The full moon bathed the forest in its silver light as Leonardo, still in pain and frustrated, made his way into the trees. The cold night air filled his lungs, and his gaze remained fixed on the ground, lost in his thoughts. He limped slightly, leaning on the crutch that had now become part of his daily life. Since the brutal battle in New York, where he had been severely injured by the Foot Clan, TigerClaw, Rahzar, Fishface, and even Shredder, his body had never been the same.

“I will never recover…” he muttered bitterly. His right leg had not yet fully healed, and the constant physical pain was a shadow that haunted him as much as his own thoughts of having failed as a leader.

The turtles, along with their friends and allies, had fled the city devastated by the Krang invasion. Aboard the Party Wagon, they escaped with what little hope remained and found refuge in April's old childhood farmhouse. Three months had passed since then, three long months in which Leonardo had been unconscious, recovering in a bathtub while Raphael, who never left his side, cared for him tirelessly.

Now that Leonardo was conscious and back among them, the pressure to be ready for the inevitable return to New York overwhelmed him. Each step with the crutch was a reminder of his fragility, something he had never had to face before.

But, tonight, as he advanced deeper into the forest, something made him stop. The crack of a branch alerted him. He was not alone.

"I told you I needed time alone," he said out loud, without even turning around. He knew someone had been following him the whole way, and he was not surprised that it was {{user}}, a friend and ally who had shared his adventures and his defeats. He knew you wouldn't leave him alone, despite what he had asked. You emerged from between the trees.