OK Peeps, originally there was gonna be an entire chapter dedicated to Chanchalla telling Jake Justice all about her culture ending with the parting gift of 'The Journey Chant' but just realized this story doesn't really need that instead I can just skip right ahead to the end of the interview and then get to the part I really want to tell the return and Challa healing Mikey's injury which happened to be inspired a short story Turtle Dreams written and drawn by Steven R. Bissette in 1987 in which the Turtles return to Splinter with Mikey horribly injured (In this short how he got that injury is never explained, probably the Foot) all Four of the Turtles suffer horrible nightmares until Splinter drives them night terrors away giving the four turtles a shared dream of sleeping with their mother turtle in the Mud (This implies they are blood relatives with the same mother, while both possibilities are equally plausible, I choose personally to go with MNT Gaiden's interpretation none of them are blood relatives to emphasize the theme you don't have to blood relatives to be family)
Several hours passed as Chanchalla told Jake Justice and his two associates Aiden Assist and Seymour Wilde about Dardunah, its people and her ever growing feeling that Great Mother and Father were humans and that Janah had taken their shape from them…Refreshments were brought, water and chocolate and cream filled cookies called Oreos, Chanchalla at first hesitantly sniffed them.
"We're not going to poison you…" Jake said
"Not so much that I'm worried about…" Chanchalla said "…It's just I told you what Janah are, Vajrah are what you call mammals, Paksin are what you call birds, Sarpah are what you call reptiles, while I may make eat things with milk and fatherless eggs I refuse to eat anything in which a 'Janah creature' had to die as I was informed by my hosts certain sweets contain the fat of cattle…"
"Oh…" Jake immediately understanding "…And Cattle would be like next of kin to you, of course." He read the ingredient list on the packaging "Fortunately," He said "These cookies are perfectly safe, these actually don't have any animal matter at all."
She explained that Dardunah had two suns and three moons, that normally illuminated the sky with swirling Auroras but one night of the year Trawmaystra, when none of the moons are in the sky and the stars can be seen is the unluckiest night of the year, as the stars are believed to be the baleful eyes ready to posses hapless victims…"
Finally after explaining a lot she wearily asked "How much longer is this to go on? I spent most of my life in school learning Dardunah history and I don't know everything about every country."
"I'm sorry." Jake said "What you've provided is more than enough…"
"I understand." Chanchalla said "With what you told me about the invasion of the Triceratons, you had every reason to fear me, even after the Twilight Wars, we Janah continue having territorial skirmishes and rumors are both Sustrum is seeking to be like the Sarpah Empire of the Twilight Wars believing they are wiser and more deserving of power than the rest of the world and that the Sorcerer Princes of the Sarpah are seeking to rebuild…" She quickly quieted down remembering both her newfound friendship with Samtra and her love for Leonardo.
"Of course…" Jake said "…After all if you Janah are descended from humans than as we say 'To err is to human'
Chanchalla decided to leave them a parting gift she sang them the Journey Chant, the tale of how Great Mother and Father fled from the Devourer, found Dardunah 'The Dust No One Weeps For' and gave the Janah their many forms to hide them from the Devourer and proceeded to give them the gifts of music, fire and craft' Jake wept upon hearing the beautiful song.
"Thank you." He said "I'll take you back myself, and I'm personally taking the files of your information to Rescue Heroes HQ, as we clearly have nothing to fear from you." He would explain American government that while the culture of Dardunah was very civilized it was still in its Medieval Period and because the people are superstitious of the stars, it would stand to reason they weren't gonna develop a space program anytime soon.
Jake took her in his car, to the same place she landed that first night, near Central Park, by now Challa could navigate the near sewers so she bid Jake farewell as she lifted the manhole, hoping the Turtles would be in the lair waiting for her and not still searching for her.
At that very moment Splinter was binding Mikey's wounds with more bandages and herbs, Mikey's plastron had been split in twain and nearly hit his internal organs…
Suddenly the sound of familiar footsteps, and Chanchalla's voice saying "I'm back!"
Leo's heart leapt in his throat "Challa!" He exclaimed
He ran to meet her, the body language was not of two people who were 'just friends' upon grasping her in his arms, Leo lifted the little ewe off her feet as he spun around in sheer jubilation!
"Challa!" Leo exclaimed "How…How did you escape?"
"They let me go willingly." Challa said
Leo's expression became completely blank
"They just wanted to ask me questions about who I was and about my world, I answered truthfully…But I told them I would not betray my hosts…I only told them about my world and this human named Jake Justice took me back himself."
"Jake Justice?" Leo cocked his head, sounded like one of the Justice Force "There was no…Human named…Bishop?"
"Not to my knowledge." Challa said "Jake said he was a member of a group known as the Rescue Heroes."
"Oh those guys." Leo said knowing they primarily dealt with natural disasters "You were extremely lucky Challa…We went out searching for you and Mikey…"
As if on cue Mikey groaned from pain causing Challa's head to turn toward the center of the room and finally seeing the injured Turtle
"Oh Krilahrah, Mikey!" Challa exclaimed as she rushed toward her injured host.
Splinter tried to explain what he was doing, but Challa didn't hear for all the blood pumping in her ears, she knew it was her fault Mikey had gotten injured searching for her…Even though she didn't seem to be able to connect to The Dream in this world, she had her will…She lay her hands on Mikey's plastron and willed her life energy, her 'Prana' to transfer to him
The Turtles and Splinter watched in sheer amazement as Challa became illuminated, with liquid golden light and this light flowed through her hands to Mikey's wounds where the cranked plastron began to knit itself back together again, in a few short minutes Mikey's plastron was healed good as knew but Challa seemed the tiniest bit thinner, her cheekbones were showing more, she collapsed on Mikey's torso just as the orange banded turtle sat up with a gasp!
"Holy shell!" Mikey gasped and feeling his plastron as the bandages and herbs fell away "My plastron…It's OK!"
"Challa…." Don said "…Saved you." Mikey than noticed the collapsed sheep on his plastron.
Don checked her pulse "She's all right…" Don said "…Just exhausted…Like she had given a lot of blood to donate to someone else." And everyone began to suspect that golden light was very much akin to blood.
Mikey's face melted into to tenderness "Challa…" he said "…You saved me."
Mikey stood filled with renewed life, and took Challa in his arms "I'll take her to bed Leo, don't worry. I'll keep watch over her."
"I'll watch with you." Leo said
Maybe the last chapter of this story for a while, as I now have a TMNT game, I'm thinking of making a story based on the adventures I'm having