It was a long haul, but the fact that Leo was still alive was enough to push him onwards.
Once he got to his cave, he slumped down next to his bag of goods and rummaged through it. He pulled out a small framed picture of his family. He stared at it longingly and stroked the glass with his fingers. He couldn't shake the thought of how close he had come to never seeing them again. A tear slipped down his cheek, but was quickly wiped away.
Master Splinter had told him to look into using mail to communicate with the family, but Leo hadn't been actively searching for a post office, or any other means to get his messages to New York. He had been more concerned with spotting any militia members or problems throughout the villages, but he made a mental note to look for a way to send letters to his family. Once they received one, they could easily reply.
He promptly pulled out several folded pieces of paper and a pen, then, sitting, began to write individual letters to his father and brothers.
Dear Sensei,
I am sorry for not writing sooner, but I have been preoccupied with training and watching over the locals. It is beautiful down here, I wish you and my brothers could see some of the sights I have been lucky enough to encounter. Life here is harsh, but I feel myself growing stronger by the day. I think of you all constantly, and miss your company. The day cannot come quick enough for me to take the plane back to New York, though I know this training period is important and I am gracious for the opportunity.
How is life back in the sewers? I imagine things have not changed all that much since I left. Donnie is handling Raph and Mikey I am sure; it cannot be too busy on the nightly patrols.
I hope this message reaches you and I hear from you soon father,
Love, your son,
-Leonardo
It felt good to write down his thoughts towards the old rat. It was almost as if he was sitting there listening. He gently pushed the paper aside and began writing anew.
Dear Donnie,
Hope things are going well back home. I am doing fine down here for the most part. There is so much interesting stuff that I simply cannot describe to you over mail. The number of exotic animals down here is incredible, hundreds of birds, beasts, bugs, and fish. One day you will have to take a trip down here to study some of these creatures, so many are unique and have such amazing qualities. There has got to be some undiscovered creatures that I have already come across in my short time here. The plants are also cool, they have so many different shapes and sizes, and smells. I cannot help but think of you when I find something truly bizarre that looks like it is no of this Earth.
I do not want to cause any alarm, but what exactly could I do to avoid getting an infection in a cut down here? I slipped and cut my leg. It is no big deal, but getting some disease right now would be less than ideal.
Hope to hear back from you soon,
Love,
-Leonardo
The last thing Leo wanted to do was to make his family worry. He re-positioned himself and started writing again.
Dear Mikey,
Boy little brother, I sure could use some of your spunk down here. The forest is great and all, but it is missing the pizzazz that I am used to from living with you all of my life. That being said, I hope that you are not annoying the others too much while I am away - especially Raph, because I cannot be there to stop him from pummeling you. What are you up to now anyway? I hope you (and the others) are keeping up on your training, I want a challenge when next we spar.
Love ya bro,
-Leonardo
The turtle stopped writing and realised a smile had crept onto his face. For the first time in a long time, his body pain didn't really bother him. He was happy.
With a sigh of content, he grabbed one last piece of paper and began to write.
Dear Raph,
How are things? I hope you are doing good, I am sure you are. Having me gone for a while is probably pretty relieving for you, huh? Anyways, I hope that you are keeping yourself out of trouble, but entertained. Splinter has probably set up some temporary excursion laws, that I am sure you have already broken out of boredom.
Life down here is tough; I think you would actually enjoy it. Maybe you will be sent down here in the future. Whatever the case may be, I could sure use some of your charm when dealing with these militia men; they are ruthless.
I cannot wait to hear back from you, though I know you hate to write.
Love, your older brother,
-Leonardo
He put the pen down and proceeded to fold up the letters and fit them into the envelopes he had brought with him. He would have to find a letter that someone had already written to get a proper return address. When a post office was found he'd make sure to do that as well.
Leo's gaze drifted down to his leg. There was a light throbbing coming from beneath the stitches, but it was nowhere near the pain it had caused him before. He was curious as to whether or not Santiego had given him some sort of pain-killers, because though it looked well attended, the wound was still red and swollen. He reached down to touch the stitches, but his breath hitched once his finger made contact. His head turned to his right, to examine his arm. Oddly, it didn't look nearly as agitated as his leg.
Soon his mind became blank. He nestled against the wall as his body relaxed; exhausted from the trip from one cave to another. He tried to fight the sleep, but eventually his eyelids became so heavy that he could no longer keep them open.
"Just a quick nap" he whispered under his breath, falling into the world of dreams.
Hope people are enjoying the story, it really is fun to write these things. I have so many ideas I want to explore in this fic. Criticism is welcome, if anyone has any ideas they would like to see, I am happy to try and incorporate them. I'm going to try to have another chapter up soon!