"It was really nice of you to let me borrow your room, Donnie."

April was moving in with the turtles temporarily until both the Shredder and the Kraang could be stopped. It had taken her a while to come up with an excuse for her absence to tell her aunt and school both – at least a week. After finally divulging one, she was able to move in, and Donnie was the first to insist that she use his room.

"Awh, it's nothing!" Donnie insisted, a huge grin on his face as he carried a cardboard box of her belongings down the hall towards his room.

He set the box down on the ground and opened the door for April, revealing a rather messy room. Papers covered in several mathematical formulas hung over a desk he had shoved against the wall. Another table was completely covered in a chemistry set that had collected dust from its lack of use. More papers were on the floor and hanging over his bed. His bed's blankets were matted into a huge ball. The dresser that had been set off to the side had three large stacks of unorganized notebooks brimming with papers messily pushed inside.

At first glance of the mess, April nearly dropped the cardboard box she had been carrying as well. Her face filled with mortified terror that she would have to stay in this room. She took a few steps forward, realizing just how much work this room needed.

Donnie noticed this and he ran to her side. "Y-you don't have to worry about the mess, April!" he said quickly, stepping in front of her and waving his heads, a reassuring smile on his face. "I promise you, I'll clean it up! No worries!"

April's eyes darted around the room, eventually landing on something that was lying in the corner of the dresser, almost as if hiding away from the two. Upon a layer of pillows lay a white dog with a black collar dotted with white metal pieces. Its eyes were shut tight and body curled into a ball. She glared at it for a moment, trembling slightly.

"Is that…"

"Oh, that's December," Donnie stated, walking over to the white dog. "She's going to be sharing this room with you for a while."

"December's… a dog… that's sharing a room with me."

"April, I can assure you, I won't take up much room. I don't own material objects. All I need this small, insignificant corner to rest in." December's eyes fluttered open to reveal two deep green irises focusing in on here.

"Raph was getting a little edgy about how she was sleeping on the couch and getting hair all over it. So, we moved her to my room since I barely ever use it. Heh." He rubbed the back of his head while smiling widely.

April raised an eyebrow over her left eye. "Can you go get the rest of my stuff? I'm gonna start unpacking. Er… at least try and find a place to put the stuff I unpack." She glanced around the room with a look of hopelessness on her face.

Donnie sped out the door and down the hallway, calling over his shoulder, "Don't you worry, April! I'll fix the room up, I promise!"

She sighed while shaking her head, a small smile forming on her face. Her green eyes traversed over to December. She was still curled in a ball, head on her paws and eye shut tight.

"You know that turtle cares deeply for you," she stated, one of her eyes popping open and staring up at April casually.

"Yeah, maybe just a bit too much," April admitted. She opened up a box to reveal some of her hair products.

The smell made December's nose tingle, and she couldn't help but sneeze. "Do you not return the emotion?"

"Actually, I'm not really sure," April confided, rubbing the upper part of her right arm slightly and glancing off to the side in a frown.

"He means a lot to me. I mean, he saved my life and he's working to save my dad, but I just don't know if… I feel the same."

December sat up on her haunches and scratched herself behind the ear, collar jingling slightly. Once finished, she shook herself. "That's understandable I suppose. You both are very different in many ways."

"You mean… he's a turtle and I'm a human."

December nodded her head. She settled back down on her pillows and snorted lightly. "That's exactly what I mean. Different species. Subconsciously you know that he could never provide the life you desire because you are both different."

April stared down at her as her stomach bubbled with a conflicted feeling. In a way, she understood what December was saying, but in another, she didn't. She didn't see Donnie as "just a turtle," but as more. Perhaps not the way he viewed her, that part she was uncertain of, but the way she viewed a human.

"Are you saying you couldn't care for someone who wasn't a dog?" April questioned.

"I don't think I could ever care for someone who wasn't a wolf in a way that two mates care for one another, no," December admitted. "We are two different species and thus would not benefit from one another."

"You mean you couldn't reproduce."

December chuckled to herself. "Even if that's what I meant, it wouldn't matter. I can't bear children."

April gasped, covering her mouth. "That's terrible!" she exclaimed, kneeling down to December's side in an attempt to comfort her.

She merely pushed herself against a wall, growling lightly. "Save your pity. I most certainly do not need it. It will not fix the damage that has been done already."

"O-oh…" She stood back up, and December settled back down on her pillows. "Then, what is it that you mean?"

Before she could answer April's question, Donnie returned with a duffle bag hanging around his shoulder and a cardboard box in his hand. He stumbled into the doorway, nearly falling to his stomach; April, however, caught him in time and settled him back on his feet. He gave her a huge grin.

"I was just… um… saving us a trip."

"And you almost broke my belongings," she scolded, snatching the box from him.

Donnie threw the duffle bag's shoulder strap back over his head and set it down on the floor. He then parted to allow April to unpack her things, hoping December would lend her a hand at least. Once he had left the room, she opened the box and pushed some of the Styrofoam popcorn out of the way to reveal a photo inside a frame.

December noticed how her gaze softened upon seeing whatever was inside the box. She stood up and strolled over to where April was kneeling. In her hands was a photo of a man and April. The man's hand was on her shoulder, her arms wrapped around his waist. December was not familiar with how humans aged, but she could figure he was much older. Judging by the way April held him and the vibe their faces gave off, she could tell it was possibly a family member of hers.

"Your father?" she asked, making April jump slightly. April glanced over to see December there sitting on her haunches.

She nodded. "Yeah. This was taken a few years back. Dad… didn't really like taking photos. Said he wasn't photogenic."

"Where is your father?"

"I-I don't know," April admitted. "He was… taken by the Kraang when they grabbed me. We tried rescuing him, but… we weren't successful."

"Why did they take him, these… what did you say they were called?"

"Kraang. And they took him because he was with me at the time."

"So, they are after you?" December asked, her head turning slightly to the side and ears pushing forward.

April nodded again, standing up and walking over to the desk Donnie's unused chemistry set lay on. She sat down the picture and stepped back a bit. "Yeah. They were after me."

April felt a hand fall onto her shoulder. She glanced up to see a young girl with long black and purple hair and light green eyes staring at her – the girl from the other day. "You cannot blame yourself for what happened. It isn't your fault they have him," she said sympathetically.

"Easier said than done, December," April admitted quietly.

"C'mon. I'll help you unpack."

April nodded her head and smiled. She and December spent the rest of the morning unpacking her things. Despite her leg injury, she was able to lift heavier things for April. With both of them working to restore the room, they had it cleaned up and fit to live in within less than a few hours' time.

Around lunch, the two emerged and walked into the den to see Mikey and Raph facing one another on an arcade game and Leo off to the side practicing his sword technique a bit. He slashed away at the air, and December could only stare at how focused he was. It seemed as if he were fighting an invisible foe of some sort. And his movements, in a way, reminded her of a graceful creature. Staring was all she was capable of doing.

Leo did a backwards slash in December's direction. His eyes drifted up to see her staring and a smile spread across his face. He proceeded to do some of his finest moves. He jabbed at the air with one katana while slashing away at the other side. He performed a backward flip as if jumping over someone, and finished it off with a double slash while leaping back. He then sheathed his katanas and placed a hand on his hip, looking over at her with a cocky grin.

She knew that he was trying to impress her. It wasn't exactly that hard to figure out. By now, Mikey and Raph had stopped their game to stare at her and await her response. They probably figured she was astounded by such a feat, and in truth, it was rather spectacular to see. However, she wasn't about to show it. She merely gave him a half grin.

"Cute," she muttered and then made her way into the kitchen.

Over her shoulder, she could hear Mikey laughing. "Dude, I don't think she was impressed at all!" she heard him call to her brother loudly.

"I wasn't trying to impress her!" Leo shouted back. "I was just… practicing some moves for when we encounter Shredder again!"

She entered the kitchen to find Donnie inside on his computer. April was over by the fridge removing food to prepare.

He glanced up to see her standing in the doorway and motioned for her to take a seat at their table. "Pull up a chair. April's just fixing lunch."

"Hey, that's my job!"

Before December could react, Michelangelo shoved his way passed her in an attempt to stop April from taking his place as head chef. She watched him try and grab the spatula away from her while she walked over and sat down in front of Donnie. She couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hey, December."

"Yes, Donatello?"

"You said that you came from a pack, right? And from what Leo said, it was pretty big."

"It was decent-sized, yes," she admitted. "Why do you ask this?"

"Well, according to my research, wild wolves don't normally take on huge packs. They consist of the mother, the father, and family. The only time they take on huge packs is when humans transport them into an area away from family."

She felt a knot form inside her stomach. "That cannot be so. We were not transported anywhere. And the leader had told us that we had been in such an area for years. Our territory was passed down from generation to generation."

"Well, I did some researching, and it turns out that you might have come from a national park maybe. I thought Yellowstone since their wolves are pretty famous, but I remember you said you came from north of here."

"So, you are saying… our land was given to us by humans… so we could survive?" She let out a ragged breath, head spinning. She rested it on a hand as she stared over at Donnie.

"Well, I'm not certain. It's always been said that wolves live in huge packs, but recently they discovered that huge packs only take part in zoos or national parks, where wolves have been reintroduced into a new location. I mean, you can read about it here."

He pushed the laptop over towards her. December spun it around to strange markings upon a white background. Over to the side, she could see a group of wolves howling. Her hand touched the photo slightly, wondering just how it was that they were photographed so close. She attempted to understand the markings that were on this webpage, but she couldn't figure out what they meant.

"I… I don't understand. What is all of these markings? They're all over the page. What do they mean? What purpose do they serve?"

Donnie peered over to see what she as pointing at. After viewing it, he looked up at her with wide eyes. "You can't read, can you?"

"Read? I… I don't comprehend."

"That's how humans share and save information. We write it down so other people can read it. Now, there are several different types of languages, but if you would like, I can teach you how to read. I just… figured you knew how to read because you can speak our language."

"Speaking of that, how is it that you can do that? Even when you're a dog?"

December glanced over her shoulder to see Raph and Leo entering the room. Raph sat over beside Donnie and Leo sat next to her, facing him. She bit her lip, her insides turning. "I-I do not know. I was not born with this human form, if you can believe that. After all, you have trouble believing anything I say."

"So what, you just woke up one day and had the ability to understand and communicate with humans? Donnie, Leo, you can't buy this, can you?"

"I never said that I just… woke up, but it was… similar to that. I don't really feel comfortable discussing it with you… or anyone." Her eyes traversed to Leo, knowing he would try and discuss it with her later.

"We'll let it drop, right Raph?"

Raph only crossed his arm over his chest and grunted. She sighed, looking back over at Donnie. "I would like to learn how to read so I can read this writing a human wrote about wolves. I want to see how accurate they got it. After all, humans cannot possibly understand how wolves work."

"You'd be surprised," Donnie laughed. "And who knows? You might learn a thing or to."

She only growled at his statement. No one knew wolves better than a wolf, especially not humans. She then leaned back in her chair, glancing over at Leo. A smug smile formed on her face when she saw him glancing over at her.

"So… what was with all those fancy moves earlier? You always do that when you practice?"

He tensed slightly, face reddening a bit. "Uh, y-yeah. I like… practicing all of my moves, ya' know? Gotta keep myself in shape and ready for anything!"

He rubbed the back of his head and December's smile widened involuntarily. "Oh? Well, maybe after lunch, you could show me some more of them. That is, if you aren't busy."

"After lunch, we're training," Raph grunted. "We always train in the afternoon after lunch. So sorry."

"Well, she could come and watch," Leo suggested.

Raph glared over at him viciously, but he didn't notice. His attention was on December.

She smiled. "Indeed I shall."

"Maybe you could even train with us!" Everyone's head turned over towards Mikey to see him stirring a few things in a bowl. April was behind him heating a pan on the stove.

"No!" Raph shouted. "She can't train with us! She doesn't even know how to use ninjitsu! How is she supposed to train if she doesn't even know how!? And besides, she's injured!"

"That doesn't mean she can't attend," Leo growled, standing up. "You attend the training even with your arm."

"Yeah, because I gotta. She doesn't have to. She doesn't know ninjitsu, so she doesn't have to train."

"Doesn't mean she has to sit and wait outside the training room."

"Yeah, it does. Leo, we don't know she's not some sort of villain! She'll see all of our moves!"

"Yes, because spirits forbid me to see all of your ninjitsu moves. In fact, spirits forbid me to even be in the same room as you guys. I could be a villain, so I better not eat from the same table as you. Better not watch you guys play video games or else I might steal your game and use it against you." She pushed herself up from the table and stormed out into the living room. There, she flopped down onto the couch and sat with her arms folded across her chest, mumbling to herself.

She felt something shift beside her on the couch. Half-expecting it to be Leo, she turned her head only to find Splinter sitting next to her, making her mouth drop slightly. "December, is there something wrong?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's Raphael," she admitted with a sigh. "Splinter, sir, I don't understand. No matter what it is I do, it's never good enough for him. I would never hurt any of your sons, but Raphael makes me want to…" She clutched her fists tightly.

Splinter placed a hand on her shoulder. "Raphael is not one for trusting strangers. And perhaps you have not been completely honest with everyone, giving him suspicions."

"But, sir, if I may, I don't trust anyone enough to reveal everything about me. And it isn't their concern. They took me in to heal me. In a few more moons, I'll be out of here. Gone from their lives. Why do they care so much about me?!"

"You mean something to them. Do you not think you are worth caring about?"

Her gaze drifted to the side. "No, not really," she sighed.

"Between you and me, Splinter, I'm not the greatest person alive. You talk about honor. You teach your sons and April to fight nobly and to show honor in combat, and while we wolves believe the same, I… I can't fight with honor. Not anymore."

Splinter only chuckled, making December look up at him with confusion. "December, you have already proven yourself an honorable person."

"How?"

"By not attacking Raphael while he's injured even despite his treatment for you. A warrior without honor would have attacked him already because of his shaming, but you resist the urge to. You do not wish harm on him because he is injured."

"It's not just that. I gave Leonardo my word that I wouldn't harm any of his brothers. Not while I'm capable of my actions."

"And that is what gives you honor."

"December!" Mikey called from the kitchen. "C'mon! Lunch is served!"

Splinter looked over at her. "It seems Michelangelo has you something to eat."

"Are you not going to eat?" she asked.

"I am. I just usually wait until my sons have grabbed their meal first," Splinter explained.

"That's… not a bad idea," December admitted with a chuckle. She then smiled at Splinter. "Thank you, Splinter. For listening to me."

"You are most welcome, December."

December raced into the kitchen to see what they had cooked. She entered with a huge smile on her face only for it to fade into an expression of shock and disbelief. Raphael was placing her plate in the corner of the room on the floor. In fact, her plate wasn't even a plate at all. It didn't hold the contents of what the others were eating. While they had sandwiches with some sort of concoction Mikey mixed up, December's bowl was filled with what looked like meat. Ripened meat. Meat far passed its prime.

Raph turned to see her standing there in shock and a smile spread on his face. "December, you keep telling us how you're a wolf. Well, wolves don't eat at the table with us. They have to eat in the corner of the room… out of a bowl."

"That's how a dog eats," Mikey commented.

"Raph, this isn't fair," Leo growled. His gaze turned to December. "December, you can eat with us. You don't have to eat what he's given you or on the floor."

"Yeah, Raph's just being a jerk," April agreed, flashing the turtle an evil stare.

December only swallowed the bile that lingered deep inside her throat. She knew that if she didn't eat out of the bowl, Raph would only call her a liar and claim she isn't a true wolf, and she had too much pride to succumb to that. While wolves did often wait until the carcasses of their prey had rotted a bit before eating, she had no idea what processed beef tasted like when it had passed its expiration date.

She transformed into her wolf self and walked over towards the bowl. She sniffed it. The beef had no smell, so she took it as a good sign. Slowly, she leaned her head down and licked the meat, tasting it. To her surprise, it wasn't half bad. Some of the preservatives had faded away, and it had a half-decent taste to it. Immediately, she began gulping it down, her mouth pushing the bowl around on the floor while she ate.

April gave a frustrated sigh from where she sat. "Raph, doesn't her appearance tell you enough?!" she shouted.

"She looks exactly like a wolf!"

"She looks nothing like a wolf!" he shouted back. "Her ears are far too long, even for a dogs!"

"And she's got that purple hair in her eyes," Mikey added as he gulped down whatever it was he made.

"Are you kidding?! Her ears are pointy and what purple hair?! Her hair is white!"

December's head snapped up from where she had it stuck deep into the bowl, a look of pure horror clouding her face and eyes. She glanced over to see Raph and April continuing their argument. In an attempt to make them drop the subject, she reared up on the table and began attempting to grab food from it, much like she had seen dogs do on television.

"December, what are you doing!?" Leo yelled, jumping up from where he sat. "Stop! If you're still hungry, we'll get you more food!"

She grabbed the sandwich off of Raph's plate and made a dash back over to her bowl. Raph let out a loud, frustrated cry and tried to snatch it from her muzzle before she could contaminate it. However, she had already moved back to her area of the kitchen. With a huge grin on her face, she dropped the sandwich into the rotten meat.

"You could have just asked us to fix you one!" Raph snapped at her. "You didn't have to steal mine, shell-for-brains!"

"Oh, really? My bad. Guess I wasn't thinking. Wolf side got the best of me. After all, I can't control the animal in me sometimes, and wolves eat up to twenty pounds of meat a day. You didn't have enough for me to eat, so I just decided to help myself."

"You still had meat left over!" Raph argued, motioning violently towards the bowl with his good arm.

"Oh? Did I? Guess I wasn't that hungry after all. Here." She lifted the bowl up and walked over to where he sat. There, she reared up and dropped onto his plate. It clanked against the glass, tipping over and spilling the contents all into his lap. He jumped up and nearly fell back onto his behind.

"You can have it back. I don't want it anymore." She snickered as she exited the room just as Splinter entered to see the Raph covered in the mess.

December heard him yell at Raph for making such a mess and to clean it up and all she could do was laugh. She settled down onto the couch and switched the television on to watch Space Heroes.