Soulbound (TMNT '16) ❪✓❫

Sooty Paws

4 days until full transformation...

"Come on, Leo!" Mikey pressed on his brother's chest multiple times until he inhaled air. Leonardo choked on the smoke and Hawk worried for his life. She didn't care if she wasn't going to become human anymore, she just wanted Leo to be happy and back to health.

Hawk and Shado rinsed off in the river while watching twigs fade into ash and green grass shriveled up. The wolf shook off the extra water before coming out of the cold river. She came to Leo's body and hovered above him, letting the water drip on his face and torso.

The wolf's tongue licked all over his face and hopes for him to open his eyes. It seems that the water has done the trick. Like it is exactly what he needed. Leonardo flashes his blue eyes open, they only stood out because his face is sooty.  He gasped out loud, coughing and turning on his side.

"Leo!" Mikey exclaimed wrapping his arms around his big brother. "I thought you were gone." He hugged tighter and felt Leo's arms embrace him. Mikey pulled away and smirks at his kicking leader.

"W-What happened?" Leo asked looking at the river's edge. The smoke wasn't as heavy today than is was last night. It was clearing up slowly. "Where is Raph, Donnie, Kri, and Griz?"

"I don't know..." Mikey says.

"We'll find them," Hawk said to Michelangelo. "We know which way they went when we got separated."

"Then let's go." Leo got to his feet and clears his itchy throat.

Shado came out of the shallow water. "Are you sure?"

Leonardo nodded. "Yeah." He says.

****

The bear's eyes crack open, she only saw a cloud of smoke surrounding her big body on the moist dirt trail. She snorted out dust and shook off a pile of ash sitting on her back. Griz gained strength back to those paws of hers and sees Raph, Donnie, and Kri are nowhere near her.

"Hello?" She called out. Her face is covered in filth, she can barely see what's in front of her. Griz was surprised that she made it through the night. It is quiet, no birds, and the sun hardly shined through the blanket of smoke hundreds of feet in the air. But did the other three make it? "Kri?" She turned to her left. "Raph, Donnie?" To her left.

The grizzly bear looks to her big paws, the ground is wet, mud is stuck to her claws. This wasn't Riki who saved them from the fire. She only slowed the flames down. Someone else dumbed life-saving water on this trail.

She is all alone, waking up with no one there, Griz groaned sadly as she looks in every direction. No silhouette of a person, no living bushes, nothing there except for a... a hand.

The bear gasped and trotted to the three-fingered hand buried in ash. Her paw pushed it to see if it will come back to life. Griz nudges the turtle body with her nose and paws, she heard it let out a weak groan. It's deep.

"Raph?" Griz grumbled, pushing the body again. "Get up. The fire is over." She said.

He lifted his head up, flashing his eyes open and still coughed. Raphael did a push up off the ground and sees the big bear facing him. His smile let her know he was okay. "Griz, what happened?"

"We passed out. I don't know where Kri and Donnie are." She sat on her rear.

Raph rubbed the soot from his eyes and found himself in the smoke bed. They weren't sure what to do next since they can't see anything and are bit sure is Donnie and Kri are alive. Raph's voice wasn't like it was before, he sounded sick. "Donnie! Kri!" He cried out. Raph glanced at his feet, they sunk in the mud. "Did it rain last night?"