TMNT: Second Mutation Ch. 4

Chapter 4: Dreams and Tears


Jade was standing on a mountain in an unknown area. The howling wind brushed against her brown fur and pink mask, her white and black tail started swaying with the wind as the sound of close thunder bounced around in the air. The female cat’s chocolate-brown eyes fixed on the horizon, which was filled with gray storm clouds and fog, the air somewhat cold and the wind was almost colder.

Suddenly, music and a voice singing in a native language started playing in the air. Jade looked around curiously, wondering where the music was coming from. A sudden glow from above caught the feline’s attention, making Jade look up. A pink, mystical waterfall suddenly fell from the sky and towards Jade. The chocolate-eyed mutant nearly jumped in surprise and ran out of the way before the waterfall hit her. The mystical waterfall hit the mountain and started pooling pink water all around. Jade had jumped on to a rock to avoid the pool of pink water.

Jade stared at the waterfall, absolute curiosity and confusion sparkled in her eyes. Jade lowered one foot into the pink water surrounding the rock she was on. The water was normal temperature and did nothing except soak her foot. Jade stepped both feet into the water and started slowly walking towards the waterfall. The furry mutant didn’t want to touch the waterfall with her paw, due to fear that it would hurt her, but she didn’t have her Naginata with her and curiosity was starting to take over her body within seconds.

Jade approached the pink mystical waterfall and stopped when she was right in front of it. Jade reached out one paw to touch the waterfall, but when she was just about to make contact with it, the waterfall and pink water all around her disappeared and bright aurora lights burst out of the sky, animal spirits within the northern lights. Jade gasped in surprise and stumbled backwards, landing on her hind on the now dry stone ground.

The beautiful aurora lights danced through the sky, lighting it up; all different animal spirits were in the lights. Jade saw spirits of turtles, rats, dogs, wolves, fish, tigers and birds. The kunoichi stood up and gazed around at the aurora lights and animal spirits with pure amazement; Jade had never seen anything as amazing as this in her entire life!

Jade continued watching the lights and spirits dance around through the bright sky for a couple minutes until a large eagle spirit suddenly grabbed on to her shoulders and lifted her up into the air. The teen suddenly felt dread ripple through her stomach as the eagle flapped its wings and lifted her into the sky higher.

The head of a lioness spirit surrounded Jade’s entire body and the eagle vanished, leaving Jade floating in the air. The sound of a lion roar filled her ears and the spirit turned into the aurora lights and swirled around Jade.

Jade suddenly felt herself transform. Her brown fur turned to tan and her tail turned to a lion’s tail, her ears changed from a cat’s to a lion’s and all four of her paws and her ears turned black and she her chest and stomach area suddenly turned white. Jade still had the brown fur dangling down on side of her face, but her pink mask faded away and her clothes vanished as well.

Jade has transformed from a cat to a lioness and roared once the transformation had ended. She started to slowly float down towards the mountain top. Once the lioness was set down on the stone ground gently on to her side, she struggled to get up. The aurora light and animal spirits disappeared, as well as the music and native chant, and lightning and thunder crashed through the air as rain broke through the clouds and poured heavily on to the mountain, soaking Jade’s tan fur.
…
Chocolate-brown eyes fluttered open, but shut tightly a second later as she saw a bright light above her. Jade groaned, her head pounding. She glanced around and saw that she was in Donnie’s lab.

“Jade!” The lioness flicked her ears as she heard Donnie exclaim. She turned to her right to see her brother rushing to her side. He wrapped his arms around her to engulf her into a hug. “I was so worried that you wouldn’t wake up.”

“Donnie, what are you talking about?” Jade asked as the purple-clad mutant broke the hug. “What happened to…” She paused as she glanced down at her paws, which were now black instead of brown. Her eyes grew wide. “…Me?”

Donnie grabbed a mirror from his desk and handed it to her without saying anything. Jade grabbed the mirror and looked at her reflection. She screamed in shock as she saw that she was no longer a mutant cat, but a mutant lioness.

The scream grabbed everyone’s attention and made the three turtles and two humans run into the lab with worry.

“Jade? Donnie?” Leo said as they entered. “Are you guys okay?”

Jade stared at her reflection in the mirror for only a few moments as tears welled up in her eyes, before she let the mirror slip out of her paws. The object fell to the hard ground, glass shattered from the mirror and on to the floor as the two made contact.

“What…Am…I?” Jade asked hoarsely, tears spilling from her cheeks and on to the floor and glass shards. The memories of what happened in Baxter’s lab came rushing back to her like a flood.

Leo walked up next to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. “You’re you, Jade.” He said in a soothing tone. “Listen to me, I know you’re upset, but I promise that everything will be okay.”

Out of nowhere, Jade growled as she glared at Leo and smacked his hand off of her shoulder. “How do you know?” She growled in anger and sadness. “You’re not who got double-mutated!” She looked down at her paws. “I’m not just a mutant now! I’m more of a freak than ever!!”

With that, Jade jumped off of the bed and bolted out of the lab, leaving everyone in confusion and concern. Jade ran into her room and slammed the door shut. She locked it before she flopped down on her bed and grabbed her pillow; she hugged it close to her and cried her heart out.

“What have I become?” She whispered hoarsely.


To be continued…