Hi everybody! Time for another chapter!

I noticed there weren't a lot of comments on my latest chapter. I really hope this isn't because you guys don't like my stories anymore. If so, please tell me, so I can change something. Tell me what kind of stories you want. It doesn't have to be a request, but a general topic is cool too.

Anyway! Today a request from S. Westbrook, who wanted Donnie to get a pet. I hope you like!

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The Stray

It was a pretty normal evening as Don run over the flat rooftops of New York City. His feet had found the perfect rhythm and contently he jumped up to land with a flip on a lower roof where he continued to run. The last couple of hours he had been at April's house to help her install some programs he had written for her and after a very nice cup of coffee, he had taken off. If he had stayed any longer his father and brothers would start to worry and he didn't want that. With a smile on his face he jumped off the roof and landed on the fire escape a couple of feet below. With expert precision he ran ninja-style down the ladders and landed softly on the ground behind a smelly dumpster. Automatically he hid in the shadows, scanning his surroundings for any dangers. Not finding anything he sneaked out of his hiding spot and walked carefully to the manhole, which was half in the shadows. Crouching down his hands found the rough edge and he lifted the heavy lid without much effort. Suddenly he heard a hissing sound, mixed with a strangled screech he'd never heard before. Carefully laying down the cover, he walked deeper into the alley towards the sound, drawing his bo in the process. Whipping his head around the dumpster he was surprised to see a cat hissing to something in the corner of the blind alley. Chuckling to himself for being spooked by a cat, Don shed his bo and walked towards the scene where he crouched down.

"What you got there, kitty?" he whispered gently as he squinted his eyes to look into the shadows where the screeching noise came from. Startled the cat looked up to him, hissed again and ran away into the darkness.

"Hmm.. So much for trying to make friends," Don mumbled and slowly he took a small flashlight out of one of the compartments of his belt. Turning it on, he lit up the shadows and he cocked his head to what he saw. A tiny ball of pins was curled up in the corner, screeching like crazy. Don crouched closer, dimming his flashlight a little. At that movement the little ball unfolded and a tiny pointy nose appeared, sniffing its surroundings. Surprised Don blinked and he chuckled at the sight. "What's a little hedgehog like you doing in the middle of the city?" he asked softly as the hedgehog completely unfolded. Suddenly Don spotted something and he shone in the direction. A little puddle of blood soiled the ground under the tiny animal. Looking a little ahead he saw a few specks of blood, which indicated the hedgehog was chased or taken. Internally he berated the cat for attacking a defenceless critter which wasn't even full-grown yet.

"Are you hurt, buddy? Did the nasty cat bit you?" Don asked, reaching out. He expected the hedgehog to run away from him, but instead it came closer slowly, stopping right under Don's hand. Gently Don stroke it's little head with the top of his finger and the hedgehog practically leaned into the touch. Getting a smile on his face, he tenderly scooped up the creature and hold it in front of his face. "You know you're kinda cute? I bet Mikey won't leave you alone when I take you home to examine your wounds." Realizing what he just said, he chuckled to himself. "Heh, never thought I was the one who took a stray home." Taking off his mask, he wrapped the hedgehog loosely in the fabric to reduce the blood loss and to keep it warm. Screeching softly, it started to curl up to a loose ball. "Don't worry. I'll fix you up at my place," Don said, although he knew the hedgehog wouldn't understand him. Keeping the animal close to his chest, he climbed through the manhole and continued his journey home.

Walking through the lair's front door, Don went immediately to his lab. He noticed the hedgehog became more and more quiet and he feared for a more severe wound than he thought in the first place. He gently put the critter on an almost empty desk and hoped it would unfold itself so he could take a good look at it. Unfortunately, the hedgehog stayed in the same position and didn't respond to any stimulus Don tried to evoke. Very careful he tried to uncurl the hedgehog and he gasped softly when he saw a nasty wound on its belly. "That doesn't look good, buddy," Don mumbled and he reached for some water to clean up the dried up blood. Taking away one hand, the hedgehog immediately curled up again. Don sighed and gave the situation a thought. It was almost impossible to treat the animal's wound with one hand, let alone treat it and keeping it unfolded. He needed help with this. Not wanting to leave the hedgehog alone, he grabbed his phone out of his belt and pushed the orange button, knowing Mikey had a great way with animals. Within seconds the phone was picked up.

"Sup, bro!" came the chipper greeting to which Don smiled. "Hey, Mikey. You home?"

"Sure thing, dude. Whatcha need?"

"Actually, I need your help. Can you please come to my lab?" Don said as he watched the silent animal with worried eyes.

"You're inside your lab right now and you need my help?" Mikey answered after a moment of silence.

"Yes, well… I need your assistance with -" Don replied.

"With what?"

Don almost jumped out of his shell when he heard the voice of his younger brother behind him. Looking at a grinning Mikey, he put down his phone and smiled. "That's fast."

Mikey shrugged. "I was in the hood." With a smirk he walked in further. "So, what's so important I had to pause my new game?"

Don took a small step to the side and showed Mikey his little visitor. "This fellow right here."

Immediately Mikey stood next to the cot, bending over to look at the tiny ball of pins. "That's so cute! Where'd ya find it? You're gonna keep it? What's it's name?"

Pushing his brother backwards, Don showed him his bloodied mask he used before. "It's hurt and I want to help it. And I need your help to do so."

Growing quiet at the sight of blood, Mikey became serious. "Sure thing, bro. What can I do?"

Don smiled and mentioned for Mikey to stand on the other side of the cot. "I want you to hold it like this and keep it restrained without force. Remember when Klunk scratched open his side a month ago -?"

Mikey nodded as he got into position, taking over the hedgehog from Don.

"Good. I want you to do exactly that thing," Don said as he walked away to get some supplies.

"Got it." Mikey looked over the animal, which was lying on it's back now, giving in to the treatment. "Say, is it a boy or a girl?"

Walking back with some rubbing alcohol, anesthesia cream and stitching supplies, Don sighed and looked closely. "I would say a boy, Mikey." He sat down on his stool and started to work.

"Then I will call him Quilliam," Mikey said proud. Don raised an eye ridge, without looking up. "Quilliam?"

"Well, if that's alright with you… Or if you want to we'll call him Einspine. Your pet, your choice, bro," Mikey said with a smile. Laughing out loud, Don looked up. "My pet?"

"Yeah dude. You brought it in, so you have to take care of it," Mikey said simply. "Besides, I can't keep it. Sensei told me that I can't have another pet after I brought in that weird cat." With an innocent smile Mikey looked at the door of the lab, remembering the enormous mess the bugger had made in just an hour. It took the whole afternoon and evening to clean everything and another two days to fix all the broken things. Luckily they received a second-hand couch from April, so they could actually sit somewhere.

"You do realize that 'that weird cat' was an escaped bobcat from the zoo, right?" Don asked with a chuckle. Mikey shrugged with a smirk. "Details, bro. Anyway… Let me quote Splinter: One more pet in, one Michelangelo out," he said with a very good impression of their sensei. "And I'm not ready to move out yet, dude."

Don shook his head with affection as he smeared some of the anesthesia cream on the now clean cut. "Things sure would be a lot more quiet around here," he said with a smirk, hearing Mike laugh. "Only when quiet means the same as boring," he shot back. Don chuckled and grabbed the stitching supplies, preparing it to use. A couple of minutes it was quiet, only the humming noises from the various machines and computers in the lab were present. Quietly Don decided he waited enough for the ointment to do its job, and he started to stitch the wound close.

"So, Donnie. Whatcha gonna do?" Mikey finally broke the silence.

"About what?" Don asked distractedly.

"About the - What do you call a baby hedgehog?" Mikey looked at the critter, then to Don, who stared back. "I thought they were called hoglets," he said, knowing Mike had a good point. What was he going to do?

"That's adorable!" Mikey called out with a smile, but immediately got earnest again. "But seriously.. You can't put it back. It will never survive on it's own."

"Yeah, I know," Don said as he laid the last hand on the stitches. "For now I'll make it comfortable so it can heal."

"Dude…" Mikey pleaded. "Seriously… Also after it healed. You can't -"

"Relax, Mikey," Don cut him of. "I'm not going to put it back. You are right - It wouldn't survive." Don rolled his chair back and grabbed a gauze and some medical tape. "I'll talk to sensei. He'll know what to do."

Mikey nodded. "Alright," he said, a little assured. Silently he watched Don cover up the freshly stitched cut.

"Alright, Mike. You can put it back on its belly. Careful though!"

Very gently Mikey turned over the critter, which behaved perfectly during the process. "Who's a big hoglet?" Mikey cooed to the hedgehog as soon as it was in place. "Yes, you are."

Don snickered and leaned back a bit, looking at the rather cute scene in front of him. Suddenly he realised something. "Oh, Mikey…"

His brother whipped his head up. "Yeah?"

"Do you still have that box April used to take Klunk to the vet?"

Mikey squinted his eye ridges and thought for a bit. "Yeah, I think so. It's somewhere in my room, although I have no clue where exactly."

"It's a miracle you can find anything in that mess of yours," Don stated. Mikey glared at him, then mentioned to the hedgehog. "I'll look for it. You watch Quilliam?"

"Really? You're calling him Quilliam?" A smile appeared on Don's face as Mikey nodded. "Yes. You had your chance, bro. Now it's Quilliam." He walked away. "Be right back." With that he walked through the door, leaving Don and the little animal alone. Suddenly Don snorted and shook his head. "So… Quilliam, right?" He looked at the critter, which was sniffing around. "It could've been worse." He stuck out his finger and petted the hedgehog like he did back in the alley. Again it leaned into his touch, enjoying the feeling. With a soft sigh, Don gave an affectionate smile. "Welcome to the family, Quilliam."

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Please tell me what you think! Hope to see you next week!