A Mutant Beast Covers Inner Beauty

Chapter 2

The next morning, Yoshi made breakfast for his son. Later that morning, Donatello is packing his invention onto the carriage with Yoshi's help.

"Remember to be careful Donatello, especially in the woods. They are heavily invested with wolves." Yoshi says and Donatello nods as he hugs him.

"I'll be fine Mother." Donatello says as Yoshi hugs back and Yoshi sighs.

"I know my son, just come home in one piece." They separate as Donatello nods and he mounts onto their horse.

"Anything you would like when I return?" Yoshi thought for minute and he smiles.

"If you can, I would like a rose. Like the one in my paintings, as rare as it is." Yoshi wasn't only a bookworm. He loves to paint animals, sunsets, and flowers, especially the rare. The rose in question was a beautiful blue rose, born at night with a moonlight kiss. "Goodbye, my son."

"Goodbye Mother, I'll be back in two days time." Donatello queues for their horse to move and Yoshi waves as they ride out of sight, Yoshi sighs.

"Be safe." Yoshi turns around and heads back inside the cottage.

A few later, Donatello was still traveling through the wood.

"I wonder if I took the wrong route, I guess mother was right. I should've taken the long way to the city, Maria." Donatello says to his horse and the horse neighs in response, making the olive-green skinned turtle frown. "Who asked you? Anyway, I'm sure we can find our way." They continue to travel straight and then they find them self looking at two passageways. "Let's take the right one." Maria looks at the different between the two passageways. The right one is dark while left shows sunlight. She starts to disobey and go left, making Donatello yank her straps. "Come on Maria, we are going right. It's a short cut." We walk down into right passageway and Donatello starts to feel the anxiousness and fear build up. He jumps at sound he dreaded as so he headed into the woods, a wolf's howl. "Maybe this was a bad idea, we better turn back around." However they couldn't, the wolves snarl as Donatello gasps in fear and Maria neighs running away. The wolves follow growling as they run toward them and Donatello is panicking. They start jump on the carriage and it disconnects from the horse, but Donatello didn't care as long as he could get away from the wolves.

Then suddenly, a branch caught his cloak and Donatello was snatch away from Maria as he lands on a boulder. He gulps as he see a wolf growl in front of him and he starts to scoot away, only to find three more below him. He panics as the wolf draws closer and he feels himself falling the other way, just as Maria back to catch him.

"Good girl Maria." Donatello says as he sits up and the dash away from the twelve wolves following them. They continue to run as they find a gate and Donatello steers Maria inside, leaving the wolves between it snarling at the entrance. Donatello slows his horse down as he looks at castle before him. He slides off Maria as he directs her to some hay next to the entrance's staircase and she starts to eat some. "There you go, I should ask our host if we could have a room for the night." Donatello walks up to the door, only for it to door without him to even touch it and he walks inside. "Thank you." Donatello says behind the door, finding no one behind. "Hello, is anyone here? My name is Donatello and I'm looking for a place to stay?" Donatello closes the door behind him as he looks around, seeing no one and nothing other than the castle's beautiful interior. He took off his cloak, only to find it being taken away from by..the coat rank?

"Should we say something?" Donatello hears someone whispers. "Poor guys looks lost, TC."

"Hello, is someone there?"

"No, we shouldn't and stop calling me that. For heavens sake." Someone else whispers and Donatello turns his head in that direction, only find a purple and black candelabra and tiger shaped clock.

"Hello anyone?" He jumps at the a door creaking open and sees a light shine from the other room. He walks slowly and cautiously towards to the other room and he peaks inside, a eyebrow raised at the plate of steaming food on a plate. He walks towards the chair and picks up a card so cold to the touch it made him shiver with the words: Welcome! on it. Donatello moves the chair and he gasps as it moves closer, making him sit at the table. At this point, he's afraid to touch even the silverware. Then a plate with a full teacup slides itself across the table to him. With a shaky hand, Donatello picks it up careful and raises to his mouth. He hears something and stops the cup from touching his lips.

"My sister said not to talk to you, oops." The teacup says with childish voice and Donatello gently sets it down. Donatello got out of the chair and starts running so fast out of the castle he almost forgot his cloak. He mounts onto Maria as fast as he can and they run away from the entrance. Just before he reaches the gate, he sees a garden of flower and within that garden was a bush full of blue roses.

"Mother's rose, I can a spare minute in this bizarre place for that." Donatello says as he jumps off his horse and he walks towards the bush with his dagger Yoshi gave him when he was thirteen. He looks down and cuts off a rose as he looks up, jumping back at blue ocean eyes stare at him falling and screaming. He scoots back and sees a blue eyed and leaf-green skinned female turtle wearing a light and dark blue hombre dress smiling at him. He quickly stands up and blushes in embarrassment as he looks at her. "I'm sorry, my apologies miss."

"I'm sorry if I scared you Donatello." She says and Donatello gets confused.

"How do you know my name?"

"I heard you earlier in the castle, I'm very sorry I didn't knowledge you before. It's been awhile since anyone has been here and I'm a little shy, I'm Leona." She stretches her hand out and he shake it, immediately snatching it back after he feels how cold she is and ice spreading on his arm.

"Aah, my arm!" Donatello screams in agony as he kneels down, clutching his hand in pain and Leona gasps.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I..." She stops as the sense of fear took over her body, he knows. "He's wake." Donatello stands up, the pain in his arm gone and confused written across his face.

"Who's wake?" Leona gasps and looks at Donatello.

"Donatello, you must leave now. He knows you're here, you'll be tortured if you don't go." Leona froze as her fears were realized. "It's too late." Donatello turns around, breathless at the monstrous site in front of him. Saki is wake and furious to know Leona's consulting with a stranger. Maria neighs in fear and runs away from the scene.

"Who are you?! Why are you here with her?!" Saki screams at Donatello as he stutters and Saki notices the rose in hand. "YOU CUT OFF MY ROSE?!" Donatello shudders in fear.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know..." Saki grabs his shirt and Donatello gulps. "I'm sorry sir, I just needed a place to stay...."

"I'LL GIVE YOU A PLACE TO STAY!!" Saki throws Donatello over his shoulder and after short run back to castle, Donatello is thrown into a cell hard, knocking him unconscious with a groan. The slam of it being echoed through out the castle and Saki turns to Leona with a scowl. "What have I told you?! TO NEVER COMMUNICATE WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD!!"

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to know why he was here." Leona explains and Saki growls.

"YOU ARE FORBIDDEN FROM COMING DOWN HERE AND SEEING HIM!! AND IF I SEE YOU DOWN HERE AGAIN WITH THIS THIEF, I WILL NOT HESITATE TO LOCK YOU IN THE TOWER!! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!?!" Leona lets a tear fall and it runs down her cheek.

"Yes sir, I understand." Saki sighs, letting his temper cool down and gently touches her shoulder.

"I'm doing this for your own good Leona, the outside world is dangerous for a young woman with powers such as yours. I'd never forgive myself if you were hurt or killed, do you understand?" She nods as she smiles sadly.

"I understand, father." With no expression, Saki nods and walks away from the cell leaving Leona as she looks at the unconscious Donatello. Saki stops walking away, knowing Leona isn't moving.

"Come along daughter, you should wash up from your adventure. Dinner will be in a few hours." Leona nods and starts walk behind her father, feeling the guilt for Donatello's suffering.