for a while longer, every so often checking for any signs of movement in the forest beyond him. Finally, after what seemed like decades to Leo, Dagger appeared. Leo was a bit nervous when he was met with Dagger's anxious frown, but the wolf instantly cleared his doubt with a confirming nod. "We have carried out the preparations, as you instructed," Dagger said in a hushed voice.

"And King?" Leo inquired.

"Distracted with one of my comrades," Dagger replied. "He should be returning shortly, so I won't have much time..." the wolf trailed off. He wore a worried expression.

"Hey, don't worry Dagger," Leo reassured. "I know you can win the duel."

Dagger sighed. "I envy your optimism."

"It's not optimism," Leo corrected, and Dagger cocked his head confusedly. "I just…know. You have more to lose. And that drive to protect what could be lost is what will make your attacks stronger, heavier."

"And it is the same for you and your brothers," Dagger added thoughtfully.

Leo blinked in surprise. "Well…yeah. I guess so." He gave a knowing smile to Dagger. "You sure are learning this leadership thing a little too well."

Dagger chuckled a bit, but then gave Leo a serious stare. "I must warn you it will be a viscous fight. You are sure you want to watch?"

"Yes," Leo responded confidently. "We'll keep out of sight, though."

"Well then…" Dagger paused, glancing at the sleeping Mikey. "…I will see you two when all is settled. It was a pleasure to be in your company."

Leo smiled awkwardly at the wolf's politeness. "Thank you," he said.

By the time Dagger's hurried footfalls in the forest could no longer be heard, Leo started to wonder how long it had been since he had last seen Raph and Don. Two days, he finally figured—it had only been two days and yet so much had happened to him and Mikey. He moved onto thinking about what he would do after the duel. He was fairly sure that the wolf army would aid him in searching for his lost brothers, wherever they were. For Mikey's sake, he hoped they weren't too far away.

Little did Leo know that Don and Raph were only a little ways off from where he was. They had successfully followed the panicked wolf until he had stopped at a deserted clearing that looked like it could be some sort of gathering spot for wolves. They watched as wolf let out a shrill howl and waited. When no one came, the wolf started up again, as did Raph and Don. The turtles were exhausted from running around all day, but their tired spirits rose at a sudden realization.

"I think we're close, Donnie," Raph whispered.

"Yeah," Don whispered back happily. "But you know what this means right? We'll have to knock out that wolf again so that he doesn't have a chance to alert the others."

Raph nodded in agreement. "So we'll have ta find them on our own after that, then," he groaned irritably, looking at the wolf that was running ahead of them.

"Ready?" Don asked.

Raph smiled confidently. "Shell yeah." And in an instant, he darted out from the veil of trees and shrubs and attacked the wolf from behind. Don flinched at the grunt that came from Raph when he landed hard on the forest ground, pinning the wolf beneath him. And in a matter of seconds the wolf was knocked out for the second time that day. Raph was on a roll.

"Okay, I think we should start off in the direction the wolf was going, and then…we'll figure it out from there," Don said. He looked to the wolf below him. "And maybe we should hide him, just in case."

"Whateva'," Raph replied. He lifted the wolf and swiveled his head around, looking for a good hiding place and spotted a clump of large shrubs in the distance. He walked over to it and was about to put the wolf down when something caught his eye. After hiding the wolf, he curiously wandered towards what caught his attention and squinted his eyes.

"Raph, what are you doing?" Don asked impatiently as he briskly strode to where his brother had stopped. "Let's go, we don't have much—" he halted immediately at the sight in front of him. "Is that—is that a…mountain?"

"Don' think so," Raph said gruffly, shaking his head. "Let's check it out."

"I don't see how this will lead us to Leo and Mikey," Don chided.

Raph turned to his brother with frown. "Don, they could be anywhere. Jus' 'cause we're close don' mean we'll find 'em if we follow whereva' that wolf was goin'."

Don sighed in defeat. "Fine."

The two turtles cautiously crept towards the large formation that stood in the distance. Finally, they were close enough to get a good look at what it was…and made a shocking discovery.

"It's a mountain of…stuff!" Don exclaimed in a shrill whisper. After making sure the coast was clear, he and Raph proceeded to the gigantic mound and examined its extensive contents.

"Buncha' junk an' pots an' spoons…" Raph mumbled his findings, "…'s that a whole tent?"

"Hey Raph! I found my Bo and your sai!" Don called from the other side of the mound.

Raph quickly trudged around to where Don was, and sure enough he saw his sai were partly buried a few feet above him. He grabbed his weapons, twirled them a bit, and placed them back in his belt. He watched as Don secured his Bo and said, "I'm glad ta have these back and all, but how'd they get here in the firs' place?"

"I think…I think this is a pile of things that the wolves have collected from people…and probably from the ones who camp out in this forest," Don decided. "I mean, why else would our weapons be here?"

Raph shrugged. "We still don' know were Mike an' Leo are."

"Then we'll just keep searching in the shadows," Don sighed. "I just know they're close." And with their weapons restored to their rightful place, the two turtles disappeared into the forest and continued their search.