Destiny and Diaval hardly recognize the city when they arrive. Everything is in chaos. Cars are flipped over and many of them are on fire. Garbage litters the streets amongst broken pieces of the nearby buildings, and some fires still burn on the asphalt. The screams of the civilians echo from far away, loud enough for Destiny to hear it.

"Oh my god," she whispers, taking slow steps down the barren street. "What happened?"

Diaval stares into the distance, his face gaining an angry undertone that she's rarely seen. "Kraang," he mumbles.

She turns to face him. "The Kraang?" she echoes, earning a solemn nod. Her stomach plunges. "Is...is it like that giant Technodrome that showed up last year?" Again, he nods. Her fur bristles and she clenches her hands into fists. "I have to find the turtles."

She takes off, running as fast as she possibly can. Diaval starts after her, a smoky, cold wind whipping his cloak around as he does. Destiny keeps a rather noticeable lead as they race down the streets. She keeps stopping for just long enough to sniff the air, searching for any scent that hints to her family having been there, but she gets nothing except for the putrid stench of burning rubber and metal.

"I have to go to the lair," she says as Diaval finally catches up.

He puckers his lips slightly. "Turtles don't hide from the Kraang," he says, his gaze momentarily darting to the side streets near them. "Dunno...d'you think they'll be in the sewers?"

She grits her teeth as her tail lashes. "No, they wouldn't. They're probably fighting somewhere." She tilts her face to the grey sky, snowflakes nestling in her curls as she unsheathes the uchigatana at her waist. "Let's try April's house. Stay alert."

Diaval nocks an arrow into his bow and they set off again.

The chaos only gets worse as they get further into the city. The screams get louder, the cries of children are horrifyingly evident, and debris is flung everywhere amongst the tipped cars and fires. Kraang droids march through triangular portals that keep popping up every which way. It's what they saw before but noisier.

Destiny catches sight of April's home, the curtains drawn over the window. Diaval nearly stops as he notices a mewling cat trapped in a skeletal tree, but Destiny is quick to tug him away from the distressed animal.

She moves to the nearest doorway and shoves it open with her shoulder, readying her uchigatana at the shadows. Nobody comes forward, as if any other tenants within the block of homes has already fled.

Destiny goes barrelling up the stairs, sniffing rapidly and making short, doglike noises in the back of her throat as she does, the desperation getting to her head. April has to be here. If April is here then there's a good chance that the turtles and Casey are still in the city as well.

She follows the familiar scent all the way to a singular door that she wrenches open without a second thought. She races down the hall, heart pounding against her ribcage, and she nearly skids around the corner that emerges into the living room.

April's bright blue eyes fall on the wolf mutant first, closely followed by the attention of Donatello, Michelangelo, and a redheaded man whom Destiny has never met but can easily assume is April's dad.

"Destiny?" Donatello asks in disbelief.

There's a short shriek and Destiny is nearly thrown off her feet as Michelangelo engulfs her in a tight hug.

"Desti-bear! Dude! You're here!" he exclaims, grinning widely at her. His smile falls for a second and he frowns, pulling away and jabbing his finger at her. "You left without saying goodbye to any of us! On Christmas!"

"I'm sorry, Mikey, really," she apologizes quickly. "I'll explain more later. I..." She looks to the others, taking notice that the redheaded man is looking rather sick and is staring at her with no small amount of terror lining his aging face. She flashes a weak grin and waves, only then remembering that she's still holding her sword. She sheathes it swiftly. "Hi, you must be Mr. O'Neil." The man squeaks but nods. "You're, uh...not a bat anymore! That's great!" She tries to keep the smile but it just looks forced and awkward.

"Dad, this is Destiny," April says, resting her hand on her trembling father's shoulder. "She's the friend I told you about, the one who had to take a sudden trip to Saskatchewan."

"Canada, Saskatchewan?" Mr. O'Neil clarifies. April nods, earning a weak laugh from the man. "Oh, that's quite the trip...I've heard Canada is lovely. No a-alien...invasions..." He slumps against the couch, grabbing a pillow as a soft whimper leaves him.

There's a slam behind Destiny followed by shuffling footsteps. Diaval appears in the doorway, his bow slung over his shoulder and his cloak shielding every part of his body except his feet and everything from the neck up.

The teenagers present in the room stiffen up immediately, save for Destiny.

"And...you still have the Foot Clan member with you," Donatello mutters.

"He just came with me to make sure I made it home safe," Destiny says, stepping closer to Diaval. "He's going right back home...sometime."

Diaval parts his cloak and holds out a trembling black cat clutched in both hands, his face blank. "Saved a cat."

April's face brightens. "Aw, it's so cute," she whispers, moving closer so that she can reach out and pet the animal's head. "Good kitty..."

Destiny glances down at the animal momentarily before taking a step away from it. "Donnie, Mikey?" she asks, walking closer to the brothers. She does a quick scan of the room despite already knowing that there's far too many people missing. "Where's Leo, Raph, and Casey?"

"Leo separated from us when Donnie hurt his wrist," Michelangelo says, his expression losing its happy shine. "He led the Kraang away."

Destiny's claws unsheathe out of habit, but she hides them against her legs as best she can. "And...Raph and Casey are with him?"

Donatello fiddles with the bandage around his wrist, shaking his head. "No...they're still out there too."

April looks up from the cat in synchronization with Diaval. Destiny growls low in her throat, her ears flicking and her tail lashing as her muscles clench up.

"Diaval, stay here, I'm going to find them," she says, turning around.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Donatello interjects, grabbing her forearm before she can get too far. He gives her a stern look. "You aren't going out there alone, not when it's like this. They'll come to us."

Destiny frowns and tugs against his grip. "Donnie, let me go." He doesn't release her, making her squirm again. "Donnie, I'm serious, I need to find them. I can smell them out, it'll be fine! I'll be fine!" she keeps trying, her tone gaining an edge to it. "Donnie..."

"I know you're worried, okay, but I can't let you strike out on your own," he says, retaining his firmness while still coming off as gentle. "We just got you back."

She gives up with her squirming, her ears flattening against her curls. She exhales heavily, jerking her head once before wrenching her arm from his fingers. He sighs as she wanders back to the doorway and leans against the frame, watching the front door. Donatello waits for a second before settling down into the nearest chair.

Diaval glances at Destiny before going further into the living room, settling down on the carpet. "Can we keep the cat?" he asks, now cuddling the feline to his chest and stroking its mottled fur.

"Dude, we already have a cat," Michelangelo says with a laugh, bouncing over to the older boy and taking up the spot directly ahead of him. "She's made of ice cream, so she's automatically better than your cat."

"So...keeping it?" the archer seconds, not a single change in his facial expression.

"Maybe it's better if you let it go somewhere," April suggests, taking up a spot on the couch where her dad is still trying to get a grip on reality. "But...uh, maybe once there's less Kraang around?"

Diaval exhales. "Mmkay."

Donatello rolls his eyes and directs his stare at the curtained window. He taps his finger against his chin while his foot thumps against the floor, his mind whirring with possibilities of what's going on and how it can be resolved.

The cat mews and starts to climb around on Diaval's shoulders. April fiddles with her hair. Michelangelo watches the cat play, enthralled. Diaval's pink eyes flicker to the doorway for a second before switching to Donatello.

"Des is gone," he states.

The turtle jolts out of his daydream, his eyes nearly popping out of his head as he realizes that Diaval is indeed telling the truth. Destiny is nowhere to be seen, her backpack left on the ground in the spot where she was once standing. Michelangelo and April share a quick, knowing look.

Diaval stares up the purple-masked turtle. "You should be used to this," he says. "She does it a lot. Doesn't like rules."

"I know," Donatello grumbles, letting out a low groan. "She lived with us for weeks."

Diaval shrugs. "Lived with me for months." The cat flops in his lap and he starts playing with its paws, ignoring the glare Donatello is shooting his way.

----------

Destiny races down the street, her lungs still burning with adrenaline from her arrival. She sniffs, pivoting on her feet as she swings her head to and fro. She stamps her foot against the asphalt, biting back a curse. The universe is giving her nothing, not even a nudge.

A howl pierces the air. Destiny's wolf ears perk up and she spins towards the noise, breaking into a sprint with her weapon bumping against her hip.

She rounds a corner just as she sees Rahzar leap down from a rooftop, landing in a crouch before the Shredder. Fishface, Tiger Claw, and Emery flank their master alongside a few Foot bots.

"Master Shredder, the Kraang have sent word," Rahzar's gravelly voice reaches Destiny's ears. "Leonardo is not far from here. They're leading him straight to us."

Destiny's breath catches in her throat and she ducks into the nearest alley, pressing herself against the wall. Shredder's voice reaches her next, causing every hair on her body to stand on end.

"Excellent," he says. There's the ringing of metal in the cold air. "Then it's the beginning of the end."

Destiny waits, listening as the Foot start to walk away. She peers out from her hiding spot, her eyes narrowing before she slips out and starts to shadow them. If she can't find Leonardo first, they'll lead her straight to him.