Black… All he can see is… Black… The darkness.
He isn't afraid of the dark. He never had been afraid of it, even as a hatchling. He always embraced it, and it was all he ever knew, since the beginning.
No, he isn't afraid of the darkness… He's afraid of not knowing what's going on. Where he, exactly is, right now, at this moment.
Something firm, yet soft and gentle, rested itself on top of his head. It isn't his sensei's paw, nor was it any of his brothers' touch or even April's.
This feeling… It was smooth as wood, yet firm like granite… And through the touch, he instantly felt safe and welcomed. When the presence started pulling away, he instantly let out a small whimper.
Now that he knew something else is with him, he didn't want it to leave him behind. He wants answers to assure him of his whereabouts to be secluded from humans, and Kraang. He needs to know if his brothers and April made it to the Lair… But most of all, that the Earth had been saved from Kraang.
The presence rested right back on his head, eliminating the fear of the unknown from the fifteen year-old.
You shall know what you need to know in time.
A voice whispered in his ears, having him to jerk his head to the side to see what snuck up on him but only found himself still alone in the dark.
We will meet, once you've regained your strength. For now, rest…
He doesn't know this voice, but found himself trusting the voice that spoke to him. Even when he was just told they'll meet, he still didn't like the presence leaving him.
I will not abandon you.
The presence still left his head… Only for a large-mass of warmth to curl beside him.
He didn't move an inch, not even a twitch, when something laid at his left. Knowing he won't be left alone and will finally get some answers, the humanoid-wolf/turtle allowed the darkness to consume his vision and, as instructed, sleep.
Some Time Later…
When Leonardo reopened his eyes, he didn't find himself in the darkness. Instead, when he opened his eyes, he found himself staring at the rough ground that, to him, is made of solid rock.
Looking to his left, where he hope to find the presence that laid beside him, saw a curved, ragged wall that, also, looks to be made from rocks.
His current location confused him.
'I'm... In a cave?' He knew this isn't right; the last thing he remembered was falling into the Harbor and struggling to stay afloat when escaping the Te-... His eyes widened, instantly remembering what occurred. 'The Invasion. The Technodrome… Kraang!'
He immediately got to his feet... And hands? Not that he was objecting to the decision to stand up, but for some reason, he felt like he can't get to just his feet. The moment he stood up on all-fours, his ribs instantly shot out a pulse of pain throughout his chest and abdomen.
Leo barked out a yelp of pain, his body collapsing back down to the ground. However, instead of expecting to lay on hard granite, he eventually noticed that he's laying on a makeshift bed-like mat made of moss, leaves and grass. The mat cushioned his fall, but it didn't help relieve the pain he's going through and started letting out hacking-version of a coughing fit.
He reached out with his right-hand to cover his mouth... Which he soon saw that, instead of his usual three-fingered green-skinned hand wrapped in thin wrappings, a bare black-furred canine paw came to his face in it's place.
Startled, he choked in his coughing fit, eyes wide open when he looked from the paw to it's arm, then to a furry-bump, that he knew is his shoulder. He also saw, not the sight of his swords resting on top of his shell, himself laying on his plastron or even his two legs. Instead, his swords are resting against the wall of the cave behind a black-fur rump and thick tail, connected to hind-legs and mid-section of a canine.
…All of which, are connected to his now furry-shoulder and canine-paw.
He was officially freaking out.
'What the shell is going on?!'
His heart was beating rapidly, banging against his sore chest and feeling the urge to cough starting back up.
He was so caught up by this startling discovery, he didn't notice a large figure coming into the cave and is now beside him, until a shadow of a hand caught his attention.
When he looked up... He was staring face-to-face with an eight feet tall, thin-figure version of a gorilla, smiling at him.
Leo's eyes widened at the creature crouching so close to his face before, staring at the hand that was still held out to grab him, attempted to get back up to his feet to try and escape. Once again, his ribs throbbed and sent out a warning pain throughout his body again, forcing him to fall on his uninjured side once more.
The creature, watching him in his attempt to back away from it and struggling to get in a hunch over position, replace it's smile with a confused look and, as before, reached out for the fifteen year-old.
In response, by an unknown thought of control, Leo snapped his jaws up at the hand to warn it away, letting out warning snarls of barks to the large creature.
"Stay away!" He instantly ceased his snarling, taken back that, instead of just saying those words to the gorilla-creature, he just snarled the words out in the Tongue of Animal.
Leonardo growled out in frustration.
Temporarily forgetting the creature in front of him, he focused on getting himself to talk. All he got to come out from his mouth was a few gruff sounds and, on accident, made a yawn-mix whine howl. He snapped his... Snout?
This was getting stranger and stranger to the boy.
'The hell is wrong with me?!'
"You've finally awaken, I see."
A voice drew him from his scared thoughts and, looking over the creature's shoulder, saw... A huge Buck entering the cave, giving off an odd light that surrounded his body.
The great, large deer calmly, without the slightest signs of fear, walked towards Leonardo. He then saw berries secured in the deer's mouth, that the teen recognized to being Elderberries. From just the sight of the small-fruits his stomach growled in hungry, making him wince when the growling also brought up the soreness from his injured ribs.
Once standing before the fifteen year-old, beside the gorilla-creature, lowered his mighty head down and stared right into Leo's Cerulean/Sapphire-Moon eyes.
The humanoid-wolf/turtle, as he stared into Obsidian-black eyes, felt like the animal was searching through the depths of his soul and, for some reason, every memory he has kept in his mind. However, rather than feel uncomfortable of the feeling of intrusion, he found himself completely fine of what's going on at the moment.
After all, he has a feeling that this Stag, this animal, somehow, is the reason he's still alive. And with that thought in mind, was more than willing to trust the deer that can easily trample him beneath his hooves or even pierce him with his mighty antlers.
After seconds of the two staring into each others' eyes, the Stag let out a small snort before lifting it's head up.
"You're taking your current form much sooner than I expected you to adapt." He questioned the teenager, who gave him a slight annoyed look to the deer's words, almost as if the animal was mocking him for not being able to get up.
"What's that suppose to mean?" He replied, still angered that he can't speak and can only communicate by the Tongue of Animal. "And why can't I speak, or stand without the aid of my arms?"
His question seemed to surprise the Buck, while the gorilla-creature was confused on what's going on between the two but remained quiet for a conversation that's clearly going on before it. The Stag cocked his head to the side.
"You do not remember?" He asked, his ears flicking back a bit before lowering his head back down to stare right into the eyes of the humanoid-wolf/turtle. "What is the last recollection you recall, from your encounter with the Kraang?"
His question puzzled Leonardo, while also taking him by surprise that he, an animal, knew who are the Kraang.
'Did he, actually, read my mind? Is that how he knows the Kraang?' He pondered, before he cleared his mind to rethink on what he remembered right before he blacked out. 'I stayed behind in the Technodrome, with the Kraang leader. My brothers and April escaped, in the last escape pod. I tried to make a run for the exit, only to be grabbed by the Kraang. He was crushing me... And then-...'
It all felt fuzzy when trying to remember what happened after that, but he started to see pass through the haze when he remember feeling a pulse traveling throughout his body. He remembered how it thumped like heartbeat, while something coursed through his veins. A feeling like power, but more flowing like water than adrenaline.
The pulsing made him feel something was trying to claw out of his chest for freedom, making him want to scream out a mighty roar if the Kraang leader wasn't squeezing the life out of him like a snake coiling around it's prey.
...Then, he felt a veil be pulled from his eyes and, from the beckoning of the water, he embraced the power...
His eyes snapped open when he saw what happened to Kraang, escaping the Technodrome, fighting to stay afloat and faintly hearing the sound of a whale heading his way, before the darkness pulled him into unconsciousness.
Leonardo, stunned by his own finding, could only stare up at the deer... Who no longer stood before him as a large Buck, but what he would describe as an anthro-deer creature.
The Stag stood on his hind-legs, on his hooves that look to be wood-mixed stones, long arms with two hoof fingers and a dew claw as his thumbs. On his arms and legs, light-brown swirl markings danced on his limbs, with some traveling to his shoulders down to his sides. Parts of his fur stuck out from both sides of his neck and the middle of his arms, the fur merged with wood to stick up and act like armor on his chest. His antlers, instead of growing upwards, appeared to flattened and growing apart from the other, acting like tree-branches, but still strong to attack*.
The Elderberries remained in his mouth, as he blankly stares down at the injured wolf that used to appear as a humanoid-turtle.
Leo was at a loss for words.
'I'm... A wolf?' He waited for either his Conscious or his Instinct to answer his question, but he heard nothing. In fact, not only does he not hear than, but he also can feel either of their presence within his mind. He grew worried when all he could hear are his own thoughts going through his head, and no traces of the two voices that has guided him since he was but an infant.
When you turn into another being, the calls of your Human and Wolf-Blood are silenced. They only speak, when you are in the body of your truest form that mixed you three as one.
He blinked at the deer's words, still trying to get used to having said being able to read his thoughts.
"How do you know that?" He asked, attempting to sit up when a hand gently pinned him to the ground, the hand belonging to the gorilla-creature. "And who…? Or, no offense, what are you two?"
The Buck got down on one knee to be near eye-level with Leo, removing the Elderberries from his mouth to hold in his hoof-hand.
I am a Spirit, a Guardian of the Woods and Forest. As for my companion here, she is what the humans refer to as "Sasquatch". Or, in a clearer term, Bigfoot.
Leonardo's eyes widened from the information he just received, blinking owlishly from the Deer Spirit to the gorilla-creature that he now know to be the mythical creature, Bigfoot.
In response, Bigfoot, once again, gave him a smile, her hand still remained on his body to keep him still on the ground.
"Hello!" She greeted, her speech and low-gruff voice making the fifteen year-old more astonished.
'It-… She can speak, in human tongue?' Not wanting to hurt Bigfoot's feelings, he decided to greet her back. "Hello…" He made a soft grunting sound when speaking in the Tongue of the Animal, which sounded like a muffled bark.
Bigfoot kept on smiling at him, blinking a few times as if frozen in place. Her still response to his own greeting, made him feel a bit awkward.
'Does she only know a few words to speak?'
She cannot hear the words from the Tongue of Animal, I'm afraid. Only the words, from human tongue.
The Deer Spirit explained to his silent question, turning to the gorilla-creature and giving her a nod to release the black-wolf from her grasp. Leonardo didn't make any movement to get to his feet, remaining still on his makeshift-bed of leaves and grass.
The spirit's answer surprised the teenager.
"Isn't she an Earth Young?"
The Buck nodded his head to him.
Yes... Sadly, she was held in captivity by humans, since her birth. Thirteen years ago, a mile away from a human campsite, I founded her lost in my forest, injured and alone. His ears flattened, as his eyes reflected so much sorrow for the gorilla-creature that sat beside him. Leo didn't need him to say anymore about Bigfoot's past, let alone if he knows what happened to her parents when it's pretty clear that neither of them are alive. I raised her, ever since, teaching her the ways of blending in the environments and to properly fight for her survival. While I tried to get her to hear and speak the Tongue of Animal, the human tongue is all she ever learned in life.
The Deer Spirit then extended his right-hand to the wolf, holding out the few Elderberries he brought from the forest.
That is enough for sad tales, for now. Right now, eat this.
Leonardo leaned his muzzle into the deer's hoof-palm and, after a few sniffs of the small black berries, licked the fruits into his mouth, swallowing them whole instead of chewing them.
His way on eating the berries amazed the Deer Spirit.
You took them, without hesitation. And yet, you avoid chewing them... Are you worried of the illness they could cause, despite that you aren't a human?
The wolf lowered his head down, trying to get comfortable, but kept his gaze locked with the Buck.
"It's not that I don't trust you, or the fear of getting ill from eating the Elderberries raw. I ate them in a hurry in hoping my body will be able to get some of it's juices into it's system, before my stomach forces me to hack them out."
Because of the mutagen you swallowed, when you and your pack got mutated. Right?
Leonardo nodded his head, lowering his head to rest on his paws as he felt the berries made their down his esophagus and into his empty stomach.
The Deer Spirit rested his hand on top of Leo's head, a feeling of comfort coursing through his body that lasted for a full minute, before the hoof-hand pulled away, leaving the teenager drowsy and sore.
He heard the Stag talking to Bigfoot, though he couldn't make out what he just said to her and was too tired to ask. As his eyes slowly closed, he faintly watch the Deer Spirit morph back into the large-deer form and taking off into the forest, before he fell right back to sleep.
July Eleventh, 2012; in the Forest...
Leonardo focused on his breathing, still feeling the pulse of pain radiating from his fractured ribs that was more bearable to deal with than last time, as Bigfoot gently lifted the upper-half of his body to rest against her right-arm, exposing his belly to the Deer Spirit.
After his short nap on the same day he met the two, Leo learned that he's been asleep for four days since the blue-whale brought him close enough for the current to carry him down a stream into the spirit's domain... The blue-whale, having to be summoned to save him, by the Deer Spirit, himself.
The humanoid-wolf/turtle thought about his Pack, thinking on how worried they must be for him, wondering where he was and hoping he's still alive in the city. He wanted to push his worry thoughts aside and get himself started for the trip back to New York, only to be stopped by the Deer Spirit, Bigfoot and his fractured ribs. They had to make him see reason that the instant he leaves for New York, he would be unable to protect himself from hunters, certain predators that could use his injuries to their advantage or even find shelter. Even if he could reach the city, they had to remind him that he hasn't learn how to turn back into his true-form and attempting to do so would put him at greater risk.
Leo knew they were right and must take their advice by remaining in the cave to let his ribs heal. During his time of rest, he gotten used to Bigfoot's intinmadating appearance and found himself comfortable enough to let her sleep beside him. He also found out, despite her odd choice to at times speak in third person and some child-like behavior, she's very smart and knowledgeable when bringing certain leaves to use as makeshift bandages for his minor injuries and finding other fruits or vegetation for him to safely consume.
She clearly learned all she was taught from the Deer Spirit, himself. And speaking of the spirit, Leo has been seeing him only when the night comes out to rest and would be gone when morning arrives. His absence would have the teen wonder where goes off, but didn't want to pry onto business that wasn't his own to worry.
While he was taking it easy, he would at times try to, after dealing with the discomfort, attempt to walk around in the cave to avoid getting lightheaded from his low blood pressure and getting lazy. Bigfoot would always keep a watchful eye on him during his small exercise, then would go to his side to check on his ribs and bring him water from a bowl she found in the woods.
Today, the Deer Spirit decided to remain in the den to see how Leonardo's recovery is progressing and determine what the next course of action will be for the teenager. Gently, he prodded his ribs to see how much he can handle the pain level.
Just by resting his hand against the ribcage, the black-wolf slightly twitched but didn't make a single sound that told them he was hurting. That was a good sign, but the next test will tell them if his injury was still serious and how much longer he needs to rest. The Deer Spirit barely added any pressure to his hand when he and Bigfoot saw his ears pull back a bit. Still, he didn't make a noise and showed no sign of hiding his pain to them.
When putting in more pressure, enough for him to press the fur flat against his skin as if proceeding to pet him, did Leonardo finally made a response: a low groan, with a small whimper to his tone. The spirit got all the information he needed to reach a verdict.
Slowly, he got to his feet, then turned into his deer-form and slowly made his way outside. While watching the spirit go, Bigfoot gently sat the wolf back down on his makeshift-mat of a bed, gently patting him on his good side and giving him a big smile.
"Friend is getting better," she said to him. "Soon, Deer will let Friend out of cave."
Her words brought in a feeling of great joy in Leo's chest when he heard the news. He was so happy, he almost jumped to his feet to perform a couple of flips in the air, if the slight pressure against his ribs hadn't reminded him to continue resting.
He wanted nothing more than to be up on his feet, and begin his training with his wolf-body. Leo wasn't one to staying still for so long, unless he was sleeping or perfecting his stealth. That even includes when he would sustain injuries that requires him to do so, making him the second worst patient Donatello has to watch over after treating his wounds, next to Raphael.
'If I were back in the Lair, Don would have me strapped to one of the infirmary beds in his lab and keep me under observation for two months.'
He would've chuckled from that thought, if thinking about his Kins didn't trigger a bittersweet feeling to build up in his chest, besides that his wolf-form would make him sound as if he's purring up a growl.
Bigfoot held out one of her hands underneath his snout, offering him mixture of elderberries and cranberries, along with some Licorice roots, Oregano, Cloves and Chamomile for his ribs and, surprisingly, his stomach. Without any hesitation, he ate the fruits and vegetation with ease, thumping his tail lightly on the ground to express his gratitude to Bigfoot when he can't talk as a wolf.
Lately, he noticed his stomach hadn't been bothering him much lately and, for the first time in so long, didn't feel sick of being full. He had a feeling that the Deer Spirit is the reason to his stomach feeling better and allowing him to eat as much as he wants, giving him hope that his friend has found the remedy to cure his stomach from what the mutagen did to one of his organs and be able to handle human food once he gets back to New York.
...Yet, a large piece of himself didn't want to leave.
He didn't see it to be right to just up and leave the instant he's at one hundred percent, not after all Bigfoot and the Deer Spirit has done for him. They've nursed him back to health from the battle with Kraang since he was brought to their territory, still helping him regain his strength at this very moment. But what's more, they saved him from Death, itself.
And as such, he owes them a debt... Very much, a life-debt, for keeping him alive. He hopes to find some way of an agreement that will allow him to return to his Pack, while ready to come back should there be any need for his service.
He felt drowsiness creeping up, no doubt from the Chamomile he just ate, and slowly let his body relax when he was pulled to the urge to sleep. Normally, he wouldn't be able to sleep in just a snap; having to be trained as a ninja left him always on edge and the instant he hears something that didn't seem right, he'll jump right out of sleep and increase his battle with insomnia.
As he fell into the gentle embrace of sleep, Leonardo didn't notice the concern look on Bigfoot's face she has for him. Something she knew was going to happen, and can't say or do anything to help the fifteen year-old be prepare for what is to come.
Hours Later; Nighttime...
He felt an odd presence attempting to creep up on him, getting the black-wolf to snap his eyes open and, by sheer instinct, jump to his feet.
He let out a threatening snarl to whoever that dared to sneak up on him, pulling his lips back to flash his fangs. His tail held up high in the air as his body was positioned to slightly crouch over his bed, readying himself for combat, despite his ribs sending pulse of soreness through his chest and stomach.
"Who's there?" He called out, his claws digging into the ground to keep him firmly on the ground and not jump until the intruder attacks first.
The familiar sound of hoof making contact with the earth, made him immediately stop growling when he realized the intruder that woke him up is the Deer Spirit. Immediately, he ceased his snarling and forced his body to sit, flattening his ears, lowering his head and letting out a low-whimper to send out an apology to the deer.
The large Stag simply walked towards the boy and lowered his head on top of the wolf's.
"You have no reason to apologize," he told Leo. "You felt something off, even when not conscious to know what the disturbance was and, like any creature of the wild would do, prepared yourself for combat."
The Stag pulled away from the boy, his eyes showing no sign of anger nor disappointment to the humanoid-wolf/turtle. Although, they held an odd look of uncertainty for the fifteen year-old. Whatever the spirit was uncertain about, must be the reason for his actions to wake up Leonardo from his sleep.
Before Leo could even question him about his whereabouts or why he hadn't returned to the cave all day, the Buck went to his rump and gently pushed him to stand up.
His sudden choice of action caught Leo by surprise, stumbling to remain on his paws when the deer gently shoved him towards the exit of the cave.
"What's-?"
"There's no time for questions, Young One. We must leave." The Spirit interrupted, urging him to keep moving one last time before going on ahead towards the exit.
While the fifteen year-old had hoped to finally get out of the cave and explore and that moment has finally came, the Spirit's actions puzzled him. Leonardo lifted his nose in the air to smell out any unfamiliar scents that tells him if hunters are nearby, only find nothing off with the air.
'That rules out our location being in danger from being discovered, but it doesn't help to tell me what's going on... Oh well, guess I have no choice but to follow the Deer Spirit and see where he takes me.'
Once they were outside, he found that they're in a forest, surrounded by pine trees. The sky is dark and shining with stars and the full-moon above them, clearly stating to being nighttime. The crickets chirping away in the peaceful woods, an owl or two hooting gently in the air as they search for food and he was certain that he heard a mountain lion calling out from afar, somewhere near the mountain.
His ribs still hurt, but the pain had lessened over the last few days for him to tolerate it, so long he doesn't push himself to a sprint or attempt to stretch his arms. The Stag continued to lead him through the forest, heading for the darker parts of the trees that the moon's light couldn't shine down upon. Leo's fur stood on edge, sensing something off within the darkness of the forest.
His muscles tensed to make him stop in his tracks, but his mind reminded him that the Deer Spirit wanted him to follow. That the Spirit can be trusted and has done so much to heal him, he shouldn't be afraid of the unknown that he follows the Stag to.
'Besides,' he thought. 'I've been trained to fight within the shadows, the way of invisibility, for most my life and it never, not once, harmed me. And so, I shall not fear the unknown that the darkness hides.'
He took his first step into the darkness and, almost the moment he felt something ominous about the forest, the feeling went away. The tension he felt within him immediately evaporated, his fur flattening.
The Deer Spirit, who didn't stop to see if the humanoid-wolf/turtle is still following him or not, continued walking straight into the forest. Leonardo remained at his heel, not going to allow doubt or fear to stop him from reaching their unknown destination.
As they went deeper into the forest, a thick fog surrounded the two and the sound of the crickets, owls and other night creatures all went silent. Leonardo's heart was racing with anticipation from the sudden change of atmosphere around him and the Deer Spirit.
Then, without a word, the Spirit stopped in his tracks. When Leo stopped as well, did he find himself and the spirit standing in front of an old, damaged bridge. Underneath the bridge, is a dark abyss between the ground they stand on and land on the other side of the bridge, with the thick fog still lingering within the air.
The ominous feeling came back, making Leonardo's stomach tie in knots and his eyes to dilate. He let out a low growl at the bridge, feeling every bone in his body refusing to take a single step onto the damage path to the other side of land.
The Deer Spirit gave him a silent look of interest to Leo's response to the bridge.
"You are wise to be cautious about this bridge, though it no longer poses a threat like it had in the past."
His voice pulled the humanoid-wolf/turtle's attention away from the bridge and stare into the spirit's eyes.
"This bridge was once cursed, tainted by dark magic, from a vengeful Spirit of a deer that swore vengeance upon Man. His hatred lasted for many years, haunting many travelers who attempt to cross and tormenting hunters in their dreams who slept close to the bridge... Until one day, nine brothers crossed the bridge and ended up turning into Stags."
He folded his legs to lay down before the black-wolf, their eyes never pulling away from each other.
"We have lived for over four centuries, reliving our lives as Stags, unable to return home to our father and continue living as humans... However, in time, we found out about the secrets of this curse that was bestowed onto us."
As he talked, he morphed to his true-form, now kneeling in front of Leo.
When it cursed us, it basically killed our human body in order for us to be reborn as Deer Spirits. In the process, the dark magic left the bridge and allowed all to cross over. What they don't realize is that the moment they go over to the other side, they either experience true terror or great pain... But, in truth, what lies beyond the other side of the bridge, is the physical realm of the Astral Plane.
Cerulean/Sapphire-Moon eyes widened, not believing what he just heard but took the Spirit's words as the truth when he clearly has a serious look on his face. He didn't know what to say, even as the Spirit stood back to his full height.
In order for you to truly heal and learn to revert between bodies, you must first learn to properly use your current body and how to be one with it. Once you accomplish this, the next trial shall commence. However, you must do this on your own. He slowly headed for the way they came from, allowing the fog to circle him as he left the fifteen year-old alone beside the bridge. When you are ready, I shall come for you.
Just as he appeared, he immediately vanished behind the trees, not a single movement or sound left to alert anyone of his presence.
Leonardo is left alone to ponder on what he was just told. His misgiving towards the bridge still lingers, especially learning that it turned the spirit and his brothers into Deer Spirits, but his curiosity to know what the physical realm of the Astral Plane is like compared to the Astral Plane he goes over through meditation or sleep, made him want to go over and experience a whole new world for him to explore.
Leo raised a trembling paw towards the first plank of the bridge, trying to fight off the unease feeling he had towards the path before him.
'If crossing this bridge is the only way to bring me closer to finding the truth behind my sudden ability to turn between my true-form and wolf-form, then I must push aside my fear and anger towards the bridge and keep moving forward.'
He made his first step onto the bridge.
~Eeeeeerrrrrr~
The wood beneath his paw made a creaking sound from the added to it's poor conditioned state. Nevertheless, the black-wolf didn't feel it anywhere near close to breaking underneath his weight, and pushed himself to move forward.
In the darkness of the trees, the Deer Spirit watches the humanoid-wolf/turtle walk across the bridge and into the forest, where he will face certain challenges he would never expect to encounter.*
August Second, Three Weeks Later...
*Snap!*
A rabbit lifted itself to sit on it's rump, ears sticking out to hear how close the footsteps are to it when it knew a large creature made the sound by stepping on a twig.
Rrrrrraaaawwwwllll...
The moment the rabbit heard the sound, it immediately took off running. Behind it, a large-feline jumped out from the bushes and gave chase for the rabbit. The small mammal forced is body to put on burst of speed, at times jumping from side-to-side in hoping to distract the predator long enough to reach for it's burrow and be safe, only for it's plan to fail as the feline came closer to grabbing it with his fangs.
Fear raced in the rabbits heart, desperately pushing itself to go faster than it can go.
The feline came closer, his shadow covering the grey-furred rabbit. He flashed his fangs out, letting out a yowling roar. Just as he leaned down to make a grab for the rabbit...
"Aaaauuugh!"
A shadow jumped out from the shadows of the trees and rammed into the mountain lion, forcing the both of them to slam into the ground and allowing the rabbit to sprint away to freedom. The mountain lion jumped to his feet and bared his fangs to whoever that dared to prevent him from hunting... Only to be face-to-face with the black-wolf, who stood his ground before the large-feline and giving him a disappointed look.
The feline's yowling dramatically reduced down to a low growl.
"Must you always interfere with my hunts?" The mountain lion questioned the small-canine, his tail flickering with irritation towards the humanoid-wolf/turtle.
In response, Leonardo let out a snort to the feline's attitude. He knew the cougar for over a week and is always cranky when hungry, or somebody interrupts his nap.
"Only when you forget the deal we made, Sun Stone." He replied, his words making the feline confused for a moment before realization sparked in his greenish-yellow eyes.
The mountain lion let out a groan, flopping his body to the ground.
"Was it a young, or an expecting mother?" He asked.
"An expecting mother." Leo answered, walking up to the feline and licking him on top of his head.
Sun Stone gave him an evil look, but didn't stop the canine from grooming his head and lightly nipping at his ears to help pick a tick out of his fur.
"Why did I even agree to the deal in the first place?" He asked out loud, which earned himself a bite to the ear that made him jump right back to his feet and snarl at the wolf.
"Because it was either that, or I would've kept interfering the hunts and the both of us would've starved. Remember?" Leonardo reminded, gently brushing his shoulder against the feline's in a playful mood. "Besides, you told me that you would agree to whatever conditions I would make to how you are to keep the natural balance in the forest, as payment to me freeing you from the humans' trap to express your gratitude."
Sun Stone flicked his tail to smack the canine in side, where his ribs had finally healed, and forced him to the ground before getting on top of the black-wolf.
"Are you ever going to let it go?" Sun Stone asked, giving Leo a cat-like grin when he's clearly overpowering the humanoid-wolf/turtle with his larger and more body mass than he has.
Right when he thought he won their game, he felt the black-wolf immediately get large and soon, found himself being pinned down by a humanoid-turtle.
Leonardo smiled down at the cougar beneath him, keeping him on his side as he remained on top.
"So long as I'm here to put you back in your place, never." He answered, reaching out and started stroking his fur, from the top of the feline's head to the midsection of his back.
Almost instantly, Sun Stone went slack to his touch, releasing a mighty pure and appears to have forgotten his hunger problem for the moment.
For a mountain lion, it's always easy to make him act like an overgrown, house cat.
The sound of his Conscience talking to him, made the teenager happy to still be able to have silent conversations with his Instinct and Conscience while in his true-form. While he did enjoy having peace and quiet as a wolf, it did leave him a bit lonely and, for a while, come up with talking to himself on what either of the two would say to him if he were still a humanoid-wolf/turtle.
Leo got off of the mountain lion, continuing to pet him for a good five minutes, before stopping to allow companion to get back up for a third time.
"You calm now?" He asked, earning himself a firm nuzzling against his chest by the large feline. That was a good sign for the fifteen year-old. "Good. Now, to make up for your hunt. Go down to the river and catch some fish. They should hold you until nighttime, allowing you a better chance to hunt at night than in the day."
The thought of fish, alone, was more than enough to get the mountain lion to lick his lips, no longer harboring any ill will towards the turtle.
He started making his way towards the direction for the river, when he stopped for a moment.
"You seemed to have finally mastered the ability to change between your two forms... Have you spoken with the Deer Spirit lately?"
Leonardo shook his head to the feline's question.
"He had business to attend to with his brothers in South America, while Caela (Slender/From the forest) is in charge of taking care of the forest from the poachers." He answered. "From what he informed me, he should be back somewhere today. Probably right now."
Which you have guessed correctly, Young One.
Behind him, the Deer Spirit came out from behind a tree, surprising the cougar but Leonardo wasn't a bit started by his sudden return. Leo looked up at the spirit, giving him a smile.
"You sure know how to make an entrance, Faunus (God of Forests)." He greeted, watching the anthro-deer come to him.
And you seem to no longer get startled by my unannounced visits.
Leonardo chuckled, feeling proud of himself for perfecting his sensing ability improving by no longer jumping or being startled by the Deer Spirit, whom he now learned is called Faunus.
Seeing that the two will be wanting to catch up on what the other missed while the spirit was away, Sun Stone took the opportunity to purposely announce himself to leave by yawning out a roar, stretching his limbs in the process.
"It's great to see you finally came back from your personal business, but I need to go. There are fishes that needs to be caught. -He turned to Leonardo, giving him a slight nod.- I'll see you around, Moon Scar."
The fifteen year-old gave him a nod back, smiling at the feline.
"Same to you, Sun Stone."
After saying their goodbyes, the mountain lion took off for the river, leaving the humanoid-wolf/turtle alone with Faunus. He turned to the Deer Spirit, anxious to hear about his travels to meet up with his eight, little brothers.
"How was your trip to South America? Are your brothers doing good?"
Rather than answer the turtle's question, Faunus raised a three-fingered hoof-hand up, stopping him for a moment to hold off any other questions he had for him.
I shall tell you the conditions of my travels, another time. For now, I wish to take you to another place of the forest.
He then turned into his deer-form, silently telling Leonardo to turn into his wolf-form. The teen knows that whatever reason Faunus wishes to hold off any of his questions and insisting to go for a run, means there was something important that needed to discuss about. The moment the two became a Stag and black-wolf, the two sprinted through the forest.
Teen Minutes Later...
*Haa... Haa... Haa...*
Leonardo was already losing his ability to catch his breath as he continued running with the Deer Spirit, who wasn't anywhere near close to being tired as the black-wolf.
They've been running throughout the forest, jumped over streams, bound at the high hills and now looks to be heading for Talbot Peak. Not once, during their run, did they stopped for a moment to catch their breath, get a drink or even snag some berries. Leo made attempts to ask Faunus where was taking them, but always stayed quiet and kept up with the Buck in front of him.
His stomach churned when they reached the bottom of the mountain, his muscles slightly trembling from belong overused and wanting to stop to rest, but he pushed both of those thoughts behind him and forced himself to start scaling up the peak with the Deer Spirit.
'Whatever reason he has for having us to run for so long and to scale Talbot Peak, it must be very important... I just hope this'll be the end of our run, or else my heart is going to burst.'
If he were as his humanoid-wolf/turtle-self, it wouldn't be that much of a problem to climb the mountain. As a wolf, it's as difficult as getting Donatello to not go into his lab for an entire week, let alone three days straight.
Each spot he place his paw at would either give way loose gravel, too smooth for his claws to hook on to or even cut into the pads of his paws. His hind-legs would slip from their spots and will find himself almost falling to his death, if his reflexes and quick thinking helped him continued up the mountain.
While he struggles to continue on, Faunus scaled Talbot Peak with ease. Unlike Leonardo, he wasn't climbing the mountain... He was literally jumping towards the peak, like a rabbit sprinting through the tall grass.
Leo growled at the Stag making his way to the top, while he was halfway towards the peak and barely hanging on to the ledge he's attempting to pull himself onto. His right-leg slipped on loose rock and almost started falling, if his claws hadn't remained anchored on the ledge. It took him two efforts to finally pull himself up, no longer dangling in the air.
As he focused on catching breath before continuing on, he saw Faunus has finally made it to the top of the peak and is now staring right down at him. He didn't say anything to the teenager, and, after an entire minute of staring into each other's eyes, turned his back to the black-wolf. Not showing any sign at all to aid him.
Leonardo's anger grew towards the Stag, momentarily forgetting that he was out of breath.
'If I die, I'm going to come back to haunt him and chase him for the rest of his life, all over the Earth!' He swore in his head, before wincing when the cuts on his pads throbbed from touching the stone beneath him.
"In that case, why don't you get up to the top and see if such an event will occur?" A voice behind Leo made him jump and turn to see who just spoke to him, which he found to being Faunus, in his deer-form... Standing in the middle of the air?
His Cerulean/Sapphire-moon eyes widened in disbelief on what he's seeing before him, as his jaws dropped in awe.
'He can fly?!'
The Stag let out a snort from the look on the boy's face, then, to further increase the black-wolf's astonishment, walked on air towards him before standing face-to-face with the humanoid-wolf/turtle. He lowered his head and sniffed at the wolf's paws, seeing blood slightly showing from the ground where he stand.
"Is the pain from your paws holding you back to continue?" He raised his head and watch as the wolf still proceeds to gasp for breath, panting with his tongue sticking out, finally getting over the shock to witness the deer is able to walk on air. "Are you going to let some blood shed and exhaustion to prevent you from continuing?"
Leonardo felt his anger rise to the slight mocking tone Faunus just said to him, sending him a death-glare that was very much a warning to kill the Deer Spirit if he speaks one more word his ears will hear as an insult.
'Does he think this is a game?' He wondered, digging his claws into the rock. 'Is this his way to show that I am weak? Does he think I learned nothing from his teachings, let alone the lessons I learned from the Astral Plane?'
The Stag morphed into his true-form, folding his arms over his chest.
If I had thought you are weak, why would I had sent that whale to save you after you saved the world from the Kraang's Invasion? He asked the teenager, a serious tone that told Leo to pay very close to what he says to him. I did not save you, as a simple debt to repay or a token of my personal appreciation. -He kneeled before the black-wolf, placing a hoof-hand on the midsection of his back.- No. I did not save you, just to make us even… I saved you, brought you here, because you are needed.
His words confuses Leonardo to his meaning.
'"Needed"? Needed, for what?'
Faunus stood up to his feet.
If you wish to know what I mean, then go to the peak. He pointed one of his big hoof-finger to the top of the mountain, keeping his gaze on the humanoid-wolf/turtle. If you make an attempt to proceed and should you fall to your timely death, then I shall tolerate to your threat by allowing you to chase me for the rest of my days, in both the living and the Astral Plane, to your heart's content. However, should you make it to the top, you'll find something much greater than you would expect to see, let alone know about... And one more thing: Make sure to use that anger of yours, as your temporary source of energy to help you push on.
Leonardo's eyes widened to the spirit's words and the second he blinked, Faunus vanished. He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat, still panting for breath and his paws continued to pulse from the cuts touching the rock he stood on.
He looked up to the peak of Talbot Mountain while the wind blew against his body with such force, as if attempting to either push him off the ledge and fall to his death, or to slam him onto the ground. Leo kept himself standing, as his gaze hardened into a glare at the top of the peak.
'I have to keep going,' he thought to himself. 'And I will make it to the top, no matter what!'
He snarled and, ignoring the pain in his paws and the soreness in his body, launched himself onto the wall of the mountain and pushed himself to continue climbing*.
His claws dug deep into the tough surfaces of the rock, leaving small implants with each steps he makes into the mountain. His stomach now completely rested against the rock, keeping himself as flat as possible, while the wind keeps on trying to push him back and make him fall.
Leonardo wasn't going to let the wind win and let his own doubt to cloud his mind, not when he has come so far and is slowly making his way to the top. His paws slammed into the rock, his claws keeping him anchored when he would slightly loose his footing or feel his hind-legs slip from the smoothness of the stone.
He almost slip when his right-paw slammed into loose gravel and would've fallen to his death, if he didn't push his body to jump to his left and have his left-paw latch on to a smaller-ledge and leaving him dangling in the air.
'Don't give up. Don't ever give up…!' He chanted in his head, his lungs too busy to get air into his body and calm his racing heart to be able to talk out loud. Leonardo felt the cuts throb even more and even saw more spots of blood coating the mountain with each step he makes, but he kept on pushing. 'Until I make it to the top, until I reach my destination, I won't stop. I'll keep going, for myself… But, most of all, for my Pack!'
Finally, after thirteen minutes of climbing, near death attempts from slipping and continuous pulsing pain traveling from the pads of his paws to his limbs, the black-wolf pulled himself to a ledge that revealed to being part of a path towards the peak of Talbot Peak. He looked down at the mountain, unable to see exactly where other parts of the path is located.
'It must've went away as time went on, through the rain, possible rockslides or even some moments of earthquakes.' He suggested on the thought, as he slowly followed the faint tracks of a deer towards the direction of the peak.
…There, standing at the ledge of the peak, he saw the Stag. His back is turned towards the fifteen year-old teenager, keeping his gaze at the horizon before him, but the twitching of the ears being pulled back alerted Leo that he can hear him coming.
He heard a light chuckle from Faunus, while keeping his gaze to the sight before him.
"You finally made it… I knew you would make it."
Leo slightly wagged his tail to the praise, though immediately stopped when he felt his tailbone protest from the nerves in his legs banging against his bones. He let out a small whimper to the pain, but pushed himself to walk over to the Deer Spirit and stood beside him.
When he saw what Faunus was staring at, he thought he was going to drop dead and cry tears of joy: All around them, many rows of healthy pine and oak trees covered the ground. The few sighting of rivers and creeks, look be making a small-maze within the forest. Beyond the trees, strong mountains circled the area. To the far left of the forest, hills of green-grass that held small abundant of flowers can be sighted.
He couldn't see what lies beyond the hills and mountains, but Leonardo could've sworn he can hear the faint cries of wild horses from the wind, along with the sound of birds singing from down below. The sun stood over their heads, shining down it's rays of warmth to the plants and animals of the forest.
The sight is so breathtaking to the humanoid-wolf/turtle, that he completely forgotten how tired he was or how much pain his body is suffering from pushing himself to reach the top.
Faunus looked very impressed and extremely proud of the black-wolf that stood beside him, as they continued gazing down at the land before them.
"Are you enjoying on what has awaited for you?" He asked, though he already knew the answer to what Leo answered him with.
"It's even greater, than I ever dreamed of seeing." A single tear trailed down his cheek, which he made no move to hide the overwhelming wave of emotions he's feeling or wipe it away.
Something glistened in Faunus' eyes that Leo didn't see, too busy admiring the view... Until the Deer Spirit said something that took him by surprise.
"If it's your desire, you can stay."
Cerulean/Sapphire-moon eyes widened, turning away from the horizon to stare into Obsidian-black eyes.
"W... What?"
Faunus turned into his true-form before kneeling in front of the wolf, gently turning him to be face-to-face with him.
If you wish to remain here, instead of going back to New York, then you have my permission, my blessing, to stay in my forest for however long you wish to remain.
Leonardo swallowed the lump that returned in his throat, as his heart raced from what he was just told.
"...I... I can stay here... Forever?"
Faunus offered him a silent smile.
If that is what you desire, then you may be here for the rest of your days. I will also, as my way to claim you as my family, bestow upon you the ability to use our powers as your own.
What Faunus was offering him was something of great disbelief. Not only is he offering him a home to call his own, the freedom he sought out in his dreams, but to also give him the same powers that he and his brothers had been given when they turn into Deer Spirits.
Faunus is offering him a choice to decide, for himself, if he wants to leave for New York... Or stay in the forest, with him and Caela, and become a protector amongst the animals and trees.
Leonardo had been thinking of when he must leave and go back to the city he was bred and lived in for all his life, but the longer he stays, the more he didn't want to go. There was so much he can learn from Faunus than Master Splinter could ever teach him from outside his lessons from his own father.
He turned his head to stare right back to the horizon before him, lost in it's beauty and all it appears to promise him to see for many years to come.
'I wished for this moment to come... And now, it seems to finally came.'
This is what you've wanted... Isn't it? Faunus asked him, waiting patiently for an answer to his offer.
Leo turned to stare back at his friend... Then, let out a deep sigh.
"...I want it."
TBC
...Honestly, I didn't expect this chapter to be short... But then, the next chapter will probably be long. To give you guys a heads up, the next chapter will be focusing on the Hamato Clan and April, during the time Leo was gone. Which, to me, is going to be a sort of a challenge to do but going to accomplish.
I know some of you don't like cliffhangers, but hey, they make the excitement all that greater to know what'll happen in the next chapter.
Also, because we don't know the true origin of the Deer Spirit, I decided to have his origin be from a story that's based from two Romanian colinde: Cantata Profana.
*: When I first saw the Deer Spirit, I thought he was really cool... Until, I saw the human hands, and thought there should be some parts of his body being wood. Something to make him look to being part of the forest, itself, and less likely to appearing a humanoid-deer when Leo's brothers first saw it.
*: I know guys are expecting to see what Leo had to do, but I feel like it should wait when the others hear about this as well... Trust me, you'll see.
*: At this point, he'll be climbing Talbot Peak kinda like how Mufusa from the Lion King climbed up in the gorge.
Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Years! God Bless!
R&R