Mutant Melee 1. Homebodies.

( a week after : https://maskedmayhem.forumotion.com/t98-follow-the-leader-mutant-melee-4 )


Normally she would have NOT let the guys go on a mission without her. However...


With Mikko going to show where they found the toddlers, and Casey along for the ride the ShellRaizer was a full vehicle.

Also, even though she had said it was fine and she could handle it leaving Erica alone for whom know how long into the night with five children seemed wrong.

So here they were in the room the guys had emptied of spare bits and stuff into Donatello's lab, and At the moment there was only a single large mattress - or really several large cushions placed together a fitted sheet keeping it all together all on top of pallets and a jumble of blankets and pillows. Mostly second hand pillow pets.

The big turtles going out for the first time since the toddlers got there had been a bit of a culture shock for the little boys and they had freaked out a bit. Food and bath time after that had helped, a lot of that having to do with Elena's peppiness. Now it was bed time.


And Erica was trying to put together something of a 'story' to tell the kids with the only things they had so far for childrens story books, several pages of coloring books and catalogues, magazines, an scrap booking phot album (empty) and some pictures of Kurtman's containing the turtles, Rahzarr, Bebop and other mutants and kraang. Even pictures of herself!


"any luck?" she asks Erica just getting the blankets over the kids.

Elan giggles, she snuggles her pillow pet watching her sister and April. She had pouted when Mr. Turtles all left but didn't break into hysterics like the little turtles!

Now they were all in bed and her toes wiggle in the now cleaned after the first night here Frozen Onsie booties sticking slightly out the bottom of the blankies. "Yeah sis!? got lucky?" really not entirely certain what April was asking in truth but hopefully it was good news.

The week had been a mixture of emotionally fulfilling and draining all at once, the warmth and love and closeness of Leonardo and welcome in his family mirrored but not dulled and in turn not dulling the ache of grief for her own loses that night of the fire. Her family home was gone. Some things had survived the fire, and those few things Erica and Leo had found the second night staying out all night int he Shellraizer n that excursion. She had cried that night. And a few mornings after. Leonardo always there and she loved it. As much as was the sometimes late hour they kept, or too tired the very very early morning hours or being awoken in the night ... mmm


It was difficult becoming Elena's true guardian and filing for what insurance she could claim on the fire and trying to find her Grandmother. And Erica did not like that she and April and Shen and Mikko when she consented to come or was well enough had to steal from charity bins for clothing, however with all children now having cloths made it a worth while guilt of doing bad to carry around. And Erica found some of those kind hearted Samaritans that handed out food or toiletries to street and homeless people. One lot specifically for girls and Erica scored some birth control pills. For which both she and Leo where very happy about.


Blinking back to the now as her thoughts tried to turn to Leonardo, cheeks reddening, Erica grins at the tucked in children, young enough right now that they were not fussed about having to share the large makeshift bed, she had left most of tucking in to April as she worked with the 'artsy crafty' box stuff they found in Mikey's room. She had a picture of all four big turtles cut out. Leo and Raph back to back Don of to Leo's side and Mikey Raph's making bunny ears behind Raph's head. And in the photo album had arranged the magazine, color pages, newspaper clippings as best she could into something of a 'story' like. Another cut out, of that big dog thing DogPound was tucked a few pages ahead.


"I do..." she grins and turns on the milk crate and opens to the front page of the album the cut out turtles she held over a picture of April's farm house and woods.

And began the jaunty little tune, wishing she had music but hopefully the upbeat tap of her foot would help...


" Four ninja turtles went through a wood," making the picture of the big turtles 'walk' through the first picture to the next which showed a shot taken from a hill or cliff over looking the small township of the aforementioned farm house and woods.

"they kind liked the neighborhood,
they were keen to settle down,
and found a classy part of town," so said 'classy' part of town was obviously a down the street shot from some exotic location, Erica guessed by the white walled architecture maybe Greece? a magazine cut off. She made the Four Ninja turtles as she sang this travel through the picture to the next which was a old rental listing with all the pictures having a strip of red pronouncing 'sold' or 'leased' under them.


"but everywhere those shelley's went
there was no rooms for rent," she sang using little blue tacked onto this page heads of Shredder, Fishface, April, and some weird blob brain thing shake their heads no. And off the Four Turtles cut out went to the next pages of random maps.

"they huffed and puffed,
looked down every street
until they were all dead beat -" Some picture on this page of a open barn and the Four Turtles came to a 'dead beat rest under a heap of zzzz' she had hastily half stuck down over the hay bales in the background, covering the Four Turtles eyes.

Four little turtles listened their eyes wide watching the story of their big turtley counterparts unable to find a place to live! - though they did not quiet know some of the words Erica used, but they enjoyed the pictures and the way she sang and got enough of the story to be liking it!


Gasps at this end of this part of the song! what next?!


Elena gasps, she understood a little more of the story line and covers her mouth, "Oh no?! what will they do?!" she asks her foot jiggling to her sisters tapped out rhythm and eager for more!

April herself - so amused, HAH! shelleys' - and eager for the next bit was like the kids in that she was watching and listening. A foot like Elena's tapped a little along with Erica's jaunty tune.


She lifts her t phone to record the moment for the big turtles later. Especially Leo.

Fighting a chuckle and winking she moved the cutout turtles to the next pages hastily shoved in bits of old Harry Potter pictures and color pages. "Soo they took a course in architecture,"


"And, never missed a single lecture," through Hogwarts! Briefly hanging with Harry Potter himself! And then off again! Back to that 'classy' part of town, a new different woodland shot with some unknown farmhouse Erica had hurriedly stick drawn over it with yellow crayon. "Michelangelo built a house of straw,
slapped new carpets on the floor,
Whole family's picture on the wall and pot plants in the hall." She covered three of the turtles of the cut out with her fingers so it was 'Mikey' alone working on his 'straw' house.

"He huffed and puffed day and night,
Until he got it right!"


She was enjoying this a lot!

What next April wanted to know - what next?!


Realizing in that moment she was really really getting into this song as much as the children.

"Ohhhhh dats cool! Yay Mr. FunTurtle Mikey!" Elena sighed flopping back on her pillow so relieved her turtles had a way to get by in this story!

Now what next?!

Erica glanced up now taking in her sister, and April and feeling herself blush a little but not breaking her stride in the jaunty tune, even if she wanted to awwwwwwwww out in a huge squee.


She had the 'turtles' disappear for a moment and onto the next page, a random hillside house - she assumed somewhere like outback France someplace. And over this she held a cut out of ... well she was told by April this was 'DogPound' one of their enemies. And the song story continued.


"Now a wolf lived up on vinegar hill
Sold his mother for a dollar bill
He was big, he was all growl,
and he was very found of turtle,
went down to the strawhouse for a friendly talk,
and took his knife and fork!"


'DogPound' danced about his home on the hill for a moment then Erica flick back a page to the 'strawhouse' to signal the visit.


"He huffed and puffed without delay and
Bleeeeew the house away!" 'DogPound' huffed and puffed and the turtles straw house blew away! - or well Erica moved pages again to a clear field.

Oh no!!!


Four boys looked on in wide eyed faces of 'oh noooooes!' and varyng gasps, the big bad 'Wolf' had destroyed the home of the turtles?! now what would they do?!

Dog pound!?


April suppressed giggles shifting in her seat to listen closer, it was a fun jaunty tune and she was just as curious as the children to know how the turtles of the story would over come this blow to finding a home!?

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooh a totally loud and obvious gasp and Elena half sat up, oh onoooo "Not the straaaw hooouse poooor Mr. fun Turtle Mikey!"

Erica had to fight giggles, even April was caught up in the story as she moves the Turtles onto their next home. well actually it was just a cut out of a sand castle but it looked big and she sang the next bit of their adventure. " Raph decided to try his hand,
At building his house out of sand,
it was cool and it went deep
And turtles hoped against big bad wolf it would keep!"



And along comes DogPound, following the turtles to the new sand castle! demanding - her voice changing to DogPounds growly tune bit "by the hairs of my chinychin chin you better let me in!"

And back to narration as she turns the pages to a duney desert tucking the turtles behind a bit that was not stuck down. "
he huffed and puffed, created wind!
and the sandy dwelling caved in!"


She was enjoying singing this immensely.

Wow! hehehe bad DogPound, April was not the only one to gasp out loud - now what?! she wanted to know. So much wanted to know!!

"Oh noooooo now what are they going to do?!? Elena cried out she and Crimson held each other in a cuddle Gold had both hands over his mouth, Violet and Cyan sitting up clutching the blankets!

Erica really had to fight her giggles and foot still tapping, her voice full of her amusement she turns the page so the four turtles were popping out of a random sand dune, some magazine cut out of a beautiful desert shot.

"To put a stop to all his tricks,
Donatello built a house of sticks,
he built it high and built it strong,
Just in time for big bad Dogpound to come along," first away from the desert to a tree house, a picture hand drawn by one of the turtles of an actual tree house and so she tacs the turtles in front of it before Dogpound scurried along as she sings the next bit in his 'voice'.


"by the hairs of my chinychin chin you better let me in!" that menacing voice - though she was not at all certain that is what Dogpound sounded like. Next part!


"he huffed and puffed and blew it flat,
and brother that was that!!"


moving both the turtles and Dogpound to the next page a a bundle of bent matches and toothpicks the 'turtles coming to a rest stuck in the pile and a 'triumphant' Dogpound near by.

Oh no went the melodramtic gasps of little turtles not the house of Donnie's too!!!!

There was ducking into blankets and open mouths all around and oh no's! from the four little fellows listening on eagerly, how were the turtles going to make it!

Giggling softly April turns a little and records the way the children were so actively reacting to the song story. Amused by their glee and bright eyes and worry for the turtles in the story.

"Oh pleaaaseoooh pleeease tell us what happens next?!' Elena gasps out hands glasped in front of her as if in prayer.

The four Mr. Turtles had to get out of this - they just haaad to!