"What is she doing here!?"

Raph stood with Mikey at the base of the stairs that lead out of their lair while they watched their older brother walk into the room with December tight in his arms. He ignored Raph's question as he headed straight towards Donnie's laboratory. He could see sparks flying from where the purple-banded turtle was probably welding something together.

Seeing the sparks and hearing the awful noise as they approached made December growl. She immediately transformed into her dog form and began squirming around to break free. A whimper escaped her lips when she realized it was impossible for her to leave.

"Leo, what is she doing here?" Raph called from behind him, this time calmer.

"Donnie!" Leo yelled. His cry couldn't surpass the sound the welder was making, so Leo walked over to him and lightly tapped him with his foot.

Donnie yelled in surprise, dropping his welding tool and falling onto his bottom. He looked down to see his brother's feet and sighed. He began collecting the welder he had dropped. "Mikey, I already told you, I'm not going to read… you…" he paused when he glanced up to see December glaring down at him, her light jade eyes peering curiously at herself in the reflection of his welding mask. When he removed it to reveal himself, she yelped and pulled back into Leo's arms.

"What is she doing here, Leo?" Donnie questioned.

"Yeah, Leo, what is she doing here?" Raph added as he joined his older brother's side.

"She's hurt and needs treatment. Look." Leo nodded downward and his brothers' gazes followed his gesture to the large gap in December's leg. It was still exerting blood at a fast pace.

"How much blood has she lost?" Donnie asked while he threw his welder and mask down to the ground and rushed towards the sink. There he washed his hands and began fumbling through the cabinet above it for his med-kit.

"A lot I guess," December voiced. "More than I probably should."

"I'm surprised you haven't fainted yet," Donnie commented. He found his kit and began rummaging through it. The turtle withdrew some cotton balls and alcohol.

Raph's eyes were narrowed. He stepped in front of his brother to block his path towards the injured being. He moved his face towards hers to where it was only inches away from her muzzle. His dark green eyes burned into her lime green ones. "How'd you get that wound?" he demanded, voice hinted with curiosity and bits of agitation.

Her own eyes narrowed. "How'd you get yours?" she asked.

"That's none of your concern."

"Well, I guess how I got mine is none of yours, either."

"But it is mine," Donnie growled, shouldering passed his infuriated brother. "So, how did you get it?"

She didn't remove her hate-filled gaze from Raph when she spoke. "I stabbed myself last night."

"On what?" Raph pressed.

"On this brown, rusted, metal thing sticking out of a building."

"You mean a pipe?" Mikey spoke for the first time since they had gathered.

"What's a pipe?" she questioned, glancing behind her towards him.

"You know… a pipe?" Donnie questioned while he began searching in his kit for something else. When December didn't answer, he glanced up to see she was glaring at him with her head titled to the side, ears pushed forward, and the most bewildered look on her face. "A hollowed-out cylinder that can either be made from metal or plastic to hold liquids and in some cases gases, transporting them to and from locations?"

She remained in her confused state of mind until Donnie waved a hand at her. "Never mind, it's not important. Here," he began, withdrawing a syringe filled with a translucent, white liquid. "This is to make sure you don't get lock-jaw from the rust on that pipe. I'm not sure if dogs can get lock-jaw, but it doesn't hurt to be too careful."

December scowled at the word dog. "I'm not a dog. I'm a wolf."

"Oh really? Because you sure don't look like one," Raph stated. "In fact, I don't even think that hole is big enough to be pipe stab wound."

A low, thunderous growl began to arise from December's throat as the hairs on her hackles rose. "You calling me a liar, turtle?" Slowly, she rose to her feet, her nails slipping against the table's smooth top for a moment before she caught herself. Her lips were pealing back now to reveal her fangs.

Leo saw that a fight could erupt between the two and so he stepped in to stop it. "Raph, can I talk to you for a second?" he asked, nodding towards the other side of the room.

Raph sighed and walked with his brother away from the other three. Once on the other side, Leo veered his body around to face him. "Raph, what is your problem?" His voice was in a whisper as to not alert the others.

"My problem? I'll tell you what my problem is. Her wound is in the same position of the injury I gave that thing last night!"

"So?"

"So?! Leo, there's no way that stab wound could be a pipe's. She's lying to us! I think she's the one who attacked us last night and is now covering it up with this phony story! I mean, after all, you found your katana, didn't you?"

"No, December found my katana. She said she found it beside her when she woke up this morning."

"Oh, so it was just conveniently lying right next to her? Leo, are you even listening to yourself?"

"Are you even listening to yourself? You have no proof that she was that… that THING last night. And besides, she didn't have your Sai on her."

"No, of course she didn't. She didn't have it because it has her blood covering it. She probably disposed of it and then made up this story so she could be brought back her to kill us!"

Leo narrowed his gaze. "Raph, she didn't do this to us. She wouldn't hurt anyone. She's a good person."

"Person?" Raph asked as his face fell back into this clever grin. "I thought she called herself a wolf."

Leo only glared in anger at his brother. He then shoved passed him, walking back over to check in on Donnie's attempt at fixing the damage.

"Well, Donnie?"

Donnie straightened himself and with his hands, motioned for Leo to observe his handy work. He glanced down to see December's leg completely wrapped up in bandages. She was staring up at him with an expressionless stare. When Raph came to Leo's side, her face fell into hostility.

"Happy now? I'm all bandaged up. Now, can I go?" she demanded in a malicious tone of voice.

Leo was taken aback by her hostility. He had wanted to help her; why was she so angry? Donnie shuffled around from behind him.

He voiced, "Oh, no. You aren't going anywhere."

"She's not?" Raph, Mikey, and Leo questioned, Raph's face filled with frustration, Mikey's face filled with excitement, and Leo's expression having an unknown look in it.

"I'm not?" December looked up at the stern-faced turtle with a glimpse of shock. It faded into anger. "You can't just keep me here!"

"Yeah, we can't just keep her here!" Raph yelled as he ran around to the other end of the table. "She'll see all of our stuff!"

"No, she's not going anywhere. The injury she suffered is serious and she's lost a ton of blood. Her body's going to have to replenish it. Now, I can't do blood transfusions because I wouldn't know where to begin to find the right match for hers or whether to use animal's or human's, but, however, I can provide the medical care she needs to replenish it on her own. I'll just have to use a sample of her blood and run a few tests, but I should be able to make a chemical to speed up the blood producing process for a short amount of time. Also, because of the injury she suffered, she's going to need her bandages changed periodically. None of this can be done with her away from the lair. And, to add to it, she has to remain perfectly still for the rest of the day to allow her body to form a scab that will be stout enough to stop the bleeding. So, because of all of this, she can't leave the lair!"

"You said you're giving her a chemical? Kinda like the one you gave me?" Raph asked curiously.

"Sort of, only it's going to be a little more difficult to get the things for her. If she really is a wolf, I'll have to get different chemicals to add to it to stimulate her blood. Plus, we suffer from a mutation, she doesn't."

Raph saw from the corner of his eye December bite her lip nervously and he frowned. His eyes narrowed. Before he could say anything, Mikey pushed passed him.

"Alright!" Mikey shouted as he threw his hands into the air excitedly. "We get to have a dog!"

He made an attempt to hug December, but she let out a threatening growl and stated, "You touch me and I'll rip your throat from your neck."

Mikey stopped and merely ruffled her fur atop her head. "Ahe, nice doggy."

"Leo, I need you to move her over to the couch, please," Donnie instructed. Leo nodded his head and scooped December up into his arms again. He then transferred her over to their couch where she lay slumped over, disgusted that she would be stuck with the turtles. Mikey rushed passed him towards his room.

"Great, as if it wasn't bad enough I had this bummed arm, we gotta have this dog getting its fur all over the sofa!" Raph exclaimed. He threw his unharmed arm up into the air as he shouted this.

December glanced over at him. "Lemme get this straight," she started. "You're complaining about my fur getting on your couch, yet you live underground in this damp, smelly, and run-down cavern located under the vilest of cities I've ever been in? Am I getting this right?"

"Yeah, you are," he said while shaking his head slightly.

"Okay, just makin' sure."

"This is gonna be so sweet!" Mikey enthused, returning from his trip to his room. In his arms were a stack of comic books. He sat them down on the table; December could only glare in wonderment at why he was keeping all that paper.

"I can finally read my comics to someone!"

"Comics?" December questioned, gazing up at Mikey with curious eyes. "What are comics?"

Mikey's mouth dropped. "You've never heard of comics before?" When December shook her head, he fell to his knees, gripping one of the comic books he had grabbed off the top in his hands tightly. "What is the world coming to!? A person who doesn't know what a comic is!? Blasphemy!"

"Do you even know what 'blasphemy' means, Mikey?" Donnie called from his lab.

"No, but it's fun to say. Okay, December, prepare for your mind to be ba-lone." The orange-banded turtle plopped down at her side and opened his comic to the first page. "Okay, first off, a comic is like a story, but with pictures and stuff."

"Pictures?"

"Yeah, you know…" He held up the first page to show December the first panel. "Those guys in that panel? Someone drew that. That's a picture."

"People… draw pictures… to tell stories?"

"Yeah, well, some people do. Some write stores, which are incredibly boring." He leaned in and whispered, "But don't say that around Donatello because he will get really angry."

"Get angry about what?" Donnie asked as he poked his head in between the two.

"Uh, nothin'. We were just… discussing comic books, Donnie."

Donnie left and Mikey blew a sigh of relief. "Okay, now, I want you to know that this comic is completely false."

"A story that is false? Isn't that lying?" she asked, tilting her head to the side and pushing her ears forward.

"N-no, they aren't really saying it's true, so it's not lying. It's just a story."

"So… it's like a legend."

"No, it's a story."

"A myth."

"No, it's not based on anything. It's a story. You know… like the Three Little Pigs and the Big, Bad Wolf?"

"Big, bad wolf? You mean there are stories you people tell involving wolves as being… bad?"

"Yeah, like in the Three Little Pigs. 'Little pig, little pig, let me in!' 'Not by the hairs on my chinny-chin-chin!' 'Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll ba-low- your house down!'" Mikey proceeded inhale a deep breath and then blow it out his mouth. He then began laughing, his hands on his stomach and his feet in the air kicking.

December scowled at him. "Wolves do not blow air on people's houses!" she exclaimed. "They do not knock people's houses over! We do nothing, yet you people tell lies!"

"December, it's… just a story," Mikey stated as his eyes darted from side to side. "It's not meant to be taken literally."

"No, of course not. It isn't meant to be taken literal at all. Just all fun and games. Well, how would you like it if I drew or wrote a story about turtles going around and blowing human's houses down? Hmm?"

"I'd probably laugh at the image of a turtle blowing a house down," Mikey admitted, giggling.

December held an angry look, but when she started to imagine a turtle toppling over a human-built building with only it's breath, she began laughing as well. "Yes… it… is kinda humorous. Haha. And hey, the idea of a wolf doing it is pretty funny, too!"

"Yeah! It's funny because wolves can't really do that. You're just like, 'A wolf? Blowing down a house!? What kind of weirdo would write a story about that?'"

Mikey and December blurted out in laughter, filling the entire room with the noise. It was so loud that Splinter was alerted to it. He came out of his room and stormed into the den to find his son and a strange black dog on the couch in tears from laughing so hard.

"Michelangelo, who are you laughing with?!"

They ceased their laughter. Their heads shot into the direction of Splinter to see him standing in the doorway to the turtles' training room. Raph, who had been feeding Spike in the corner, spoke up.

"It's Leo's new pet."

"Leonardo's new… pet?"

"She's not my pet!" Leo yelled from atop the staircase. He jumped down and landed in front of his mentor. "She's the girl I told you about, sensei. This is December."

December bowed her head the best she could from her spot on the couch. "It is an honor to meet you, sir."

"What is she doing here, Leonardo?"

"She was injured badly, so I brought her back here."

"You mean you left the lair before nightfall?" Splinter questioned, head raised to where his nose stuck in the air.

"Hai, sensei. I went to retrieve my lost katana and Raph's Sai. I only found my weapon, though." He awaited Splinter to punish him. Raph was also waiting. He was giddy with excitement, hoping Splinter would force Leo to take her back above ground and as far away from him as possible.

Instead, Splinter placed a hand on Leo's shoulder. "Leonardo, while I understand that compassion is an important part of being a ninja, there is a difference between compassion… and stupidity."

Leo's gaze fell to the floor. "I understand, sensei."

"But, you cannot undo what is done. Let us hope your sense of judgment is correct."

"Thank you, sensei. I know you won't be disappointed."

December only stared in confusion. Sense of judgment? What did they mean? She glanced over at Mikey who staring back at her with a look of unknowing. "Do you feel like you're missing something?"

"All the time."

Splinter left the room to head back to his meditation. Leo glanced over at December and smiled warmly. She didn't return it. Instead, she settled back down beside Mikey who was getting ready to read his comic to her.

Leo sighed sadly and began trudging back up to his room.

• • •

"What is a television?"

December was staring at the odd black box placed in front of her. It had just flickered on, casting a light on her. On the screen, she could see humans scurrying around inside. It shocked her. She barked at it while trying to scoot away, afraid.

"They're trapped inside!" she shouted. Leo, who had turned on the television, only smiled up from where he sat on the floor, back propped up on the couch.

"No, no. They aren't trapped. It's all recorded."

"Re-recorded?"

"Yes. They use this machine called a camera to film—or record—people. They act out whatever it is they're doing. Sometimes, they record animals out in the wild." He flipped the channel over to a nature documentary to show a cheetah dashing across the screen in slow-motion

"I-I'm not sure how I feel about them recording unknowing animals. If humans see how we behave, they might get ideas on how to track us and kill us."

"Nah. Most people, who watch nature documentaries like this, want to learn about animals, not hunt them. It's just for educational purposes." He flipped the channel again over to his favorite television series, Space Heroes. The theme song was playing.

"This is a cartoon. It's drawn out, like the comics, but the characters are given voices by people, and it's all put on film and displayed for people to watch."

December observed carefully as the theme song ended and the show started. She watched as the captain and his crew went on a mission. Leo was so absorbed into it that he didn't notice Raph moving over to where they were.

"You're seriously going to subject her to this show? Leo, I thought you liked her."

"Shh!" Leo hissed, putting a finger over his mouth. "This is my favorite part."

"Captain!" a man on the screen shouted. "It seems the evil alien race is going to fire a laser canon at the moon!"

"Not if we can help it. Suit up those two people I can't ever remember the names of. They're going to stop it."

"Rodriguez… and you, the other guy, gear up. You're going out!"

The two men suited up and floated out into space where they were zapped by the canon. The captain turned towards the camera and smiled. "All in a day's work."

It was then the screen faded to a black and some white writing started scrolling up the screen slowly. December glanced down at Leo. "What is this?"

"Oh, these are the credits. It shows who helped make the show."

"Which means it's over… finally…" Raph growled.

"So, what did you think, December?" Leo asked, looking up at her.

"Oh, it was rather… interesting…" she replied, head tilting to her right side.

"Bad, wasn't it?" Raph questioned.

"No, it wasn't bad. I just… didn't quite comprehend most of it is all. All of this… technology-oriented talk… I'm just unfamiliar with it."

"Well, I have a DVD with the first season on it if you'd care to watch it," Leo suggested, pointing with his thumb towards his room upstairs.

"DVD?"

"It's a disk that holds television shows and movies on it so you can put it into a machine that shows you the episodes and movies on your television. It's like watching TV, but you can control what you watch when you watch DVDs."

December only stared blankly at him. Leo rose to his feet. "I'll just show you. I'll be right back."

He raced off towards his room, climbing up the stairs and dashing down the hall. Once inside, he began fumbling through one of his drawers against his wall, searching for the disk he had spoken off. Raph, who had been following behind him the whole time, propped himself up against the door frame.

"Can't find it?" he questioned as he watched his brother look underneath his bed in search of the disk.

"No, I can't. Have you seen it?"

"Ya know, she's kinda like Mikey in a way… only a lot… denser."

Leo stiffened himself and faced Raph, glowering. "She's not dense. She's a wolf, remember? So of course she wouldn't know anything about technology or what humans do."

"Yet she has a human form. Leo, are you really buying this act of hers?"

"You think she's pretending?! Up, found it." He located the DVD on a shelf just above his bed. He walked towards the door when Raph blocked his path.

"Yes, I do. No one is this stupid. And no wolf looks like what she does. She isn't telling us something, and I want to know what it is."

"We gotta earn her trust, Raph. If you'd actually give her a chance, she might tell you something."

With that, he ran back towards the couch with the DVD tight in his hands. Once there, he demonstrated how the DVD works, showing December that he inserted it into a grey device that was connected to the television set. Once inserted, he switched the channel with the remote to the right one, the one where it said "DVD" in white letters on a blue screen. From there, he hit the play button on the DVD player, and it took him to a screen that had several options. He hit play and the DVD began playing.

December never missed a word and would reiterate everything he was saying back to him. She comprehended everything. Leo sat back down in a spot close to her and they began watching the very first episode of Space Heroes together.

It didn't take her long to comprehend just what was happening. While Leo would get frustrated when his brothers interrupted him while he was watching the series, he never got angry when December would speak up and ask a question or to comment about what was happening. Instead, he would pause the show and answer her question or discuss her comment with her. By the end of the first season, December had a full understanding of what the show was about.

When it finally ended, Leo removed the DVD and placed it back in his case. He then sat down to where he was looking at December, legs crossed. "Well? What do you think of the series now?"

"It's really good, actually," she answered, sitting up slightly. "I'm just… not a huge fan of the Captain."

"Not a huge fan of the Captain!" Leo exclaimed. His mouth gaped open in surprise. "How could you not like him!? He's the perfect leader!"

"I… wouldn't really consider him the… perfect leader," she said as she placed her head on her paws. "The leader my pack had was far better."

"Your… pack's leader?"

December raised her head back up and nodded. "Wolves live in packs, you know, and each pack as an Alpha, a Beta, runners, attackers, trackers, and an Omega. One of the leaders my pack was blessed with was amazing at what he did."

"Oh really?" Leo asked. "How was he amazing?"

"He didn't really define rank. Ranks weren't a huge thing to him. We were all equal in his eyes, even the Omega, which is the weakest wolf in the whole pack. He was fair and understood that not ever wolf is given the same talents. Some were better fighters; some were better runners. He just saw them as… wolves. That man… the Captain… he does not see his men as men. He sees them based on how much they have to offer to the pack, which is why he kept sacrificing those two guys, Rodriguez and… that other guy. He didn't see them as important."

"But every leader has to make sacrifices. You can't expect a commander to go to war and come back with all of his men," Leo argued.

"No, you can't, but if a commander is a good commander, he will do everything in his power to keep those men alive, just like if an Alpha is a good Alpha, he will do everything he can to help his pack survive. And that is just exactly what my leader did." December glared deep into Leo's eyes. "

"You guys have some sort of culture?"

December nodded. "You two-legs look down upon us animals like we are lowly creatures. We may not comprehend technology nor do we desire to understand the unknown, but we are intelligent." She rested her head back on her paws.

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you leave your pack?" Leo questioned.

"I didn't… they were killed by this… monster. Slaughtered like animals." She sighed through her nose, shifting her gaze from the wall back to Leo.

"Oh… I-I'm awfully sorry," he apologized quickly.

"Why apologize for something you cannot help? Apologies do no one good in a situation such as this. You are not comforting me, and you are not making amends for something you have done," she stated abruptly, making Leo only stare in disbelief. "That and apologies don't bring back the dead. And besides, the leader I spoke of was long gone by the time my pack died."

"That's… that's a shame."

"It's getting awfully late," December commented, closing her eyes. "You should rest."

"Oh, right. I guess I'll see you in the morning then, huh, December?"

"Yes. Goodnight, Leonardo. May your dreams be filled with fresh game and tall forests."

"Goodnight, December. Sweet dreams."