She squatted, alone by the river, clutching a tree. She was there because they couldn’t know. She was afraid of what happened if they knew.
She did all he could to keep it a secret. She deepened her voice and made sure to bulk up like her brothers. She acted the way a boy should act and like the things that boys should like.
She gasped out in pain as her body instinctively bore down. It always hurt but it had to be done. One hard push and the first egg fell to the ground.
It was a natural cycle, one that could not be avoided. All egg laying animals did it weather they had mated or not. Every spring the eggs formed inside of her and by the end of May they came out.
There was a few seconds of relief before the second one started to emerge. There was always at least three but no more than six.
She had always known that she was a girl but she didn’t fully understand until she was ten. That was the first time it happened. She had gone to Splinter because of a stomach ache and ended up laying three eggs.
Splinter held her in his arms and comforted her then asked. “Have you had sex with any of your brothers?”
At first she didn’t understand but after a simple explanation from Splinter, she answered, “No.”
Splinter disposed of the eggs and let her sleep in his room that night. He never treated her any differently than the rest, even going so far as to continue calling her, “My son.” Splinter never told the others or gave them any reason to believe that their ‘brother’ was actually a sister.
There was always the fear that her secret would be revealed. It almost happened once, when they were prisoners of the Triceratons. The day they got back she had to run to the river to get them out after holding them in for two days. She had never felt so relieved.
She felt the pressure build and pushed. The second egg joined the first on the ground.
She didn’t know what would happen if they knew the truth. Would they start to treat her differently? Would they suddenly start to desire her? She didn’t want children.
She pushed and the third came out. Each one was easier than the one before it and the fourth came out with little effort.
Squatting there against the tree, she waited. Just to make sure she was done, she walked around for a minute. It wouldn’t be the first time that she thought she was done only to discover later that there was one more.
When she was sure there was no more, she collected the four eggs and dropped them into the river. She watched as they sank into the murky water, something would eat them. She turned on her heel then walked along the river to the access tunnel and headed back to the lair.
