#masterofthefoot

She straightened herself up, coughing in her hand to calm herself as she attempted a serious demeanor, her mouth in a tight line that she hoped emitted an air of heroic authority. They said the Shredder (that was a pretty cool name for a ninja she had to admit, if a little…well…villainous sounding. But, it would send any bad guy screaming in terror, she supposed) wanted to meet all the recruits personally. He probably wanted to give them all some cool mission, so she had to make a good first impression and show she was a dedicated ninja student. Unable to keep her mouth from upturning into a small smile, she pushed open the huge, imposing doors.

It was if a chill in the air made her freeze, sending all the joy she had felt out and leaving a cold pit in her stomach. She looked over with wide eyes at the man sitting on the high throne. The whole place had the feel of a villainous lair from a Saturday morning cartoon, and the metal the Shredder (she guessed that explained the name), didn’t help. She stared with wide-eyes for a couple of seconds, unable to make a single sound but a small gulp that seemed to echo through the room. She shivered (and not because she was scared, it was just COLD….even though she was wearing her Pulverizer outfit underneath), as she gazed up the throne.

          The   turtle   clad in blue   held   out   his           katanas,      sapphire eyes staring down           (or rather up due to Shredders massive           height) the Hamato family’s arch enemy.

What was the difference between standing at death’s door and kneeling before The Shredder’s throne? At the moment, Mikey could think of none. This had been the clan’s third attempt to scour the sewers and discover the Hamato lair’s location, and with it having ended in failure the blame fell onto the one member of the team who should’ve been able to lead the way.

To put it plainly, Michelangelo couldn’t recall a darned thing aside from sparse details pertaining to the interior of the lair, and though it certainly made the hunt more interesting Mikey was beginning to debate whether or not the fun of the chase was worth the upcoming encounter.

Rahzar didn’t spare him a smug grin as he opened the door, allowing the black-banded turtle passage into the great dark throne room where Oroku Saki sat. Michelangelo returned this gesture by promptly sticking his tongue out at the dog, and quickly entered the throne room before Rahzar could retaliate.

Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. If you survive this, you can survive anything. Deal with the punishment, eat a good dinner afterward, sleep it off, hope that Shred Head finally gets the message. You’re gonna be okay Mikey. You’re going to be O-kazay

These were the words running through Michelangelo’s head as he went on his knees at the throne and bowed.

Master Shredder.

                   that had to be the    FIFTH     time he'd use that move on her.                    she's fully aware   ;   each time she fails,   she gets angrier.                    not only because of her  MISTAKES  but  disappointing  her                    own father is the  last thing  she'd want.    getting to her feet                    once more, karai leaned back to crack her stiff back, turning                      to face her father once more.

       ❛     seriously, is it even POSSIBLE to                 dodge that move?     ❜

It wasn’t often that one who wished to train in the way of the ninja started down the path later in life.  Usually they started out at a very young age so their bodies could develop with the keen reflexes honed in their practice and become as skilled as they could.  For many, the art became their way of life.  For the girl known as Oroku Karai, it would be no different.

All she could remember of her eleven years of life had been lived in Tokyo with her father, Oroku Saki.  Stern as he could be, she’d always seen him as a figure of admiration.  Leader of the Foot Clan, ninja grandmaster...it made her wonder what her mother was like.  Whenever she asked, though, details always seemed somewhat unclear.  The only fact he ever seemed to remember completely was the one who’d taken her from them- Hamato Yoshi, his greatest enemy.  Knowing the man who killed her mother had gotten away made her understand her father’s hatred...hatred he was sure to begin instilling in her when she’d started training under him a few years ago.

Today that training would continue.  Karai knelt before her father on both of her knees, one hand resting on each leg.  Her head was bowed and eyes closed, just as she had been taught.  She was clad in her white training gi.  The girl had felt she’d done well in her recent training, so there was no telling what today’s would entail.  Would he teach her something new?  Was there something to improve upon that he hadn’t told her about?  Would she be sparring with other Foot ninja?  The possibilities raced in her head...but her face betrayed no emotion.