Chapter 3
A Tale as old as Time
The Next few days were a little disorienting; where in the worlds they had landed in Don, Mikey and Raph had adjusted quickly to being out in public, Leo was more used to being in the shadows and remaining unseen and hidden.
Just due to the fact in his world, no one knew of his existence, no one knew he was alive, in this world, on this Planet however, Talen's own Home, everyone knew he was there. When he walked through the village sometimes he'd pull back when someone looked at him expecting them to scream and run, but instead he was met with a friendly wave, a friendly nod, even a few Hi's and hellos and good mornings.
Yeah, this was definitely not his world or his home planet, not that he didn't like it, on the contrary, he quite enjoyed being seen and heard and recognized as a friend rather than a freak, enemy or potential experiment. He hadn't realized it while he walked but he was strolling with a little bit of a swagger that had a few females in Talen's village eyeing him and commenting on his 'dashing' and 'handsome' looks.
He chuckled to himself imagining Mikey showing off and flexing his muscles or swinging his chucks to make it worse. After thinking that his swag suddenly slowed and he stopped looking up at the sky, his mind falling on his brothers again, still wondering if they were safe.
A hand touches his shoulder, “You're making that a habit” it was Talen again, shell she was silent, “Talen! Sorry, I can't help worrying about my brothers, I'm oldest and the leader of our team afterall” Talen give a reassuring smile to him and walks with him through the Village for the morning.
She talks about a little of her People's history and how they came to be here, Don would have loved to hear about the science part, but growing up listening to his genius brother, and having a few translations from him as well he understood a little of what she said.
Though she did keep it in as much layman as possible when she could help it, it wasn't until she got to the part where she and her people were fighting over land with the Lapine; a word used for a race of anthro animals that would resemble normal earth animals, “Some though do come to the village for food and supplies and we do help them to the best of our ability.
Others however would rather die than have anything to do with us” Leo couldn't understand how there could be a race of animals that hated Talen and her people since well....pretty much THEY were all animals too, just creatures of legend. She explained the Lapine tended to resent her people because of that fact, believing she and her kind thought themselves superior
“That's not true though, I've seen your kindness as well as your parents' kindness, no one behaves like that if they're that selfish” Talen smiles at him silently thanking him for his words. Then she looks up at the sky, “It's getting late, let's had home” They both stand.
Little did they know, a fatherly eye was watching them as they'd approached Talen's hut, her father was keeping an eye on this young turtle while he was out with his daughter. Opal, his wife walks up behind him and hugs him from the back wrapping her wings around his body, “You worried for our little cub still?”
The big griffon chuckles as he nuzzles his mate's arms, “No, i'm more worried for the Turtle, Leonardo, he's a stranger in a strange land that he is not used to, he exhibits mannerisms of someone in hiding, not used to being seen, being a Ninja is no excuse of course”
Opal agrees, “So why watch over him? Talen is doing that for you” the big griffon turns in his mate's arms and holds her close, “That's what worries me, after last time I wonder if maybe Talen is growing attached to quickly, that Turtle shows a great deal of purity and honor, something that she'd be drawn to having the blood of a Dragon in her”
Opal sighed knowing he was right, “But she also has the wisdom and intelligence of a Griffon like you Brune, My love, my husband, my everything” Brune caressed her cheek, “And you my most sacred of jewels, Opal....gave her grace, beauty and love. I just hope that she will not have a broken heart like--” he stops when he hears a commotion outside. He looks seeing Talen and Leo backing away from a large red dragon.
Leo blinks in shock, this dragon looked like Drako, but it couldn't be since he turned to stone and died when he last saw him in the battle Nexus after their last multiverse adventure. The larger red dragon walks up to Talen with Talen Backing away, not cuz she was afraid, more like she was keeping on guard, “Well well well, what have we here Talen?
You find a new boy-toy for you to satisfy your lust until your father blesses me?” Talen growls low in her chest as her fur buzzes up on her shoulders, “My father will never bless you Long. You're too corrupt and evil for that, and I don't want you ever speaking about Leonardo like that in front of my friends. You don't know anything about him” Long smiled crookedly
“Does he know about us darling? How you and I were mates before you made your mistake by rejecting me?” Talen was now bearing her fangs in anger until Leo stops her, “Look dragon, I don't know why you're here, or why you think Talen's giving you any indication she wants you back, but clearly she doesn't have an interest in you other than probably to beat you senseless you for your mouth.”
the dragon looks at him frowning, “Admittedly, I'd be doing the same thing if I wanted to be rude about it. But since this isn't my home world, or my home period, I am only giving you one warning, walk away before you make a choice you'll regret, and don't come back” he takes Talen's shoulder turning her away from the big Dragon and starts walking with her back to her home
He couldn't believe this Turtle had the audacity to speak to him like that, the Dragon growls loudly as smoke billows from his mouth, “NOBODY SPEAKS TO ME WITH SUCH DISRESPECT TURTLE!!!” he rears his head back ready to breath fire on the both of them.
Opal and Brune however had different thoughts as they glided out of their home knocking the dragon on his back, Opal keeping her foot on Long's face while Brune kept his taloned feet on her chest and neck, “you dragon have been nothing but trouble for years, you and your brother Drako are the reason we have bad relations with the Lapine”
Leo's eyes widen, this dragon was Drako's brother, so Drako came from this world for the Battle Nexus tournament, it explains his attitude without a doubt, “Don't make us send you into the wastelands like we had to your brother after he returned disgraced from the Battle Nexus”
Opal says with a deep commanding voice, she and her mate let the red drake up off the ground and he ran away like a coward. Leo turns to Talen to ask if she was alright but she had already gone, Brune sighed deeply seeing she had taken off, “She's still hurting from the last time” Leo looks up at the big Griffon, “The Last time? Should I ask?” Brune looks at him, “Why would you concern yourself?”
Leo shrugs, “I have a feeling I'll be stuck here for a while, so....if it's alright, I just want to know so that I don't accidentally open an old wound that needn't be reopened” Brune blinks a few times, then smiles proudly, “Opal, I'm taking him into the woods for a few hours, let Tiger-lily know okay?” Opal nods and takes flight returning to the hut. Tiger-lily must be her pet name from her father.
Before they left though they helped the Citizens all clean up who all thanked Brune for chasing off Long before anything escalated. Like Taken did before Brune scoops up Leo and carries him into the woods, they Land on the top of the “King Tree” as Leo dubbed it since it was so much larger than all the other trees there.
He lets Leo down onto his feet on a branch Flat, and furnished like a runway, suffice it to say he was a little surprised something like this was here but was unused, “I brought you here to show you this” Brune says motioning to a hollow in the tree.
Leo looks and finds a few scorch marks and claw marks, he assumed there was a fight there, “Long was looked at by Talen to be her mate. She was trying to follow my example since I had Opal. At the time Long did come off as strong and worthy of her hand, however, she came here to prepare it as a Mating nest as most Griffons do when they're ready to choose a life mate.
Only to find Long and Drako here with two female Night-drakes copulating with them.” Leo blinks and realized that the scorch marks may have been from them being fire breathers and expelling fire while having Sex. But for Long to do that when he was chosen by Talen
“Talen must have loved him to pick Long without knowing, and he took advantage of it by having an affair behind her back” Brune nodded. After this happened he declared that no man will be Talen's unless they receive his blessing first.
Leo could only imagine how many men tried and failed, he'd heard from April that all dads when they have a daughter feel any man is unworthy of their child, this however was something entirely different, like Brune was the reason and very definition for a Father's attitude.
Not that he didn't agree with Brune, he didn't think any other man would be worthy of Talen either, wait what did he just think to himself, “Uhhh....Brune, Sir? Why did you bring me here?” Brune looks right at Leo, “I know you're more observant than you let on Leonardo, I can tell by the way your eyes shift at the smallest sound heard, the mark of a true leader and well-trained warrior. A Commendable quality”
Leo was starting to get all bashful again, “My daughter might be building an attraction to you, not only because you're a young and handsome turtle. But as a Dragon she's naturally drawn to your Noble, honorable and pure hearted personality.” Leo blushed, forget it being Talen, a girl he'd just met, but a GIRL in general was attracted to him.
He admitted to himself he didn't think any girl would find him attractive, not only cuz number 1 he was a mutant turtle, and their track record with being seen by other humans so far consisted of them screaming and running away. But he also thought that he'd be pretty.....well, boring to most girls cuz he was always labeled as leader and such, his brothers always picked on him for being so uptight so....that was kind of a huge clue right there.
Brune rests a hand on his shoulder, “I realize this is a little jarring for you, but also, with talen being a Griffon as well as a Dragon, she will have the insight and wisdom not to push too far too soon. What I ask of you is to be prepared for her, I fear she may choose not to pursue a mate after her experience with Long, but after seeing her with you, I saw her heart open and her eyes light up in a way I have not seen in a long time."
"If you do not want to pursue her I understand, just do not tell her in a way that will hurt her again.” Leo nods, he understood what Brune was trying to ask of him, and what he was trying to do with Talen's attitude. From what he said alone, many suitors have tried, none of them were worthy cuz none of them obviously attracted his baby girl in any way other than being a friend.
She had many friends in the village too, he saw that from their walk together, “I don't know what'll happen while I'm here Brune, but I promise that I'll be kind with your daughter, and I won't go beyond her comfort Zone either, whatever fate decides, we'll see when that time comes” Brune nods accepting his answer.
4 weeks later: Leo had gone into a normal routine of his own training while Talen was sparring with him, she showed a lot of talent in fighting and martial arts. Her favorite weapon seemed to be a modified Bullwhip to have 9 strips on it like a cat-o-nine-tails, only a bullwhip style.
Also it wasn't always in the nine-tails form, she could switch it with a click of a pressure button so it was one strip and just a normal bullwhip. Much like Don's bo opening into a Naginata from a pressure switch on the center of his staff, or Mikey's Nunchucks becoming a Kusurigama.
After a sparring match with Talen, Talen would go to the library to do some studying, reading up on this Star Crystal Mirror that describes what the artifact crystals turned into. The fact it was atlantean still made Leo uneasy, Leo on the other hand decided to help Opal and Brune around the house, cleaning up, helping to cook, he even took up some gardening and started his own Spice box.
Every so often though Leo would start thinking about his brothers, he missed them being around him, all four of them grew up together, trained together, and love eachother as well. He often found himself wondering if his brothers met anyone wherever they were, and if they found love or were still content in their original epiphany, that they were the only ones of their kind and would be for their entire lives, afterall they still had to get home.
Talen slams her book to the desk frustrated, “okay, i'm going crazy being stuck in here, i'm going on patrol” she gets up and starts walking, “Be home by sunset Tiger-lily” Brune bellows from the den, “I will papa” the young griffon calls back, Leo puts his trowel down and wipes the soil off his hands, “Talen wait up! I'll go with you!”
he jogs after her, opal looks up at Brune who only smiles and winks at her. The two young'uns leaving to hang out and spend time together, which Leo was not objecting to at all in the least little bit. He'd hoped that fate would turn in his favor, cuz he was starting to have a lot of personal thoughts about himself and Talen.
