#magic plants

Moving silently to not wake his brothers, Donatello slipped out of his bedroom and followed the whispers.

"Hello?" he asked softly, his voice echoing in the sewer tunnels. "Who needed my help?"

Over here, the whisper called. Over here.

Donnie frowned. Leo would be mad if he discovered Donnie had snuck out. But somebody needed his help. So Donnie followed the whispers until he saw a small plant. It wasn't very big, in fact it was very small, and it's pot was broken.

Help me, the plant whispered.

Donnie frowned. Plants didn't talk. They didn't have mouths. And yet this one was speaking to him..... He cautiously picked up the plant, and it coiled around his arm.

"What-" Donnie started to shout, but a sudden sense of peace filled him. He gently stroked the plant, softly cradling the closed flower bud.

Suddenly, the yellowing plant turned a vibrant green at his touch, and the flower bloomed a bright purple. Donnie was amazed, and in shock. This didn't make any sense. This defied every law of science- And he was the one doing it.

"No way," he whispered. "This should not be happening."

But it was.

Just then, the plant flashed purple, temporarily blinding the young turtle. When Donnie could see again, the plant was gone. Well, not gone.

The vines that had coiled from his upper arm down to his forearm were tattooed on his skin, a darker green than his paler green complexion. The purple flower was just as vibrant as before, even though it was also tattooed into his skin.

Donnie wanted to test something. He went over to a flower that was somehow growing from a crack in the ground. It was wilted and dying. If Raph or Mikey were here, they both would have crushed the flower in seconds; Mikey from excitement, Raph because he just wasn't gentle. Even Leo would have destroyed it; the oldest brother was very clumsy lately. But Donnie was used to needing to be gentle with things.

He very delicately brushed the flower petals, focusing on how much he wanted the flower to bloom. Energy flowed from his fingers, and the plant tattooing on his arm glowed, and the flower grew tall and bloomed into a beautiful lily.

Despite how this went against everything Donnie had ever learned, he found himself calm, and happy, even. His keen intelligence had set him apart from his brothers, as had his tendency to take things apart then putting them back together better than before. But now he had this. It was weird. It was complex. It defied all logic and reason. And it was his.

Mandrakes have made their way into the world of A Raccoon Named Gloom! These little guys are your perfect companion for a stroll in the forest or a cozy hang out.

They are now available on my etsy store! (Link in my bio :))