Burdens Of A Leader

"Leadership is not about being appreciated. It is about responsibility. It doesn't matter that the burden is heavy. It matters that you carry it."

Little did I know then, just how true those words would ring now.

It has been exactly one whole year since Master Splinter's death, though the vivid memory and pain of his fall to his dreadful fate never seemed to age along with time. Shredder? Finished. New York? Still. The brothers? Distant. Ever since their father and master had left them, life hasn't been the same for any of the turtles. And as for Leonardo, he's never been more uncertain of his roll as leader, and newly-found position as sensei of the ninjas. Leadership has taken on an entirely new meaning that he's anything but prepared for. Little did he know, that he would soon be faced with a situation that would force him to make a life changing decision for his family, and carry a burden that no teenager could ever imagine having to endure.