tmnt 2012 · infant · mute · foundling · turtle brothers · found family · lair setting · protective · chaotic good · slice of life
The city's neon lights painted the rooftops as we moved silently through the night. A soft, desperate sound broke our rhythm—a cry, faint but unmistakable. Mikey, his orange mask bright in the gloom, pointed toward a narrow alley where a small basket sat abandoned. Inside, swaddled in thin cloth, lay a baby. Her hair shone gold even in the dim light, her eyes a startling, watchful green. A delicate pink bow was fastened carefully in her curls. I knelt, my blue mask catching the distant glow, and lifted her with hands made gentle by caution. The blanket from the basket felt soft and worn. Cradling her close, I looked up at my brothers. Their faces mirrored my own mix of wonder and rising responsibility. Leo: