*Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.
*Author's Notes: Chapter 9 of 'Lost in the Fight' is here and this one is extremely intense. I repeat, EXTREMELY intense.
Thank you very, very much to everyone who has read, voted on, and commented on this story. I am so grateful to all of you. Your kindness and support has been wonderful.
Once again, please continue to read/vote on/comment on 'Lost in the Fight' so that I know you are enjoying the story. Thank you for reading. ;) CJ
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Chapter 9 - Lost and Found
The youngest turtle shifted his shocked gaze from brother to brother at least six times before he could fully process the news that they had just delivered.
"What do you mean he's not in his room?" Mikey whined and he pushed himself up off of the bench-like couch that he had been vegging out on when his big brothers had entered the main living space of the lair. By the time the orange-clad ninja had even gotten to his feet, Leonardo had already disappeared inside of Donatello's lab, leaving poor Mikey all alone with his scariest brother.
"Exactly what part of 'he's not in his room' don't you get, shell for brains? I thought it was pretty self-explanatory!" Raph crisply bellowed as he breezed past Mikey to follow Leo into the laboratory.
"But his bedroom door was closed." Mikey was quick to jump to his own defense, feeling as though he needed to vindicate himself. When his two oldest brothers had announced that Donnie was not in his bedroom, the youngest sibling had gotten the impression that they had been accusing him of something.
"So is mine, Doofus! But obviously I'm not in there, am I? Do me a favor, Mikey! Next time you're sent to check on somebody, try opening the door!" Raph growled as he stomped into the lab. He was seriously resisting the urge to slap Mikey in the back of the head, but he figured after what had happened with Donnie earlier, any act of physical violence against another brother would go severely punished by Master Splinter, even if Mikey really, really deserved it.
Unfazed by the bark in his cranky brother's tone, Mikey closely followed the red-clad turtle into their genius brother's lab. So closely, he accidentally bumped into Raph's carapace when his older brother stopped his momentum without warning.
Mikey let out a nervous chuckle and cowered behind his hands, anticipating that Raph was about to smack him and start yelling at him for being an idiot, but in a rather strange turn of events, his bad-tempered big brother didn't get mad. Not at all. In fact, he hadn't even seemed to have noticed.
Okay, that's totally messed up . . . Mikey thought, squinting in confusion. It was then that the youngest turtle noticed that Raph was just standing there, staring at Leo with a rather odd expression. The two oldest brothers looked as though they were about to be sick.
The fear written on Leo's face said it all.
Mikey suddenly felt a little queasy himself.
"So where the shell is he?" Raph asked in a voice that was meant to sound agitated, but the worry behind his gruff words was obvious.
The hotheaded turtle had seen the heartbroken look on Donnie's face after he had hurt him, and now, his genius brother was missing, no doubt because of what he had done. If anything happened to his brainiac brother, it would be all his fault . . .
"I don't know." Leonardo's response to Raph was stripped of his usual confidence and he didn't even bother to look at his immediate younger brother as he had answered his question. Instead, his eyes continued to glance around the lab, still clinging to the small ray of hope that Donnie was just working on something that was temporarily keeping him out of their view.
Then, Leo noticed the drops and smears of blood scattered throughout the lab. It wasn't like his genius brother to be so careless and not clean up after himself. Even though they lived it the sewers, Donnie had always been a bit of a germophobe. Especially when it came to potential biohazards and bodily fluids. The fact that his safety-conscious brother hadn't wiped up the blood that he had spilled did not sit well with Leonardo. Of course, the sight of his safety-conscious brother's blood didn't sit all that well, either. Leo wasn't sure just how bad the cut on Donnie's shoulder was and that scared him. Judging by the blood stains on the garage floor and throughout the lab, it was bad enough that the genius turtle should have asked someone to help him treat the wound, but he had not.
Disgusted with himself, Leo shook his head from side to side. He certainly couldn't blame his brilliant younger brother for not seeking out assistance. After what had just happened, there was no way that Donnie was going to ask anyone for help. Not when he believed that his family thought that he was nothing but a disappointment and a screw-up.
Leonardo felt a sudden wave of panic wash over him when he thought about what he had done to Donnie. His genius brother had always been the most sensitive and self-conscious of his siblings, so he had a penchant for taking things to heart. Leo should have known that the critical things that he had said and done to Donnie would hurt him. The oldest turtle wondered how he could have been so cold to his brother. He worried that his thoughtless actions had pushed his already withdrawn sibling past the point of no return. Had he pushed Donnie so far that he thought the only solution was to run away?
The sound of Mikey whimpering brought Leo back from his guilt trip.
"Leo, we've gotta find Donnie," Mikey pleaded and his bright blue eyes welled with tears. He then clasped his hands together in front of him as he continued to beg for Leo's help. "Please . . . He's hurt and he's sick. He shouldn't be out there all alone. We have to find him before something bad happens to him."
Mikey's whole body shook as he came closer and closer to out-and-out bawling. His mask was already soaked with the tears that he had not attempted to stop. He just wanted his brainy big brother back, safe and sound. He just wanted Donnie to be happy again so that he could be happy again, too.
Leo placed a hand on Mikey's shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly.
"We'll find him, Mikey. I promise. I won't rest until we bring him home," Leonardo vowed with as much conviction as he could muster, successfully hiding any trace of doubt in his voice. He had meant every word that he had just said. The oldest turtle had no intention of failing Donnie again.
"What do you mean bring him home?"
The unexpected appearance of their father made all three turtles flinch. They hadn't even heard him enter the lab.
Master Splinter had been in his room trying to meditate when he had heard the volume level of his sons' conversation begin to elevate. Concerned that another fight might be brewing, he had followed the sound of their voices to the lab, where he found three out of his four boys standing there staring at one another. He had initially assumed that Donatello was still up in his room resting, but then, he had seen the worry in all of their eyes and he had heard the formidable words 'bring him home.'
"Where is Donatello?" Splinter asked, unable to hide the alarm in his voice.
The three brothers looked at their father apprehensively, not quite sure how to break the news to him.
Ultimately, it was Mikey who spilled the beans. After all, spilling things was sort of Mikey's 'thing.'
"Donnie's gone, Master Splinter!" Michelangelo choked out, his eyes wide with anxiety as he peered up at his father. The youngest turtle then started to babble almost incoherently from the panic. "He's missing and it's totally my fault! When you sent me to check on him, his door was closed, so I didn't actually look inside his room. I just sort of assumed that he was in there and left him alone . . . you know, 'cause he was upset and stuff. But he wasn't even in there. And now, we don't know where he is 'cause of me!"
When Mikey had finished his confession, Raph stared at his baby brother as though he had lost his mind.
"What are you talking about, Mikey? There's no way this is your fault! This is all on me!" As the temperamental turtle declared his guilt, he jabbed a thumb into his plastron to further stress that the responsibility for Donnie leaving was his own.
"No it isn't! None of this would have happened if I hadn't been so hard on Donnie in the first place. If anyone is to blame, it's me," Leo chimed in, never missing the chance to assume his usual role as the sacrificial victim.
Raph couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes at his older brother and he folded his arms across his chest just before expressing his disapproval.
"Oh, can it, Fearless! Why do you always have to make everything about you? You know I'm just as guilty for making Donnie leave as you are!"
"Well, I'm supposed to be the leader. I'm supposed to protect him from harm, not be the reason for it," Leonardo fired back tersely and he zeroed an owlish glare in on Raph. The oldest brother was well aware that it was not the appropriate time for yet another argument, but he wasn't about to stand idly by and let Raph hold himself accountable for something that was not his fault.
Once again, Raphael and Leonardo were at odds with one another, and once again, they were failing to see the bigger picture. They were too caught up in their continued power struggle to realize that they were repeating the same mistakes.
"Damare!" Master Splinter shouted with far more fury than his sons were used to hearing from their normally undemonstrative father. They knew by his thunderous tone that he was not to be trifled with at this point and the three of them quickly obeyed with the sound of silence.
"I will not stand here and be witness to such foolishness! Your brother is missing, and yet, the three of you are wasting precious time fighting over who is to blame! Have you learned nothing from what has happened? Donatello isn't even here, and still, you continue to hurt him with your selfish negligence!"
Master Splinter's harsh words had cut them all to the quick, but none of them had felt the wound as deeply as Leonardo. As hurtful as the words had been, it was just the reality check that the oldest turtle had needed. He now understood that there was only one thing that they should all be focusing on right now, and that was getting Donnie back home.
Leonardo shook his head once more, frustrated with himself for letting his hotheaded brother yet again push his buttons and get him off-course. If the turtle in blue was ever going to develop into the strong leader that his brothers truly needed him to be, he had to figure out a way to keep his most volatile brother from breaking through his defenses and rattling his shell. Raph's constant rebelliousness and irrational behavior inhibited the oldest turtle's ability to think straight and make sound decisions. If Leonardo didn't learn how to phase out these angry outbursts and control his own frame of mind, he would surely fail his brothers as a leader.
"Sensei is right. This isn't about us. This is about Donnie," Leo said righteously as the wheels in his head started spinning, already putting together a plan of action.
The oldest turtle looked around the lab, studying the random blood patterns for some sort of evidence that could lead them to Donnie. He could see that his genius brother had stopped by the makeshift 'infirmary' area before leaving. This was a good sign and offered a small sense of relief. It meant that Donnie had most likely grabbed something to treat his wounds. Leo at least had that to be grateful for . . .
Turning his attention back to his search, Leo's scrutinizing eyes followed the blood trail to where his brainy brother typically kept his ratty, old duffle bag. The leader immediately noted that the bag was missing. Continuing on with his investigation of the scene, Leo then traced the blood back to Donnie's desk and he could see that there were a few drops of blood right beside the three T-phones staring up at him. Leo took comfort in the realization that his brother had taken his phone with him, but at the same time, it was bittersweet. The T-phones were essentially what had triggered the fight that had caused this latest crisis.
Walking over to Donnie's desk, Leonardo gazed down at the mobile phones carefully aligned in a neat a row on the coffee-stained surface of his brother's workspace. Leo reached out and picked up his phone, holding it tightly in the palm of his hand as he fought back the tears that wanted to come. He gently brushed his thumb back and forth over the screen of the phone that his second youngest brother had so expertly crafted. In the back of his mind, Leo could still see and hear how excited Donnie had been when he had shown them the device for the very first time. He remembered how his little brother's eyes had lit up like a Roman candle while he had chattered on and on about the phone's various functions and applications. His brainy brother had bragged up the phone's capabilities as though he was a proud parent. Ever since then, the family had become rather reliant on Donnie's invention, using their phones from everything to hacking into Kraang technology, to playing games, to tracking each other via GPS, to taking pictures, to communicating with each other, to ordering takeout, to –
The GPS function! Leo yelled at himself inside of his head.
His father had once told him that sometimes thinking too hard made one fail to catch sight of the obvious . . .
Turning on his T-phone, Leo quickly started up the tracking application. When the phone's GPS map revealed Donnie's location, it came as no great surprise to the blue-clad turtle to see where his little brother had run off to.
"He's at the junkyard," Leo announced to his family and they all breathed a collective sigh of relief. All except for Leonardo, who did not share in the reprieve that his family was feeling. The oldest turtle still had this nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach that he just couldn't seem to get rid of, even now that he knew where his brother was.
While it was not unusual for the techie turtle to visit the junkyard, it was highly unusual for him to leave home without letting someone know where he was going. Knowing this, Leonardo couldn't stop himself from worrying. His missing brother was depressed, injured, and not feeling well. He was definitely not in any condition to be outside of the lair. Especially not alone . . .
No, Leo did not feel relieved at all. For some reason, he now felt even more stressed out than before.
In hopes of appeasing his troubled mind, the leader in blue dialed Donnie's number, but there was no answer. Leo quickly dialed the number again, and still, no response followed. He even repeated the process a third time with the same results.
It was then that Leo's worry turned into panic and his thoughts began to race.
This wasn't like his genius brother at all. Why wasn't Donnie answering?
Maybe he was just so upset, he was refusing to respond to anyone's calls . . .
Or was it something much worse?
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"Well, well, well . . . What do we have here?" Came an ominous voice from behind the large scrap pile that was just a turtle's length from where Donatello was standing.
The familiar voice instantly made the genius terrapin cringe and he nervously started to back away from the pile of scrap still concealing his stalker.
A mammoth figure then came into full view, looming on top of the mound of metal now about ten feet from Donatello's location.
On the outside, Donnie tried his best to appear unperturbed as he raised his bo-staff higher and shifted into a fighting stance, but on the inside, his heart was erratically thumping against his chest, trying to bust out of his rib cage and presumably leave him for dead.
"Tiger Claw." Donatello spit the name out as if it tasted rancid.
The hulking mutated Bengal tiger's lips coiled into a wicked sneer and he let loose a low growl as he glared down at the turtle with pure hatred burning in his yellow eye. Donatello wasn't exactly sure – nor did he care – what had happened to the mutant cat's other eye, but right about now, he was kind of glad that it was missing. After all, one eye was intimidating enough as it was.
Of course it had to be Tiger Claw . . . Donnie inwardly groaned.
Shredder had a number of mutant cronies at his beck and call and the vast majority of his human/animal hybrids were well-below average intelligence. This dumb factor generally worked to Donatello's advantage, as he was able to use his superior intellect to outsmart the enemy, even when outmuscled.
Tiger Claw, however, was one of Shredder's more sharp-witted followers. Granted, he was still stupid enough to work for Oroku Saki, but his IQ was significantly higher than the rest of Saki's mentally challenged supporters. This made the oversized cat a much more dangerous opponent than Shredder's other cohorts.
But it wasn't just Tiger Claw's brainpower that made him so incredibly dangerous. He was also a ruthless, extremely violent, trained assassin and bounty hunter with a personal vendetta against Donnie's whole family. To top that all off, he was highly armed, extraordinarily nimble, and out-and-out merciless. In other words, he was a regular killing machine . . .
Could my luck possibly get any worse? Donnie grumbled in his head. He then realized that he probably shouldn't have asked himself such a question. He knew from experience that things could always get worse . . .
"Isn't it a little late for you to be out wandering on your own, turtle?" Tiger Claw hoarsely snarled, curling and uncurling his massive front paws next to the gun holsters strapped to his upper legs, as though he was just itching to draw his weapons.
Donnie's calm exterior was fading fast. He had seen firsthand what Tiger Claw's arsenal of weaponry could do and he had been witness to the vicious beatings that the ferocious mutant could dish out. Given his current condition, Donnie was no match for this adversary. He was still battling with post concussion syndrome, his arm and shoulder were injured, he was coming down with a steadily worsening illness, and he was freezing cold, all of which would significantly slow his reflexes. His enemy was way stronger, way bigger, way healthier, and unfortunately, way better, even on the turtle's best day.
Right on cue, Raph's voice sounded off in Donnie's head . . .
"You know you're not the strongest fighter out of all of us."
"What you did was incredibly dangerous and stupid."
"What the shell were you thinking?"
Internalizing a flinch, Donnie then defiantly glared up at the much larger mutant.
"I could say the same to you, tiger." The scorn that Donnie had put on the word 'tiger' really should have been applauded, but it went unappreciated by his foe. The genius turtle then continued on without missing a beat. "Just out for a little moonlight stroll all alone?"
Donnie was surprised to hear the audacity that he had somehow mustered. The question had come out with far more confidence and brazenness than what he had been actually feeling inside. Perhaps some of Raph's bad attitude was rubbing off on him . . .
"Who says I am alone, young one?"
The words had no sooner parted from Tiger Claw's lips when another figure stepped out of the shadows. This one was even bigger than the mutant cat and it was much closer to Donnie's current position.
Donatello couldn't help but to shrink back in fear at the sight of the immense mutant now standing only a few feet away from him. The frightened turtle tightened his grip on his bo-staff and took several shaky steps backwards, nearly stumbling over the debris at his feet in the process.
"A – And I – I see you brought your teddy bear along. H – How sweet." Donnie had tried to sound undaunted when he had spoken, but seeing what he could only assume was a mutated grizzly bear had his poise faltering. He was sure that the two bigger mutants could see and hear the fear now racking his whole body.
While the genius turtle fought to stifle what would have been an untimely coughing fit, he noticed that there was a hard lump forming in his sore throat that he just couldn't seem to swallow down. Needless to say, breathing was not coming easily.
As if Tiger Claw wasn't a formidable enough opponent, this new hench-mutant of Shredder's was way bigger than the giant cat. The bear towered over the feline mutant by a good foot, and Donnie was guessing that Tiger Claw was somewhere around six-and-a-half feet tall.
The humongous size of this new enemy wasn't the only thing freaking Donnie out at the moment. The turtle's wide-eyed stare was currently locked on the grizzly's razor-sharp claws, which were far more terrifying than the mutated tiger's claws. The bear's thick, jagged black nails projected out about five inches or so from his paws. Paws that appeared to be bigger than Donnie's head.
This is just not my day, Donnie thought grimly and he took another couple of clumsy steps backwards, trying to put some more distance between himself and the great big bear.
The monstrous mutant grizzly instantly closed the gap that Donnie had opened up between them with a couple of heavy, graceless strides. The bear's long hind claws made an awful noise when they scraped against the scrap metal below his back paws.
"Oh, where are my manners? Allow me to introduce you to Grizzgore," Tiger Claw growled as he, too, drew closer to the turtle's position.
Donnie shuddered in his shell at the mere mention of the word 'Grizzgore.' He was already unsettled by the fact that he was facing a mutated grizzly bear, but what was even more unsettling was the usage of the word 'gore' at the end of the mutant's name. It painted a rather disturbing mental image.
"Turtle," the mutant bear snarled, staring down at Donnie.
"Grizzgore does not say much, but Master Shredder did not hire him for his conversational skills. Besides, my partner here is not interested in talking to you. He's more interested in mauling you. He has strict orders to detain you by any means necessary. You would be wise not to resist, little cub," Tiger Claw noted in a sinister voice.
The genius turtle involuntarily let a small whimper slip out as he nervously peered up into Grizzgore's small, close-set eyes that appeared to be glowing in the moonlight. The mutant's hungry, dark brown orbs were fixed on Donnie as though he was eyeing up his dinner. It was more than a little unnerving.
A shiver crept up and down the entire length of Donnie's spine from a combination of fear and cold. He couldn't help but to be a bit envious of the profuse brown fur covering the bear's body. It was no doubt keeping the huge mutant much warmer than Donnie was currently feeling.
As Donnie continued to stare at Grizzgore, he noticed the holey, frayed, cut-off jeans that the overstuffed bear was donning and he found himself strangely amused by the sight. The 'shorts' looked to be several sizes too small, as if the beast was incapable of finding a pair of jeans that actually fit over his gargantuan thighs. It was not a flattering look, to say the least, but Donnie decided that it was probably not in his best interest to point that out. He was guessing that Grizzgore wouldn't appreciate the fashion advice. Not that Donnie really had any right to be handing out fashion advice anyway. He didn't even wear clothes . . .
The sound of Tiger Claw audibly cracking his knuckles reminded Donatello of just how much danger he was in. It was hardly the time to be thinking about style savvy when he was pretty sure that he was about to get pummeled by two gigantic mutants.
Donnie nervously flicked his eyes from one immense, hairy creature to the other. If he somehow managed to live through this whole ordeal, he was going to burn every stuffed animal within a twenty mile radius of the lair. He was so going to require both mental and physical therapy after all of this.
"Now, we can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard, excruciatingly painful way, which by all means is Grizzgore's preference. What he lacks for in stimulating conversation, he more than makes up for in unspeakable violence. So why don't you be a good turtle and put your little stick down so we can capture you without any unpleasantries?" Tiger Claw suggested and he then leapt down from the scrap pile that he had been perched on so that he was only a few feet behind the mutant bear.
Donnie held fast to his bo-staff, not about to stand down, regardless of Tiger Claw's recommendation. The genius turtle knew better than to trust anything that came out of the mutant feline's mouth. The oversized cat worked for Saki. That was reason enough not to believe anything that he said. Plus, Donnie was quite certain that Tiger Claw's definition of 'easy' far differed from his own interpretation of the word. Even if the turtle in purple were to relinquish his weapon, there was no way that the two bloodthirsty mutants were going to just let him waltz out of the junkyard with them unharmed. It wasn't in Tiger Claw's nature and Donatello felt fairly confident that old Grizzgore didn't have a real gentle disposition, either.
And so, Donnie decided that if he was going to go down, he may as well go down fighting . . . or swinging, so to speak. He flashed Tiger Claw a tenacious glare as he readied his weapon, indicating that he was not going to take the bigger mutant up on his offer.
Not at all intimidated by the turtle, Grizzgore then decided to test the waters, lurching forward and invading what Donnie considered his personal space. In the blink of an eye, Donnie drew his bo-staff all the way back, and then, and then, thrust the tip of the bo straight into Grizzgore's abdomen. It was a solid front thrust attack to the gut and it was well-executed in spite of Donnie's injuries, but instead of knocking the wind out of the mutant bear as intended, it only seemed to tee him off.
Apparently, the old expression was true. It actually wasn't a good idea to poke a bear with a stick.
A nervous wheezing sound emanated from Donnie's scratchy throat.
Grizzgore then let out a deafening roar and Donnie got a close-up view of the bear's long, sharp canine teeth. The genius turtle knew that grizzly bears were one of the largest land carnivores in the world, so it came as no surprise to him that the mutant bear had extremely sharp teeth, most likely for tearing meat.
Oh, now there's a real comforting thought. All the better to eat you with, Brainiac. You seriously have got to stop reading so much, Donatello mentally lashed out at himself.
"And here I thought you were supposed to be the smartest of your clan," Tiger Claw said in a low, grating voice as he pounded a fist into his open palm.
Grizzgore simply snorted in response to Tiger Claw's statement while he stood there eyeballing Donnie, practically chomping at the bit, as though he was just waiting for the okay to attack.
"I warned you not to resist, little one. Now, we will make you deeply regret what you have done. Grizzgore, take him down."
Upon hearing Tiger Claw's directive, the mutant bear wasted no time doing as he was told.
Donnie's eyes widened with fear as Grizzgore hauled his arm back and struck him directly in the chest with so much raw power that he flew about ten feet backwards, landing awkwardly on his shell. The good news was that the blow to Donnie's chest was close-fisted, so the bear's nonretractable claws hadn't skewered him or flayed him open. Donnie grimaced over the fact that that was the good news. The not-so-good news was that it felt as though he had just been hit by a wrecking ball. He was pretty sure that the punch had cracked - maybe broken - a couple of his ribs, even with the protection of his plastron.
The downed turtle rolled onto his side, panting and struggling to take in air. His breathing came out in a weird, whistling sound and his lungs felt as though they were full of fluid. He just hoped that the fluid was from his respiratory illness and not from a punctured lung due to his newly acquired rib injury. The latter scenario would be bad. Really, really bad . . .
Regardless of the discomfort it caused him, Donnie managed to gingerly push himself up into a somewhat sitting position, supporting himself with his unsteady arms while still clutching his bo-staff in his hands. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his two enemies staring down at him, eagerly awaiting his next move. He then positioned his hands properly on his weapon, readying to defend himself.
Just as Grizzgore started to approach him, Donnie agilely jumped to his feet and pushed the button on his bo-staff to trigger the release of the hidden naginata blade. The purple-clad ninja then lifted his staff above his head and swung the weapon into the enemy with an impressive cross strike. Grizzgore attempted to block the attack, but Donnie's bo struck him hard and true across the chest and the single blade at the end of the turtle's weapon sliced deeply into the right side of the bear's upper body, causing him to howl in pain.
Thinking he had just opened up a small window of opportunity to make a harrowing escape, Donnie was about to turn and run when the mutant bear recovered far more quickly than the turtle had hoped.
Without warning, Grizzgore reached forward and grabbed hold of the turtle's bo-staff with his powerful paws, easily prying the weapon out of the smaller mutant's grip.
Donnie's eyes filled with dread as he watched Grizzgore expose his mouthful of teeth. The mutant bear gnashed his crushing molars together while he held the confiscated bo in front of the terrified turtle's face. Then, with little to no effort, Grizzgore snapped the wooden staff in two.
Well, I guess you could call that breaking it with his 'bear' hands, Donnie thought wryly. He would have said the words out loud, but he had a sneaking suspicion that his two adversaries would fail to see the humor in the statement. In all honesty, Donnie wasn't thinking it was all that funny right about now, either.
"Aw, I was going to add that to my weapons collection," Tiger Claw grumbled in discontent, staring down disappointedly at the now broken bo-staff in Grizzgore's paws. He then glared at Donatello as he added, "You will pay dearly for your insolence, foolish turtle. Now to see if you break as easily."
Donnie gulped so hard it hurt and he continued to back away from the huge bear that he had just ticked off . . . again.
"I – uh don't suppose I could, uh, talk you into letting me go willingly with you at this point?" Donnie uttered, following his request with a nervous laugh.
Grizzgore released a guttural roar and lunged forward, using his tremendous weight to forcefully knock his unprepared opponent shell-first into the ground. Once the turtle was laid out on his carapace, the mutant grizzly straddled his enormous body over the much smaller creature, effectively pinning him down with his bulk. The two halves of the busted bo-staff were still underneath Grizzgore's paws, which were pressed firmly against his victim's chest. The bear's knife-like front claws were digging into Donnie's plastron as the turtle wildly attempted to squirm free of his attacker, but the beast's substantial mass was just too much for the lighter weight mutant to push off of himself. Grizzgore then sunk his claws in even deeper, piercing through the thick scutes of the turtle's plastron and into the sensitive flesh below. Donnie suppressed a yelp of pain, only allowing a slight whimper to squeak out. He was determined not to give his enemies the satisfaction of hearing him scream or beg for mercy, knowing that his brothers would never demonstrate such weakness.
A small rumble emitted from Grizzgore's throat and Donnie could feel the bear's hot breath lapping against his skin. The huge mutant flashed his nasty teeth at his prey once again and the genius turtle couldn't help but to recoil at the sight. The grizzly was frothing at the mouth with unbridled ferocity and saliva was dribbling down the fur on his chin. As Donnie continued to try to break free of the bear's clutches, he turned his head as far to the side as it would go, to not only break eye contact with the crazed mutant, but also, to avoid getting drooled on.
Apparently offended by Donnie's decision to turn away, Grizzgore growled and his fist suddenly came crashing down hard into the side of the turtle's face, just below his eye. Donnie grunted in both pain and surprise from the brutal blow while he attempted to focus his now blurred eyesight. Once his vision was mostly restored, Donnie's reddish-brown gaze shot back up at Grizzgore just in time to see the bear lift up the blade half of his broken bo-staff and viciously plunge it at a downward angle deep into his already wounded shoulder. The finely honed blade went all the way through the shoulder, easily passing through any muscles, tendons, and bones that were in its path. Grizzgore had stabbed Donnie with such intense force, part of the wooden staff had buried itself into the turtle's skin and the naginata blade had even pierced through his carapace, before something on the metal-littered ground below finally stopped the weapon's momentum.
This time, Donnie couldn't stop a scream from erupting out of the back of his throat. A strangled cry of agony echoed throughout the junkyard as the pain tore through the turtle's body.
Severely injured and completely exhausted, it didn't take long for Donnie to run out of energy to scream. He instead started making a low, keening noise as he stared in disbelief at his broken bo-staff now projecting out of him. Tears streamed from his eyes, soaking his mask, and his whole body began to tremble. His breathing became rapid and shallow as the searing pain enveloped his entire being.
To add insult to injury, Grizzgore reached down and mercilessly grabbed Donnie by the jaw, gouging his claws into the turtle's cheeks. He then lifted Donnie's head up slightly and glared at him for a moment before he started slamming the back of the defenseless turtle's head repeatedly into the cold, hard ground. Donnie wasn't sure if the mutant grizzly was attempting to knock him out or kill him, but he felt quite certain that he now had concussion number three.
Make that four . . . five . . . six . . .
Several more blows to the head had Donnie clinging to his last remnants of consciousness. Between the blunt force trauma and the debilitating pain, he was barely able to keep his eyes open.
Tiger Claw saw this and swiftly intervened. Not because he felt compassion for the wounded turtle, but because he knew that his master wanted this particular turtle alive. His instructions had been very clear.
"Grizzgore! Step off!" Tiger Claw commanded with a deep, baleful voice.
Either the words did not immediately register or the mutant bear just plain didn't care, for Donnie was heaved into the ground a few more times before Tiger Claw came up beside Grizzgore and seized hold of the demented creature's arms to stop his continued assault on the object of their mission.
"I said step off!" Tiger Claw ordered, much louder this time and there was no mistaking his resentment of his partner's disobedience. The tiger's one visible eye was narrowed into an angry slit.
Still somewhat blinded by rage, Grizzgore looked as though he was considering disregarding the directive from his smaller superior, but he thought better of it and reluctantly complied. He let go of the turtle and rose to his feet, backing away in submission.
"Grizzgore sorry," the bear mutant rasped in defeat.
Once released from Grizzgore's death grip, Donatello's head lolled to the side and he let out a pitiable moan. Fearful of getting punched again, he buried his face into his uninjured shoulder, trying to in vain protect himself. In his current state, Donnie would not be able to fend off any additional incoming blows. He wasn't even capable of holding his head up at this point.
"I don't think he will be causing us anymore trouble. Let us leave this dreadful place," Tiger Claw coldly stated and an immoral sneer passed his lips. He then glanced down at Donatello's beaten form. "But before we go, I think I will leave his brothers a little message."
With that said, Tiger Claw stomped his foot down into the center of Donnie's plastron and loomed over the injured turtle for a prolonged moment, as if to intimidate him. The mutated tiger then reached down and ripped out the weapon that was impaling his captive's shoulder. All without a single shred of remorse.
Donnie's only reaction was to whimper feebly and squeeze his eyes shut, too dazed and weakened to offer up any other form of outcry or resistance. He just laid there, helpless. He was rapidly going into shock and he could feel his awareness slipping away from him. His addled senses were starting to shut down from the pain. He could hear that his attackers were speaking, but even with their close proximity, it sounded as though they weren't anywhere near him. He could no longer understand a word that they were saying.
It was as if the world was starting to move in slow motion and would soon stop moving altogether.
Despite his grave condition, Donnie somehow found the strength to turn his head. Through half-mast eyelids, he peered at the ugly, gaping hole in his shoulder and watched the blood spilling from the now wide-open stab wound. Without immediate medical treatment, he would bleed out. He noticed that his vision was already beginning to fail and he could feel his breathing hitch in his chest. His consciousness was fading fast. His life was draining out of him at an alarming rate. His throbbing head felt as though it weighed a ton, so he let it drop down to the side again. His battered body was crying out for rest, but he was afraid that if he fell asleep, he would never wake up.
Drawing in a grueling breath and releasing it with just as much difficulty, Donatello's muddled thoughts turned to his family. He wanted so badly to go home right now, even after all that had happened. He just wanted to see his brothers and father again . . . if only to say goodbye.
I'm so sorry . . . Please . . . forgive me . . .
In spite of all the pain and suffering, he felt a lone tear roll down his cheek, and then, he felt nothing.
The ringtone on Donatello's T-phone suddenly blared out, cutting through the frigid night air, but the genius turtle did not stir. He did not hear it. He just lay on the ground motionless, completely unresponsive. His battle to stay conscious had been lost and darkness had overtaken him.
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To be continued . . .
*Author's Notes: Poor Donnie! /(O.O)\
I really hope that you liked this chapter and Grizzgore. Okay, you probably don't 'like' Grizzgore all that much after what he just did to Donnie, but you know what I meant . . . ;)
As always, please continue to read/vote on/comment on 'Lost in the Fight' if you are enjoying it. I would really appreciate the feedback. Thanks so much for reading. ;) CJ