A/N: In the 2k3 episode, Tale of Master Yoshi, Leonardo recounts Splinter's first encounter with Tang Shen and Mashimi. As the rat ventured into the kitchen seeking a tidbit, Mashimi made to slice him with a katana, but Tang Shen stopped him, and gave Splinter a slice of the kabu (a kind of Japanese turnip, used in salads), to eat.
~Trust~
Before he knew anything else, he knew hunger, and fear. Hunger drove him out into the open, and fear kept him alive. The big blue above made the fear sharp, so instinct took him to safer places, already occupied by humans. They were unpredictable but mostly harmless.
He knew where food could be found, if he were quick and silent. He scented the soft plant one human wore in her hair. She was safe enough. He started forward. He didn't know the other was there, didn't know his mistake, until, with a swish, the fear screamed to life. Run! Too late, but the sharp stopped a hair's breadth from his neck.
He heard human sounds. The sharp and the fear went away, and a hand holding a bit of kabu appeared. (Human! Run!) cried the fear, but the hunger was stronger. He sat nibbling, alert, curious about the feeling. Strange… Not hunger. Not fear. This was new in his world, and good, like a safe place with a full belly. He didn't have the wit then, to call the feeling by name. When he changed, he remembered, and taught his sons the word for what he learned from her: Trust.