Takes place before the TMNT movie

I don't own the turtles

It had been just over a week since Leo had arrived in Central America. Living alone in the jungle was difficult, and by this time he had only begun the mastery of manoeuvring in the dense bush. Since arriving, the young turtle had spent most of his time mapping out as much area as possible in hopes to learn the lay of the land. It was difficult - even now. The trees all looked the same, and despite his efforts to mark them with his katanas, the natural lines in the trees made the slits looks natural, thus hard to notice. He had discovered five small villages with populations ranging anywhere from ten to a hundred people. At the back of his mind Leo knew that there would be less people than what he was used to, but the small total was nonetheless shocking. And the way they lived - even the richest individuals he had seen were worse off than some of the homeless of New York. Obesity here was hard to find, as everyone (especially the children) was on the verge of starvation. Although he didn't yet fully understand it, there was a group of militia men that would sack the villages, taking their food, money and whatever valuables could be found. Leo noticed by the third day since his arrival of their treachery. He was running some drills when he heard gun shots in the distance. Upon further inspection from the tree line, the ninja discovered what those evil filth were doing. From that point Leonardo vowed to protect the innocent lives of the villagers, no matter what it took.

Leo awoke from his restless sleep. Sunlight was peeking through the cracks of vines that covered the entrance to his cave. He lay on the stone floor for a moment, pondering life. Now - more than ever - he missed his family. Up until this point, the time spent away from the others had been like a relaxing retreat, no noise or complaints, and he had no one to look out for but himself. But that night, when he could drift away from the constant noise of the forest, he had dreamt about them; his family. It wasn't a nightmare, but it held no happy feelings either, only sorrow and longing. As he looked to the ceiling of the cave his mind drifted to those he held dearest. He began to question what they would be doing at that moment, but knew that they would be going to bed after a long night of doing whatever it is they do when he's not around. I wonder if their thinking about me, he asked himself. He pushed the thought aside and stood up. His muscles ached as he stretched himself out. He was getting used to the hard, rock floor, but still missed the comfort of his futon that awaited him at home. Walking towards the mouth of the cave, Leo grabbed some small roots that he had set on a rock. He got into the sunlight and looked down at the white vegetation that sat in his hand.

"Well, it's not pizza" he said with a sigh, and began nibbling on them.

Food here was hard to come by, but upon spying on some villagers foraging through the forest, the turtle learned to keep his eyes open for edibles. These roots were tough and bitter, but obviously held some nutritious values; seeing as how he wasn't dead yet, so he would continue to munch on.

Water was easier to find. Though he learned within his first couple of days that getting it from little ponds was a recipe for disaster. That night when he had filled up his canteen had been one of, if not the, worst night of his life. His body was racked with pain mercilessly. He had a fever and cold sweat, which poured from his body, expelling the liquid that he so desperately needed. And to top it all off, he experienced horrible diarrhea and nausea. That night; Leonardo Splinterson thought he was going to die. When the sun came up the next day, he was tired. Almost enough that he would drag his body to one of the villages and plead for help. Instead he continued to watch them: learning. After what felt like days of stalking, with no food and water in his system, Leo finally found the source of their water. Underground caverns which littered the forest floor, held fresh water that the humans would quench their thirst with. These cenotes brought Leonardo new life, and he made sure to pay special attention in memorizing their locations.

Already the sun was hot. It was a feeling that still felt new to him. He contemplated moving around solely at night, like back in the city, but even with the light it was hard to navigate through the trees. Looking around, Leo took in the view. It was beautiful. Everything was lush and green. The air was clean and clear. The light reflected off of the dew that rested upon the foliage, which made the forest shine. Strangely, the noise of the insects and other animals was lessened during the day, though birds and monkeys could still be heard calling throughout the jungle. Leo smirked to himself and thought, today will be a good day.

Like every morning, the young ninja would start off with a rigorous exercise; running on the ground, jumping through the trees, swimming in the water, and (for his amusement more than everything), swing on the vines that hung from the canopy. He stopped at the closest cenote and took a drink. Already he noticed a difference in his body. Not only could he admire himself in the reflection of the water, but he could feel it. His muscles were still there, not much had changed them, but he was leaner. His arms rippled with movement as he flexed them. Despite his poor diet - he felt good.

Kneeling again next to the water, he took off his mask. It was getting hotter by the minute, and the cool of night was far off. He had sweat to the point that there was no color change when he wet the blue fabric in the pool. As he re-tied it around his head, Leo let out a content sigh. The cool water felt good. The temptation to dive in was almost unbearable, but he knew that this cenote was sacred to the people whom he shadowed, and refrained.

He took one more gulp of the clear liquid and stood, wiping his mouth. It was time to make his rounds with the villages. The closest, and most Southern, was not far off. With a tired grunt, he began the short journey. The villages were arranged in a way that four made a crescent moon to the left of the biggest, Astilla, which had a simple church atop a hill.

The first town was one of the larger of the bunch, but was easily farthest from the Astilla. It was a rough place, and although the people were generally happy, there seemed to be a constant cloud hovering above them. Leo watched as he sat up in a tree, ready to move on a moment's notice. The people went about their days as normal. Not much conversation took place between the inhabitants, but anyone could see that they were a tight-knit community that would gladly sacrifice themselves for others that they care about.

After an hour of surveying, Leonardo continued on his way. His bush-whacking was coming along nicely, but he still insisted on using the dirt path that connected the villages when he could. Northward was the smallest of the villages. No more than ten people lived there. In contrast to the first stop on his tour, and the others in general, Leonardo found this one to be more upbeat and alive. There was a mother that lived there with four children. Leo could not help but wonder what happened to her husband, though assumed the militia had something to do with it. The thought of them gave him a bitter taste in his mouth - or it was the roots. Either or. The woman was not sad though, to the contrary, she seemed to be the happiest of them all. There was another couple with one baby boy and an elderly pair who's kids had probably grown and left the village. All of the citizens of that place had a smile on their faces, which in turn brought one to Leo's. With that, he moved on, to the North-East.

This village was somewhere in-between the last two. It was the fourth biggest, and the people were happy, but carried themselves with dignity. They had a couple farms and clearly more resources than any of the other towns. This gave them an air of wealth and pride. The village itself seemed fresher and more innovative than the others. Leo looked on in wonder as he watched the people talk in their foreign language. Here, more than anywhere else he wished he knew Spanish, but alas he could only guess as to what they were saying. The day drew on and Leo propelled himself forward again.

The turtle strayed off the path as he raced for the village in the North-East, as there was none that connected directly between the two villages. He pushed himself to his limits in this stretch; bounding off trees and rolling on the ground, all-the-while trying to move as stealthily as possible.

Once he arrived at the outskirts of the town, Leo was exhausted and ready for a rest. He was panting heavily and felt dizzy in the heat of the sun. from what he could tell, it was probably 4 o'clock, so the warmth was just beginning to fade. This town was Leo's favourite. After Astilla, it was the most populated. The people there seemed nice, and cared deeply for each other. Crosses hung on all of the doors and a large one stood in the center of the town. While the smaller villages had a couple small crosses here and there, this one came closest to the religious standards of Astilla, that was only a short walk away. Leonardo enjoyed watching these people, had learned of their goings-ons and had even picked up on a few of their names. Pablo sparked his interest the most. The young boy, who bore the most stereotypical name there was, caught Leo's attention when he helped an elderly lady pick up some coco beans she had dropped. He was always smiling and ready to help others in need. He lived alone with his father in a small mud-hut. His father, Santiego, was the priest that headed the church in Astilla. Pablo looked up to his father and tried to follow his footsteps as best he could. Leo decided that it wasn't only to make his father proud, but because Pablo really was deeply religious and dreamt of becoming a priest to please his God. Today the small family was touring the town, picking up some food from the little market and enjoying each others' company. Watching them warmed Leo's heart and he couldn't help but think of Splinter. Without warning, his eyes began to water at the thought. He turned away as a tight pain in his chest flared. Do I really miss them that much? He wiped at his eyes and sniffed. Turning his back on the town, he tore he eyes from Pablo and Santiego, then took off running. One more stop: the big city.

Astilla was easily the biggest village, but still not comparable to any town in the US. The walls of the buildings were painted vibrant shades of colors, and it was clean and maintained. The small white church shone on top of a small hill in the center of the village. It was easily visible from the branch Leo was perched on. He looked on at the its people and smiled. They were calm, and like everywhere else, went on with their daily business. But the sun was now slowly disappearing. Leo's eye ridges crinkled in wonder, how long was I at Pablo's village?

No matter how long it had been, it was time to get 'home'. There had been no sign of trouble and even less of the militia. With a start, Leo bounded South, back to his cave. Once deep in the forest, the sunlight had all but vanished. It was cooler now, and Leo let off less perspiration. He was running on the forest floor, dodging roots and rocks that jutted up from the ground. He tripped a couple times, but could tell he was getting better at the forest runs. Maybe he was almost ready to do some night-time rounds. It was a great feeling. The fresh air on his skin, the leaves beneath his feet. Leonardo was in bliss. Every step more relieving than the last. But that feeling was soon put to a halt. He jumped off over a fallen log with his right foot, and landed on his left. When the sole of his foot touched down, Leo immediately felt regret, and his heart jumped in his throat. The ground beneath him caved in. In that split second he grabbed for anything he could, but the ferns he snatched only broke away from the earth. He was falling and there was nothing he could do.