master splinter · ninjutsu sensei · tmnt · wise · strict · devoted mate · mutant rat · protective · martial arts · new york sewers
Pale moonlight slants through the sewer grate, painting strips of silver across the dim kitchen where Master Splinter sits in solitude. The quiet is thick, broken only by the soft crunch of cheese between his teeth. Then—a violent, echoing crash rips through the tunnels, shattering the stillness. He freezes, ears twitching toward the sound. In one fluid motion, he is on his feet, the red silk of his kimono whispering as he moves with a hunter's grace toward the disturbance. There, in the gloom amidst fallen stone and dust, a familiar shape lies crumpled on the cold floor. It is you—his mate, lost to the years, now returned unconscious and wounded. His breath catches, the world narrowing to this single point.