Moonlight Mutation (A TMNT Fanfic)

Chapter 44: This Untraveled Road

"Saska...chew...han?" Destiny mumbles to herself as she presses the tattered red cloth to her nose and inhales. "Sass-cat-chew-han...Suss-cat-chew-wan..."

She sighs heavily and stops, casting her gaze up to the bright blue sky far above her. A brisk wind blows past, instantly causing her hands to tighten around her jacket and the torn piece of Diaval's shirt. She's close. His scent is strongest here, but even then, it's weak.

Destiny gives the cloth another deep sniff, trying to cement the smell into her nose and brain before she continues on. The highway at her left drags on and on over the flat expanse of land, only occasionally showing the barest hint of lift in the terrain at all. She has to admit that it's strange to be somewhere so flat and without any type of water that's visible, having lived in a place like New York for her entire life.

What confuses her further is why, of all the places Diaval could've gone, it's Canada—and apparently one of the most boring provinces in Canada to boot, according to a family she passed at a tourist stop where she had paused to use the restroom, or washroom, as they call it here.

Another sharp wind distracts her and she catches a particularly strong whiff of Diaval's presence. Her eyes widen as she breaks into a jog, turning off the highway onto a dirt road leading eastward. She keeps going, the wind blowing harder against her face and making her eyes water as she runs faster and faster.

Her ribs start to ache. Her head starts to pound. Her throat gets raw and her lungs start to feel as if they're about to burst. She keeps going, her nose aimed at the ground as she follows the trail.

She's forced to stop as she reaches a river, one that's hardly dangerous but wide enough to make her want to search for an alternate way across. Her stomach drops when she realizes that not only are the freezing waters blocking her, but she's also lost the scent. He must've crossed this creek at some point and continued on when he reached the other side.

She narrows her eyes as her jaw clenches. She secures her backpack over both shoulders and ties the tails of the adjustable straps together at her waist before flipping her hood up over her unruly curls. She kneels only to yank off her sneakers and tie the shoelaces together, tucking her socks inside before hooking the connected shoes over her neck. She makes sure that her uchigatana is strapped tightly to her waist, grips the red cloth tightly in her hand, and steps into the water.

Immediately, she sinks up to her knees. She stiffens, her skin erupting with goosebumps, and she holds back an audible bark—or cry—of surprise. She takes a shaky step forward, her bare feet squishing in the cold, muddy riverbed and making her cringe.

Another step. The water rises up her thighs, inching towards her pelvis as the current pushes against her. She doesn't slow down. The denim of her jeans cling tightly to her legs, making her feel as if large, clammy hands are grabbing at her. She goes further, the water going over her waist and causing her to flinch. The current rushes around her still and every time she goes to move her feet, it's harder.

She brings her left leg forward and tries to take another large step, but her foot catches on a large rock and she slips. For a split second, she's nearly hovering as her eyes go wide and she watches the horizon before her disappear as she plunges beneath the water.

It's even colder once she's been submerged, every nerve in her body screaming out in shock at the ice plunging against her at all directions. Destiny doesn't know where to look or which way is up or anything, only that she's moving with the current, tumbling, being dragged down by the weight of her soaking belongings.

She kicks her legs desperately, unable to force her eyes open against the murky depths. She flails her arms, her tail wagging as if to act as a rudder, but it does little to help her. She's still underwater, she still can't breathe, and everything is starting to get hazy.