Chapter 1: Prologue
Notes:
Disclaimer, i am a firm believer in ghosts and the paranormal, born in a spiritual family line and all, but it has been inferred over multiple versions that Leonardo does not. The mild ghost disrespect is coming straight from him, not me haha! Funnily enough i do not believe in Gods so this fic goes heavily against my believes in both ways.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Stupid.
Amateur. Stupid.
For once he couldn't be more thankful his brothers weren't around, to point and laugh at him for idiotically strolling into a trap as obvious as this one. He was distracted, alert and cautious as he sensed the dangerous presence of people nearby. No doubt a handful of those 'ghost hunters' as they dubbed themselves; a group of well trained men with guns and dicey equipment who have made it their goal to catch a so-called ghost that had moved into the area within the passing months.
The Ghost of the Jungle. That is the title the local villagers neighboring the area had given him, for he 'appears out of nowhere only to vanish without a trace'. No one has ever seen his face, only the flick and whoosh of a cloak as he leaves the scene of another crime stopped, or the claimed sightings of a dark figure hiding within the trees that had become the norm around Costa Rica.
This proclaimed ghost didn't know what was more scoff worthy, the idea that these people believed in such things as spirits and entities, or the corniness of the title itself. He supposed it was better than the usual he heard back in New York, 'monster', 'freak', but still- a part of him wished their creative minds came up with something just a little bit more realistic.
However, what his representation had become in this new world became a minor issue when these men banded together to hunt him down. He didn't know who they were or where they came from, but he got the sense they weren't from around these parts. With their big dirt-track Ranger Raptor filled with tents and survival gear, and the fact they had seemingly appeared out of nowhere one day, it gave him the impression they had travelled quite a bit just for him.
Which would have been almost flattering if it wasn't such a pain in the ass.
Leo wasn't entirely sure what their reasoning for this hassle was, if it was to prove to the nonbelievers such a 'ghost' exists, if it was to disprove the myth of a ghost with evidence it was something logical and living, or if it was for mere bragging rights. Because surely having captured this entity that so far has remained unseen and mostly undetected would grant them such, it would be a mark of achievement for sure. The Ghost of the Jungle, a creature so transparent some believe to only be a myth or a spooky story for late nights around a campfire, brought to his knees by man.
That was the most logical explanation for their sudden interest in his existence, or presumed lack of, but he didn't exactly know any of them to officially ask them and get an answer. He didn't care enough, anyway.
For the first few months he had a hang of this group, they were clearly unaware of his movement patterns, unsure how to go about capture. Their traps, although masterfully set up and hidden, were easily detectable to a trained ninja. They would surely catch an unsuspecting deer or bear, but not a turtle with extreme caution ingrained in his very being. Especially when dealing with a such a threat.
The problem became huge when these men finally clicked that their ghost was no amateur.
They started being smarter about their mission, their traps were getting harder to detect and avoid. Not only that, but all of a sudden there were so much more of them, especially in areas he frequented. They had built up a vague map of the places he spent most his time in and had turned them into death traps. They finally narrowed down on his movements and visitations, most likely with the help of new sightings villagers would go home with, and there would be no time until they caught up with him. He knew he had to flee further into the surrounding jungles for safety and temporarily leave these villages behind, even for a little while until these men gave up the hunt. If they ever would.
What was most worrying was that for some time now, occasionally he heard traces of what sounded like a heavy duty engine coming into earshot whenever he nestled down somewhere secluded for too long. At nights he heard it, circling his location like a shark stalking a diny wooden rowboat, waiting for the right moment to bare their dagger-sharp teeth and lunge for the attack.
He didn't know how it was even possible, but they were hot on his tail. It was as if they knew exactly what it was they were looking for and seeking him out was easy, and soon enough he found that he wasn't safe staying in any spot for more than a couple hours at a time. This made sleeping difficult, as they never seemed to, and he'd awake every night to the sound of dirt wheels ripping through the vegetation of the jungle floors, and he'd have to vacate the area immediately without being seen by the people who seemed to always be able to see him no matter where he was.
He had checked his old cloak top to bottom, inside and out several times for a tracking device, but never found anything. He had given his own body a quick one-over, but he figured if they had stuck it to his shell he wouldn't be able to get to it anyway.
Although he doubted that was the case, he strongly believed none of them had gotten anywhere close enough to tag him. He knew for a fact he hadn't had an encounter with any of them roaming, and if they happened to reach him while he was sleeping, somehow without waking him considering a mere sneeze from another room was enough to disturb his slumber, they'd just snag him.
His other thought was perhaps they had set up motion sensors around that'd tell them if he walked by. But then wouldn't any and every animal be setting them off? Not only that, if he had ventured further into new parts of the jungle he wasn't so familiar with, how could they have predicted he'd do that and spend that time setting up sensors this far out?
How they were tracking him so expertly was beyond him. Always right behind him, the sound of a vehicle trailing his every step like a monster hiding in the shadows, waiting to devour him. For the past few days, he had been nothing but on edge. Never stopping for more than a couple minutes, ducking from tree to tree to avoid the traps that had gotten almost impossible to seek out. It was even harder to detect them with the constant taunting droning of an engine in the back of his head, making it hard to think over the alarm bells always blaring inside, over the sleep deprivation that was starting to mount up and the nagging hunger pangs.
Then this morning, he finally made the stupid mistake that awakened a new level of shame within, as he was reaching for a plump ripe fruit sitting neatly underneath a tree. They were dropping from the canopies all the time, it wasn't unjustified to innocently assume it had broken from its branch, waiting for the first critter to come by and make use of the easy meal. Leo had become accustomed to the jungles of Central America within the many months of living in them, he had gotten used to finding his meals around trees and in nearby lakes.
The stupid part was that in his hunger driven rush for the fruit, he didn't see the covered bear trap waiting to sink its deadly spikes into its victim, for the pair of feet coming so dangerously close to its gaping maw. Fortunately, and a blessing above for the ninja, he was so alert to his surroundings that when his foot merely brushed against cold metal, his instincts clicked in and he had jerked back before the trap could snap and catch him.
What was unfortunate for him was that the deafening sound of the sets of teeth clamping together alerted the group he knew were so close by, the immediate revving of that damn engine telling him they were on the way.
It was only when he turned to book it did he feel a harsh tug around him that stopped him from going anywhere, and he spun back around to find his cloak had not made the escape from the trap. It was only a slither at the bottom, he had tugged the rest of the fabric free within no time to continue his departure, but that simple slip up while trying to fetch food would see the end of this long and tiring chase.
He had left solid evidence of his presence behind within the maw of steel, and he didn't have time to fish it out as he knew the men would be there any second. They knew where their own traps were, they knew where he was. And within this particular trap they'd find a ripped piece of brown cloth, the very one that had been reported being seen disappearing into thin air at the scenes of numerous failed crimes. The whole reason this Ghost of the Jungle legacy had begun in the first place.
And now, ripping through vegetation and tearing through the jungle with his cloak flapping almost elegantly behind him, he cursed his stupidity. That was the kind of mistake he had chastised Mikey for countless times in the past, with a strict lecture about the importance of minding your surroundings. There was danger everywhere, and with an existence such as theirs, they couldn't be making any dumb mistakes and risk getting caught in the open.
It was a full speech he had repeated so much he memorized every word- one he was now repeating in his mind, this time directed at no one but himself. All because his hunger had overpowered his sense of surroundings, the grumbling in his belly drowning out the common sense in his head. It was stupid, it was embarrassing.
Him, master of stealth and ninjutsu, prided himself with having insanely good awareness and observation. The turtle that never got snuck up on or caught off guard, his sense of surroundings so intense he could sense a presence and danger a mile away.
Almost walking foot first into a bear trap covered in greenery to reach a fallen fruit resting at the other side.
He was thankful his brothers were a different time zone away, they didn't need to know about all the foolishness that had conspired during his time here, and the happenings of this morning will go down with him to his cold dead grave.
There wasn't much of a safety zone for him to run to, he didn't know these areas well enough and with an obnoxious vehicle tearing up the jungle in his wake there was no time for him to stop and look for one. He couldn't risk jumping up into the trees, they'd spot him for sure. His only cover was the tall plants crowding the lower grounds, the thick stems and foliage serving as an endless green curtain he continued to push through.
He knew his time was about up, with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Not knowing his way around while these hunters seemed to always have an eye on him put him at an unforgiving disadvantage. Not only that, he was much slower on his feet, having to constantly keep his eyes on the ground to make sure he didn't run into any more traps.
The vehicle was faster than him, it steamrolled any traps in its way when he could not, it was a losing game set against him. And soon enough, turtle luck would strike again, as while he took a poorly timed glance over his shoulder to see traces of large tires destroying everything in its path and a large front window screen, he didn't notice the incoming wall of netting secured to two trees until he had completely and obliviously barreled right into it. It wasted no time in wrapping around his form, locking his legs together and sending him crashing to the mossy floor in wake of all the momentum he had gathered while sprinting. He groaned as the ground and netting stung at his skin, the harsh material of his prison scratching into the bare flesh of his legs that his long cloak didn't clothe.
He knew it was futile to thrash about even if he did so instinctively, the sounds of wheels rolling up next to him and coming to a stop were making itself known under all the racket and cheers of the men perched up on high seats.
"Oh my God, we did it." Came a gasp, joined by the string of noises of bodies dismounting the vehicle. "We finally did it! Wait.. this is the thing, right?"
Heavy boots landing and crunching twigs filled the area, along with burly men scuffling over to stalk around him, their every gaze raking him over. He felt them all like fire licking at his skin, a sensation in his mind telling him he was being so closely observed, like a zoo animal in a cage. Only he was no animal they have ever seen before, and he kept his eyes shut so he didn't have to look at these people.
He didn't want to see the ones that had been hunting him down for the majority of his time here, who had seemingly come a long way just to get their hands on him and his legacy, and had made the past while Hellish for him. He didn't want to give them so much as a glare, the honour of taking in their faces. He didn't want to see them, even if he felt the ghostly touches of hands working away on the netting imprisoning him.
"We did it, alright." The man tightening the knots around his body gruffed, his voice deep and throaty as he finished securing the net.
Leo's arms, hidden underneath his wear and protected from the rough material, was trapped folded across his front with an elbow pressing against the soil beneath him. He gritted his teeth as the sensation throbbed up his arm, leaving it feeling fuzzy and numb.
"What.. is that thing?" A hesitant third voice came, further away and likely lingering around their shared vehicle. "Why is it green in places? Why is it shaped weird?"
"Are you sure this is the infamous Ghost of the Jungle?" A fourth voice, just how many of these people were chasing him around? "It looks like something you'd find in area 51. What is this thing?"
There was a hum of interest right behind his head, before a fistful of his attire was suddenly grabbed and he was yanked up to a near sitting location. Before he could process what was happening a hand came down and snatched the hood obscuring the turtle's face, ripping it back so hard he heard a tear somewhere.
Collective gasps rang out, disgusted groans following after with the usual exclaims of confusion and surprise.
The hold of the front of his cloak tightened and Leo's eyes opened, only to find steely blue ones already boring into them with the intensity of a man at war. His hunter was crouched down only an inch from him, so close that now he was off the floor he could feel the man's breath washing over his face. He was large in stature, his shoulders wide and his face plump. He had a messy and uncut beard that framed his gaping mouth like frizzy wire, and long dark hair tied back into a greasy bun. His eyebrows were bushy and not at all resembling the other, unusual jarring eyes dissecting his own as if he was looking for something behind them.
Leo tried to turn his attention elsewhere, tried looking around to see how many men there were and considered his chance of escape, but as he craned his neck to the side that large beefy hand took a tight hold of his face and forced him back. Fat fingers pressed hard against his cheeks, leaving a throbbing sensation in his skull as the only thing he could see in his field of vision was the predator before him taking in his every detail.
"Madre de Dios! What the fuck is that thing!?" A man cried somewhere behind him, he could sense the others gradually drawing in closer. Closing him in, trapping him.
"Definitely not a ghost, that's for sure." His manhandler rumbled dangerously, spittle flicking at the turtle's face.
Leo scowled, discomfort edging him to turn his head away again, even if the strong hold on it barely let him move.
"Obviously not," he hissed through his teeth, the pressure against his jaw from the man's hand as he tried to talk making it ache. He felt the unforgiving grip in his teeth, the man's fingers like a death grip crushing his face.
".. But definitely our culprit." He finished after a beat, now twisting Leo's neck with his fingers on his head to inspect him from every angle. He was drinking in every brilliant shade of leaf green in his body visible to the group, and briefly the turtle had the thought that this must be what a wriggling bug feels like under a telescope, studied far too closely. It made him want to wriggle uncontrollably under a piercing gaze such as this one, too.
"It's a monstrosity, is what it is!"
Ah, there it was. For a fleeting second he felt like he was back home, where everyone who saw him on the surface pointed and screamed, instead of within these jungles where he was beloved and greatly respected. The good old days.
"It's a freak!" Someone now behind him gaped dumbly down at him, "I wasn't expecting an actual ghost, but I wasn't expecting no frog!"
"It definitely is a freak of nature, all right." The large man bit out with a puff of stale air that assaulted the turtle's nostrils. "Whatever it is, a ghost or some Bigfoot wannabe, the chase is done. We got the one constantly putting its foot in situations that ain't its business, now the jungle can go back to the way it was. Ready the truck, boys, the others back at camp can have a thorough examination of our little friend here when we bring it back."
He finished that sentence with a threatening growl and hard tug on his head, making a muscle in his neck cry out from strain. Those unsettling blue eyes once again ripped into chocolate brown ones that glared hard back at them, a staring match of hostility happening between them, before the man finally pulled back and released his face with a snap of his hand. Leo coughed involuntarily when space was finally put between them, fresh air flooding his lungs once again as his hunter stood tall over him.
The other men made quick work of loading the cargo bed's contents into the raised section of the back of the Ranger, while the group's apparent leader grabbed at the netting binding Leo's body and roughly yanked him up on his feet. The rope rubbed up against the turtle's uncovered legs and he hissed sharply, before he finally looked around properly to take in the scene around him.
The vehicle that had been pursuing him for months on end was a silver colour, although it was so caked in dirt barely any shine came through. The large cargo bed was now sitting empty, but not for long as he had the sneaking suspicion he was about to be tossed in there still tied up for a long, uncomfortable journey.
There were six men in total, minus however many of them were waiting for them back wherever their camp was. A few of the men were young and scrawny, one in particular looked to be no more than his early twenties. Roped into this shady line of work from a young age for sure, he was constantly looking at the others to make sure what he was doing was adequate. Nervous, unsure, he had barely looked at Leo at all.
The ninja almost felt bad for him.
The second largest man, small in shape but tall and muscular, came over to help the one in charge drag Leo towards his inevitable fate. He didn't fight them, he knew it was futile, but still they grabbed at his arms so tightly he felt the muscles underneath them twitch and ache. He bit back any pained noises that gathered in his throat and simply swallowed them, he was not going to show weakness in front of these people. They didn't deserve that victory.
"Where are you taking me?" The words were slipping from his mouth before they came to his brain, but there was no fear or strain in them. His features and tone was as calm and collected as could be.
"Back to Guatemala, where the others are waiting for our arrival." The large man gloated, an almost malicious look on his face. "We're very interested in this Ghost of the Jungle that has become the talk of Costa Rica. You've become a great source of interest around Central America, you know, although I wonder how much of a legend you'll continue to be from inside a filthy cage you belong in."
The words spat at him blended into the background as Leo's thoughts were turned up full volume. They were taking him to Guatemala? People all the way over there wanted him, so much they came all the way down here and spent months hunting him down? That's a full day's drive at least, plus with how much time they've spent here, what if it turned out his legacy really was nothing but a myth? Why were they so sure he even existed in the first place to do all this!?
Unless one of their own had personally caught glimpses of him, but if they're all stationed in Guatemala, that would be impossible. Either they had some kind of solid intel from somewhere of his existence, or they are all incredibly daft. Leo wasn't sure which one was more concerning in this situation.
Also, were they really just going to have him lay on one spot in the back of a Ranger for over a day straight all tied up!?
He could feel his entire body seizing up in advance already, they could have at least put some kind of padding down for him!
No, that didn't matter- he couldn't let them take him from Costa Rica. He had a reputation to maintain, people to protect, a jungle to haunt. He was no help to these folk all the way over in Guatemala, in unknown territory where he didn't know how to safely return. He had to escape these men and lose them for good, he had to win this fight.
And he will, somehow.
Vague conversation around him brought him back to the situation at hand, the rope digging into his bare flesh becoming more painful every time he was forced to acknowledge it.
"I still can't believe this is the acclaimed great legend." One man mused, closely giving the turtle a look over. "I mean.. look at it. This thing is the great hero that's been stopping crime all over the jungle and spreading fear amongst criminals? This is the reason big tough guys back outta' jobs, because 'what if the Ghost of the Jungle catches us?' It's hard to just accept.. this weird thing is capable of all that."
Before Leo could think of a response, a comeback or snarky comment, that same beefy hand that had a tight hold of his face earlier came up and grabbed a handful of his cloak and raised it, as if making a point of doing so.
"This is him alright." The boss mumbled, before letting go of the fabric and letting it fall over the ninja's form again. "The boys will have a lot of fun playing around with their new plaything, that's for sure."
One of the smaller men climbing into the back seats stopped mid climb, looking back at them with a near pout. "But shouldn't we have our turn with him first? We came and got him!"
The big man chuckled and wrapped a hairy arm around the turtle's head as if to pull him to a side hug, roughly patting his shell. "We can all share him. Now, let's begin this trek, shall we? The sooner we get started the quicker we get there."
At once hands were grabbing at him, a pair going for his legs and he was promptly hoisted off his feet. His clothed shell clanked harshly with the back of the truck as he skidded ungracefully against it, the sets of hands dumping him as soon as he was positioned curled up on his side. He felt the vibrations of each hunter jumping into the Ranger with vigour, a round of whooping and cheering for a job complete as the loud engine came to life.
He heard the boss talking into what he seemed was a microphone of sorts, letting someone know 'the ghost has been apprehended and belayed successfully', before Leo felt the large metal frame of the vehicle begin to move. Before long he was watching his home pass by in a hurry as they tore through the jungle, the rattling of the Ranger vibrating through his entire body.
He pressed a cheek to the cargo bed and huffed. He had to think of a way out of this mess, he had to get away. If he could move his hand and reach for a pocket knife or shuriken he could cut the ropes and flee the vehicle before they could do anything about it. However as he was he was completely immobile, listening to their boisterous chatter that didn't interest him one bit, he knew he was completely stuck.
At least for now. Surely they'd make a pitstop some point along the way for a meal or the toilet, and then he'd figure out how he was escaping and returning to Costa Rica- if they had gotten the chance to take him out of it. He'd just have to wait, he'd get his window of opportunity. How, he wasn't sure, but what he was sure of was that he was absolutely not going to Guatemala with these hunters.
He'd make sure of it.
Notes:
As you can probably guess every named location in this fic is, indeed, real places. Including the Maya sights he'll end up encountering. The only place in this fic I created myself is the village he winds up in, and that's because it's a much more recent civilization. Everything else is geographically accurate.
This and the next part was meant to be one chapter, this was supposed to just be the start of a time jump, but combined it got too long and I've split it. As it's past 2AM here I'll polish the second half and post it tomorrow (today technically).
These ghost hunters are not important to the story, their only existence was to get Leo from one place to another as I could not think of a reason he'd travel all the way up to Honduras willingly. After next chapter their purpose is done and we don't see from them again haha!
Madre de Dios- Mother of God
Chapter 2: Welcome to the Jungle
Notes:
So I did actually plan on posting this the day after the first chapter like I said, but for some reason every time came here to post it, I just spent hours editing it to Hell instead. I've spent so long playing around with this chapter, but anyway, here's part two.
As it's currently half three in the morning, if there's any dumb mistakes anywhere, I'll check this over in the morning and find it. Hopefully.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
It has been hours. How many exactly he wasn't sure, he had watched the sun disappear behind the horizon of trees some time during the journey and found he couldn't ignore the temptation of a deep sleep. He hadn't had so much of that as of late, and as he was curled up on his side in the back of a Ranger with many hours ahead of him before they stopped anywhere, he decided there was no harm in a quick nap.
When he opened his eyes again it was light. Not the soft pinks and oranges kind, where the pretty pastels slowly washed away the darkness of the night, but everything above him was blue and white. From the position of the sun in the sky it would seem it had been day for several hours now, and he had completely slept through dusk and dawn. It's not like there was much going on to be awake for anyway, nothing the rowdy bunch in the vehicle with him was saying was worth tuning in for. With nothing else to do they talked amongst themselves eagerly, in both English and Spanish, about the most mundane stuff ever like they hadn't just successfully captured what some believed to only be a myth.
He grunted against the harsh metal beneath him. His entire body was stiff and achy from being kept in one place on a hard surface for too long, and he was beginning to think his stomach was eating itself. He doubted they'd feed him when they stopped for food themselves, if they did that was, or even let him stand for a few minutes so he could stretch his poor legs and body. The men didn't seem to care much about his well-being, by the sounds of it they had nothing good planned for him upon arrival either.
Still, in his current position, there was nothing he could do. The netting wasn't loosening and no matter how much he tried to wiggle an arm free from the binds it was useless. It just stung and burned the more he tried, and he quickly found it'd just be better if he stayed as still as he could despite the cramps that were taking over.
The only thing he could do was shut his eyes and hope to sleep for the majority of the journey, at least until they parked up somewhere and he could perhaps come up with some kind of plan. Ask one of them to lift him out so he could walk off some of the aches and pains and chance making a run for it, or wait to see if he was momentarily left alone in the vehicle so he could maybe wiggle himself out without being seen and flee that way.
Either way, at the current time continuing on catching up on some serious sleep debt was his best and only option while he still could.
---
Finally, after many hours of non-stop driving and Leo spending the day in and out of sleep, the sun was only a couple of hours from its descent once again, and he had a plan.
The road they were now on, in the middle of nowhere as they hadn't passed any town or village for miles that he was aware of, was full of rocks and potholes. It was nothing short of a hazard, some of the larger stones they passed occasionally were so big a normal car smaller than this Ranger would definitely struggle to drive over them. It’d end in either a ruptured tire or a smashed window screen for sure, the road would have been closed for patching up in any populated area.
The ride was bumpy to say the least, so much that the Ranger thumped and banged around as its passengers loudly groaned and complained. The large wheels would struggle to pass over a shallow gap in the ground, then it would do so with a harsh jolt. Or it would drive over a particularly large stone then drop, the hunters flailing around in their unsecure seats like puppets on loose strings.
As the one in the cargo bed not at all tied down or secured Leo got the worst of the battery, leaving him to bash around on the hard surfaces containing him. When the Ranger suddenly dropped down with a shriek from the metal frame and driver, he'd be sent airborne for just a second before crashing down onto the solid metal again. It hurt like a bitch to his already aching body, but he knew better not to make a racket so openly as it’d be his saving grace. It was just what he needed. With the road being full of pointy rocks, this opportunity was perfect. He could kill three birds with one, sharp stone.
Gradually to avoid detection he had wiggled and wormed his way to the front lip of the cargo bed, letting the violent movements of the Ranger help throw him there, and when his shoulder pressed against the inner wall he waited with bated breath.
It wasn't tall, he could pull this off. As the road worked against the vehicle so much, it'd take them a while to turn it around, and by that point Leo would be gone. They were in the middle of one of the many jungles of Mesoamerica, he'd have a good enough headstart on his way back the way they came before they'd catch up to him again.
By then he'd be ready, they didn't seem to have much in the way of weaponry other than basic survival knives and tent pegs. They definitely didn't look to have any guns when they emptied the bed for him, so as soon as he managed to run off the stiffness in his limbs he was certain he could take them all in a fight. They may be skilled in hunting and laying traps, but Leo was confident in his swordman skills to not have to worry so much. They may be good, but he doubted they were as good as him. If he can take on a full Foot Clan army himself and win, surely he could beat six men without his level of combat skills.
However, if this went the way he was hoping he wouldn't have to. He could run in any direction and they'd have to find him first on a road that disagreed with their tires, and without any traps to watch out for there was nothing slowing him down. He'd get back to Costa Rica before they'd get to him for sure.
Adrenaline for his escape surged through his body and he held his breath, feeling for drastic vibrations in his shoulder for when the back of the vehicle would suddenly raise. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited, then abruptly lunged upwards just in time for a hefty rise and drop from the Ranger as it passed over a hump in the road. The ninja was tossed up against the back wall, but instead of slamming down again he instead successfully flipped over the back of the vehicle. A choked gag and yelp ripped from him upon the rough landing, the impact sending a bolt of pain through his body as the uneven terrain bit into his flesh.
Thankfully, the second miracle of this chase, he didn't land directly on top of any of the larger stones that would tear into his skin and shed blood, but they were more than sharp enough to aid him in the second part of his plan.
Wasting no time he began wriggling around on the spot, feeling rough tips and edges burrowing into his cloak, and more importantly, into the netting.
He felt something give way before long, and with one single thrust to roll onto his other side the rope shifted in place around him. His arms were freed, and he immediately used them to push himself up to his feet, the rope slipping from his body in one big heap as he stood.
He didn't spare the hunters a second’s glance before he took off, dashing between foliage off road and disappearing into the safety of the greenery’s cover. He heard shouts and yells behind him, somewhere in his mind he registered the Ranger was no longer moving as he didn't hear the intense rattling of the metal, the scratching of the tires on hard surfaces. He found it hard to care, the only thing that mattered was losing them for good so he could focus on getting back to the villages and people that needed him.
So he ran, for God knows how long, his lungs and head burning from exertion as he shoved through rows of thick leaves and vines. Somewhere overhead the sun was slowly beginning to sink again, the blues of the sky mixing into soft purples. It got to the point where his legs were too wobbly to carry him much further, especially at the speed he was going, and he was forced to slow down to a sluggish jog. They were stiff, sore, unbelievably weak as his feet throbbed painfully with how hard they greeted the ground. He knew if he kept it up he’d simply collapse. Giving the men every chance at a recapture, then this whole endeavour would have been for nought.
At this point he was sure he had been running for at least an hour. His chest cracked with every swallow breath he sucked in and his skull pounded from exhaustion. Simply put, everywhere hurt, and he was now in the stage of looking for a cosey, hidden place to hunker down for the night.
What he didn’t expect to find during his search was a strange looking wall covered in moss and vines seemingly in the middle of nowhere, with what looked to be large gouges throughout it. He almost didn’t see it at first, casting a glance its way while he passed by an opening in a patch of tall trees, before doing a double take and twirling back towards it with his cloak fluttering around him.
Further inspection told him those gouges were actually carvings, deep engraved patterns and pictures presumably telling a story he couldn’t decipher. Most of it was covered in green, or so worn away by age the images had faded and withered. Still, he carefully dragged a curious finger through the intelligible indents to trail them across the wall as much as he could, all of a sudden captivated by this strange discovery.
Any hope for napping his hunger and nagging pains away was forgotten as he only grew more fascinated by what was in front of him the more he took in, as he had never seen anything quite like it before. He knew Central America, more so Mesoamerica was full of the remains of ancient cities and ruins, he had personally come across some of the smaller sights in Costa Rica during his many explorations. But never had any of the sights had anything quite like this, where the carvings were so detailed down to fine, curved lines, and there was writing in an unfamiliar dialect popping up from underneath the wildlife that had reclaimed the old material.
He rubbed a digit into the crumbling wall and covered a fingertip with dust to inspect it closely at eye level. Limestone; just how old was this thing that they were using limestone?
Now beyond eager to explore this wall and all its contents more, the hunters long behind him and tucked into the back of his thoughts, he ventured down to find where this mysterious wall ends. Ducking under low leaves and plants that draped over the little cramped pathway between the wall and a crowd of trees, he chased up where the limestone finally gave way and surrendered to the jungle floor below.
The fallen chunks that once made up what looked to be a corner that turned another way, perhaps that once made up a building, was a sad pile covered in grass and moss. The jungle was slowly reclaiming its territory, eating away at the structure and would continue to do so until there was nothing left standing. Together time and nature would work together to erase what history remained here, and somewhere in the future all traces of this wall ever existed would be erased. Another victim to time, where years down the line, these ruins would only exist in.
Leo wedged his way out of the small pathway and stepped out into an open area of tall grass and foliage, and he briefly looked up at the sky to see soft oranges and yellows beginning to mix into the blues of day. What he immediately saw as he turned, though, would completely redirect his line of sight as he froze for only a second. Further up in the crowd of trees, a structure of sorts was only just visible through partings of leaves, built up by what looked to also be a lot of limestone. From afar it looked like a building, but not one you’d find in this modern age. It looked ancient, timeless, like something you'd see in pictures from the oldest history books. It was as if he had traveled back in time, and stood at the start of human civilization.
He left the wall and stumbled in the direction of the structure, shoving through rows of wildlife that thrived in this warm tropical climate. He brushed past the gate of greenery, swiping it out of his face as he trudged out to the other side, peering around to find the start of that enormous lump of limestone. Only to pause a second time before he got there, his eyes dilating as he took in the impossibility of the wonders all of a sudden stretched out before him.
“Ay.. Dios mío..”
His breath shuddered in anticipation and shock as he stared on, finding him at the foot of what could only be described as a lost ancient city. It was huge, not so huge that it'd rival today's age cities by a long shot, but so much bigger than he knew these lost ruins got. As much as the small sights he found around his usual areas were mostly crumbled and knocked over, piles and heaps of debris strewn across the ground, the majority of this one had been amazingly preserved in the raw heat of Honduras.
The ground itself had long been overgrown by plentiful grass, wildlife had crept in to join the handy work of whoever used to live here. Yet the buildings themselves stood high and mighty, untouched by time. Thousands of people must have lived here at its peak, it was so complex with so many different tiers to it Leo's biggest thought was ‘how many times a day did people get lost here?’
What kind of people lived here? Kings? Whatever presidents used to be back in the day? The most powerful of humans?
There were pyramid-like structures all over the place, joined together by what seemed to be tunnels running through walls of limestone, and large open plazas that just went on and on. From where he stood frozen he could see a tall rustic staircase leading to an entire upper part of the city, carved heads and other cryptic figures out of stone sitting at the foot, while the sides were lined with impressive carvings. It was grand and wide, a simple hike to the upper level of the city, where the structures only got greater in size and complexity.
Temples stood tall, there were walls and walkways all around the edges of the ruins that lead to seemingly nowhere, and the whole place was crowded with weird statues. Disfigured heads and strange entities could be found in walls and stone, built into the pillars supporting the large temples high above him. There was a creepy face gaping at him with soulless eyes in the wall to his right, its mouth open, pupils small.
He felt encouraged to take his first hesitant step onto the grounds of the city just to get away from it and its intense stare, despite the fact that he felt like it was watching his every move and breath even when he rounded the corner out of sight of it. It felt like he was being so plainly watched, stalked, like something or someone was about to jump out at him out of nowhere.
He was quick to dismiss the thought. As much as he felt uneasy and just a little bit disturbed by this city's bizarre choice of decor, he couldn't sense an immediate presence nearby to be wary of. It was simply the new and strange discovery that was forming a lump of discomfort sitting at the bottom of his stomach, making it bubble with acid and something probably bad.
Or, at least that's what he was telling himself. There was no one nearby, so there was no problem. There was no danger to hide from. He was alone.
That was the only logical assumption, right?
What Leo found stranger than anything else in this city, after a good glance around and several minutes pacing the spacious plaza at the front, was the random heaps of stoney hills in the middle of open areas. They looked so out of place, so random, and upon looking at them he could only wonder what their purpose was once upon a time. There was one up on the higher level hidden behind what appeared to be a temple of sorts, and there was one smack in the middle of this plaza to his left, leading nowhere.
The base looked like it was the beginning of a pyramid, but stopped halfway through to instead give the top a flat, smooth surface, with four sets of staircases running up each side. Unlike most of the other structures here, it was pretty bare in the standards of decoration, its structure built up with simple blocks and rectangles and giving it a rather blocky look. So far it was the only thing in this city that didn't appear to Leo as horrendously cursed or Satanic.
However this structure only a short distance away from him, despite looking plain and easy on the eyes, had a significant difference that immediately made it stand out from anything else in the city, especially the one higher up tucked away. And that was the simple fact that on top of its stoney surface, etched in moss and grass, stood a healthy tree that served as great cover from the usually harsh sun. Its trunk was made up of lovely browns and the greens of moss, its bark so well kept you'd think someone was coming to care for it on a regular basis. It's crown, so full of brilliant green leaves, each one more perfect than the next glistening in the slowly vanishing sunlight.
It was the tree that would have been handcrafted by a God themselves, the visualisation so fantastical Leo found himself in complete awe gazing up at it. He had been living in the Costa Rican jungles for months now and he hadn't seen a tree that looked quite like this one, the botanist inside him felt nothing but pride at such a perfect display.
It was so perfect he found himself climbing the dusty steps to get a closer look at it, the mass of green calling out to him, the many branches curving outwards beckoning him closer. He felt the call like a psychical voice somewhere in his brain, like when you get the sensation someone is shouting out to you, even if you can't really hear them.
And who was he to deny a close up thorough inspection of this beauty?
The structure wasn't all that tall, he had scaled its mass within a minute. Standing face to face with this tree he found it was much more luscious than it looked further away, its wide crown stretched over the structure’s surface and giving it permanent shade. Sunlight leaked through the top, dotting specks of yellows and reds over the turtle’s face and body where he wasn’t clothed. Its roots, large and full of shape, slithered out from the tree’s base in all directions before disappearing into the sides of the stonework. They almost served as borders of pathways for the four rows of stairs leading to either side, guiding visitors towards its main body.
He followed them to the towering frame, his green fingers itching to reach out and touch it. To feel the soft bark scratching over his palm, run the thinner stems straying away from the bigger branches through his twin fingers.
The urge he suddenly felt rapidly pooling in his gut to become one with nature, even for a moment, became so intense it was beginning to feel like a deep rooted desire. A need, like a magnet he needed to connect with this giant, he had a rope tied around him that was reeling him in faster than he could fully comprehend.
He usually got urges to place gentle touches upon trees and plants, he's always been a big lover of nature and wildlife. Living in a concrete jungle he never got so much of it, and often he'd find himself homesick for a life he never had. Surrounded by nature, green and lively colours as far as the eye could see. Where pretty birds sang their songs and mammals roamed the land.
Whenever he got the opportunity to really lose himself in these settings, they were usually the happiest he's ever been. And now, living in a jungle, he made use of his urges to give back his love to nature, by standing by trees and resting against them, just allowing himself to breathe and relax in their comfort. He loved palming his skin over the large faces of Monsteras, and as childish and it was, whenever he came across a nice looking flower, he liked to have a sniff at it.
These urges to rest a hand against fine bark was a normal occurrence of his day; but not like this. He had never thought to himself if he didn't get close enough to a specific tree he could just die. He had never been so desperate to touch one his entire hand vibrated while he reached it outwards towards the trunk.
The reaction was so extreme and unusual, that for a fleeting moment before he got any closer, he had thought maybe it'd be better if he didn't touch it. If he just turned around and left this weird place, never to return. Perhaps what he was feeling wasn't a primal urge at all, but it was a disguise for madness. Maybe he had gone crazy down the line of living alone in a jungle for many months, his only human interaction with those he saved while roaming and had to hide his identity from, or those who wished him harm. Maybe he was touch starved, lonely, his mental state so far down the drain he was seeking the comfort of literal trees in order to cope, as they were all he had.
Or maybe he was just stressed, missing his father and brothers so much that the need to touch something was so strong, so much that he felt like he was going to implode, as he could no longer touch them. This was the next substitute. He was just homesick, that’s all.
No, the crazy part made more sense. He had lost it, the isolation and rejection so much he couldn’t withstand it, and this was the result.
Maybe he shouldn't be gawking at trees, but he should find a place to lie down for the night, because clearly he wasn't feeling so well. The disturbed sleep, numbing hunger and insanity had finally caught up to him.
Before he could act out on those thoughts and turn himself away, his hand closed over the trunk and pressed into it, its rugged surface oddly warm to the touch despite it being in permanent shade. The bark, although it looked so smooth and gentle to the eye, was apparently sharp somehow.
Really sharp. So sharp he felt a deep pain blossom in his palm that coursed like needles through his fingers, before suddenly shooting up his arm which instinctively tensed from shock. The pain made way through his shoulder like it was following a path, and Leo almost choked when he felt it rise up his neck, momentarily giving him a sense of deep suffocation, before it barreled upwards and crashed full force into his brain.
The ninja didn't hear the strained yell that pulled from his lungs as a horrible agony instantly flooded his whole being, an unbearably loud ringing filling his ears. Pain signals furiously assaulted his brain, his every muscle spasming, any feeling in his weakened form being reduced to hot numbing static. A cloud of white had taken over his vision, the bloody talons of a beast ripping him up from inside his head.
In an overwhelming amount of shock and horror, he jerked his hand back from the tree and recoiled violently. Unable to find his footing as his whole body was sent into a mindless panic, he staggered blindly backwards as his hands shot up to grab helplessly at his skull. The contact burned, there was a torturous feeling in his brain like claws spearing it, trying to split it open, get inside it.
Then, he swore he felt it gave, the claws sinking into its debts and gouging out its insides, making room for the white hot pain that danmed tree gave him.
Leo was fairly certain he was about to die, living his final moments writhing around until he finally crumpled in a heap, left to rot in this freaky place. That perfect tree was nothing but a perfect trap for fools like him, and he was on the brink of accepting his demise, if it finally got this torture to stop. However, he didn't get that chance.
As he was too busy seizing in agony, he hadn't noticed he had quickly backed up the small amount of platform between him and the tree, until his final step backwards met with nothing but air. He didn't have any time to even try to catch himself before crashing down the row of steps he had come up, he was stumbling over his own feet so fast from the rush of panic he practically threw himself down them.
Despite his current situation, he did feel the impacts of the stone greeting his body as he raced for the bottom. The crunching of his bones, the shockwaves to his shell and head, then finally the end plummet as he was sent sprawling across the floor like a ragdoll.
He came to a stop some feet away from the structure, his now roughed up cloak trailing behind him and licking at the first step upwards. To say his whole form was battered was an understatement, his head reeling, his brain fizzing out like a dying flame.
He groaned meekly, from the throbbing sensations or the exhaustion beginning to gush in, he wasn't sure. He could no longer feel the hands of death inside his head, in fact he could feel much of nothing at all. His limbs weren't responding to the signals to move he tried giving them, his nerves had been thoroughly fried. Even if he was to crawl somewhere a bit more sheltered, it wouldn’t be long before he dropped again.
It was fine, he doubted anyone was finding him here anyway.
His brain was rapidly sinking into a numb void of nothingness, like a stone in cold water, and without a moment’s hesitation he gladly went down with it.
—
About a five hour drive southeast from the grand city of Copán, tucked away in a large grassy meadow surrounded by endless jungle and with a stunning view of Carro Las Minas far in the distance, was a small Mayan village containing a temple. One built for the sole purpose of worship and prayer, its floor polished marble while the building was built up with stone.
Inside found a long narrow hall even the smallest voice would echo around in, lined with many statues in the likeness of Mayan Gods and Goddesses on pedestals. Prayer mats sat at the base of each one, along with sets of candles at both sides, boxes of matches at the ready. One God in particular sat on a higher platform than anyone else, located in the centre of the hall instead of down the sides, his statue slightly bigger and more detailed than the others.
He had bizarre markings over his bare torso and was wearing what looked to be a patchwork kilt of sorts. Streaks of paint dragged over his face, and he was crowned with a hat topped with long blades of grass that drooped down his back. His arms were folded over his front, his elbows sticking out, with a rabbit creature tucked in one of them and a bundle of corn in the other.
In the middle of the chapel, further up from this greater being, was a lone mat surrounded by lit candles. The flames flickered and danced against the pillars supporting the building, highlighting every statue’s unique features. Towards the ceiling, where the stonework began to curve inwards to complete the dome, the walls were decorated with so much work no inch of stone was left untouched. Patterns, vague images and drawings, all ran along the walls to create one big conjoined design, representing the Maya culture as a whole.
This chapel was a true testament to their ancestors and religion, a work of art worthy to be used for such a delicate task as it was. The task, of connecting the loose lines between deity and mortal and becoming one with their superiors.
On this isolated mat surrounded by the faint crackles of flame was Akna, the village's elder who was now chasing up her eightieth decade on Earth. She spent all her time here in the chapel these days, too old and weary to be moving around like she used to, as she left the care and duties of the village to her three chosen highers.
Her skin sagged around her weak, steely grey eyes and cheeks, before tugging down at her chin. She wore her hair up in a frizzy bun that parted at the bottom, letting tufts of silvery white hair lay across her permanently humped back. Over her shoulders draped a wooly cardigan knitted for her by her beloved daughter, a deep purple with lines of green tracing the edges. It was her favourite, and it kept her pleasantly warm against the air that was only getting colder to her with age.
She sat and prayed, worshiped, dreamed, all in one place as moving became rarer and rarer for her in recent years. Nowadays it was unusual to see her outside any further than the small bench placed just by the temple’s door so she can rest and get fresh air. Potted plants gradually began showing up nearby so she had more to look at while sitting there as Akna loved flowers, so much that she named her daughter after them.
However as she sat in her usual spot, shadows of flames licking at her long and droopy clothing, she was kept busy with the same task she carried out day after day. Forever listening out for any voices or calls that would make themselves known through the open space of the big hall, as no tiny squeak escaped her trained ears.
And today, she heard something. A familiar voice, one she had only heard for a small amount of time when she was very young. A lifetime ago now, one she had long accepted she would never hear again in her time left in this world. It echoed in the back of her mind, like it was her own consciousness that was speaking to her, but she knew who it really belonged to. The only God that in all of recorded Maya history, had ever really made his existence known to his people.
Their protector, their friend. Her friend.
Her bleary eyes opened as a strong presence gathered within the walls around her, the bigger statue holding an armful of corn radiating an intense presence that could not be mistaken.
“Back again so soon, old friend? I was beginning to think I would not hear from you again. After all, you usually only return every hundred years or so, do you not?” Her frail raspy voice called out, her words bouncing back at her in echoes, and a small smile touched her face. “Not that i am unhappy to be blessed with your call once again after so long, Yum Kaax, but why have you come back so soon? Is there another disaster of sorts headed our way again already? Don’t tell me those vicious beasts are back, i’m hardly in the shape to defend Almika from them again..”
She fell silent for a moment, listening closely, letting her tired eyes fall shut again. Then her smile grew a fraction wider, fonder.
“Always with the vague warnings with you. It was the same when I was just a girl, learning the ways to communicate with you from my mother. Nevertheless, if you are here, then I must trust there is a problem headed our way we ourselves are not fitted to fight. You are here to lend us your strength to ward off this danger, yes?.. Very well, when you find yourself a vessel worthy of your companionship- .. you’ve already found one? So soon? .. I see. Then I will send the foragers to fetch him and bring him back to Almika right away. As for you, old friend, I will see you again shortly, when he arrives.”
Just as quickly as the heavy presence became apparent inside the temple, the air suddenly dropped again, returning to its previous cold and empty state. Akna shivered and burrowed closer into her lovingly made cardigan, her grey eyes opening once more to gaze thoughtfully into the candle's fire in front of her. The heat washed over her face as her lips pulled down, her small wrinkled hands reaching up to tug her wear tighter over herself.
“.. Back already. That’s never a good sign.” She mumbled dully, her gaze hardening under the harsh light. “His presence here felt almost.. urgent. Like our threat is quickly incoming. I only hope this chosen vessel of his has what it takes to adapt to his new situation fast enough to stop it.”
Notes:
"Leo's hijacker is very chill-" look, if there was a painless way to possess someone he would do it okay. He picks them because he knows they can handle it.
For further reference of the Mayan city Leo found, just look up 'Honduras, Copán.' It's a very real place and I described it as well as I could without spending hours on it lol!
I originally was going to have Leo explore it just a bit, like actually have a wonder around but A; this chapter was getting long already and I had to do the end part still, and B; the structure he met the tree on, "Structure 4", is just how I described it and kinda where you walk in. So to have Leo go up it as planned he would have had to do an entire loop around Copán and we didn't have time for that.
I will also say, as much as Leo was like 'this place is huge-', Copán isn't the biggest ancient Maya city by far. That trophy would go to Tikal or Chichen Itza, however if only seen the small amounts of Maya ruins in Costa Rica, if you found a full intact city you would probably think it's huge by default.
'Ay Dios mío'- Oh my God
Chapter 3: Enter; Almika- Part One
Notes:
Just a quick chapter update to let you know I didn't start this fic and immediately ditch it haha. I've actually been really unwell this past month and a half and when on heavy antibiotics it's really hard for me to concentrate enough to write. In the brief windows I was coherent enough I quickly wrote up this chapter so apologise if it's a little choppy.
Also to note, I haven't actually got this whole story fully fleshed out yet, so updates will be a little slow for now until I really build it up. I know how I want it to go, but there's areas that are kinda vague right now so I don't want to rush ahead with this fic just yet. We'll be in full steam soon though!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The first thing Leo remembered thinking, properly comprehending as the voice of his own mind came back to him from the murky grey, was that the pain was gone. He wasn’t hit with any blinding agony that had him reeling before, the kind that almost made him wish he’d just crumple and die where he stood so he wouldn’t have to feel it anymore. There weren't even the traces of a dull ache or strum in his brain telling him that moment with the tree even happened. There was simply nothing, except from a faint fuzzy feeling in his limbs, that only became more clear the more his body and brain resurfaced from the black void of heavy sleep. It gradually became portent as the rest of his tired body rebooted, and yet, there was still no pain arriving with it. If his brain was coherent enough he would have been more than thankful for it.
He flexed his fingers on one hand to test the waters, almost as if daring any pains to make themselves known, but also to get a feel of his current situation. He was lying down, that much wasn’t hard to figure out, he could feel the hardness of the floor beneath him. That was to be expected, his brain was struggling to remember why at that moment, but he was sure he remembered rolling across the floor at some point after the implosion of excruciating pain.
That wasn’t what he was only now registering, however. He was certain he was laid out in a completely different position before succumbing to deep sleep, in a heap with his limbs loosely sprawled out. Not lay on his side in the fetal position, with his knees tucked and his arms pulled up in front of him, his hands resting neatly by his face. His cheek was pressed into the floor below, his shoulder now receiving small throbbing sensations from supporting his head and neck for so long. His cloak, certainly damaged to hell far more than it already was from the hefty assault from pointy stone, lay gingerly over him like a makeshift blanket.
He definitely didn’t do that. The more his memories were solidifying and the happenings of how he ended up in this situation was becoming clear, he could vividly remember not being able to move prior to losing consciousness. Even if he could have, pulling his cloak over himself would have been his very least priority.
Which means someone else came across him while he was out and had moved him themselves. He was found, after all.
Anxiety for his suddenly possibly problematic situation encouraged him to finally move, and he groggily blinked his eyes open with a silent moan. The area he found himself in once the fuzzy shapes around him solidified was well shaded, a small square space contained within four symmetrical walls well hidden from the sun. It was dark enough inside he would have assumed it was night, as when he found those cursed ruins the day was rapidly ending; but he could tell without looking outside it was daytime once again. He could feel the raw heatwaves leaking in that only came from harsh direct tropical sun.
So much that his makeshift blanket was tossed off himself before he even realised it, beads of sweat gathering on his forehead, a stank of suffocated hot stale air hitting the back of his tonsils.
He pulled himself up to his elbows, then to his hands and knees as his stiff joints protested. His palms brushed against a fabric that felt unpleasant to his skin in this humidity, and he looked down to find he was placed atop a paper thin sheet of knitted wool. Underneath the red material was planks of wood, smooth and clean, expertly welded together to make some sort of flooring.
Leo cocked his head in confusion, his eyes narrowing sharply, before he lifted his attention to the walls closing him in this unfamiliar place. A quick examination told him they weren’t solid walls at all, but rich purple curtains that bundled delicately at the bottom. They were attached to some kind of gold metal railing that boxed around the room, serving as the wall support, before the cubed area was sealed away completely with what looked to be a bamboo ceiling.
What puzzled the turtle the most wasn’t where he had ended up, but it was that when he turned his head to his right, he found three food items lined out before him. A bundle of maize, a ripe pumpkin, and a handful of cocoa beans.
He stared dumbly at them more than anything else in this sheltered space, his brows deeply furrowed, his mouth hanging slightly open. Their presence, and why it was these three randomly specific items seemingly offered to him, clogged his brain more than his actual worrisome predicament.
While the gears in his head whirred, his stomach clenched with obvious protest, giving him a wave of nausea instead of the sharp pangs he suffered from earlier. He knew he should have immediately lunged to devour them, whether or not they were laced with something bad, his hunger overpowering any voice in his head telling him to be cautious. If whoever put him here wanted him dead, they had their chance to kill him however they liked without him having to fall for any traps, so logically the food would be safe.
But still, looking at freshly harvested food, he had no desire to eat. The fuzziness and tingle coursing through his body melded with the acid in his stomach, bubbling dangerously within, and he knew if he forced himself to eat it’d only make him sick instead. He didn’t want to chance making himself unwell, he didn’t want to give all that pain from before a reason to come back. So instead of feeding his empty stomach he simply turned away from the food, turning his nose up with a small, dissatisfied huff.
Besides, other than the pumpkin, he wasn’t sure how much a cob of corn and a few cocoa beans would suffice as a fulfilling meal in the first place.
Thankfully, he was distracted from the sickly potential lunch before him as with the rise of his head, a noise grazed his clothed earslit; a voice. Two, several, perhaps a dozen. He froze, now as hyperaware as a deer that heard a twig snap, or a trained ninja turtle who was taught to always have his attention on his surroundings when in human territory. His eyes, sharp and intense, flicked around the curtain walls while he strained his hearing to decipher exactly which direction the voices were coming from.
The more he listened, the more he was certain he was surrounded at all sides, the voices moving around like he was in the middle of a large group of people. The strange thing that really put him on edge was that as much as he tried, he could not hear a single thing being said. The voices were present and near, yet muffled and oddly distant.
This gave him the image of his little area being caged in behind gates and walls to prevent an escape, with his captures on the other side. If it was those hunters that refound him he would expect no less, as they were clearly well trained and equipped. He had no doubt they had some place to keep him in Guatemala, the infamous Ghost of the Jungle that proved to be a dangerous creature to criminals, somewhere locked up tight and guarded. If that was where he had found himself now, he was going outside to a fight, one he wasn’t confident he could win before escaping them once again.
He was a skilled swordsman, but even the most talented with a blade would lose to a gun. Big guns, that these kinds of hunters tend to have, and probably had on the ready. That, or dart guns loaded with tranquilizers if they didn’t want to kill him so soon. By the sounds of it they wished to milk their accomplishment to the fullest, stripping him of his legacy, his humanity, just so they could rub it into every fresh wound they put on him that they won.
It’d be a short fight, as he wouldn’t be able to get anywhere near any of them before he is pumped full of drugs and sent off back to sleep, but he definitely wasn’t just going to wait there until someone came back to put their grubby hands on him. The people of Costa Rica relied on him, and what would they think if they found out their beloved ghost was torn up and put down by hunters?
.. What would his family think if such news somehow got back to them? Some turtle creature in a Central American jungle found and maimed by such ugly humans. There would be absolutely no space for doubt of who that could be. Whatever pride and legacy he left back home would be gone in an instant.
The thought of that made him cringe. However this outcome came out, it’d be best if they never found out about it anyway.
Bracing himself for an unwinnable battle, he gritted his teeth and neared a curtain slowly. He listened carefully, and after deducing there was no one waiting just outside for a surprise attack, he reached a hand up instinctively to wrap it around the helm of a twin katana from under his cloak. It was when his fingers grazed the smooth material did the realisation that his beloved weapons were still strapped to his shell hit him.
They let him keep his katana. Confusion had him halting, his hand pausing around the hilt, as he narrowed his eyes at the curtain in thought. Why would they let him keep his means of defence, attack, and escape? Why wouldn’t they have ridded him of his chance at saving himself when they had the chance? He refused to believe they simply didn’t check him, or otherwise find out about them. Whoever carried him here MUST have felt even their weight on him. Not only that, but his cloak was thin and loose, leaving an obvious shape on his shell resembling that of deadly tools. Letting him keep his katana was a no brainer, and these hunters were anything but dumb.
Utter puzzlement had his hand dropping back to his hip empty, his face scrunching up incredulously. Now that he was questioning this situation, why would they leave him in a place he could easily just leave in the first place? Even if there were fences and guards outside, surely they would have been better locking him up in a secured room of sorts? A prison cell? Even an animal cage would have been better than this. There weren’t even any nails holding the curtains in place, an easy breeze gently rusted the bundles at the bottom.
It was almost as if they were inviting him out to a fight, which with his high legacy was possible but somehow he doubted it. Confusion, caution, and even curiosity got the better of him and he reached his hand out to grab at the rich silk of purple, peeling it back to reveal the blinding sun that instantly turned everything white. He grunted in mild surprise and used his other hand to shield his face, easing himself down the two stone steps leading to a larger platform before he turned away from the intense sun.
Only to find himself up on a stone pedestal in the center of a large quaint village that stretched out around him.
It was obnoxiously rural, consisting of small cottage homes, the streets full of carts and stands. People were dressed in odd attires, silks and cotton robes and ponchos, vibrant colours and headpieces to match. It felt like he had travelled back hundreds of years, before buildings and technology were as they are now, when vehicles were only for the rich and people lived in mud houses. The fashion was not in present time, nor was the pathwork, the large walls boarding the village that looked quiet like the ones he had found in the ruins. Delicately carved, most likely limestone, with two strong pillars in the centre at each side of the village that served at their doorways without gates.
He stared rather dumbly, his wide eyes only loosely trailing people that walked around his pedestal, like ants working around their queen’s mighty throne. His mind was so lost on what was happening it was entirely blank, his pose unmoving.
None of the people were armed, or even remotely monitoring him, and there was nothing between him and the exits that could pose a threat. In fact the atmosphere was happy-go-lucky, the villagers cheerily chattering amongst themselves. All their voices combined into one large buzz of noise you couldn’t pick apart.
These were definitely not the hunters who had given him grief, or even the people they were taking him back to. Somehow a third party had come along and swept him up before those men could find him again, and had taken him back to whatever this place was.
But why? Where was he? Who were these people?
More than anything, why was he put up on a stone structure, in the middle of the whole village, like he was some kind of prize? He’d be concerned about what that might insinuate if he wasn’t so overwhelmingly disoriented. It was numbing everything happening in his head, he couldn’t muster up a single coherent thought. It was like when Donatello is having computer troubles, trying to access a file that only kept coming back at him with a ‘no access’ warning. That was Leo’s brain right now, one big file that couldn’t load due to its current circumstance no matter how many times he tapped at it.
Dragging himself back from his trance, he blinked quickly and clamped his mouth shut, now thoroughly raking his chocolatey brown orbs over the village at his feet. He slowly turned, as if to get a full circle view of his surroundings, but instead he gradually spun back to face the little den he woke up in. He came face to face with a large palanquin that sat perfectly atop the structure complete with small rock-like steps leading up to the wooden base. It looked like the ones commonly known for royal transport back in the older days, with a big fancy top of gold, lined with gems that if he didn’t know better he’d say they looked too real to be fake.
The generous chunks got smaller the more they went up, minimizing until mere beads lined the circular top of the roof. They were red, green, and yellow. He recognized the green to be pure Jade, but he wasn’t so sure about the other two. Identifying gemstones and rocks weren’t one of his strengths. However this palanquin didn’t appear traversal, like how they were used back then, upon inspection it looked like it was securely built onto the structure a long time ago. The large sticks that came out the sides, usually carried over the shoulders of the ones trusted with carrying royalty, instead curved up the way to make an expertly made swirl of wood that looped just underneath the golden roof.
Leo’s jaw dropped unashamedly as he gawked. He tried wracking his fizzling brain for some reason they’d put him in something as grand as this, something that only ever contained the worshipped and utmost respected, until a voice shriek sounded over the hum of voices below.
“Mira, está despierto! The K’uhul Ahau is awake!”
It took his trying mind a couple seconds to fully comprehend what was said, but once it hit him he whirled back around toward the village in alarm. One woman was staring in his direction, her arm raised up to point her finger at him as she beamed. Her shout had caught the attention of others around her, who moved in closer to join in on the obnoxious staring, which made the turtle’s chest clench with nerves. One villager immediately took off to alert others, people pouring from their houses and gardens with giddy excitement to rush for the crowd, and in no time at all the whole village of what couldn’t be any more than two-hundred swarmed around his pedestal in every direction.
What was a grey hum of chatter was now a boisterous racket of cheer and shouts, countless faces watching him in awe, ecstasy, adoration. Waiting for him to do something surely, but right now the only thing Leo wanted to do was retreat back inside the palanquin and plug his earslits.
He took a sharp step back, his wide eyes fixated on the mass of people in petrification. If his brain wasn’t struggling to form a single thought before, it certainly was now, but fortunately instinct usually came to him before thought did. His instincts were telling him to run; he was out in the open, people were staring, therefore he wasn’t safe. But he knew if he tried fleeing there was nowhere to go. He was trapped from all sides and angles, the only way out from this was back here he came, and hiding in a small sheltered space wasn’t going to save him from anything. It was only a matter of time until someone came up and did to him whatever they had planned. Maybe what the hunters wished to do with him, perhaps something else.
By the look of the crowd he assumed ‘something else’ was the cause, but he did not want to know what that was. All the attention he was receiving already was making him feel nauseous, an odd sensation of stage fright overcoming him. The shy turtle was usually more Donnie’s style, but Leo didn’t think he could handle this much longer. Overstimulation was beginning to grab him by the throat, and his instinct had him backing up as if to try escape prying eyes, even if his mind was blank and frozen. He knew he was stuck, trapped, a helpless creature being studied like a zoo animal in a cage.
All that was left was for these people to put their hands all over him and treat him like one, too.
He slowly inched backwards, subconsciously pulling himself back to the only place he had any form of shelter, where he wouldn’t feel every pair of eyes of the villagers crawling all over him like angry fire ants. Before he could duck back inside his safety den and recuperate, a line of giggles and hurried footsteps on stone hand him turning to his right to see three girls rushing up a side staircase to greet him. They wore the same fits and very similar hairstyles, the small amount of clothing between them consisting of thin cotton wraps around their chests and ankle-length skirts with high splits in one side. Their hair was all done up and styled, ropes of beads and jewels crowning them and hanging off their petite bodies.
Leo awkwardly averted his eyes, a deep sense of agitation and uncertainty forming in his gut as to what was happening. He was aware women of some rural cultures usually wore not so much, as clothes were often limiting and too warm for hotter climates like tropical jungles, but he had not been made accustomed to that during his time away from home. Also, upon observation he was able to see most of the women down in the crowd had bodies mostly covered in similar cotton, the majority in robes or gowns of sorts. It was only these three that wore as little as appropriately possible, most likely for whatever show they thought they were putting on here.
And it was really hard not to look at them when they eagerly put themselves in his line no matter where he turned his head.
One of them murmured to the other two, who immediately fell into a coordinated line before the reptile next to them as if being reminded of something, and the untamed highschool girl giggling ceased at once. Leo raised a brow, keeping a stone face despite the fact he was expecting something probably bad to happen, as he could only imagine these people wanted something from him. Whether it was to hurt him, study him, eating him wasn’t out of the question for rural communities. He was a turtle after all, and he wouldn’t think hunting for enough fresh meat for a whole village in these jungles was much fun. He knew for a fact it wasn’t for one, and he also knew communities living in the wilderness would eat just about anything to survive. Even weird green monstrosities they find at the bottom of staircases in abandoned cities. At the end of the day, food is food.
His mind displayed to him every scenario he could possibly think of that could happen from here, the ways they could haul him around like some wild animal to be prodded at, or the ways they could prepare him for a swift death. None of the ladies before him gave him any implication of threat or grim intentions, their demeanour were nothing but curious and overly elated, so much that he was beginning to wonder if this was what celebrities felt like in public settings. But he was sure it was to make him feel at ease, to butter him up until they were done with him, as what else would he be here for? A nice meet and greet with the locals? He’d scoff if his guard wasn’t so raised and on the ready.
That illusion of humour was snatched from him as what did happen next was possibly the one scenario he wasn’t in the process of preparing himself for. The three girls looked between each other, now all serious and calm, before slowly lowering themselves to their knees in unison. In a sequence that was clearly practised many times over, they placed their hands on the stone in front of them, hunched their bodies over and touched their foreheads to the platform. Their many strings of jewelry rattled and clanked together, the only noise filling the air as suddenly everything had gone so deafly quiet, until the three spoke together in steady voices.
“Our lord and protector, Yum Kaax, we are blessed to be in your presence today. Please accept our gifts as thank you, for all you have done for us, and for the aid you have come to give us. We hope our offerings and this celebration we hold in your honour is satisfactory while you are here in this mortal from before us.”
Leo blinked. Several times, frozen in place as he blankly stared down at the three, unsure of how to respond. Nothing of what they said made any sense to him, and he struggled to string the words spoken to him together as full sentences to digest them. At first he seemed to choke on them, his face scrunching up and his beak crinkling, before they went down like hard lumps in his throat sinking to his hollow chest.
“.. Huh?” He muttered sceptically, the back of his mouth drying up as he forced words out between his teeth. “Lord and protector..? Mortal form-?.. What are you-”
His blood went icy cold as his eyes flicked behind the three girls, widening in horror as he watched the entire crowd followed the girl’s example and got on the floor. Not a single person was left standing, each and every villager bowing their respect to him- or this great figure he stood in place of- with their heads on the floor. For the second time he openly gaped, however this time it was one of much trouble and bewilderment, his veins beginning to sting with the need to flee this bizarre scene. He gulped, his throat restricting from the pressure of doing so, and all of a sudden he was hyper aware of his heart beating too loudly in his ears.
“What- what is this?!” He blurted out in panic, his voice strained and steely despite how hard he tried to keep it devoid of weakness. “Is this some kind of joke?! Get up, i’m not some.. great.. higher being! Sure, I protect these jungles from criminals but this is too far!”
The girl that originally directed the other two’s attention to their shared greeting raised her head to look up at him, her brows furrowed in concern. “Was there something wrong with our performance, my Lord? Please, if we have upset you, it would be our pleasure to make it right.”
“Stop that, i am not a-.. who are you people?! What is going on here?” It was getting hard to talk, so many questions rushed to his tongue that they tangled up into one big mess he couldn’t get out. He spluttered and tripped over words, getting increasingly frustrated with how useless he was being, and the two other girls took that as their cue to get up from their places beside the other.
Wide smiles and a bubbly attitude returning as they once again crowded his personal space, the two began thoroughly looking him over, making sure to steal all his air while they did so.
“An Ahk, how fascinating.” The one on his left cooed, leaning in to get a good look at his face no matter how he tried pulling back from her. “I know the elder said the great ones could take any form they wanted to, but this is quite the look.”
“I think he’s super cute.”
“You are not listening to me! I am not some great being!” Leo protested as tried wriggling out from between them, but he was well and truly trapped.
The one on his right dismissed him with an elegant wave of her hand, her dark eyes shining with mirth. “Aw, you don’t have to be so modest, my Lord!”
“Modest?!”
“Dalia, Gabriella, we were told not to crowd or touch the Lord. What are you two doing?” The third girl asked in a near mumble, now stood but glued to her spot. She had the demeanour and stance of a professional, something the other two betrayed as quickly as they could.
“All they said was to not overwhelm him as he may be shy.” The one to his left, Gabriella, shrugged unconcernedly, an air of nonchalant about her. “We’re just looking is all!”
“He looks severely overwhelmed.” Uttered the third, her lips of glossy red lipstick downturned in a small frown. “We should give him space and respect.”
The girls were not listening, instead Dalia reached out and grabbed a handful of his cloak, despite having just had a reminder about not touching him. Surely they knew by touching his cloak they were essentially touching an extension of him, right?
“Fine attire you have chosen, my Lord; however it would appear it’s been damaged already during your time on Earth. Perhaps we should have a new one made for you?”
“No- get off that,” He snatched her handful from her, instead wrapping his wear around his form to hide as much of him from them as possible, but that didn’t save him for long as the other was instantly uncovering him again.
She yanked hold of his arm, twisting it around as if to view it from all angles. “Your Godly healing abilities are amazing, the foraging team said you were in bad shape when they found you. Now you look good as new..”
“.. Godly-?”
“Speaking of his shape, look at those muscles.” Dalia purred in delight, her hand slowly reaching out for a bicep. “Can i..?”
Leo jerked himself away from her and out of Gabriella’s hold. “No.”
“What’s that on your back? Are those weapons? Can i see-”
“No-”
“May i-”
“Get off me!” Leo suddenly boomed, his voice carrying out over the village and a watchful crowd. The two girls squeaked and recoiled sharply, their excitement replaced with shock evident with the matching wide eyed stares. They watched him closely, his teeth bared and gums visible, snarling like the animal that he is.
“Who do you think you are, putting your hands on me like that! When you were apparently especially told not to?!”
Both girls flinched and backtracked some more, Gabriella putting her hands up in a placating manner as she did. They seemed to tremble now, their faces pale, short pants and whimpers dribbling from Dalia’s mouth. The third girl, standing still like a statue behind them, looked like a deer in headlights, breathing through her nose as to not move as much as possible.
The crowd was silent, the air so thick it was almost heavy. A pressure settled around Leo’s head as he repeatedly flicked face to face, taking in the expressions of raw fear staring back at him. Their so-called ‘great God’ was displeased with them, and they were surely awaiting punishment. They were scared of him, plainly and greatly.
So why was he so afraid of them?
“Girls, girls; give the poor boy some breathing room, won’t you?”
As if on automatic his head snapped down to find a woman, easily in her late-thirties to early-fourties, now at the front of the crowd. The villagers had stood back and around her to give her plenty of space and moving room, a clear path of where she had entered behind her. He hadn’t noticed her arrival, or even that the crowd had all stood and shifted to make way for her in the first place. Her presence and appearance stood out strikingly from the rest, and with how the other villagers stood away from her, looking at her with such respect and admiration, it was obvious she was a person in charge. Her demeanour screamed leader, a strong, elegant aura about her that seemed to match his own.
Unlike the locals that wore mostly cotton, she wore a long robe made of white silk with strings looped around her waist for a belt of sorts. Her hair, a chestnut brown, was layered in the same kind of stringed jewellery the three girls wore, except in abundance. There was enough that it circled around her head as a crown of sorts, the same colour of beads found on the palanquin’s roof mixing in with her healthy locks that waved down to the middle of her back. Her skin was the colour of almond, effortlessly sun-kissed, and her lips a rich cocoa. A smile, somewhat cheeky looking, was curved on her square face.
She was looking at him, but her eyes seemed distant, like she wasn’t truly seeing him. In fact, it felt like he was a transparent sheet of glass and she bore right through him instead.
“You’ll have to excuse the villagers, Yum Kaax, they’re quite excitable.” Her deep velvety voice said, her smile broadening. “They are not used to meeting our great Lords like yourself in person, I’m sure you understand.”
Leo opened his mouth, trying to find the words to tell her that he understood nothing and he was so lost as to what was happening. Before he could she gracefully folded her arms over her stomach and bent her upper body forward in a bow, the turtle’s breath hitching. A respected and powerful figure to the village, and even she was addressing him like royalty and bowing to him.
Still bowed, she raised her head to look back up at him, or straight through him. “It is with great honour to personally greet and welcome you to our humble village once again, great one. Our people will see to it that your stay is just as grand as it always has been- if not better.”
The crowd around her cackled with agreement and small cheer, the energy amongst them brimming with joy and community, but Leo couldn’t help the deep frown carving his beak as he tilted his head at her words.
‘Once again,’ he thinks he’d remember ever being here before, and he can be sure he definitely hasn’t. What she is insinuating means nothing to him and simply doesn’t add up at all.
She straightened up again, her arms unfolding to instead rest her hands together over her front as her eyes seemed to suddenly focus. Locking onto him finally, like she was just now only seeing him and noticing he was there in the first place. Her lips curved back into a playful looking smirk, her features softening from a brief look of professionalism.
“You must have so many questions.” She remarked thickly, almost teasingly.
“You have no idea,” The turtle grounded out despite himself, practically through his teeth.
She took a small moment to run her eyes over him, and he knew she was studying him, judging him. Leo was too far in his overall bewilderment with everything happening to be self conscious about his appearance, so instead he just narrowed his eyes back at her, and her features relaxed again.
“Come down here, everything you need to know will be explained to you as much as you need.” She subtly cocked her head in a downward motion, beckoning him. “Unless, you’ve grown used to your mighty throne and wish to remain up there.”
It was a joke, he knew it was with the tone of her voice, but he couldn’t help the intense anger twisting in his gut at the idea of a throne appointed to him that he did not want. He bit his tongue and instead huffed deeply though his mouth.
Without looking at the three girls standing around like toy soldiers, their posters all stiff and their expressions strangely blank, he brisked by them towards the front of the platform. Looking down into an eager crowd, numbness creeped over him as the way each and every person looked back up at him was nothing short of expecting. For the second time he had a vague sensation of stage fright, once again tucking his cloak tight around his body, hiding as much of him from them as possible. It wasn’t often he had a strong desire to run away and hide from non-threatening humans. It really wasn’t often he had to wonder between them, violent or peaceful, which was worse.
Notes:
I'm aware this ended at an awkward time and I apologise for that- I've actually got a chunk of the next chapter written because I continued with this one but didn't like where it ended. So I ended it earlier, which is still in a bit of a weird spot but it's much better than the original version that more less ended in the middle of a conversation. I thought the transition from this chapter to the next, where it's just a continuation of the same conversation would be Hella odd so I cropped back and stopped it in the only real place I could in this scene.
'K’uhul Ahau'- Mayan for 'Devine Lord'
'Ahk'- the Mayan word for 'turtle.'
"Mira, está despierto!"- "Look, he's awake!"
Chapter 4: Enter; Almika - Part Two
Notes:
Made this chapter and the previous a two partner, as this one is a direct continuation. The pause in between one scene when I couldn't put it anywhere else. Apologies again for the awkward placement of the transition haha!
I didn't mean for this chapter to take so long, somehow I got even sicker since last chapter. I'm mostly all good now, though!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The stone structure he had been called down from was roughly shaped like a rectangle, or misshapen square, with only a thin stairway that ran down the right side. They looked old and unsafe to walk on, worn away by countless generations of those who have lived here, like they’d crumble underneath his feet if he tried descending them. Despite the fact villagers had just come up them without issue, and these mentioned ‘foreigners’ did so earlier to put him in his appointed palanquin. Still, he had no desire to walk down them; as good as a ninja he was with perfect balance and form, his body was still tingling and fuzzy, and he didn’t trust those skills to hold up right now. He felt like if he slipped up on a patch of uneven stone he wouldn’t be able to catch himself, and the structure was high enough that a fall from it would do nasty damage.
Besides, he knew an easy, efficient way down that would be a lot faster.
Without much thought and any effort, he delicately leaped off the edge he looked down from, landing neatly on his feet within the space the crowd had made for the new arrival. The impact was barely felt through his legs, the pedestal was no higher than any New York building, which he had gotten used to jumping from almost nightly. It was such a simple and easy act on his part, but the crowd around him looked elated, as if they had seen something truly magical. Leo realised his mistake almost immediately, showing fancy tricks to a crowd that had an already heightened image of him, who would definitely take this as some evidence that he was in fact some ‘higher being’ as they called him.
He grimaced to himself, before turning his attention to the woman smiling at him, who promptly hung her head before him in some sign of respect before raising it again.
“First things first, I am Lady Nicté. One of three highers of the village, daughter of-”
“What is happening?!” Leo blurted out angrily, as if she wasn’t already speaking. In the haze of mass confusion and overstimulation it was hard to take in what she was saying anyway. “Why are these people referring to me as this greater being? What even is this place!”
Nicté regarded him quietly, her smile unmoving, if anything it seemed to have widened a fraction. There was a soft look on her face, a gentleness radiating in her eyes Leo could now see were a jarring hazel- a brilliant mix of brown and green-, and a pang of guilt for practically yelling at her made itself known in his chest.
“Everything will be explained in due time, I can assure you.” She promised sweetly, then she turned to face the uphill trek further into the village, waving a beckoning hand for good measure. “Come on, now. The elder has asked for your presence. Do not worry, the villagers know not to follow us up to the temple. It is sacred grounds, not for the public.”
Before he could speak, words and questions already gathering in his mouth, she began an easy pace through the crowd without him, evidently confident he would follow. With not much choice he did so, breaking into a jog to catch up to her before slowing again by her side; he had to speed walk just to keep up with her, she was taller than the average woman with much longer legs than his.
“The public? You mean the villagers?” He asked with a harsh, breathless breath. “Just what defines the ‘public’ in this situation, that separates them from you? Just who are you? Where am i?”
“I am Lady Nicté, one of the three highers of this village.” She said once again calmly, oddly patient for how inpatient he’s been so far. For the second time a sense of sheepishness spread throughout his form.
“.. Highers?”
“Akna, our elder, is an elderly woman with very limited capability. When she reached the age of struggling to tend to her duties, she chose three of us to tend to them in her stead. These days she just prays inside the temple, listening out for the calls of our superiors, while we three see to the care and keeping of this village. The villagers look up to us, respect us, view us as honorable leaders, even if Akna will always have the final say.”
“I’m assuming the three of you were chosen for specific reasons and not randomly?” Leo raised a brow up at her. Slight irritation panged in his chest at this unwanted casual discussion that was blatantly dancing around his unanswered situation. ‘Everything will be answered in due time’ was not satisfactory and only made him that much more impatient for an answer, one he knew he wasn’t getting by continuously shouting more questions at her.
Nicté hummed in agreement, keeping her eyes forward as they walked. “It was quite an easy pick, the three of us already aided the village in big ways that couldn’t be overlooked. I, Lady Nicté, am the daughter of Akna, and have been helping her take care of our people long before I became a higher. I was chosen from connection, experience, and reputation amongst the village.”
“Classic nepotism.” Leo half-joked, and a small humorous huff escaped her.
“Well, at least this case was logical.” She threw a smirk down at him before returning her attention forward again. “Besides myself, there are two others I share duties with. Lord Hunahpu, and Lord Junowa. Hunaphu is officially titled as our village’s medic, but really he’s our farmer. On our way to the temple we will come across the vegetable gardens, in which he cares for and grows us plentiful foods. He loves his duties, and with rare cases of sickness and injury he spends most of his time tending to his crops. Truly, a delightful and lovely man. He’s the type of person who can make you smile no matter the situation, he always has a joke ready for anything.”
At the mention of this Leo felt a sense of warmness tugging in his chest as he knows someone just like that, and on the days in the jungle that are less eventful he finds himself missing him dearly. A never faltering wise-guy attitude that Leo often had no patience for back home, yet he finds himself craving it when the nights get quiet enough. Just a single joke would suffice, a snide comment, a typical youngest brother gripe the eldest would roll his eyes at.
With every day where he’s left alone in his own mind and there’s no Mikey to disturb or inconvenience him somehow, the hole in his heart grows slightly bigger.
“The third higher, Lord Junowa, is the one trusted to travel between villages and fetch us supplies. Our village is located on rich ground, where we can grow excellent produce, and share it with neighbours in exchange of necessities we are not capable of getting ourselves. One village, Elkimahri, is the civilization on a large land of farms. They have much cloth, wool, and animal foods we are not so fortunate to receive ourselves; such as milk, egg and cheese. However they cannot grow vegetables on their lands, as their soil is too dry, so we trade goods to aid one another. Junowa is in charge of going about these trades and travelling between civilisations, to gather all that we need to live. It is a very important job, a dangerous one at that- however I will warn you now, Junowa is a.. grumpy old man, to say the least. He has quite the temper, and is not so open to the idea of making many friends.”
Leo opened his mouth to talk, but then shut it. This information meant nothing to him as he didn’t plan on sticking around after he finally got his much desired explanation on why the Hell he’s here and why these people he doesn’t know are putting him up on a mighty pedestal he doesn’t belong on. He could feel his patience and temper thinning, and he knew it was only a matter of time until he lost what little of a composer he had managed to gain through distracting himself with her words.
He was never the one to yell and make a scene, but in this situation he was finding the urge to do so very hard to keep down, as all he wanted so desperately was answers he could tell she was actively avoiding.
“Now, finally, as for your second question of where you are- you are in the village of Almika.” Nicté spoke again after a period of silence between them, their feet shuffling against the dusty path loud against the tension brewing around them once again.
“Almika?” He parroted quietly, talking down to the floor. “I don’t believe I've ever seen it on a map before.”
“We won’t be on one, at least not any older ones. You see, Almika is one of few villages housing what’s left of an ancient group. Have you ever heard of the Maya?”
“Yes, a guide book on Latin America i had .. ‘looted’ during my time here discussed them greatly.” He nodded shallowly. “They were the prime civilisation of Mesoamerica in the 250BC, people of war and worship, and were eventually taken out in mass by diseases and their lands drying out. Not so many still remain, but apparently groups still coexist here in Central America, and..”
Leo trailed off as he stopped walking, Nicté turning around to peer back at him, as he flipped his head around to get a good look at his surroundings. He blinked, choosing to ignore the crowd of villagers lingering nearby. Dispatched and somewhat returned to whatever duties they had going on, they were still keeping close watch on the two like owls to mice. Finally he flicked his eyes back to her, realisation clear on his face.
“..You're Mayan? This village is..”
Nicté gave a small laugh in her throat, bowing her upper body slightly as confirmation. “Yes, Almika is made up of what is known as ‘Traditional Maya.’ We are descendants, big believers in original roots and beliefs. We are not the only village consisting of Maya by far, there are few within Mesoamerica; however you are correct that not so many of us exist anymore. Most of who were left relocated to Mexico long ago, and us villages are what’s left of what the Maya used to be. We are the ones to keep it alive, to carry on the legacy and devotion of our ancestors. We stay true to the original Maya as much as we can despite this present age, hence our.. outdated community compared to present Latin America."
Leo gave her a look of doubt and disbelief, his nose crinkling just slightly. “.. The original Maya, huh?”
Her smile turned sheepish, shrugging her shoulders in a mock ‘perhaps’ manner. “Well, there might have been some things they did that we've left in the past..”
“The countless wars with each other over land and supplies, the kidnapping of outsiders and other tribe’s people, the public human sacrificing of said outsiders to appease some Gods..”
“Yes- ‘some things.’” She repeatedly dismissively, starting up a slow pace again, in which he followed suit after a second of hesitation.
“Uh-huh. Sure.”
“Times were different then, we do not need to kill and destroy to survive. Although i have no doubt other villages are in fact fighting and killing each other, it is only natural for those who follow the ways of the Maya as closely as possible- much closer than us. War and sacrifice comes with the culture, but i do not think it will ever be as extreme as it used to be. There simply isn’t enough of us left for war and needless death, nor is it needed anymore. But that doesn’t stop some..”
“If you suspect other villagers are fighting, why wouldn’t you know for sure?” Leo asked, now walking in a steady pace beside her as they conversed. “I mean, wouldn’t those battles find their way here, too? I can’t imagine tribes who are comfortable with needless murder just because some old religion demands it would just leave this place alone- no offense.. I feel like if war was breaking out amongst other groups, you’d have full certainty of it. Ruthlessness will not simply leave you to live in peace just because you don’t follow in the same footsteps.”
The woman gave a small nod of agreement, and her tone turned almost distant. “That is true, however we have a safety net, if you will. A guardian.. A protector. The one who guards the jungle, and those in it. Our elder, Akna, is friends with him, and he watches over this village. War wouldn’t reach here, he’d stop it before it does.”
Leo suddenly put his hands up in a time out motion, his face now full of a deep grimace that displayed all that he thought about this news. “Wait, wait.. Let me get this straight. This sacred village in the middle of nowhere is shielded from outside conflict because you have a.. protector.. that stops you from getting involved. And he’s friends with your elder, a deity that presumably does not have a form in this physical plane, and he watches over these jungles? I can tell you now that no ‘God’ watches over these jungles, i d-”
He stopped himself before he could finish, and thankfully Nicté either didn’t catch on to his near confession, or let it slip instead of edging him to continue.
“It’s not so much that he ‘stops us from getting involved in conflict’, but he personally looks over this village, and Akna. If something bad ever comes our way.. he tells us. He helps us, he stops the disaster before it comes.” She looked back down at the turtle, an unreadable expression on her sunkissed face, her eyes boring through him. When Leo did not meet her eyes, she looked away again. “You speak as if what i’m saying is crazy.”
“Because it is crazy!” He exclaimed without hesitation. “Look, i’m really not looking to disrespect anyone here, but you expect me to believe this village is protected by some God, and that your elder claims to know personally? I mean, come on!”
Nicté smiled, a small hum drifting from her lips. “Well, I suppose that may sound bizarre to an outsider, but you’ll have not much of a choice but to believe it soon.”
Leo dragged a hand down his face and pinched between his eyes, heaving a sigh mixed with a groan. He absolutely was not going to have this discussion with someone this deep in their religion, where things like beliefs are mere ‘facts’ to them. At least now he knew what to expect from this elder of theirs, who claims Gods speak to her. He had to suppress an eyeroll.
“Okay, you know what- fine, fine, whatever.” He waved a hand dismissively, calling a final end to this conversation. “I’ll take your word for it; however, there’s still something you have not yet answered.”
“Oh?” She glanced down at him again, “And what is that?”
“Why am i here?!” He asked once again, harshly, the reins of his composure slipping from his hands again. “Why are those people referring to me as some greater being? Why are you leading me to talk to some elder i have no business with?”
“Trust me, you have business with her, and with this village, little one.”
“What are you talking about?! I don’t even know how i got here, or who any of you are! Just what business could I possibly have with any of you- just what is going on here?”
At the increasing distress in the turtle’s voice Nicté stopped again, turning around to find Leo already had. He stared hard at her, refusing to acknowledge anyone around them, their eyes prying. For a small moment she seemed to consider something, her carefree and professional demeanour slipping for just a second, before she recollected herself.
“We aren’t really meant to discuss this matter outside the temple,” She explained, her voice smaller than before and carrying an apologetic edge. “It is a part of the ritual. If you would just come with, i promise all will be-”
“Is this some kind of joke to you?” The turtle snapped before she could even finish, and she didn’t even look surprised. In fact, her expression turned into one of understanding and pity. “Walking me around, distracting me with conversation so you get to beat around the bush? I’m in this weird situation that I deserve an explanation for, but you want to be vague and keep me in the dark? Until the right time for some ritual of yours? And for what, your elder who wants to play pretend as some God whisperer? Is this funny for you people or something? This is my real life here, but you’re treating this like a game!
His tone was no longer laced with anger, but mind-numbing stress, which was displayed all over his features. His chest felt so tight with anxiety it could just burst, or worse, that pressure could just rise up his throat and empty all over the floor at his feet. His stomach churned warningly at the thought, and he had the brief salvation that it should be so empty there is simply nothing to bring up, but he knew it’d find something somewhere somehow.
Nicté regarded him silently, her face strangely vacant of any thought or feeling, her hands folded together at her front. Then she sighed, although her proud and tall posture did not falter.
“I understand you are confused, young one, and trust me, I would love to cease your turmoil here and now. But that is not my decision to make. It is an order from Akna that any discussion of your role here remains inside private walls. It is.. for good reason.”
“Oh, i’m ‘young one’ now, am i?” He bit out sharply, ignoring the rest of her attempt at reassurance as it does nothing for him. “Since when are Gods ‘young?’”
“Please, i am asking you to cooperate. The elder is eagerly awaiting your presence."
“Cut the crap, i am not going anywhere with you!” Leo shot back fiercely, and the woman’s expression fell to something troubled. “You think you can bring me here against my will, throw me in some pretend role i am not fit to be in, put me in this troubling situation and expect me to go along with it?! I don’t owe you or this village anything! I don’t owe you my corporation or my presence, YOU owe ME an explanation as to what the Hell is happening here!”
“And i’m offering it to you, but I cannot give it out here, in respect for our superiors and our elder. I insist we do this officially. Besides, Akna knows more about your situation more than i do.”
“My situation?” He parroted, but she simply spun on her heel to continue the journey forward.
“Come on now, all will become clear soon enough. The more we stand here the more we will go in circles.”
“Oh yeah? What’s stopping me from simply leaving the village instead, huh? If i’m these people’s God or something, if i tell them i am leaving they wouldn’t be able to stop me and it’d be in my right.”
For a moment Nicté seemed to pause, before she mulled over her next words carefully, her dark mocha lips pursing in thought.
“You’re right, it would be in your right to leave and we would not be able to stop you.” She agreed slowly, hesitating in her every word. “But something tells me you will not do that.”
Leo blinked at her, gauging her carefully, his brows furrowing over squinted eyes. “.. Why?”
“Well, you’re here for a reason, aren’t you?” She half shrugged, as if nonchalant. “You being brought here was no mistake, nor were the events that occurred in Copan. You must know these things don’t just happen. One does not just find themself in your situation, for no reason. I believe that you know that, as if you didn’t, you would have left this place by now. With that skillful jump earlier, I have no doubt escaping a village such as this would be easy for you, and yet, here you are. I believe you will stay.”
She set off at a slow pace, her hands folded behind her back, evidently expecting the turtle to follow after her. Leo twisted his snout into a near sneer, his beak crinkling, as he watched her where he stood for a moment.
A petty part of him so badly wanted to just walk away never to look back, to throw this entire thing over his shoulder and brush it off. To prove a point, and also to flee this place despite what she said, as all it’s done is make him feel all kinds of wrong that he never has before. This scenario they’ve put him in is unheard of, a baffling impossibility so great he wasn’t even sure a good enough explanation for it existed. No doubt it’d be just as nonsensical and mind-boggling as what has already happened, and something told him this was only the beginning of something much greater. He had the gut feeling that if he didn’t walk away now, he’d regret it later.
But alas, despite all those reasons to turn around and walk away his feet began following after her on their own, as he knew she was right. If his curiosity and his sense of seeking justification for this madness didn’t outweigh his discomfort and bewilderment, he would be long gone by now.
The Higher ahead of him hadn’t even looked back at him to make sure he was following, she knew she didn’t need to, yet she walked slowly so as to not walk too far ahead. Leo glared slightly, her evident pride brushing a nerve inside as she strolled along carefree and victorious. With a growl rumbling in his throat he rolled his eyes and rushed to rejoin her side once again. She threw him a glance, a smirk on her face that she tried to suppress by instead pursing her lips lightly.
“Nicté one, ahk zero?” She joked, her voice laced with humour, but Leo merely replied with a face full of thunder. She chuckled lowly in her throat, a mirth that sounded delightfully calm and gentle, but the ninja was in no place to appreciate such things as serenity. Especially when there was none saved for him.
He took this time of uncomfortable silence to look around the village properly for the first time, a root of unease coursing through him the more he took in.
For what he could see the village was big and thriving, brimming with life and a brilliant atmosphere which was cheerful and light. The front entrance, the bordering walls a healthy mix of stone and limestone, opened to a large plaza lined with many bamboo stalls and show stages. Here is where the villagers loved to intermingle, entertain their neighbours on stage and make them yummy foods with their own hand grown ingredients. The stalls were filled with hand crafted items and nick-nacks for sale, or simple showcases for everyone to admire. There was a lot of jewellery and gem usage amongst them, something the people of Almika clearly didn’t suffer a shortage of.
Behind the shared plaza were several horizontal rows of houses. It was a bit difficult for Leo to see from much further up, but he could make out small cottage-like buildings with mud plastered bamboo poles as walls with clay roofs. Almika’s path was of pebble and stucco, however each house was built atop separated slots of untouched healthy grass, giving the occupants some garden space to do as they pleased with.
The only form of divider they had to resemble a fence between homes was a short stone wall severing the patches of grass that only stretched the length of the buildings, often accompanied by flower beds or outdoor decoration. It was cramped, but instead of working to give each villager more space there were clear beginnings of new houses in the works, with makeshift structures built around empty slots. They resembled the metal frames usually found while a house is being built, except they were bamboo. The shortage of much space wasn't a regularly raised complaint, anyway.
There were four main streets that ran through the rows of cottages, twelve rows in total as houses were positioned back to back to create a double line in one row. There were a few side streets between rows connecting the village and leading out to exits along the sides, small gaps in the village’s gate making for exit points. The streets and rows went on for a little while, soon to be longer with the new houses incoming as the population of Almika was evidently continuously growing.
Past the neighbourhood containing Almika’s people, the two outer streets bent and merged with the inner two to create one wide path that led a short distance to a circled opening in the centre of the whole village. In the middle of this wide circle was the stone pedestal with its attached palanquin as its crown, standing high and mighty above the rest. With this large opening all to itself the whole village could easily crowd within it without running out of space and risking a crowd-crush. Thin, worn away steps ran down the left side of the structure, curving around the stone so no matter where you stood some of it would always be obscured from view.
In front of the base of these steps was a statue of a greater entity, with bizarre markings over his bare torso and wearing what looked to be a patchwork kilt of sorts. He was wearing a hat topped with long blades of grass that drooped down his back and his arms folded over his front, with a rabbit creature tucked in one of them and a bundle of corn in the other. Leo did not notice this statue before he left the circular area, he was too caught up in his unwanted situation to really notice anything irrelevant around him.
Just further up from where a crowd would be swarming around the pedestal was a small cluster of first aid tents. Thick poles held together with string and cloth draped down the sides for privacy, a big red pluses painted in each of them. Empty buckets with hand towels were left outside, along with crates containing medical tools and herbs on the go in case of emergency. It was obvious this area was not well used, as the herbs were obviously off and old, and the towels had collected a fine layer of dust.
Nicté had said cases of sickness in Almika were few, and so Lord Hunahpu didn’t attend his medical tents so much. Which meant he was up in his vegetable gardens, indulging in the activity of tending to their soils and harvest.
Not far behind this little first aid area, in fact somewhat next to it but more tucked away, was a big stone house that was topped with a big chimney spewing smoke. Leo’s first thought upon coming across it was that it looked like an oversized shed, with its simplistic design and many open windows. By the smell of the smoke it would seem it was instead a smokehouse, workers in as little clothing as appropriately possible seen busy inside. The flavours in the air surrounding it were rich and seasoned, so much that the reptile’s stomach flipped and churned with the reminder that it was empty and about to start eating itself if he didn’t put something in it soon, and Leo grunted quietly.
“The foragers bring their catch straight here and get to work, there’s often steaks and pork cooking in there.” Nicté explained after she saw Leo checking it out, as they brisked on by. “We can never have so much, and sometimes they come back with barely any catches for days on end. Because of that, the main source of food in Almika is the vegetable gardens.”
Leo said nothing to this, no longer interested in conversation as he felt so out of place in this village. Just walking through it was making him lost and alone- NUMB.
Beyond this mostly lone area the village began a gradual ascent uphill, creating two layers of earth that overlooked the rest of Almika. Where the hill got too steep to easily walk up, stairs were built into the slope slowly becoming a wall, granting easy leeway that connected the three layers as one whole.
Up the first set of gravely steps leading to the first layer, the path split off to two big lush vegetable gardens that hugged the cliffs at each side. They were protected by elegant handmade fencing, the many vegetable beds bearing early signs of plentiful harvest. Wells for easy water access were built in the centre of both of them, tools and watering pitchers put away neatly to a side out of harm’s way.
As the two approached the gates, which Leo can now see brilliantly detailed patterns carved into both, Nicté delicately turned to the left garden where a lone man was found much further in with his hands and knees in the rich soil. With how his shoulders seemed to bob around cheerily it looked like he was thoroughly enjoying himself, perhaps even humming a song, making animated gestures while he worked. Glancing up at the woman the turtle saw a soft smile touch her face, one of fondness and undeniable respect as she observed him momentarily.
“Lord Hunahpu.” She called out in a straight, professional voice, and the man instantly twisted his body around to look over at them. At once a large toothy smile framed his cheeks as he stood from his place almost the greens and browns, dusting his hands off on an apron caked on mud and dirt he wore.
Thrusting a garden spade into the ground to keep it standing upright and easily visible, he began unknotting his apron as he walked towards them, his jolly demeanour never once faltering. Now that he was stood and coming closer Leo could see him properly, his narrowed eyes taking in the human before him.
The first thing that stood out was that Hunahpu was unusually large in size; he wasn’t overweight by any means, but he was impressively big boned. His shoulders were wide and thick, leading to big beefy arms and hands that worked so gently around the string wrapped around him. His chest was broad, with obvious muscle just underneath tough skin on his legs and abdomen, built up from years of hard work providing for his people. His skin was the beautiful dark colour of rich chocolate, and his plentiful jet black frizzy hair was pulled back in a low ponytail that ran down his large back.
His rounded face evidently wore a lot of joy, bold lines beside his mouth immediately telling the turtle that this man smiled and laughed so much the cease in his cheeks were permanent. His eyes, small in comparison to his plump nose, were unmistakably soft and full of care. This man radiated kindness and tranquility, so much that it almost took Leo off guard in his dampened state.
He wore a thin droopy poncho underneath his dirty apron, accompanied with chunky beady necklaces that clanked together and jingled. The raw colours of the jewellery glittered in the sun, and briefly Leo wondered how clean one could keep them with this kind of daily labour, however none of the beads looked to have even a speck of dirt on them. His baggy cloth trousers had since been ripped up to sit just above his knees, his legs all covered in soil as were his clothes, but he didn’t seem to mind one bit as he eagerly waved to his visitors.
“Eey, Nicté, finally finished with the celebration preparations? And you can stop with the formalities- we all friends here, gal. You know i’m always happy to see my buddy.”
He grinned cheerily, before his eyes lowered to Leo once he got close enough to the gate. Or, once he got close enough to realise the one hiding underneath a worn full body cloak was not human and in fact, reptilian. His eyes wandered over the turtle’s form, confusion playing within them, before they widened with realisation.
“Oh! I-is this him? This the dude?”
“This is the one Akna has called to meet, yes-”
Before she could finish the man abruptly to his hands and knees, leaning his head tenderly upon the ground. Soil immediately clung to his lush hair, but apparently bowing to a pretend God was more important than his hygiene. Leo merely sneered; it was strange to say this sort of reaction was starting to hardly faze him.
“Oh great one, it is an honour to meet you. I hope you accepted and enjoyed the first of my harvest I gave to you as tradition, it was hand grown only for you. Please, if i can be of service in any way, i-”
“Get up.” Leo muttered harshly, slightly surprised but pleased when he obeyed almost instantly. He got back to his feet quicker than the reptile could comprehend, as if he was waiting for the cue, his demeanour as effortlessly calm and relaxed as it was mere seconds ago. As if an apparent being deserving of some kind of backwards worship wasn’t standing right in front of him.
“Sure thing, bud.” He said coolly, and Leo couldn’t help but make a face at this. Strange thing to call someone you just dropped to the floor for and would have kissed their feet without question if they so much as asked. He looked back up at Nicté, the same smile he wore before returning, even though it never truly left his face to begin with.
“You taking him to see the big boss lady?”
“We are heading up now. I believe she wants you to attend, as well.” Nicté responded calmly, her voice remaining leveled although she partially dropped the professionalism.
“As tradition goes.” He agreed with a single nod, before finishing with his apron and removing it from around his neck. “Wait here just a minute, i just gotta put my tools away. You know they a tripping hazard if left out between jobs.”
“Hazard for who?” Leo asked dully, practically mumbling through his teeth. “By the sounds of it you’re the only one who’s ever in here, so why would leaving your tools out be a problem?”
“For me, dude.” He grinned, pointing a finger at himself, “I’m so forgetful i put goldfish to shame, i can’t tell you how many times i’ve tripped over something i put down only a minute ago. Now hold up, i’ll be right there.”
He scuttled away, making quick work with gathering up his equipment from the soil beds. Leo glanced up at Nicté, a brow slightly raised as he pressed his mouth together into a thin line, but she didn’t have time to respond to him before Hunahpu had returned with much cleaner hands. It would seem the well was for multipurpose, which made sense considering the farmer was the only one that used it.
The three set off up the continuous hill, Leo in the front as the other two trailed closely behind. He could hear the other two talking quietly between themselves, sometimes practically whispering, and he got the feeling in those moments they were probably talking about him. Hunahpu asking questions and Nicté answering in mumbles, and he could feel their eyes on his cloaked shell. He didn’t care. He was used to people talking about him behind his back; in New York, in Costa Rica, wherever he went.
The only difference was that this time none of the chatter regarding him was of ill-intention or judgment, not that he listened close enough to notice. If anything, if he did bother to try get an earful, he’d find these questions were laced with concern. That wasn’t something he was used to.
Whatever, it wasn’t like these people knew him, anyway. Despite how much they seem to think they do, they’ve pretty much assigned an entire identity to him they know much better than him. They could talk about this great God till their hearts content, it didn’t matter to him at all, he didn’t know him.
As they neared the summit, Leo could see that atop Almika’s hill was a domed temple that towered over the village. A tall building mostly in the shape of a rectangle, with strong pillars holding it up. Beside it was a large stone building that resembled that of an old palace of sorts, with obvious different compartments made for multi use and arched screenless windows built into it.
The ninja could only guess this was where the elder and highers stayed and coexisted, as it made sense that they lived differently from the rest of the villagers. Although the book he found didn’t offer up too much information on the ancient Maya, it did cover some bits about how they viewed royalty, or figures deemed greater and more powerful than them. He shouldn’t have been surprised to find they lived a life of hand-given luxury while the normal villagers saw to it that their every need was seen to upon demand.
He couldn’t help but frown when he came to that conclusion, but didn’t have time to dwell on it before Nicté was ushering him towards the temple, a lovely stone path leading the way. It was between two rows of flowers that travelled all the way to the temple’s heavy door, the spacious area outside serving as a garden of sorts. A bench was resting against the wall with many flower pots nearby brimming with flourish, and a stone garden fountain was heard nearby with blissful trickling water.
It was obvious someone spent a lot of time here, and Leo only guessed it was the village’s elder, as Nicté had mentioned her old age. There was a steel watering can and a bag of compost next to the bench, seemingly recently used as the can still dripped from the snout.
“Akna spends all her time on these grounds now, she isn't fit enough to descend the hill.” Nicté explained when she noticed the turtle scanning the area closely. “My mother did always love flowers, you should’ve seen our home here when I was a little girl. It was practically a greenhouse.”
“Loved flowers so much she named her only daughter after them.” Hunahpu added with a wide grin, the woman offering him a soft smile in response.
Leo looked up at her expectantly, and she just shrugged, something in her eyes radiating gentleness and glee.
“‘Nicté’, translates to ‘flower.’”
The ninja didn’t say anything to this, instead simply making for the door. The quicker he gets this demanded meet n’ greet over with and he’s told exactly what’s happening, the quicker he can leave. Having seen his beeline for the entrance Hunahpu immediately rushed forward, Leo stopping in his tracks as the large man barrelled past and quickly yanked the door wide open for him. He huffed and straightened his posture, flashing the turtle an enormous toothy smile.
“Please, allow me, your greatness.”
Leo had to stop his lips from downturning so much his gums would show, a growl slipping out from between his teeth with a bite that ‘i can open doors myself!’
Instead he swallowed, his pride, his anger, and gave the man a small nod of appreciation as he slipped inside. “Thank you.”
The man returned the gesture despite the fact Leo wouldn’t see it, before looking over to Nicté and tilting his head towards the entrance, inviting her in. “Ladies first.”
“Oh?” She smirked good naturely, raising a teasing brow. “But you let him through before me.”
“Well, that rule don’t really hold for our superiors, does it? Now, get in, gal, we have somewhere to be and i’m not gonna be the one suffering Akna’s wrath because you made us late standing there.”
After she graciously stepped in before him, Hunahpu let the door shut gently behind him, the thick thud carrying out over the lengthy hall. They found Leo only a few feet in, standing still, gazing out into a path of lit candles guiding him to the center of the temple surrounded by statues.
At the end of the makeshift path was an elderly woman on her knees on a prayer mat, her hands pressed together and her eyes closed. She didn’t react to their arrival, but Leo knew she was aware of their presence, as he could tell she was listening out for them.
“Yum Kaax, you are finally here at last. Way to keep an old lady waiting.” She called out eventually, and responding to her voice Nicté stepped forward with her usual air of professionalism.
“Akna, mother, i have retrieved the one you wished to see.”
“So i can see.” She says, without opening her eyes and looking at them once. “Well don’t just stand there, boy, come kneel before me. We have a lot to talk about.”
Leo gritted his teeth in displeasure, feeling an urge of stubbornness twisting in his chest. He was the one that deserved an explanation for everything that’s happened so far, he was the one that was wronged by this village. Yet here was the elder ordering him around.
He didn’t want to ‘sit and talk’, he wanted the full explanation so he could leave and put this behind him. The people at Costa Rica relied on him, and he didn’t want to spend another minute in this weird place when he had somewhere to be. Somewhere that would still take a while getting back to yet, so the quicker he left this village the better.
Yet, just like back in the village square he found himself obeying, his feet carrying him hesitantly forward without so much a word.
Notes:
I hope I'm keeping Leo in character, I'm trying to be mindful 2007 Leo is a bit different from the others(in every good way.) I hope I'm doing him justice!
As for Almika's map, I thought it'd be smart to just drop the full layout all at once so we know what we're working with from the start. Instead of describing areas as we go along and it's difficult to try put a map together, as I'm just describing random buildings and places. This way it's easy to have an image of where things happen and where they go from there.
I'm actually getting progress done for building up the full plot of this fic, so hopefully I can start getting things done quicker while the story picks up.
"Ahk"- the Mayan word for 'Turtle'
Koykoi on Chapter 3 Sun 10 Aug 2025 04:38AM UTC
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