He let out a cry of pain as he slowed to a halt, but it wasn't the crushing pain he expected. His left leg and right arm burned in agony. His vision was hit with waves of red. His breath was caught in his lungs, as he stared up at the sky with wide eyes. After what seemed like forever, Leo's eyes tore away from the stars. He was in a hole. His body was in anguish. As he moved his head, another onslaught of pain hit his mind, threatening to knock him unconscious. He gathered enough strength and lifted his head over his plastron to look at his body. What he saw only brought about more pain. He had stumbled upon an old pit trap. His vision began to blur and his head pulsed with a heartbeat. The adrenaline that had been flowing throughout his body began to fade. This made the pain more intense. Leo let out another cry, releasing breath he didn't know he had been holding. His lungs rose and fell quickly, as he took court pants. He didn't know how long he had been laying there before he made an effort to move - which he immediately regretted. Another yell of pain tore from his throat. He couldn't seem to get air then, as he gasped for it. His body awkwardly twitched in hopes to cope with the hurt, but it did nothing to help.

Tears were starting to flow down his face in a constant stream as he looked up at the moon that now shone down on him through the trees. He felt so alone and so helpless. So afraid. This wasn't how he wanted to die; there was no honor lying there, suspended by sharpened sticks, as his blood trickled onto the floor beneath him. He felt panic again. Looking to the moon as if it could reach down and lift him out, he yelled;

"HELP! FATHER! SOMEONE, PLEASE!"

His voice rang through the forest, but no one was around to hear him.

Sobbing followed. Not of self-pity, but of pain, and the thought that he would never see his family again. Darkness began to take him. His head fell to the side as he stared blankly at the nothing in particular. Suddenly he felt familiar presences around him. He saw his family, surrounding where he lay.

"I'm sorry" he said. "Forgive me."

As those words left his lips, they brought a new feeling of determination. As much as he wanted to lay back and go to sleep, he knew he couldn't fail the ones he loved. He had to see them again. The ghostly images faded away as he became more awake. With a few pained grunts, he looked down again at his wounds. A stick, about 3cm in diameter, stuck out from the outside of his thigh. Blood covered it and most of his leg. To his right was another stick protruding from the muscle of his forearm. This one was slightly smaller, and had his arm fallen just an inch to the right, it would have completely missed it. Seeing all of the blood - his blood - made him feel ill. His head was now swimming and he dry heaved a couple times.

With a grunt, his left arm felt for the ground. Leo realised that it was actually resting on the ground already, and so was his shell.

A small wave of relief washed over him. At least he had some leverage to work with. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing, readying himself to move. With his eyes closed, he quickly pushed down on the ground with his free limbs. He let out a yelp and continued to pant laboriously. He cracked one eye open and looked down. Both of his legs were laying on the ground, the left bleeding profusely. At least he was now numb with pain. He hurt so much that it seemed normal and it wasn't really hurt at all. His snared arm had slid down the shaft a bit, but with a deep breath and hard gulp, the ninja grabbed it with his free hand. His vision again went black as he tugged his right arm up and off the wood. As the arm came free, he lay back in exhaustion, still breathing heavily.

How his body wanted him to stop and go to sleep. Blood was trickling down his arm. It was hot compared to the temperature of the air. In fact it was hot in comparison to Leo, whose body was shaking from both the cold and the lingering shock. Leo's left arm slid to his left and pushed on the hole in his skin, causing his eyes to jolt open and his body to tense.

"Gotta move..." he encouraged himself in a whisper. There was no way he was going to die in that hole. As the injured turtle got to his feet, he let out a distressed moan. Suddenly, as he stood, he became more awake and aware of his surroundings. The pit measured about six feet across at the most. There was a total of three sticks that still stood upright. He had managed to land on two. The others were either knocked over or rotting away.

Climbing out would be easy, if he had full use of all his limbs. There was plenty of vines that dangled into the pit. Leo only needed grab one and pull himself out. As he took a step towards his chosen vine, his knee gave way and he tumbled forward. Pain washed over him again, each wave racing with his heartbeat. Again he stood, and slowly made his way to the vine. The walls of the pit were spinning, and once more he felt sick. Using the side of the pit to steady himself, the young turtle leaned over and threw up what small amount of food remained in his stomach. After he had finished heaving, he spit out the bile that was left in his mouth.

Normally when he got sick; throwing up would help calm his stomach and body, but now it did neither. He reached out with his good hand to grab the large green rope, but noticed how violently he was shaking. His mind was working at a snail's pace. He couldn't process anything but the hurt he felt and the basic need he had to escape. A tear fell from his eye as he looked ahead at the daunting task, and felt the unforgiving weight of what awaited him should he fail.

The blood that now covered most of his body was a reminder of the urgency of the situation. With that, he grasped the vine as tightly as he could and reached up with his other hand. A good portion of the arm's muscle had been torn, and was noticeably weaker. Every movement upwards sapped what little energy Leo had left. Halfway up the ten-foot wall, the wounded limbs hung lifelessly, forcing those that did still work to burn in fatigue.

It would be so easy. To just let go and fall back into the darkness. But Leonardo was determined to make it to safety, so that he might see his family again. He could see them waiting for him at the top of the cliff. Tears were again streaming down his cheeks, from the pain and pressure his body was under.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, the mangled turtle swung his bad arm onto the ledge. With a burst of energy he didn't know he had, Leo tugged himself onto the forest floor so that his plastron was resting on the cool grass, and his legs dangled into the pit. His head lay on the ground as he panted heavily, and his hands squeezed the grass that kept him from falling back down to his death.

He had escaped.