Soulbound (TMNT '16) ❪✓❫

Nizhoni

The day has come to an end and the four turtle brothers are back at the campsite, huddling around the fire. Donnie roasted the fish over the flames, Leo drew pictures with a stick in the dirt, Mikey looked pictures up on glow-worms, and Raph couldn't get over the thought of jumping off the river.

"Today had to be the best day." Leo said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah." Donnie chuckled. "What did Hawk do when you were with her?"

Leo shrugged. "Wisdom. Words of wisdom as we looked at the valley of trees. All shades of green, a running river, geese flying, clear blue sky, it was perfect."

"What kind of words of wisdom?" Raph asked.

"To not lose who I am as myself because I'll end up as someone I'm not." Leo explained, nodding. "What about you, Raph? You and the tiger."

"We jumped off the waterfall." He answered.

"What?" The other three brothers all said at once.

"From that height?" Donnie said. "That takes lots of courage to jump from such a high point, Raph."

"I know. That was the whole point." He laughed. "Courage. Now what about you, science boy? What did the bear teach you?"

"Okay, okay." Donnie moved away from the smoked fish and sat down on the log and sighs looking up at the moon. "Fishing with my hands. I didn't want to do it at first, but then Griz talked me into it."

"How?" Leo says.

"I don't like fishing, especially when it came to my first time and no fishing poles. Griz said I need to try it and see if it's something I'll love to do."

"And?"

"I loved it. Fishing with my hands like I have done it before. Love." He grinned at his brothers and then to Mikey. "What about you, Mikey? You and Shado. What did she teach you?"

Michelangelo put down the electronic he was using to look up glow-worms and set it aside. All he does is smile at the thought coming back into his head. He shook his head in amazement and explained what he witnessed with the king cheetah.

"Man, I wish you guys were with me. I've seen nothing like it." He beamed. "Bright blue glow-worms in a cave about ten minutes from here."

"You saw glow-worms?" Donnie's eyes grew in size. "Dude, I'm jealous. What was it like?"

"Like... it opened you up to a whole new world of nature."

"So what was it you learned?" Raph asked.

"When we were going into the cave, the bats and snakes... Their presence grew on my shoulders and I couldn't take it. So I stopped. That's when shadow described me as a brave knight trying to reach the top of the tower to reach the princess. She taught me how to be brave, no matter how hard the situation is."

Leo, Raph, and Donnie smile.

"And she was right. It was worth walking through to get to the prize."

The brothers nodded in agreement and continue to go on about the great day they had. It was only a few more minutes in to conversation until a crow landed by Leonardo.

"Leo." It said.

The turtle brother glance looks to each other. "Do I know you?" Leonardo asked it.

"I'm a friend of Hawk's. I'm Cobalt, her companion."

"Oh, hello. What brings you...here?"

"Hawk, Kri, Griz, and Shado are in danger. They need you and your brothers at the waterfall in an hour."

"Wait, what are you talking about? What kind of danger?"

"Spiritually..." Cobalt finished and took off in the night sky. Leo thought today was a great day until a black crow with blue eyes disturbed the peace, but it was for a good reason.

****

--Before the camp fire--

Hawk was wrapping up her story about Leo and the great valley to the other three animals. They may not be able to smile, yet they could laugh in their minds together. When Kri was about to have her turn to share her experience with Raph, the same blue mist appeared. It formed in the middle of the wolf, tiger, bear, and cheetah.

"It's Running River." Shado said sitting calmly.

Hawk walked up and respected the chief in the ball of light. Running River is the Indian chief who told the four female animals why they are the way they are. He wore the same deer skins, beads, and a crown of feathers on his head.

"Hello again." He greeted.

"There must be a reason why you're here." Griz said.

"Yes." He nodded. "I've come to warn you about the disturbance of a young woman."

"A young woman?" Kri repeated the last three words of the chief's sentence.

"Nizhoni; meaning beautiful. She wishes to take your opportunity to become human."

"Who is Nizhoni?" Hawk asked.

"A Native American girl who wanted power as a human. Then she went through the Soulbound to learn her lesson..."

****

--Running River telling the story--

When Nizhoni was a teenager, all the young men of warriors wanted to marry or impress her. A beautiful girl with long black hair, glowing face, brown eyes, she was an angel in her tribe.

Over the years... her heart grew dark for wanting to be the next chief in her tribe. Nizhoni's older sister, Adsila; meaning blossom, was next to be chief. For Nizhoni, it wasn't fair.

The temper tantrums were like the great storms in the sky, screams resembling snapping fire. Nizhoni didn't want to stop until she got what she wanted.

As I watched over her in her human years, I, Running River wanted to help her by putting her in Soulbound. Giving her the trait of the generosity of a king cobra.

Yes, it is difficult to be kind as a serpent, but it needed to be done.

She had two years to come in contact with a human in the woods and gain access to his mind in order to speak to him. Nizhoni refused and fussed every day. If she didn't get her way, the cobra yelled to the sky, saying how cruel I am.

"I want my body back! If you don't, I will come in the afterlife to destroy your peace! Power is what I want!" She hissed her mighty fangs and slithered into the forest.

Unfortunately, after those two years, she permanently became her spirit animal as the cobra. Nizhoni no longer had her ability to talk with the mind, and died in that body under a willow tree three years after transitioning to her fully self.

503 years later, I chose you four to teach. Now that she is still in the area, she is able to take what she wants. This cobra appears in the sky, on ground, even in human form.

...

"Nizhoni can touch us?" Kri whispers with concern.

Running River looked at the ground and nodded. "You four need to stay safe. Your animal companions and those turtles you met. Nizhoni will get what she wants if you are not careful."

"How does she win?" Griz groaned.

"Taking your souls." The chief paused. "And the turtles' as well. Stay safe my children."

Running River's spirit disappeared, the animals' eyes adjusted to the dark and knew things were kicking into high gear.

"We need to warn the brothers at the camp." Hawk said. "I'll send Cobalt."