Chapter 16

She gasped in pain. Raphael's eyes snapped open as she pulled the blade from his body. Its light flickered. She looked in shock at the sword. That wasn't good. She put the sword back in its scabbard and scrambled backwards. The pain was too great. She needed blood, her body craved blood and all she could smell was theirs. She sat back against the wall and tried not to breathe. She needed to focus, to gather her strength to run.

She could beat this, she could survive this, she had to because she had let that demon go back to Hell. It would take three days for it to regenerate, and another day or two to get the message to whoever and then another day for the demons to organize, be it Lucifer or the rebels. But it meant she only had about five or six days before literal Hell broke loose trying to find her.

She watched as Leonardo knelt down in front of Raphael. "How do you feel?" He asked gently.

"I feel tired, very tired, but I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders." He said looking down at himself. The scars were still there, but they were different, they looked older, nearly faded except for where his hard shell would never grow back. He looked around. "How's Mikey?" He asked fear in his voice.

Michelangelo crawled to him and leaned against the wall beside him. "I'm fine bro, just tired." He said moving his arm. Raphael sagged visibly with relief. "How is she Leo?" Raphael asked his voice full of fear, guilt and loss. Leonardo looked behind him and met her eyes. It was then that she saw Leonardo's control break. All of the feelings he had been hiding from himself, that he had tried to hide from her, burst loose at that moment. Leonardo stumbled over to her and picked her up pulling her into his lap. Tears began to fall as the Hunger within her ripped and clawed trying to get out.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I should have told Raph about the nightmares. I knew how much pain you were in and I didn't even...And now, and now you are suffering because of the choices I made." His voice broke. Tears were in his eyes "Take my blood. Take it, heal yourself. You can't die...please, I love you too much to watch you die."

A scream was ripped from her as another wave of pain lashed through her. "If I take your blood, I will rip your throat open and drink you down. I will consume every last drop because I won't be able to stop. I will kill you Leonardo." She said through teeth clenched in pain.

Leonardo was silent. Then nodded."If that is your price, then I will pay it. I let my fear rule my judgment. All of this is my fault. I deserve to pay the price for my mistakes. My life for my brothers." He whispered.

"Leo, no!" Donatello yelled worry and fear making him frantic. She closed her eyes. She wanted to kill him, gods help her she wanted nothing more than to rip him open and drink every last drop. She leaned into him.

"Leo, get away from her, she's going into Blood Lust, her eyes are glinting red. Leo please! Goddess you can't!" Donatello begged.

Her body and eyes began to glow. Leonardo looked at her, his expression full of guilt and fear. He looked at her and saw his death in her eyes. She leaned in, threw her arms around his neck, brought him in close and kissed him. She pulled away from the kiss, hugged him close her face buried in his neck. "Goodbye Leonardo." She whispered. Canines scraping along tender flesh.

"No!" The brothers shouted. Then she ran, she ran as fast as she could, put as much distance as she could between them and her.

Do you think it will work? She asked the woman in front of her

We don't know

My body will reject it The goddess said to her

Most of it, yes, but some, some may help

Are you strong enough? She asked

We will try to be

Donatello watched in horror as she leaned into Leonardo. He didn't know what to do, he knew he couldn't fight her, she was too strong. "Goodbye Leonardo." She whispered.

"No!" He screamed in anguish.

Then she was gone. Leonardo sat on the floor. He shook his head as if to clear it and he stood up shakily.

Raphael screamed his rage. He stalked over to Leonardo and hauled him to his feet. "You knew! You knew how much pain she had been in and you let her suffer! I have felt that pain, the Hunger Leo. I felt it when she called to me when she was still lying in the chamber and I have never felt anything as excruciating as that. I never wanted to feel pain such as that again, and you are telling me that she has been feeling that for months!"Raphael pulled back his fist and punched him. Donatello grabbed Raphael by the shoulders. "Don't you ever touch her again Leo. If I ever see you lay a hand on her again I swear to you..."

Leonardo stumbled back and glared at Raphael cutting him off. "I was protecting my family Raphael!" He said angrily. "I didn't want her to begin feeding from anyone else!" Leonardo yelled.

"What do you mean anyone else?" Raphael asked angrily.

"She's been feeding from Donny for a month now!" He yelled, fury, pain and loss all warring for dominance.

Raphael rounded on Donatello."You can try to blame Leo all you want Raph, but he only found out last night." Donatello said softly. "I knew, and I didn't tell you. She made me swear not to tell any of you how much pain she was in, how much she needed blood, because she knew Leo wouldn't understand. That he would think that she was just using us to feed from. She didn't want you to worry Raph." He said looking away.

"Donny. You are my brother. You should have told me." Raphael whispered, betrayal heavy in his voice. "I should have known all of this. Donny you..." Raphael began.

"Um...guys?" Michelangelo said cutting him off. They all looked at Michelangelo who had been silent. In fact it looked as if he hadn't even been there. In his arms he held the goddess' swords. He looked frightened. "I found these at the entrance to the lair. "I tried following her, but... She was just gone." He pulled something else out. "Raph, I also found this." He handed Raphael his mask. "It was wrapped up with the swords." Raphael took his mask and held it tightly.

Donatello looked at the swords in confusion. Why would she leave her weapons? Raphael reached out and took the swords from Michelangelo. He looked at them then gave them to Leonardo. "You're the sword guy." He said as he walked to his bed.

"Raphael wait." Leonardo began.

Raphael 's anger drained away. "Leo, don't even start with me right now." He took a breath. " I didn't mean it Leo. I mean I did but...I'm sorry. I don't have the right. She's gone and we don't even know if she's coming back. You love her, I get that. Not everything is your fault. She obviously cared about you enough to want you to trust her, so much so that she allowed herself to suffer for so long." He looked around his room. "Now if you guys wouldn't mind getting out of my room, I would like to clean up and get some sleep." Raphael said, his voice oddly devoid of emotion. They all filed out of Raphael's room. Donatello took one last look at Raphael who was sitting on his blood soaked bed looking at the mask in his hands. Raphael looked at him. "That day when I threw the mug at her and I said those things to her, she was suffering wasn't she?" He asked quietly.

"Yes." Donatello said to him as he closed the door.

Donatello puttered around in his workshop a little. Looking every now and then at the new shell cycle. He had never found out what all of the symbols she had on the blueprints had meant. He would ask her about it when she came back, because he had to believe that she was coming back. But she had told Leonardo goodbye, as in she wasn't coming back.

He walked out of his workroom. The lair was a quiet. He opened Raphael's door. In the dim light he could see that he had cleaned the room up, and managed to get the blood off the walls and floor. Raphael was sleeping soundly on his bed mask clutched tightly in his fist. He was glad that Raphael knew about everything. The crushing weight of guilt that had staggered him had been lifted, but he wished that Raphael had not found out the way he had. He looked in on Leonardo who was reading a book, his trench coat wrapped around him like a cape. He didn't feel like talking to Leonardo so he left and checked to see how Mikey was doing. He was snoring softly on his bed.

He wandered over to the couch and lay down. The couch smelled like her. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Leonardo finished the whole of Pride and Prejudice a second time before he finally went to the sleep for the night. He had tried to figure out if she was trying to tell him something. Darcy had fought through most of the book to conceal and deny his feelings, but Elizabeth had only come to love Darcy after most of the book was done, and only because she had finally come to realize who he really was.

He had decided in the end that he was thinking too much. But the faint hope that perhaps the goddess did indeed return his feelings had awoken a deep desire and need for her. He had offered up his life to her, when she needed it the most. He didn't want to die, he didn't want her to kill him, but she was in so much pain, because of him. Not to mention the guilt of knowing he had been acting like an ass from the first day she had started to seep into his heart. He had tried so hard to deny his feelings for her, and all it did was hurt himself and her. She had told him goodbye, but was it really goodbye? Or had he killed her? He had to believe she was alive and coming back to them. His head spinning he finally managed to fall asleep with the scent of her surrounding him.

He awoke the next morning and blearily dragged himself out of bed. He stumbled out of his room and had the vague thought that it was one of those rare moments when he actually wished he drank coffee. He stepped in something and slipped. He went down hard. He looked down at his hand which was now covered with whatever he had slipped in. It was red with blood. He felt his whole body go cold. He looked at the trail of blood stretching in front of him. He slowly got to his feet. He wanted to wake up but he knew it wasn't a dream, the fall had hurt too much to be the product of his imagination. He drew his swords as he followed the trail of blood into the living room. Leonardo felt himself pale and had to struggle to keep himself from collapsing. He could partially see Donatello lying on his stomach on the couch, one arm stretched out over the edge of the couch. He looked as if he were sleeping, except for the blood that was slowly dripping down his arm. Blood had also been smeared across his face and part of his body. Leonardo looked wildly around the living room, looking for whatever had done this. He then heard the cracking of bone and the rending of flesh and he scrambled back. He had to find Michelangelo and Raphael, maybe they were still alive. He crashed into Raphael's room first. Raphael woke up and glared at him, then paled. "Goddess...?"

Leonardo was bereft of speech. Raphael was alive, he had to find Michelangelo. He stumbled into Michelangelo's room. He was snoring on his bed. He blearily opened his eyes Leonardo stumbled out, Michelangelo followed.

"What is it Leo you're freakin' me out?" Raphael said worriedly.

He pointed in the direction of the couch where another bone crunched. Michelangelo and Raphael pulled their weapons. They began circling around to get a better view of the couch.

"Donny...no." Raphael choked out. "No,no,no Donnny."

That is when the demon rose up. How it had hidden behind the couch Leonardo didn't know, but it was the size of a pony, a really big pony. And looked to be a cross between a wolf and a big cat. Its head, back and tail were wolf-like, while the chest and legs appeared to be like those of a great cat. It was black as midnight, but had white stripes like a tiger. Its muzzle and front paws were covered in blood a piece of flesh hung from its jaws. It ate the piece of flesh in one bite and looked at them. Eyes the colour of molten lava stared back at them. Its lips pulled back revealing razor sharp teeth. It let loose a growl that rumbled deep in its throat.

Donatello rolled over and looked at them. "Who turned on the lawnmower?" He said groggily.

"Donny?" Leonardo questioned.

"Yeah Leo, what's up, did Goddess..." He started.

"Don't move. Donny for the love of the goddess, don't move." Leonardo pleaded.

Donatello froze and looked at the blood that covered his body. Then he looked up at the demon that had rose above him. Donatello paled. Flame coloured eyes looked down at Donatello. The growl rumbled in its chest again. The demon's ears folded back a feral growl was issued from its lips as it pulled them back baring its fangs.

Raphael was the first to attack. He launched himself at the demon, distracting it so that Donatello was able to roll off the couch.

"Leo, her swords, her swords will be able to hurt it." Donatello yelled at him.

Leonardo scrambled back and ran to his room. He had put the swords by his bed. He grabbed them and raced back. Raphael had lost his sais and was under the paw of the demon. It let out a roar as Donatello kicked it in the side. Michelangelo leapt up aiming to kick it in the face, but the demon moved its head grabbing Michelangelo in its jaws.

"Mikey!" Leonardo yelled.

Leonardo leapt at the demon, he hadn't looked at which sword he had pulled but it was the blue bladed Capricious Death. But the sword was not glowing like it had when She had wielded it.He brought the sword up and the demon deflected it with a swipe of its paw. The sword went flying, while its paw grabbed him and slammed him down beside Raphael who struggled beneath the demon's other paw. It spat Michelangelo out between Leonardo and Raphael. It growled at them bringing its blood stained muzzle down.

Donatello hit it in the side, but it paid him no more attention than an annoying fly.

"How did she ever expect us to win!" Donatello shouted as he pulled Bloody Rage from its scabbard, Again there was no glow. He swung it at the creature's head. It grabbed the sword in its jaws and slammed Donatello into the ground. It stepped in him with its back paw.

It returned its attention to Raphael who stared at it defiantly. It brought its bloody muzzle within an inch of Raphael's throat. It stopped and looked at Raphael's defiant gaze. It moved its head to the side and sniffed Leonardo who had bared his throat trying to get away from the razor sharp teeth. It sniffed Michelangelo, who whimpered, then let out a huff of breath and let them go. It turned and lifted its back leg off of Donatello. Donatello moved to get out of the way but it caught him with a powerful paw and dragged him beside Leonardo. It sniffed him teeth getting uncomfortably close he moved his face away from the teeth baring his neck. It stepped off them, and dropped Bloody Rage. It sniffed the air again, ambled over to Capricious Death, picked it up and brought it back to a stunned Leonardo. It dropped the sword at his feet and walked back over to the couch where it flumped back down and began eating.

"What just happened?" Michelangelo asked.

Leonardo shook his head in confusion. He slowly got to his feet helping Michelangelo and Raphael to their feet. "You okay Donny?"

"Yeah, I'm covered in blood, but none of it is my own."

"So what's it eating?" Michelangelo asked horror filling his voice.

Raphael slowly made his way to get a better view of the other side of the couch. The demon's ears flickered but it remained intent on what it was eating. "I think the zoo is probably missing a few seals from its seal exhibit."

"Sea lions." Donatello corrected looking at what the demon was eating.

The demon looked at Donatello and bared its fangs. Donatello backed up, Raphael froze. The demon went back to eating. "So now what?" Raphael asked. "We have a giant wolf demon sitting in our living room that we can't kill even with Her swords."

"Maybe wait until it falls asleep?" Michelangelo suggested. Donatello was giving Raphael an odd look. "Hey Raphael, could you take a step closer to the demon?" He asked.

Raphael looked at him in surprise. "Are you joking me?"

"No I want to see something." He said looking at him. "Trust me Raphael, just a little step." Raphael glared at him but obeyed. The demons ears flicked in response but otherwise was unfazed by Raphael. Donatello took a step closer to Raphael, nothing happened.

"Donny what do you think you are doing?" Leonardo growled at him.

He stepped in front of Raphael and the demon began to growl. He stepped a little behind Raphael and the demon stopped.

"Huh." Donatello said as he pushed Raphael a little closer.

"Donny!" The demons head rose, flame coloured eyes assessed Raphael. The demon stood bringing what was left of the seal carcass with it and dropped it at Raphael's feet.

The demon made a huffing sound and pushed it closer. "Donny, what's it doing?" Raphael said as he leaned back from the bloody back half of the sea lion.

"I think it wants you to eat it." Donatello said curiously.

"Um...thanks but no thanks." Raphael said backing away from the pool of blood that was inching towards his feet. He backed up past Donatello, but the demon just looked expectantly at Donatello rather than growling.

"This is fascinating." Donatello said rushing over to his computer in the corner of the living room.

"Um Donny, giant wolf demon, this is not the time to be gettin' your geek on." Raphael said.

"No, no I think I've got this. It is displaying typical pack behaviour, like that of a wolf, or even a lion pride. Think about it. It could have eaten me while I was sleeping. I didn't even wake up when it dripped blood all over me." He looked at the blood that covered him. "I think it was smelling me. Then everyone wakes up and comes charging in. It's still eating so it is establishing the pecking order of when we get to eat. It asserted its dominance." Donatello said excitedly.

"So basically it got mad because it thought we were trying to take its food?" Raphael asked.

"Something like that." Donatello said.

"So what was with pushing me into its food zone Donny?" Raphael asked.

"When we attacked it, it decided to establish dominance, so basically it won so it is more dominant than us. That means it gets to eat first. Then it established dominance between us. It thinks that Raphael is the most dominant, so technically he gets to eat first."

"Eeww." Michelangelo said scrunching up his face. "But why is Raphael more dominant, he got his butt kicked too."

"Well Mikey you cowered, putting you at the bottom of the pile, Leo and I unintentionally bared our throats, showing it that we were submissive, but Raphael didn't do any of that, kept eye contact but didn't keep struggling, which is possibly the only thing that didn't get him killed."

"And that means what Donny?"Raphael asked.

"It means it has claimed us as pack...or pride I guess...probably pack though since it looks more like a cross between a wolf and a tiger and tigers are notoriously solitary."

"So now what?" Raphael asked.

The demon had finished off the seal and was licking the blood off the floor. It stretched out like a great cat, claws extended, and lay down. It closed its eyes presumably to go to sleep.

Donatello shrugged. "It doesn't seem to want to hurt us."

"So what, it's a good demon?" Michelangelo asked.

"It might not be a demon." Donatello said looking at it. "I never got to take samples of the two demons that Goddess killed before, so I can't be sure. But I remember she had said that when she was patrolling she was looking for other magical creatures. This might be one of them."

"So big giant woliger...tigolf...wiger...tolf...wiger, I like that one best. So this big giant wiger comes here for what?" Michelangelo asked.

Donatello shook his head.

Raphael walked over to Leonardo, Donatello followed. "Hey Leo, you okay, you seem awfully quiet."

"I had a dream one night. I had returned to the lair and everyone was dead. There was the Syna sitting in the corner eating the flesh from your bones and it was laughing at me, saying that I shouldn't have killed Her, because She was the only thing standing between us and them. When I woke up and saw all of the blood, it was like my nightmare had become reality, and I failed to protect my family...again. That thing over there wasn't even trying and it batted us away like we were flies. Even with Her swords we were no match for it. Imagine if it had have been here to kill us. We would have been slaughtered in our sleep and it would have been my fault. Raph, what if I killed her?" He whispered

"Leo, it's not your fault. Things happened and we have to believe that Goddess is okay, and that she will be back." Donatello said while putting a hand on his shoulder.

"It would be my fault if she's dead Leo, not yours." Raphael said softly.

The TV blinked on and the brothers looked at it in shock. Michelangelo was sitting on the couch, the wiger, as he coined it, sleeping nearby. It lifted its head and looked at the TV. Its ears flicked, it smelled the air then put its head back down.

"This just in, it appears the beloved sea lions from the Central park zoo have all mysteriously disappeared. Of the animals there has been no trace and although security cameras have been reviewed, they give no clue as to their disappearance. All other animals are safe and accounted for, including the zoos many endangered species."

The wiger let out a snort. Michelangelo looked at it. "Well it was nice of you to not eat the endangered species I guess." He said to it. The wiger opened its eyes and looked at him. It stood up stretched and padded over to where Leonardo stood with Raphael and Donatello.

"Mikey are you crazy!" Raphael whispered.

"What?" He asked.

The wiger loomed over the brothers. It looked at Leonardo and Raphael. It brushed the side it its head up against them. It nearly knocked them down, so they automatically grabbed onto it. They put their hands into silky soft fur. The wiger brushed against them again. Leonardo pet it. Raphael and Donatello followed and plunged their hands into the dense fur.

"It looks like we have ourselves a big guard kitty...puppy thing." Michelangelo said jumping off the couch to pet it.

"Don't suppose you know where the goddess is, do you girl?" Donatello asked it, while rubbing it's ears.

The wiger yipped.

"Girl?" Raphael asked looking at the wiger in surprise.

Donatello shrugged. "I got a look, it's a girl."

"Did she send you here for us?" Donatello asked.

"And did she tell you where Timmy fell down the well too?" Raphael asked sarcastically. The wiger brought a paw up and batted at Raphael.

"I think it understands what we are saying Raph, and I don't think she likes your sarcasm." Donatello said.

"So you think this wiger knows where the goddess is?" Leonardo asked.

The wiger wagged her tail..

"Well if the wiger knows we've got to go find her. She might still be hurt." Raphael said as he headed for the entrance of the lair.

The wiger leapt and blocked Raphael's path. Head down ears back it growled at him.

"I guess that means that Goddess doesn't want to be found." Michelangelo said as he slumped back on the couch.

The wiger spent the rest of the day sleeping. Leonardo looked at the sleeping wiger and walked closer to it. It seemed to be asleep but wherever one of them had tried to sneak out of the lair it had been right there to stop them, even going so far as to pick Raphael up by the shell and march him back to the couch like a bad kitten. Michelangelo had laughed his head off.

"I don't know, I still think it's funny that the only one who thinks Raph's a leader is warm and fuzzy over here." Michelangelo said that night as he was watching TV.

"No Mikey, the wiger is the leader, but it thinks Raphael is the more dominant of all of us." Donatello answered as he tinkered with a broken clock.

"Even more than Leo?" Michelangelo asked.

"Well think of it this way, all she is looking for is an aggressive fighter, brains are not needed, that's why she picked Raph." Donatello said with a smile.

Leonardo looked over to where Raphael was working with his heavy bag. Raphael was putting himself through quite the workout. Raphael had found that he was actually able to fight again. If it wasn't for the scars, you would never know that he had been hurt at all. This coupled with a night of restful sleep had turned Raphael into his old self.

"Yeah you just come over here and say that Donny. I dare you." Raphael said as he hit the bag again.

Raphael had stood up to the wiger when he had thought it was a demon, and it meant that whatever she had done to him had worked. Raphael was back, but he was worried and guilt ridden. Under all of their jokes and laughter, was worry for Her and glances towards the entrance of the lair had become frequent. Raphael was glancing at the entrance right now. His shoulders slumped a little then he focused on taking his frustration out on the bag.

By unspoken consent what had happened last night was not to be discussed. They had banded together, differences forgotten when they had thought they were fighting for their lives.

"I think I'm going to head for bed." Leonardo said finally as he walked to his room. It wasn't that late, but it felt like it had been a long day, especially waking up and finding Donny like he had. At this rate his brothers were going to take years off his life, and if he actually had hair, it would be grey by now. He missed Master Splinter and his advice. He needed to talk to someone about what a mess he had made of things.

He was suddenly lifted off the ground and plopped unceremoniously back onto the couch.

"Looks like everyone is sleeping in the living room tonight guys." Michelangelo laughed.

The wiger looked expectantly at Donatello. "I guess I'm done for the night too."

"I call couch!" Michelangelo said shoving Leonardo off.

"I call love seat!" Donatello said quickly.

"I call cold hard floor." Raphael grumbled.

Michelangelo laughed and turned off the TV.

The wiger lay down between Raphael and Leonardo.

"Do you think She'll be back tomorrow?" Michelangelo asked.

"I wish I knew Mikey." Leonardo said softly. He closed his eyes and went to sleep.

Did you keep them safe? The goddess asked the Were kneeling in front of her. Reddish brown hair cascaded in waves over her naked body. Eyes the colour of moss looked back at her.

We kept them safe. The woman said proudly. We kept them from leaving. We established order. They are Pack, we must keep the pack safe.

Good. I was worried. The goddess said.

We would not let you down. The Red one, he challenged us. We won but he did not submit.

I hope you weren't hurt? She asked concerned.

No, I am Alpha. We are strongest. We have decided we want to take them all as mates.

The goddess' expression grew serious. It does not work that way, you cannot take all as your mates.

I am strongest I choose my mates. We like all, we will take all, it is my right as Alpha. They want to mate. You have made us more. We have learned about this emotion, this love, but we cannot understand it. We will try to understand, but we are Beast, you think too much like Man. They are Pack. We have not had a Pack for so long. We want to keep them all.

I want to keep them all too, but it's not that simple. She said sadly.

We will protect them.

I know. Have you eaten enough?

We are well fed.

Good.