OK Peeps, originally St. Patrick's Cathedral was gonna be in this chapter but did some Googling probably two big two famous to take a Mutant even one in disguise but most importantly Googling pictures of the interior didn't see a stained glass image of Jesus at the altar which would be the crux of this chapter, obviously working with TMNT who live in the real place of New York City is a bit more difficult than writing about Gotham City because you can just make something, but realized April and Casey should take Chanchalla to smaller Church/Chapel which shall not be identified as any one specific to NYC, also this is a bit of a song chapter, using a song from the 1995 Disney Channel Special 'People' the animation of the main plot is wonky and the dialogue is often cringe but the songs are the best part of the special the song about religion 'Believing' is in my opinion the 2nd most emotionally powerful after the opening song 'Children of the World' (The closing/credits song 'How Wonderful We Are' loses points for being a bit too schmaltzy also the very title 'How Wonderful We Are' a bit on the nose with the message they want the kids to take away from the special) but the song is gonna help do the heavy lifting for this chapter as Chanchalla is a being who both an alien but also Earth derived is going to experience things that aren't easily put into words...
It was going to be another snowy night, total cloud coverage, no stars would be able to be seen, Chanchalla was grateful because she was so nervous already she didn't need her instinctual terror of stars causing her to get cold feet,
They would take her to a small chapel of the neighborhood Casey grew up in, the famous St. Patrick's Cathedral while beautiful was WAY too famous to safely take a Mutant even one in disguise and Chanchalla knew that she had anatomical issues the Turtles didn't most notably a more pronounced muzzle, the Turtles' snouts were short enough that they could pass for human in very dim light with a coat and a hat, Chanchalla on the other hand would have to caver her face with a scarf.
"Good thing I have small horns that can be concealed under a hat..." Chanchalla said as she put on the fedora, she thought about the men of her family who all had horns or antlers, her Father being a Ram had much larger horn that curled to the side, the middle brother and Eland Antelope had much large upright horn that wouldn't be concealed by a fedora, her eldest brother well, since he was a deer his antlers fell off once a year so when he didn't have his antlers he could potentially conceal himself in this fashion, since he was smaller than her, the clothes would probably conceal him further.
"All right." April said "Are you ready to go?"
"Please..." Leo said pleadingly "...Be careful..." He was about to say something about how she had already been captured once but he stopped himself...He had to stop exposing how love struck he was in front of everybody.
"I'll be careful." Chanchalla said as she followed April and Casey to the surface.
After the left, Leo quietly turned away, embarrassed about how he couldn't conceal his emotions. "Sensei what am I going to do?" He asked "I know I can't have her..."
Splinter laid a tender hand on Leo's shoulder "Patience, My Son..." Splinter said "...Chanchalla clearly was brought to us for a reason, and that purpose is slowly being revealed...Remain Honorable My Son and we shall see what the future holds..."
It was a weeknight so not the night of Sunday services...But as a Chapel instead of a Church, Casey knew the place in his neighborhood was a sanctuary for many souls so was kind of open 24/7
Upon entering, Chanchalla was immediately struck, there above the altar was a stain glass window depicting the one she had been learning so much about! The one they called Jesus Christ...
As if in a trance, she walked forward, her scarf slipping off her face as she lifted her head in awe, April and Casey watched and stayed near the entrance, currently there was no one else in here now but that could very quickly change, but also they immediately felt...A strange energy coming off of Chanchalla that gave them intense feelings they had never felt before
Believing...You've got to have faith...
Believing...There are things...That can not be seen...But felt inside...Faith...Is one...And it keeps us warm on the coldest night...
And Chanchalla stopped right before the altar, she simply stared, frozen, she felt strange feelings she had never felt before, partly that was because Krilarah was looking through her eyes, but this time it wasn't just Krilarah...All the Devah were seeing through Chanchalla's eyes and so were Great Mother and Father, April and Casey couldn't see this because they were standing behind the Ewe Janah but Challa's eyes were rapidly changing colors, her eyes were normally black but her irises were rapidly changing to the various colors of the Devah's eyes...
Some of us pray together and some of us pray alone...But what really counts is what's in our hearts, as we go...
April and Casey were both trembling and it wasn't from cold,
"You feel that Casey?" April squeaked
"Yeah..." Casey said "...I don't know what it is, I never remember ever feeling this way..."
"Casey..." April said "...Chanchalla is a Sorcerer in her world, I think what we're feeling is the vibes she's giving off..."
Believing...Talk to God we learn to pray..Believing...We do it in so many ways...And hope he hears what we have to say to make it OK and though we have so many faiths, the hope we feel is all the same...
The Vibes April and Casey were feeling was the fear the Devah were feeling seeing the face of Jesus and remembering after all this time, they may have become like Gods but they did not create this world they came to, they were not all knowing or all powerful otherwise why would they need a mortal's help to defeat their enemy seeing the stained glass face reminded the Devah of their humble origins that they were once animals in a menagerie and for Great Mother and Father they remembered what they once were too, they remembered the names 'Chun Yin' and 'Marati' respectively
Faith, I feel, the world is so big, and we are so small...
Chanchalla herself was feeling something else, she remembered learning that Jesus was called 'The Lamb of God' and she herself was a Sheep, given this momentous task by the Devah to save her world...She briefly wondered if she and Jesus were similar because of that, but immediately chided herself for what was most likely a blasphemous thought, she was a Sheep because her Father was a Sheep...She could have just as likely been a Cat like her Mother, or on the less likely chance a different Vajrah from either of her Parents' ancestry...No their tasks weren't alike at all, she had to stop a Great Evil from coming to her world...His Mission was to die for Humanity to reconcile God and Sin as she heard from one of those Christmas songs...
Released from her trance, she bowed before the stained glass window not sure how else to show her respects because the Christian worship customs weren't the same as her own, a Shrine in her world would have a Crystal bowl you could offer the currency Dalan or other things...But she had nothing to offer and she wasn't sure if that's what would be wanted anyway.
Walking down the sidewalk Chanchalla meekly said "Thank you for bringing me here..."
April and Casey had recovered from their trembling but they realized that feeling was of something profound and that made them more than a little uncomfortable, Casey tried to maintain his usual jovial self by saying "Ah, Don't worry about it..."
So yeah, Chronicles of Narnia big influence on this chapter, also some inside information on who Great Mother and Father were Chun Yin was Chinese, Marati was Indian which explains Dardunah culture as they transformed they inherited the genetic memories of humans of Eastern Cultures
