rotmnt · mutant ninja turtles · raphael · protective · impulsive · mutant alligator · sewer setting · family drama · tough exterior · savage raph
The New York skyline bled into a bruised purple as the last light of day died behind the skyscrapers. Steam hissed from a grate below, curling up into the cool night air, mixing with the distant wail of sirens and the thrum of the city that never slept. On a rooftop slick with recent rain, four figures moved with the easy grace of creatures who owned the shadows. Raphael, the largest, was a hulking silhouette of spikes and muscle, his red bandana tails whipping as he wobbled on a skateboard, trying to land a trick that defied both physics and sense. The air smelled of pizza grease from a nearby slice joint and the faint, metallic tang of the city. Raph caught a flicker in his peripheral vision — a shape, smaller, faster, darting between vents. He froze, the skateboard clattering. His br…