Turtles Forever

Dragons Rising

The dim light of the lair's common area flickered over the poker table with Splinter, Raph, and Casey. Splinter laid down a royal flush with serene amusement. Raphael groaned, tossing his cards down. "Come on, sensei, this is the third time now," he grumbled.

Splinter's whiskers twitched as he gathered his winnings. "As the old saying goes," he mused, "Read 'em and weep, suckers." The smirk he shot Raph was pure, unapologetic smugness.

From the couch, Mona Lisa watched with a small smirk, idly braiding Elizabeth's hair into tiny knots. The little girl giggled every time Mona pretended to "accidentally" tug too hard.

Alopex lounged on the couch, her white fur blending into the cushions like frost on stone. The twins, Luna and Una, curled against her, their tiny fox tails flicking as they listened to their mother's low, rhythmic humming—a song from her world. Luna gnawed playfully on the edge of Alopex's sash, growling like a kitten with a toy, while Una watched the poker game with wide-eyed fascination, her ears twitching at Splinter's victorious chuckle.

Nearby, Venus perched on the armrest of Donnie's chair, her pupiless violet eyes tracking the room without blinking. The glow of the TV screen cast eerie highlights across her pale blue mask. Donna, small but unnervingly quiet, hovered next to her. When Donnie leaned forward to adjust the comm feed, Donna's gaze flicked to his hands, studying the way his fingers moved across the tech. Something tense flickered in her expression—too quick to name—before she glanced back at Venus.

"Still watching?" Venus murmured, so softly even Donna had to tilt her head to catch it.

Nearby, Michelangelo was sitting down, carefully sealing another comic in a plastic sleeve while Klunk jumped on the stack. "No, no—buddy, this is a *limited edition*," Mikey chided, scooping the cat under one arm.

Leo landed in front of him, sweat dripping from his brow, stance rigid.

"Hey, Leo! What'cha doing!?" Mikey grinned.

Leo didn't answer, just turned sharply and stalked back toward the training area, blades already flashing again.

Mikey sighed. Klunk let out a judgmental meow.

"Yeah, I'm getting tired of it, myself," Mikey admitted, scratching behind the cat's ears.

Across the room, Leonardo's muscles burned as he swung his blades, sweat dripping onto the floor. Yuuki leaned against the pillar, arms crossed, watching, growing even more concerned. "You've been at this for three hours," she said quietly.

Leo didn't pause. "Need to be sharper."

Yuuki's brow furrowed. "You'll snap before you get sharper."

His blades stilled mid-swing, just for a second—long enough for her to see the tremor in his hands. Before he could retort, Donnie's comm beeped, cutting through the tension like a blade.

April's face flickered to life on the screen, her usual composure fraying at the edges. "Don, turn on Channel 6—Neo-Tech got hit *again*."

Donnie barely had time to punch in the channel before Casey was already on his feet, hockey mask materializing in his grip like magic.

"Those Purple Dragon punks ain't slick," he growled, rolling his shoulders like a fighter stepping into the ring. "Let's crash their party."

Raph cracked his knuckles with a grin. "Music to my ears."

Yuuki stepped forward, arms crossed tight. The flicker of the TV screen cast sharp shadows across her face. "So, where do we strike?"

Leo didn't look at her—just angled his shoulder between her and the screen, a wall without words. His jaw locked. "You're not going."