Turtles of a Feather

Chapter 10- Tempest

   The blasting wind whipped around him, large droplets of rain smacking his face so hard that it felt as if needles were piercing his flesh. Tumbling through the air, Leonardo began to panic, as he couldn't get his wings under control. The mighty eagle wings flailed around as he attempted to fight against the massive torrent of air.

   Millions of thoughts swarmed through his head as he jerked his body to the side, trying to get upright so that he wouldn't plummet to his doom. His shoulder blades ached from the wind yanking on his mighty limbs of flight, practically trying to rip them from his back. The boy knew he needed to straighten himself quickly, and although his sudden idea could end badly, it was better than death.

   With a determined glare, the winged reptile turned to his side on the jet of air, which to his success, finally flipped him upright in the sky. With a victorious cry, Leo broke his wings from the forceful bond and spread them out fully, a massive jolt taking him by surprise. The instant jerk made his neck extremely sore, and he winced in discomfort.

"LEONARDO!"

  Leo turned his head and saw his father in the tree's canopy, desperately stretching out his hand into the rain. The blue-clad turtle frowned, seeing his father's terrified eyes from a distance away.

"F-Father! I'm okay! " Leo shouted, trying to raise his voice over the wind and rain. Thunder already started to roll in the gray clouds above which only drowned out his voice even more. With a sigh, the reptile knew he needed to turn around and return to the tree. Gliding out in the open, and especially as the storm was getting heavier would be a horrible idea.

   With a furrowed brow, the turtle tightened his muscles in his back and shoulders and flapped the eagle wings as hard and fluently as he could. When he felt his body jolt and the air's impact increasing, Leo yelped, knowing he'd fall as he did by the stream. With eyes squeezed shut he scrunched his body tight, hoping that his plastron and carapace might save him from any severe and harsh impact.

'I made the same mistake...again. How naive was I?!'

The boy sobbed in his head wanting the cold embrace of death to hurry up, and not taunt him so.

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   Splinter watched in panic. Even though he knew it was pointless, he reached out his hand to his son only a few yards away from him. The rat dad gripped the branch so hard that his knuckles went pale, trying to avoid being knocked off by the ferocious wind.

"FLAP YOUR WINGS LEONARDO!" the rat dad shouted, tears brimming his eyes.

   The man was self loathing. The fact that he did not have the capability to save his son, much like Raphael, rendered him frozen in racing thoughts and tense muscles. If he could do something, anything...he would. The rain fell steadily from the sky and landed on the canopies and ground far below. A drop splashed on his nose and sent a violent shiver through his body. The rat master felt a small tug on his kimono and only turned his head slightly to see three little turtles with gaped mouths, and tears filling their eyes.

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  Leonardo was prepared for death, his altitude lowering rapidly as the wind tossed him about like a weightless ragdoll. The blue-clad boy heard the shouts of his father and found that the voice was mingled with those of his siblings.

With a huge blast of air to his face, his ocean orbs met eyes of glowing green.

"LEO! Open your wings and flap as hard as you can!" Raph blurted as he did a very brief demonstration below, so that he was in the eldest's view.