I'm not slipping away... Am I?
Leonardo had finally found a place to settle for at least a while, it was a small cave but he’s managed to make it livable, despite being exhausted from the trip and the thing with the jaguar, Leo couldn’t bring himself to sleep.
Maybe it was the lack of bed.
Setting down his things and strapping his katana onto his back.
So instead Leo set out back into the forest, Leo had little to no knowledge on living in the jungle which is why he’s going to do some trial and error. Leo found his way back to the river and continued his walk along it, there were many rocks that jutted out of the rushing water, maybe when he gets a bit more familiar with his surrounding he could jump across.
Eventually Leonardo found his way to a large watering hole, Leo bent down and drank from his hands, when he glanced up he was met with the gaze of the same jaguar from earlier, it stared at him with content and maybe even something else.
For a moment Leo was afraid it would pounce again but instead it just went back to its drink a s if it had seen nothing. Leo could almost hear Donnie explaining that its peaceful demeanor probably had something to do with the watering hole and how it's supposed to be a neutral ground for (almost) all animals or something like that. Leo scoffed playfully at his accurate mental image of his little brother.
Leo looked around himself more, he started to notice more the longer he was here, he watched in awe as the monkeys swung from tree to tree, effortlessly jumping between branches, it was definitely a sight to see.
And that got Leo thinking; there had to be better ways to get around than on foot, if he walked everywhere then he wasn’t going to get very far.
Leo looked back down to the water and his stomach growled. Leonardo huffed and let his head drop, he had to figure this out or he wouldn't make it out here, maybe he could hunt something..?
The water rippled and a capybara emerged from the water, it sat down in front of Leo, staring at him with empty eyes. Leo stared back what the hell? Where did this thing come from?. The capybara didn’t move instead Leo reached out and petted the capybara’s head gently and hesitantly. It didn’t move, Leo didn’t even think that it noticed the action it just blinked slowly.
Leo’s attention was brought back to the water, maybe he could try to do some fishing..? And then he could swim, Leo loved to swim, it always made him sad that the water in New York was so gross and polluted, he’s asked Sensei so many times if he could go visit a neighboring state to just swim. Of course Sensei always said no.
But Leo had full control of his time now so he could swim as much as he wanted to!
Without missing a beat Leo took off his shoes and utility belt then slowly stepped into the lake, the water felt so cool on his skin even through his pants. When the water reached his waist Leo’s breath hitched, he’d never been this deep in clean water, it felt so foreign but right. Leo dived down until he reached the bottom, finally Leo thought sleep.
And just as easily as Leo dived down, he let himself succumb to sleep.
***
Leo woke up three hours later, his lungs ached, he emerged from the water feeling refreshed, his gaze fell on the same capybara as before still staring at him, Leo huffed, he looked around for his things but he only saw his belt. Leo searched for his shoes, glancing back to where the jaguar was he noticed the remnants of his shoes scattered around as if they’d been chewed on.
Leonardo let out an exasperated sigh, he reached for his utility belt and put it back on,he was going to start walking back to his shelter when he once more caught sight of the monkeys the mother monkeys sung and jumped with their babies stuck to their backs, only putting them down when they got settled in their nests. Leo glanced around again and saw monkeys, birds and other animals alike sitting in nests. That gave him an idea.
—-----------------------------------------------------------------------In New York:
“Anything from Leo yet?” Mikey asked impatiently.
“If I hear anything you’ll be the first person I tell, Mikey. Maybe just give him some more time? It’s only been two weeks, it can’t be easy adjusting.” Donnie replied curtly, still typing away on his computer.
Raph looked down at his phone, no new messages. Raph didn’t want them to know but he was worried sick, his twin brother got sent away because he didn’t handle a situation correctly, they all thought he was mad at Leo but in reality he was mad at everyone else. Why was he the only one that fought so hard to change their father’s mind? He was so angry; so angry and so tired.
—------------------------------------------------------------------------In Brazil:
Leo grabbed leaves, some branches and plants. Leo twisted them and folded the branches into a circular shape and weaved the plants and leaves into it, when Leo was done he was left with a semi-comfortable looking giant turtle sized nest.
Sure it wasn’t his best work but he had to start somewhere at least.
The sun had gone down
Leonardo laid in his surprisingly comfortable nest, he had to figure out some kind of way to reach his family, he had absolutely no idea how to write to people who aren’t supposed to be living in the sewers or even exist but maybe he could try remembering April’s address?
Leo looked around the cave one more time, they gassed over stone walls eventually falling on a small dark figure, he did a double take and squinted ‘DANGER?!’ his mind supplied, Leoanrdo instinctively reached for where his katana lay next to him and got into a defensive stance, when the figure had no reaction Leonardo squinted, trying to make out the outline.
The same capybara from earlier emerged from a weirdly shaped bush.
Leo let out a relieved sigh, he let his katana go and sat back onto his knees. “Do you need something?” Leo asked tiredly.
No answer.
“What’s wrong with me… I’m talking to a- whatever you are!”
The capybara blinked.
“Do you want to sleep here, with me?”
The capybara walked over to Leo and sat on a pile of leaves that had fallen out of place when Leonardo got up, it let out a pleased sigh and curled up on itself before drifting off to sleep.
“Huh,” Leo followed the capybara’s leed and layed back down onto his ‘bed’.
Leo let out a sad sigh as a silent tear ran down his maskless face.
He wanted to go home, but he couldn’t make his fath- Sensei even more disappointed in him than he already was.