"Okay, by attaching Mikey's kusarigama chains to Raph's grappling line, it should be just long enough," Donatello decides as he ties the said equipment together with a tight knot.
Raphael takes the newly-made rope. "Let's find out."
He leans back as much as he can as he starts swinging it, eyes locked on the geyser exit, and he grunts with effort when he finally lets it fly. Casey notices it falling short and chucks his hockey stick, smacking the hook just far enough that it lodges in the rock at the lip of the hole.
"Yes! Goal!" Casey whoops.
"That'll hold," Raphael decides, giving it a hard tug. "Let's go!"
"Destiny goes up first," Donatello says before they can move a single toe.
Destiny arches an eyebrow, tail flicking. "Why?"
"That way, should we fall, no one will land on you and make your injuries hurt even more," he replies with a pointed smirk. "Knowing you, it's bound to happen."
"Good point." She nods and walks forwards, gripping the rope.
"We're right behind you, Desti-bear," Michelangelo urges as she starts climbing.
The boys follow after, every teen grunting with the effort at the steep ascent. Destiny keeps going despite the aches in her torso, keeping her fanged teeth gritted as she climbs.
Too soon, there's a screech from above as the Chimera's wormy face appears. It shoves its head down the hole, chomping and snapping at the nearest mutant, Destiny. She sways, dodging its beak narrowly and giving it a sharp kick in the eye. It roars.
"Whoa! Easy, easy!" Raphael hollers.
The rope swings around with every movement, spinning everyone wildly as the Chimera tries desperately to eat just one teenager. Fed up with the elusive group, the Chimera snaps the rope with its beak and sends them careening back down to the ledge.
Destiny lands in Donatello's arms, looking at each other in surprise before he sets her down carefully. Michelangelo nearly lands in the water before Raphael grabs his wrist and holds him up. Still, the base of Michelangelo's shell catches in the water and his baby blue eyes nearly pop out of his head when he feels the heat.
"Hot! Hot! Hot!" he squeals, leaping out of the water. He lands on his butt and scoots around in circles at Donatello, Casey, and Destiny's feet, whimpering. "My sweet little turtle tush! Ow owwie ow!"
"Guys, water's rising," Donatello says, his attention locked on the bubbling quagmire below. "We're running out of time."
Destiny's eyes flicker upwards, where she catches sight of another small ledge about eight feet up. She frowns, the gears in her head creaking as they start to turn. "There's a ledge," she offers to the others, pointing. "If I turn into a wolf and go up on my hind legs, I might be able to reach it and you guys can climb up."
"How would you get up?" Casey asks.
She shakes her head. "Five of us won't fit up there," she explains, "but you four would."
"No way. We aren't leaving you down here to be roasted," Raphael snaps.
She narrows her eyes. "So all five of us get turned into teenager soup? I think one life for the good of four is better than all five!"
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...
