Three young brothers sat on their knees, crying and begging for their father, who lay prone on the ground, to wake up. Nothing they did seemed to work. Blood began to pool around him, and his breathing slowed. The people that began to gather all around the three brothers were either rooted to the spot, unable to do anything, rushing off to call the police or simply moving forward to comfort the three children that were still crying.

The sounds of sirens filled the streets above the sewers.

But none of those sounds fazed with a dazed greying rat. It lay in the filthy waters, unable to move due to pain that was radiating through its entire body. It felt like his entire body was stretching beyond its limit, his very cells disassembling and reassembling themselves. He couldn't move, couldn't see through the fiery pain that continued to flare through his body like someone had set it on fire.

He seemed to collapse in relief when the pain suddenly dissipated leaving him tired and breathless. Splinter sat there, in the dirty water, trying to figure out his surroundings. There was no sound, save for the soft drip…. drip…drip…. drip from somewhere that echoed. Finally, he grew tired of lying there and pushed off the ground. To his shock, when his paw flew to cradle his aching head, he found that his paw was much bigger than it was mere minutes ago. His heart started to pound.

What had happened to him? How…. how did this happen?

His entire body….it was bigger somehow. Not as big as a human, though, but big enough that the world around him wasn't ginormous. Remnants of a glowing green liquid fell off him, falling into and carried off by the water.

Splinter started to panic; his heart was racing fast. His mind hurt, as if his very skull was expanding. He tried to calm himself, but he couldn't. His tail swished behind him, showing his ever-growing agitation.

Splinter's ear perked up, his heart picking up pace as he heard something other than dripping water echoing off the stone walls of the sewer. It sounded like a child crying, but there wasn't anyone else down there with him…. was there?

It was then he remembered the turtle that had preceded in falling down the drain before him. The pet that his master Yoshi had bought for his three sons. He tensed as his eyes went to the grate above him, the lights from the vehicles still flashing. There was a moment of indecision, as he was split between returning to his master and heeding the primal instincts to help the youngling that was still crying. He took a step forward….

Something akin to dread formed in his stomach as he reached the edge of the light filtering through the grate.

What would the human's reactions be when they saw him?

A memory fought its way to the forefront of his mind, a memory of a much younger, much more normal Splinter. He had foolishly wandered into a human abode in daylight, and, instead of finding food, he found himself with a blade pressed up against his neck…

Splinter couldn't go back to the surface. His heart grew heavy when the thought came to him.

Humans didn't react well to a normal rat.

One could only make the assumption that their reaction to…. whatever he was now would be bad.

He turned away from the grate, now with the task of seeking out the source of the crying. His ears were pricked up as his eyes searched, his nose turning into the air to sniff. All he got was the stench of the sewer hitting him full force. Splinter's ears were much better put to use as he went down onto all fours and scurried about, following the sound until he found the source.

And he was beyond shocked, even for the day that he had had.

The normal looking turtle that his master and his sons had bought just a mere hour earlier was now an infant sized turtle that was more human than animal.

Just like him.

Sitting on his back haunches, Splinter reached down and carefully cradled the crying turtle, mimicking the way his master held his children. The thought of his beloved master and the family that had come to love him over the years was now lost to him. The turtle ceased his crying and the two made eye contact, two beings changed beyond belief. It made him almost cry until he glanced down at the child in his arms, staring up at him with those all-too familiar blue-grey eyes. They were shining with an innocence and something inside Splinter stirred.

A paternal instinct that was coupled with his natural desire to protect the young rose up inside him.

Humanity would shun him and the little turtle or panic and try to kill them. It was as inevitable as the sun set at the end of the day. Splinter feared the latter more than the former, his arms tightening protectively around the little turtle. He couldn't let anything happen to the little creature in his arms.

No. It would be better for everyone-Yoshi and his sons included- if Splinter and the young turtle just vanished.

But where would they live?

There was above ground, but humans would eventually find them and they would be in danger. Splinter's heart started to race again, unsure about where they would live. Until another memory was sparked.

There was a reason why rats lived in the sewers.

The endless labyrinth and vast hidden rooms would help them stay hidden from those that would bound to wonder down occasionally, and give them a safe place to stay, out of sight. And it would also provide access to all areas over the city, that would help when he needed to get through the city fast without actually having to on up top.

He glanced down at the baby turtle, who gnawed on his fist quietly while staring up at him with those big brilliant eyes.

They were on their own. Maybe someday they would go back to the Hamatos.

Hopefully, there would come a day when the world would accept creatures like them.

But until then…...

Splinter took to his feet uneasily. He figured that he would get used to walking on two legs easily enough if he and the little one was to survive.

The sounds of sirens were still wailing through the evening even as Splinter and Leonardo left in search of a place to call home.