"Diaval! DIAVAL!"
Donatello shakes Diaval again but it elicits no response. The boy is waterlogged, his bare skin still shimmering with rivulets of lake water that drip from his hair and clothes in rhythm with the weakened heartbeat that Donatello could hardly find when he pulled Diaval from the lake at their backs.
"Come on," he mumbles, leaning closer to his mouth and listening for breaths.
Still shallow and, on another note, Donatello hears a sort of bubbling in every exhale. His eye-ridges furrow at the irregular noise and he gets to work on another option. He hoists Diaval's limp body into a sitting position and gives his back a few firm thumps, jolting him.
Diaval chokes and his eyes fly open, water dribbling from his mouth as he coughs and hacks into the ground, supporting himself on trembling arms. Donatello exhales and steps back, waiting for the boy to get his breath back.
"Hah...hah..." Diaval breathes, lifting a hand to his throat and wincing as he rubs along his jugular. "Ah, damn," he croaks.
"Language," Donatello says with an eye roll.
Diaval yelps and spins around, reaching for an arrow but finding that his weapons are missing. Donatello makes a similar noise and holds his hand up, russet eyes widening as he puts a few feet of space between them.
"Woah! Woah, it's just me! Donnie!" he says, poising himself for any further reaction.
Diaval's eyes flicker with recognition and he stops searching for his weapons. He takes a deep breath and flops back to the ground, staring up at the glistening treetops as the sun rays trickle through them. Donatello shuffles over and peers down at Diaval, craning his neck.
"Can I ask why you were in a lake?" the turtle inquires. "You said you'd wait near the flags."
Diaval exhales, trying to cling to the feeling of the sunlight drying his now clean skin. "Quest went bad. Fell."
"You...you went on a quest?!" Donatello exclaims, starting to sputter. "But Splinter didn't give you one, why would you—"
"Got one later," he interrupts. He sits up, hooking his arms around his knees. "Splinter said metal, said 'm strong but easy to shape. Got a quest." He shrugs.
Donatello stares at him, then up at the mountaintop and lake behind them. He sighs and stoops down, snatching up his quest mask as well as Diaval's bow and quiver.
"Alright then," he sighs as he hands off the weapons. "Did you learn anything?"
"Mhm. Plant m'feet."
"That's better than nothing." Donatello offers Diaval his hand, forcing a tiny smile. "Come on, the others will be wondering."
----------
Destiny moves through the trees, her feet moving on autopilot as she hops over logs and stones. She's buzzing with excitement and adrenaline, hardly able to keep silent. She can't wait to tell the others all about it, about how crazy and intense everything was.
There's the snapping of a twig nearby and she stops as her dark ears twitch. The cheeriness of the afternoon diminishes. She lowers herself into stealth mode, her cape billowing behind her gently, and she starts to creep towards the source of the noise. She stops near a tree, readying herself before peeking out, awaiting whoever is on the other side.
She meets the sapphire blue eyes of Leonardo, their noses bumping together. They gasp and jump back, Destiny clapping her hand over her mouth in order to stop herself from screaming, and for a moment, all they do is stare at each other. A bird chirps overhead.
"Leo..." Destiny exhales, dropping her hand. "Didn't expect to see you."
"What are you doing out here?" he asks. He notices her outfit and his eye-ridges lift. "And why are you dressed like that?"
"I got a quest," she says. Her eyes spark as she closes the distance between them and takes his hands in hers. She smiles. "Splinter appeared in my fire the other night and told me to become like a river, strong and pure, and it was really weird but it worked! I did it, Leo."
He blinks, processing her words, then laughs softly. He tightens his fingers around hers and pulls her into him, releasing her hands only to wrap his arms around her. She returns the embrace, burying her face against his shoulder as she takes in another cleansing breath.
"You aren't mad?" she murmurs.
"I'm proud," he corrects. His lips brush against her forehead. "I'm proud of you," he repeats. Her heart swells and she hugs him just a little bit tighter. "Do you have a flag?"
"What?"
He smirks and steps back from the hug. "I'll explain on the way," he says as he takes her hand. "Follow me."
----------
"If you knock me into the mud one more time, Red—" Casey growls.
"Oh? What are you gonna do about it?" April challenges. Before he can answer, she spins and kicks the piece of wood in his hands. It splinters apart. "Finally! Yes! Whoo!"
She snaps her fingers, doing a victory dance as she throws her hands up in the air. Casey smirks lightly at her before his eyes travel to the distance. His mouth drops open, his eyes widening.
April laughs and rests her hands on her hips. "What? Nothing to say? Didn't think I could do it, did you?" She gets no response. "Casey? What..." She turns around and her face slackens. "Whoa."
Six flags flap lightly in the breeze, emblems of the elements that they represent emblazoned on the material.
川
River
山
Mountain
金属
Metal
火
Fire
風
Wind
森
Forest
Every turtle has white eyes. Destiny and Diaval carry their flags high alongside the others, Diaval's attention flickering to his feet every now and again. The group reaches April and Casey, both of whom still look completely dumbfounded.
"What happened out there?" April asks.
"It's time," Leonardo announces. He straightens up, one hand clenching into a fist. "We're going back to New York."
YOU ARE READING
Forest Mutation (Book Two)
Fanfiction"In Saskatchewan, when I couldn't fall asleep, I'd watch the moon and think about how across the country and over the border, you were probably out on a rooftop beneath the same moon. You were the first person I enjoyed the moon with. Every other ti...
