Chapter Text
They were fighting some sort of lizard yokai, in a back alley a few blocks down from Broadway. That's where Raphael, professional older brother of three annoying brothers and ninja turtle, had expected to be when he went through the blue portal. One of his brothers jumped and hung onto the spikes of his thick shell as he hopped through the neon blue portal, fist ready to smack down the mystic user that had just robbed a bank. The weight of the other mutant turtle on his back immediately told him who had decided to join him in an up close attack.
He had adjusted accordingly as he flew through the portal set up by Leo perfectly. Knowing to duck down after he made contact so Donatello could smack the baddy down with a second hit. Donnie was his most common partner when it came to combo moves. The snapping turtle liked that, honestly he preferred all his brothers a bit closer in battle. They could watch each other's shells just a bit easier that way.
But instead the blue portal hadn’t dropped him into the grimy back alley, as was the usual, next to the mystic lion/lizard yokai they had been fighting. Instead he landed somewhere much darker.
Much much darker. Colder.
The lack of concrete under his feet caught the large turtle by surprise, causing him to fall forward, landing in the surprisingly soft earth below him that was definitely not concrete. Crunching under him and stilling as he laid there.
“What the..” He grumbled, moving his arms underneath him and lifting his face away from the icy temperature of the ground below him.
This situation seemed familiar. Except instead of landing face first in sand, he landed in snow.
Donnie had remained firmly on his back, he could feel the grip on one of his spikes loosen slightly as he began to take in their situation as well.
“Wow, seriously, again! Sigh.” His 2nd youngest brother huffed behind him, moving off his shell and smoothly jumped to the ground next to him, his feet landing with a soft crunch of snow.
“You alright Raph?”
“Yeah man, all good here. Looks like Leo mixed up his portals again,” he added. Moving to stand up.
Immediately his body was pummeled in a icy spray of wind and snow. He jumped at the sudden change in temperature and quickly folded his arms, hunching into himself.
“Jumpin' jack flash this is cold! Where did he send us this time? Cause this sure ain't Tahiti… Right? Do they have winter there Dee?” The Snapper asked, turning to look at his younger brother next to him, honestly curious.
“They do to a certain extent. But not nearly to this extreme. One moment, I'm trying to figure out our location…”
The light of his brother's arm computer (what the heck was it called again?) was the only source of light, illuminating Donnie's face in a soft purple light. The only source of light around them it seemed. Raph took in his surroundings. There were none of the street lights illuminating the old New York streets, a soft yellow he was used to. No various windows around them alight with different colors, and flashing of TVs playing. No distant cars or honking of vehicles. It was just dark, almost completely black, with only the whistling of the wind in his ears.
He looked ahead of him and could just barely make out his breath in the frigid air. The warm air was quickly stolen away by the breeze around him.
And cold. Did he mention it was cold. Cause it was really cold. Really really cold.
The kind of cold everyone refused to leave the house in. The kind of cold he and his brothers used to have to spend in a makeshift kotatsu his father constructed for them out of thick blankets, some chairs, and a portable heater, when they were much younger.
The thought of making a big one of those sounded really great right now. Like a big heated fort in the lair. He bet Donnie could make one of those real easy.
Raph could barely make out the dark shadows of some trees around them. The heavy snow falling around them. Sticking to the tree limbs in large heaps. He turned and watched the several flakes fall and land on his arm. Melting quickly on the spot.
Despite the worrying situation they were in he couldn't help the instinctual need to stick out his tongue and catch a snowflake.
He heard a soft ping from next to him and his brother groaned.
“Sorry, no tropical paradise today Rafala. Seems our most annoying sibling has got us sent to the north east of Alaska.”
… Alaska. Huh.
Wait.
Alaska!
“WHAT!?” He yelled. Leaning over and grabbing Donnie’s arm, bringing it closer to look at the bright display. Sure enough there were two very small blinking dots settled in the giant land mass of the freezing state he did recognize as the wild frontier that were in so many nature documentaries.
“I can’t believe him! ‘I got this portal thing down pat. Leons got this’, my shell! I swear, I’m never goin’ through one of them portals again.” He huffed, imitating his brother's snarky voice in a way that always made his family laugh and the slider exclaim that he didn't sound like that.
Oh Leo was so dead.
“I would agree with you there, but it seems we will have to, at least once more, if we are going to get home today. Unless you want to walk about 676 miles to the nearest airport.” Donnie explained while subtly moving closer to the snapper chest and hunched into himself with a slight shiver.
He then quickly grabbed his phone from around his belt in one of his many handy pockets. The screen lit up, a few flakes landing on the lock screen that Donnie blew off. He went to type the password but then slowly squinted his eyes up at Raph.
“What?”
He didn’t answer. Just quickly swiveling and turning his back to him so Raph couldn't see him type in his password. Really. He rolled his eyes at the action. Like they all didn't know what it was.
He began to move up and down, running slightly in place and rubbing his arms.
“Stop moving, I'm calling Leo.”
He rolled his eyes again.
“Why can't I move? Aren’t you supposed to move around and warm yourself up? That's a thing! It makes your blood pump and keeps you warm!”
“Yes, it does create internal heat production but your giant body is blocking the wind oh so perfectly for me, dearest brother.” He said simply as he brought the phone to his ear.
Maybe Donnie was their most annoying sibling.
Really they all had their days.
The phone began ringing loudly as Donnie held it up between both of them. Not surprised they had service out there in the middle of nowhere. Raph didn't know what his brother did to their phones, but they all seemed to always have service no matter where they were at. Probably something illegal.
Another strong gust of wind blew against his shell, it felt as if it went right through him. He wished he had worn a jacket out at least today.
It was mid fall back in New York, and while it was getting pretty chilly at night, there was no need for their winter jackets yet.
The muffled ringing of the phone and the strong wind whipping around his face was all he could hear as they waited with bated breath for their leader in blue to answer.
Raph could feel his anxiety grow with each unanswered ring. Donnie began tapping his foot.
On the last ring he picked up.
“Heeeeey bro, whats- Uh what's up? How you been?” His voice came through with a lot of static. Geez they must be really far out if the call sounded like that.
“Oh Nardo. We're doing great. Peachy. Absolutely terrific. Maybe even splendid if it wasn't for the fact that Raph and I are standing in the middle of nowhere Alaska, freezing our shells off.” The tilt of his voice betrayed the calm his brother was trying to portray.
Raph leaned forward to speak into the mic.
“I thought you had this portal thing figured out?!” He added, not even attempting to hide the frustration in his voice.
“Eugh boy…”
There was some movement, a bit of yelling, he could hear Mikey in the distance. They must still be fighting that mystic yokai. It took about 10 seconds of them waiting patiently in the cold for Leo to begin talking again.
“I-I do! I do have it down man! But somethings up with my sword, my portals aren't working at all right now. I think this yokai did some weird curse or something- MIKEY WATCH HIS TAIL!”
Raph’s anxiety grew as he could hear more movement and fighting in the distance.
The snapper didn’t like this one bit. Sitting still, while half of his team fought someone worth retreating from. Raph nervously glanced down at Donnie next to him, he couldn't see his face, just the top of his head as his short mask tails blew in the wind. One arm crossed towards his chest still.
“Ok, I'm gonna figure this out. You two just sit tight for a bit, if this curse doesn't go away on its own Mikey and I are gonna head to Draxabald for some help.”
Ok. He could do that. Sitting tight was easy. Just wait and-
“Problem Leo. It is currently -10 degrees celsius. How long are you planning on having us ‘sit tight’?”
“... what's that in english?”
“What?”
“-10 degrees celsius, what's that in english, D?”
…
“In english?! Are you asking me what that is in fahrenheit?!”
Raph couldn't help the little chuckle he let out at his two brothers bickering. Some things never change. Growing up those two had fought constantly, but at the same time, and as sufferable as it was, they couldn't handle being apart. They had to do everything together. If one brother wanted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, the other wanted one too. If one of them got a gift, the other had to get one too. It's why their birthdays were on the same day, otherwise Splints would have never heard the end of it.
“Right, fahrenheit! Yes I was. But forget it, the negative number is making me think it's kinda just really cold over there. Oh, is it snowing?” He heard Leo talk casually as he moved around. The yokai yelled angrily somewhere in the distance.
“Yes it is. Heavily. So don't make us wait too long,” Donnie explained fast, but the angry tone was gone now. Replaced with something a little more… stressed? Maybe.
“Keep in touch. Let us know what’s going on,” Raph added after.
“Got it. Just hang tight. Maybe try and start a fire till I figure something out. Put them Todd Scout skills to use bros! Be there soon, love you!”
Donnie didn’t answer, still looking down. Ok, he was definitely stressed.
“...Love you too, see you in a bit. Keep an eye on Mikey!” Raph answered quickly.
There was a click over the speaker and Donnie silently lowered the phone. Placing it back in the perfectly sized pouch it belonged in. With no screens to illuminate the area they were left in the dark.
The anxiety in the frigid air grew with each awkward moment that passed. He watched silently as Don began rubbing his arms up and down. Was it just the cold stressing him out? Or the whole general situation?
He should just ask.
“What's up with you?”
Donnie jerked up at that and made eye contact with him. Raph could just barely make out his eyes in the dark for only a second before he looked back down stiffly.
…
“I don't think Leo understands how dire a situation this is.”
His brows creased at that.
Was it that bad? I mean, yeah sure they were cold. Even he could feel himself begin to shiver now, as snow piled onto his shell, which was rare for him. All that muscle was good for not only lifting, punching, kicking, but also keeping warm. And yeah it was kinda dark and creepy out here. But they could handle this.
“I'm sure he does, he's just being his usual extra annoying self. Like he said we got our Todd Scout skills. Why don't we start with the fire, huh?” Raph suggested with a small grin, nudging Donnie’s shoulder with his elbow
“No Raph, it's not that easy. Look-” Donnie moved away from his much larger brother and began pacing, gesturing to all the snow on the ground. High enough to cover the softshell’s ankles.
“There's no way we are gonna start a fire in this snow. AND we have only about 2 hours till our bodies start the brumation process. We really, really, don't want to get to that point.”
Right brumation. They gave their dad quite a scare the first time they started entering that phase. Not that he remembered it. But it was bad enough that after that first winter their father always made sure there was a warm space for them 24/7. Why he still insisted they were wrapped up in 3 different jackets, 2 pairs of pants, mittens, and at least a hat, if they decided to have a snow day.
“So we need to get warm. Sooner rather than later. I do have a flamethrower attachment on my techbo, but it's just too cold, too wet for anything to burn. We need to find somewhere with cover and a bit of dryness. But we’re in the middle of absolutely nowhere. And if Mikey and Leo were leaving right now to go to Draxum’s to deal with his sword curse or whatever stupid mystic mumbo jumbo it is, that's at least 45 minutes to an hour getting there and dealing with it. And that's only if Draxum knows what it is. If he doesn't know, then they will either have to find a solution or ask an outside source, which knows how long that could take! And-”
Raph stepped in, he knows a downward spiral when he sees one. He placed his heavy arms on his brother's shoulders. Stopping Donnie in his valiant effort of creating a trench in the snow.
“Hey. Hey, bud relax. I'm sure he knows all that. You know how he is, he’s smarter than he looks… sometimes.”
Donnie shifted nervously. Grumbling.
“Maybe 10% of the time, on a good day.”
“Ok, yeah maybe 10% of the time, but when it's important he can use his whole brain. So why don't we make a plan while he's workin' on it. Are there any towns nearby?” Raph asked encouragingly, leaning forward to look his brother in the eye, with a small smile. Damage control wasn't his specialty, it was Mikey’s. But he wasn't half bad at it. Came with the practice of stopping his three younger siblings from slaughtering each other over the last cookie.
“I know it's the middle of nowhere but there's gotta be something somewhere out here. There's a bunch of crazy people like Todd who like to live in the middle of nowhere, right?”
“I'm doubting it… But let me check. Stand by,” the purple turtle added before once again pulling up his map. He zoomed out and changed a setting, satellite imaging popping up. His finger moved the image left then right. The two little dots moving as he moved the map, but staying in the same position. There wasn't much around them. Their little dots standing in a large pool of green. But not too far from there was a large patch of blue and next to that…
“There! That looks like a town! See the little buildings!” Raph pointed out loudly.
Donnie zoomed in slightly, there were definitely some buildings and roads clustered together between the endless green and the large blue spot. The softshell’s hiked shoulder slumped slightly at that. Stress ebbing away as the situation turned less bleak.
“You're right Raph. It's not too far either. Maybe 4 miles…” Don lifted his head looking around before swiveling his body and pointing a single finger past Raph. “That way.”
Raph looked behind him, arms still crossed as he examined their surroundings, just large pine trees and bushes covered in snow as far as he could see, which admittedly wasn't very far. Even with his turtle mutant genes making it a bit easier to see in the dark.
“One problem, it seems there's a sizable lake between us and our destination. It might be frozen and we could potentially walk across, but that depends on how deep it is. Which could change depending on how much rain the area received this year. I'm not sure-”
“We will figure it out when we get there, D, ain't no point in sittin’ here and freezing our tails off.”
“Agreed dear brother. Perhaps we will get to practice our hockey technique early this year.”
Raph turned around and accepted his icy fate. Without his shell to protect his core and face he began to jump up and down, warming up before the simple workout he was about to do. 4 miles was nothing to him.
He turned and bent his legs, leaning forward. Donnie quickly accepted the silent offer for a ride and climbed onto his shell. The ride on his back would protect his smaller brother from the sharp sting of the wind. No point in them both totally freezing out here.
Donnies battle shell whirred and out came two large lights above Raph's head, illuminating the dark path in front of them. That was much better. The forest looked even creepier now with the long shadows stretching out before them. Pointing them in the direction of warmth hopefully.
“Good back there? Ready to go?” Raph asked.
“Yup. Just keep going straight, I'll let you know if you're veering off course. It shouldn't be too far.” He could feel Donnie settle comfortably into the grooves of his shell, his usual spot.
Raph began a slight steady jog, snow crunching loudly with each step, jumping over bushes and moving between the massive foreboding trees that guarded the untouched wilderness in front of them.
_____
They had been traversing the, admittedly, frustratingly difficult terrain for about an hour. For the past 20 minutes it had begun to get more hilly, with dips and curves in the landscape. The snapping turtle wouldn't lie, this jog was one heck of a work out. Honestly he was just about ready for a break and was about to ask for one when he moved a large tree limb out of the way. Snow fell onto his arms and back of his neck, he barely felt it now, and came into view of a clearing in front of him.
There in front of him was a massive valley of snow, he could see much farther than before, icy wind and snow slammed into him mercilessly too. But he could take the bad with the good. Because there in the distance, lights. Small and flickering. A promise of warmth.
He sighed at the sight, he was about tired of the prickly bushes stretching his legs as he jogged. The rest would be so easy.
He went downhill slightly towards the valley and as he stepped out towards what must be the lake. Much larger in person than in the tiny picture on his brother's tech. Donnie behind him was already clambering off of him. Landing on the ground next to him and walking a bit forward.
“Is it safe to walk?”
“I-Im not sure.”
He watched silently, wind whistling past his ears, as Donnie scanned the endless tree line around the lake, judging the distance, weighing the risks. A million thoughts going through that big head of his.
“Ugh, s-sure do wish I brought my hover sh-shell at-ttachment. Would m-make this much less risky…”
Raph looked at his brother, taken aback by the stutter, only for him to notice the chatter of Don’s teeth as well. He was shivering bad.
“Alright, stay here. L-let me test it. If it ca-can hold me it might be able to hold you.”
Oh. He didn't like that.
“Raph doesn't like this one,” He stated simply. Never afraid to share his opinion.
“I do-don't like it either, but it's all we got. W-walking around the edge would take t-too long. Considering Nardo or M-Michael hasn't t-texted me in a while. Our options are somewhat l-limited.”
“...Be careful. If it don't work out we can always just burn the forest down.”
“L-love the enthusiasm. L-let's put a pin in that as a potential p-plan B-B.”
Donnie replied quickly while grabbing his bo from where it sat in the slot of the back of his battle shell and extended it. Walking towards the lake edge and began tapping the ice harshly with the metal. Raph watched, anxiety continuing to spike with each soft crunch of a footfall and the small tink noise of metal meeting ice.
“I think I never want to see snow again.” He said stiffly. Watching his brother move carefully over the frozen water. He wasn't stupid. He knew how unsafe this was. Humans falling into this water could kill them. Who knows what it could do to a turtle. Well. He knew what it could do, but it was a thought he quickly chased away.
The snapper wished he was jogging again, helped keep his body warm or distracted him from the chill. Either or was better than this. This gave him all sorts of bad feelings.
Donnie continued moving farther and farther out, first testing with his bo, his foot, followed by the rest of his weight. Occasionally jumping a little. Once his brother was far enough out that the turtle couldn't hear the metal hitting the frozen lake over the wind, he couldn't wait any longer. His nerves spiking.
“Is it safe, Don?” He yelled over the wind. Eyes watering as the ice breeze clawed at them.
He could still see his brother thanks to the lights on his back but he wasn't sure Donnie could hear him. He was still out there moving farther away. He shuffled in anticipation before bringing his arms to his face and yelling.
“Are we good?”
Donnie turned to him quickly. The bright lights flashed harshly into Raph’s eyes, he squinted and turned away at the sudden onslaught. But when he turned back the headlights were gone.
No, wait. He could see something still, a soft light green coming from a spot below the surface of snow. Under the ice. Under the water.
Where his brother was standing only moments before.