DISCLAIMER - Not mine. Not yours, either. TMNT's and their related counterparts are the soul property of others. I'm just borrowing them right now. I promise to put them back when I'm done. Thanks to anyone reading my 'little' fic and for any reviews you care to leave behind.
As always, thanks to Askre and Cynlee for beta-reading! You guys are the best:0)
Chapter 8 - Of Cliffs and Caves
Without any type of tributary leading out from the acid lake, the turtles now had to use their own sense of direction to get to the coast. They quickly caught up with a still-ranting Mikey - "Seriously, Dudes, I'm ready to swim back to New York!" - and continued to make their way downhill. However, Raph kept looking back. He humph every now and then as he walked, only to glance behind him occasionally.
Finally, he slowed his pace enough to where Don caught up with him. "So, Don-san, without an outlet, how can that lake not overflow? I mean, enough water's pourin' in from that waterfall to make up fer whateveh evaporates, right?"
Don was quiet for a moment, thinking, wondering the same thing, but he reasoned, "Might be an underground river that the lake drains into, or maybe - considering how dead everything seemed to be around there - the ground around it is porous enough to absorb the runoff." He shrugged, "other than that, Raph, I haven't a clue."
Raphael resumed his quiet march, again, as he, Don and Mike followed Leo through a small coppice of trees. After weaving their way in-between the close growth and emerging from the other side to a more opened pathway, Raph narrowed his expression a bit, "So, would it make sense to be a bit careful wit the next river or lake we come to? If that acid lake does have some sort of underground leak, what are the chances it won't affect other things?"
"Well, as we saw back there," Don explained, "if the next lake doesn't have anything growing in it, then we can safely assume the water isn't drinkable."
"Yeah, that works," and then Raph smiled and seemed a bit more confident. He relaxed again and his stride became more purposeful.
They soon found a small canyon cutting through the mountainside, yet it continued to lead down towards where they perceived to be the coast.
The brothers also discovered the going was not as steep as before or the jungle as dense, either. Still, the trees grew close enough at the top to obscure the cloud-covered sky and the little sunlight that managed to bleed through. Once more, they found themselves walking in shade. After a while, the turtles became hungry, where it had been several hours since they had breakfast. Happily, though, they found another grove of mango and banana trees growing quite readily along their path. Despite Raphael's grumbling regarding the diarrheic affects of the one particular fruit, they ate until they were full. Then, just in case they couldn't find anymore along the way, they packed a mango and a banana into their belt pouches.
Another half hour passed before they intersected with the second river. In fact, it surprised them so much, they cheered. It was like meeting an old friend, the way it caused the brothers' to smile. Fortunately, the river wasn't running fast at that point, allowing it to lap lazily along the bank. After Donnie smelled and then test-tasted the water, they took a moment to enjoy a good long drink. Once satisfied, the four ninja picked up the pace again. They followed the tributary through the small canyon and, after a while, they came upon another lake. It, too, appeared deplete of fish. But, unlike the one before it, though, it had a thick spread of waterweeds growing along the bottom. Don happily declared it healthy. They also discovered a similar waterfall, like what the other lakes had, that allowed the river to continue its course towards the ocean.
"Well, that pretty much settles it, guys," Don remarked as they continued past the lake, "That caiman wasn't from around here, which creates a problem." He seemed concerned, now, "I really thought that maybe we were close to Central America. Now I'm not so certain where 'here' is."
"Nice bein' on the same page with ya, Mr. Britannica." Raphael smirked, "Cuz yestaday, I was already wonderin' where 'here' was."
"Funny, Raph, but - seriously, I'm having trouble figuring out our location. We could be just about anywhere!"
"But, Donnie, you're supposed to know everything?" Mikey whined, adding just a little extra to his lament.
"Hey, Mike, you want cheese with that?" Raph glared at his youngest sibling, "Put a cork in it, 'kay? We're all confused about this, so Don's allowed."
Don rolled his eyes impatiently, "Mikey, I'm sorry about my comment at the acid lake, but it's not my fault we're here, okay?"
His brother grinned sheepishly, "I know, Donnie, I know, but - but I don't have anyone else to blame." Mike smiled wider, "S'kay, Don, I think if I hadn't been so freaked out back there, I might have laughed at yer joke." He then shrugged, "And I'm not mad atch'a anymore."
Don smiled and sighed, quite relieved, now that Mike had forgiven him. He gave his brother a one-arm hug and they seemed to be friends again.
Not long afterwards, they heard the sound of wind rushing up the draw. Its airy melody added to the ambiance of the ever-moving and melodic river. They wondered, though, if a storm was coming, and where there didn't seem to be a breeze, it puzzled them. It was rather odd, in fact, but they dismissed it for the time and continued their steady pace through the jungle.
After a while, Mike groaned, "Are we there, yet, cuz my feet are getting tired."
"Maybe we should rest for…" and it was then when Leo, leading the way, came to a break in the jungle. Just ahead of him, he saw another wide-open space, only this one was completely different, alien even, almost an exact opposite from what they had seen so far.
"WHOA!" three voices chorused behind him.
"Did we get zapped somewhere else and didn't know it?" Mike wondered softly, as he and his other two brothers followed Leo out into the open.
They all did little turns, gawking at the strange scenery around them. As they moved further way from the trees, almost immediately they noticed a change in the ground. In fact, it forced them to have to climb up and over a shallow rise.
"Volcanic rock!" Don declared as he scuffed his foot at the hard, black surface.
"Imagine that, who would'a guessed, eh?" Raph shook his head sarcastically.
Just the same, the landscape seemed made from the all-too familiar material they had observed so much of throughout their journey. The gray and black substance had replaced grass, trees, and brush with its hard, stony surface, spreading out and covering everything in its path. Under the mutant's feet, the rock was smooth and rope-like, though uneven and haphazard. Consequently, they had to be careful where they walked. As they studied the surrounding area, it was almost as if a lava flow had erupted from some point and poured over what might have been a valley, destroying everything in its path, before cooling to its hardened state. There were several dead trees, too, blackened and leafless, growing right up out of the basalt in weird, unnatural angles. A small cluster of birds currently gathered along the top of one of the dead trees, their twitting and singing ringing against the stone-covered meadow. Then, as if startled with the turtles' arrival, they took flight as one towards the jungle area.
Ignoring the birds, Don turned and glanced back towards the forest from which they had just emerged. He noticed the river had diverted around the hardened lava field, with the tributary moving away from them. It suddenly disappeared as it banked around a basaltic rise, blocking further viewing of the waterway. Donatello's interest, however, went to the opposite side of the tributary, his eyes following the contour of the field in front of the forest as it led up a mountainside. He then smiled.
Pointing to the towering, cone-shaped, deforested pinnacle beyond, and stretching a thousand or more feet above them, Don announced, "Well, it seems to me that we're on the other side of the volcano …which means…."
"BEACH!" Mikey yelled enthusiastically. He now leaped about in excitement, pumping the air with both fists, as a huge grin creased his mouth.
It was then the four turtles realized that the wind they had heard earlier was, in reality, the sound of surf. Big smiles now spread generously across each brothers' face. The more they listened, the more they recognized the sound of breakers coming from the far end of the rocky landscape. Unfortunately, piles of what was once a flowing but now solid mass of magma blocked their way, little black hills rising up and obscuring what they wanted to see most. Yet, they could not deny the familiar and comforting sound of crashing waves, the throaty roar bellowing up from beyond the bleak horizon. It was far too loud for it not to be close by and the salty smell of ocean only intensified each turtle's lust for sand.
"Last one there is…" Mike hollered gleefully as he took a running step towards the direction of the sound, only to have Leo pull him back
As he grabbed his youngest brother's arm, Leonardo warned, "Mike, stop, remember the pond? We don't know what's on the other side of this - this stuff."
Don's voice of reason added to Leo's, "And you might cut your feet, too. Although what we're standing on right now is smooth and all, it can change to something very sharp, Mikey, like glass."
For a long, pregnant moment, Michelangelo stared at the foreboding sea of black rock before him. His expression was as sober as it had been that morning, after they had dragged the dead caiman to ground. Then, he sighed before moaning, "I so hate this island!"
A while later and as they carefully climbed over the barren landscape, they found the surface less imposing than Don had first feared. He called the type of magma, pahoehoe, and then he launched into an explanation about the different types of lava rock.
"Is there anything that turtle doesn't know?" Raph grumped to himself, his voice low so as not to be overheard.
"No," Don casually replied.
"Oh yeah, well, tell me, Mr Know-it-all, where are we?"
Don pursed his mouth a bit and raised an irritated eye ridge. Ignoring his brother's mild jab, though, he went back to his dissertation, continuing to drone on and on about the nature of lava.
Despite Don's boring monologue, it failed to dampen any of his brothers' enthusiasm for the anticipated beach. As the four continued climbing their way over the blackened 'meadow', their mind on body surfing and maybe a little fishing, each step brought them closer and closer to the sound of crashing waves. It emboldened their expectations, too; until they reached the point where the edge of the field stopped - and where they discovered they were standing on yet another cliff.
Not far below them, maybe fifty feet or more, monstrous breakers crashed against an all too-familiar coastline. Unlike the first cliff they found the previous day, this one brought them closer to the waves, frustrating them. As they stood there and gaped, a fine mist of water billowed up and showered the quartet of turtles.
Nevertheless, like the first cliff, from where they stood they could see the same imposing and nearly impassable rock littering the coastline. All four brothers sighed, now, as they gazed dejectedly at a rough and dangerous sea.
"Well, guess I won't be swimming my way home after all." Mikey then slumped to the ground, hugging his knees forlornly, as he stared out across the water.
To make matters worse, the same fogbank encircling their location only added to their feeling of disappointment. In fact, what they were feeling was unlike anything they had ever felt before.
Defeat, total and incomprehensible defeat.
As it had been the day prior, no matter how far up the coast they stared, all they saw was a shoreline shooting straight up out of the ocean. Not one stretch of beach, no spit of land met their expectant eyes. All they could see was the formidable and inhospitable volcanic rock lining the base of the endless expanse of cliff. The island almost seemed to laugh at their bleak predicament.
"I was sure there would be a beach here."
"Hey, Don, don't worry about it."
"Leo, I have to worry, 'cause if we can't get down to the water…" Don's voice rose as he began to feel a surge of panic, realizing that without a beach, they wouldn't be able to build a boat and then…well, then they may never see New York again.
Or, Splinter, for that matter.
"Hey, brainiac, did'ya think that caiman got to all those lakes by climbing this cliff? I didn't see any wings on 'em, when we dressed him out. Think about that!"
Donnie stared at his brother in red for a moment, surprised that Raphael - of all people - would even make such an observation. He thought about the predator's path up the mountain, how it depleted each lake's supply of fish, as it made its way to the upper pond where they had first encountered it. He had been as certain then, as he was now, that the creature was not native to the island. Suddenly, Raph's words finally made sense. Don realized the reptile predator had to have found a way up from the ocean. A smile slowly formed as it creased his face, "You're right, Raphael, that gator had to have found a beach of some sort to get up here."
"Caiman," Mikey corrected and then he smiled at Donnie as his other two brothers chuckled.
"Yes, that's correct, Mike, caiman." Don playfully pushed at him. He then clapped an arm over his sibling's carapace in a friendly gesture and laughed, "And I'm sure there's a path somewhere around here that will lead down to the sea." He looked back towards the coastline and noticed that the large, black headland they had seen the day before was now directly to their right. In fact, at that point, it seemed to fill the horizon. "I think that's the same promontory we saw yesterday."
"So, we give up trying to find out if people live here?" Raph seemed unhappy with that thought. He knew that where there were humans, there might be transportation, such as a boat or a ship.
"I think this island is uninhabited." Don sighed, "The animals and birds aren't the least bit afraid of us. But, regardless, unless we can find that path the caiman used to get up here from the ocean, we can't make a boat, and then we'll be stuck."
"Maybe that cave in the lava tube can get us home again. Maybe it's a two-way interdimen…whatever the heck you called it." Mike looked behind him and towards the way they had come, "which would mean we'd have to walk all the way back up the mountain to get there."
"No, Mikey," Leo insisted, "we'll explore this area, first, while we're here at the coast, even if it means going all the way around the island, and then - if nothing turns up - we'll head back." The leader glanced to his left and suddenly pointed, smiling, "Look, a waterfall; must be from that second river we followed."
The fall flowed right over the edge of the cliff to the sea below, maybe a quarter of a mile away, spilling down the side of the rocky bluff like a long, silvery ribbon. Mesmerized by its beauty, the four brothers stood there for a while on the bluff in awe, watching it, and then they looked out across the sea, silent and contemplative. Seagulls rode the updrafts and sailed high overhead, screeching and carrying on noisily, and making each turtle wish for wings. Yet the fog surrounding the island seemed to be thickening and growing darker by the minute, which told Leo that a storm might be coming.
"We'll have to find shelter soon," he announced and his brothers nodded solemnly in agreement.
Then, as he glanced at the mountainous headland to his right, he brightened. "Look at the way the water moves around the farthest point of the cape, where the water is deeper. It's almost as if…"
"There's a cave." Don brightened, "That's IT, there has to be a cave!" Don insisted, "And a big one, too, considering the way the water is acting." He smiled wide, "I bet that caiman found his way up here from there!"
"Investigate?" Raph grinned.
Three voices loudly and eagerly replied, "Investigate!"
A short while later they reached the promontory. It was even bigger than what they first assumed it to be, wider, too, and not at all accessible.
"Well, what now?" Raph stood there, one hand resting on the hilt of his sai. "Can't climb that stuff, not without cuttin' our feet."
Leonardo gazed up at the imposing mound of rock and sighed, "Guess we keep looking. I'm certain we'll find a path of some sort."
They walked all around the inland edge of the rocky peninsula, trying to find some evidence of an entry point. Then, just when they thought they had checked every nook and cranny, they came around a pile of rocks they hadn't checked before and found the ground sloping downwards along one side and towards the ocean. It was then the mood among the four brothers lightened. The farther they walked along the natural path, the louder the waves became, as if they were approaching sea level.
However, instead of finding a path to what they hoped was a hidden beach, they found one that led into another lava tube, only this one did not have the smooth walls as the first tunnel. This one appeared made from the same sharp and abrasive rock as the headland, what Don had described earlier as 'a'a; a rougher, chunkier form of hardened lava. The tunnel was narrower than the other one, too, so they had to be careful with how they moved through the tube. Consequently, there were many moments when the edge of a carapace would scrape noisily against the rough texture of the wall. At times, the rock would bite into an arm, too, and then someone would yelp in surprise, or curse - as in the case of Raphael.
Nevertheless, they soon found themselves passing through a darker part of the tunnel. The further in they walked, the darker things became, and soon they had to employ their flashlights. It was only a few paces after they had switched them on, though, and then the tunnel cornered to the right. That was when they found the path ahead of them brighten up slightly, allowing them to switch their flashlights off. Then, not too many paces beyond that, the tunnel opened up into a monstrous cave.
As the other cave had been, this one seemed drenched with spotlights of whatever sun had managed its way through the clouds outside, piercing through holes in its ceiling. The only difference was, there seemed to be more 'chimney's' in this cave than what the first one had.
Just the same, it wasn't the cave or its size or even the amount of light that startled Leo initially, but what it contained. As his brothers followed from behind, Leonardo couldn't help but exclaim, his voice soft and wondrous, "Wow!"
Then, as Don, Raph, and Mikey came up alongside of him, curious as to why Leonardo was so surprised, their eyes went equally as wide, too - and before anyone could tell Mikey to be quiet, he blurted joyously, "COOL, TREASURE!"
To Crayazee Annoymous - Although we are somewhat restricted to commenting on reviews - and, sadly, I'm going to have to make this the last one, lest I tempt the powers-that-be at F.F. and end up having my story pulled - I want to thank you for your amusing comments. Yeah, I think I missed an opportunity for a Mikey-Moment with the locals. LOL I loved your take on it, too. Very funny stuff, there. Thank you, too, for your thoughts and prayers re: my son.
Any further comments to you re: any review you leave in your wake I'll post on Stealth Stories. I think you know where that's at. If not, check out Mickis' fan fic page where she has the link to it.
Once again, thank you:0)