Mutants Misplaced

Chapter 23

Separated

"Damn that hothead!" said Leo, very angry with that Raph had run away with an unconscious Mona. He understood that Raph wanted to protect his mate, he would do the same, but taking off like that was just stupid.

"We have to find them before they get into trouble." he said walking back indoors.

"But we can't, Leo," said Donnie "not until the sun has set. Sephie has still not regained her strength."

"And she won't if she is in the light." Devina continued. "I'm not that comfortable with running in it myself, even if I could catch up with them, it wouldn't do me much good."

"I could carry the both of you, but you're right, the sun won't be kind to either of you." said Tyroth.

"And splitting up even more is just asking for more problems. Damn it all." said Leo. "Doesn't seem like we have much of a choice then. We simply have to wait for nightfall and pray that Raph and Mona are okay."

"Raph may be a hothead, but he'll protect Mona, that much is certain." said Donnie.

"Yeah, but he has no idea of what dangers that might be lurking in this land. If he survives, I'm gonna give him an earful for his stupidity."

"This is all my fault..." said Sephie, feeling terrible about what she almost did.

"That's not true and you know it, babe. We will find them, don't you worry." said Tyroth.

"But what if I do something like this again? I know I said I wouldn't, but what if I do?"

"You're strong enough to control this, we all know that, but if you're worried, I might be able to do something."

No knowing what Tyroth meant, Sephie soon found his hands on her cheeks. He closed his eyes and started glowing red, the glow slowly spread to Sephie's body as well and she felt all tingly. A moment later, the glow faded and Tyroth opened his eyes.

"There, that should help you a bit."

"What did you do to me?"

"I suppressed your thirst for blood. It's not a hundred percent and I don't know how long it will last, but together with your own willpower, you should be able to control it. If you think it's wearing off, I'll see if I can renew it. Now, get some rest, you'll need it for later."

Sephie nodded and laid down on the blanket, but not before giving Tyroth a kiss. She was dead tired and it didn't take very long before she fell asleep.

"How did you do that?" Devina asked, clearly shocked about his use of magic.

"Do what?"

"That thing you just did. How could you suppress her thirst, what kind of spell is that?"

"Ah, that, well, my magic is probably a bit different from what you're used to. I don't really use spells, at least not the way you do I suspect, but I can simply shape it to do what I need, though it takes a lot out of me to try something new."

"This isn't the first time he's done something like this." said Mikey.

"However, I didn't suppress her thirst, I couldn't."

"But... why did you say that?" asked Devina.

"It's a Placebo!" said Donnie, snapping his fingers when he figured it out. Devina, and Mikey, looked at the purple-masked turtle, not understanding what that meant. "If she believes that her thirst is suppressed to some degree, she'll have an easier time to control it since she thinks that the 'spell' is helping her."

"So then all that was just a light show?" said Mikey.

"Not entirely. I wanted to remove the thirst but I couldn't, but I did get a feel for the cursed illness itself. I'll keep working on this in my mind and maybe I'll actually be able to help her for real or even cure her."

"Impressive, but there is still another problem." said Devina. "The longer she goes without drinking blood, the more obvious it will become to the people that she is a vampire. Eventually, she may have to feed."

"We'll have to cross that bridge when we reach it." said Leo. "For now, we got other problems to deal with. Donnie, let's see if we can find Raph's tracks, so we at least know where to go."

Meanwhile, about a mile away, Raph was running through the forested area just north of the valley, carrying the unconscious Mona like a bride.

He wouldn't let anything hurt her. No beasts, no machines, no mages. No vampires. He would keep her safe, no matter the cost.

Continuing to run for as long as he could, when Raph finally stopped to rest a bit, he saw a rock formation that formed a small cave. It wasn't more that a few feet deep, but the surrounding rocks worked well as protection against the weather. It would suffice as shelter until he could move on.

Gently laying Mona on the ground, Raph then made a more comfortable spot for her, using a pair of blankets, which he gently moved her to.

"Don't worry, babe. I'll get us away from this place, I promise." he whispered.

About an hour passed, and the sun had begun set. Raph had seen no sign of anyone pursuing them, but he remained vigilant. Right now, he couldn't trust anyone.

Whilst he kept watch and thought about what to do, Mona slowly awoke from her unconsciousness. Her eyes slowly opened and she carefully sat up, still having a headache from her fall.

"Raph?" she asked, not recognizing where she was.

"It's okay, babe, no-one's gonna hurt you." said Raph.

"Where am I? Where are the others? Where's Sephie, is she okay?"

"She's not gonna hurt you, not again."

"Hurt me? What are you-" suddenly, Mona remembered what had happened. "She... she tried to bite me. The thirst must have been too strong to resist."

"She'll never do that again, I guarantee it."

"What do you mean by that? What have you done? And where are we?"

"We're safe, that's what we are. They won't find us, not until we get away from this wretched place and back home"

Mona stared at her mate, her eyes wide in shock and disbelief.

"You left them?!"

"I had to protect you."

"Protect me?! You ran off and abandoned our family and friends! One of which is in need of help! How could you be so stupid?!"

"Stupid?! How dare you call me that?! I've risked my shell for you and this is the thanks I get?! I'm not letting that monster near you again, and that's final!"

"Shut up!" Mona snapped, slapping Raph hard across his face. He was at a complete loss, she had never done anything like that before, not to him. He looked at Mona, her eyes filled with anger, but also sorrow and tears.

"I love you Raphael, more than anyone else, but never call Sephie a monster. She is my best friend and as much family to me as you and your brothers, but more importantly, she is sick and needs our help. If you can't see that, then maybe you should think about who the real monster is here, 'cause it's not her."

"I... I just want to protect you... I can't stand seeing you hurt..." said Raph, shamed by his actions as he realized what a jerk he had been.

"I know that and it's really sweet of you, but this isn't the right way. It's not easy for any of us right now, least of all Sephie. We have to be there for each other, Leo said so the last time you acted like this."

"I know, I just... I just can't think clearly when you're hurt... everything becomes hazy... I'm sorry. I overreacted."

"That's putting it mildly, but I forgive you, I know you only mean well. But I think you should talk to Leo, ask him to help you deal with all the stress you have. Once we find them, that is."

"They should be in that direction, it's where I came from. I just hope that they haven't gone somewhere else."

While the couple made up and prepared to find their friends again, someone else caught their scent.

High up in the sky. The olive green eyes glistered in the dark as it felt the familiar scent.

Well, it seems like Raph and Mona might be in more trouble than they think. Wonder if the others will find them before it's too late.

I have to say though, the reviews I got for the last chapter, wanting me to update as soon as possible, didn't expect those. You guys are just the best. :)

Note: still credit to Bloodrayne666 for her idea with this chapter and the previous one as well.