Well, for reasons I won't go into I got very upset today (Or Yesterday since I'm writing this at midnight) and I realized I've got the perfect energy to go into this chapter, since it was Leo's PTSD of Season 4 that really turned me off the show when it was airing and begin instead focusing on my own original stories I knew that it was an arc and Leo was going to be cured eventually but as I've always been very sensitive to yelling (There are certain parts of both The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast I still can't watch for that reason) I flat out didn't care anymore only years later learning that what Leo had was PTSD and finally watching the episode where he he finally overcomes it I suddenly had a lot more sympathy for Leo and he's now my second favorite turtle under Don, but in this chapter Leo coming to realize that himself at that time would have terrified a sensitive soul like Challa gives him a newfound sense of horror at that time in his life and why he feels the need to be extra compassonate to her as he reconizes she's also had truama in some ways worse than his own because her truama was caused by family members mistreating her because they don't understand her condition
The Caravan 'parked' just a few miles away from Matra the Capital City of Magar, they had to plan this out, to think of a proper disguise for the Turtles' to wear because they believed the Turtles were the best ones for the job, because of the bond they had with Chanchalla and because Arhidásah was the brother Challa had the best relationship with, the Gentle Giant of an Eland Antelope actually liked his Sister's odd ways and she often entertained him by telling him the most fantastical stories they just had to figure out how to do it, because unlike Earth, most nights on Dardunah are never truly dark the three moons illuminating the multicolored dust in the sky was something the Ninjas were not prepared for.
Challa found Leo on the outskirts of the camp, gazing into the brilliant sky with a concerned look on his face.
"Leo!" Challa called to him, Leo turned, a shy smile on his face.
"Can't sleep either huh?" He said softly "You really should get your rest for tomorrow."
"My...Heart is all a flutter from what I have learned..." Challa said as she got beside Leo "I...Can't help but wonder if Srsasan is the same is me..."
"Even if he is..." Leo said seriously "...That doesn't mean he can't be dangerous, even that he can't be evil, sometimes a hald life can harden people's hearts and for one reason or another nothing can change them back...Don't ever let people convince that you're in idiot Challa or that can't ever be anything worthy, you have great talent you just your own way of doing things."
"Thank you." Challa said her voice barely a whisper
The two of them were silent for a moment then she said
"Do you find the nights too bright here?" She said quietly hoping no Janah could hear "You should be resting for tomorrow as well...Leo, when I came to your world, even though I mostly never saw the sky, even in the depths of the underground I could somehow feel the darkness of the night...And when I was in your world I slept better than I had in years! The darkness was like a blanket, soothing my senses and relaxing my mind...I think..." She hesitated to say anything hinting relating to the terrifying truth lest any of the Tribe with sharp ears be nearby "I think deep down we sense something about the brightness..." Referring to the fact that Janah being natives of Earth were adapted for darker nights we have a song about it..."
She then sang the lullaby her Mother sang to her, many a Janah knew this tune
"Moons, oh dear Moons,
You have robbed us of our sleep.
Why do you keep us awake all night?
I will tell you stories to take away your sadness,
But who will do the same for me?"
Leo couldn't help but smile, Challa did have a good singing voice even if she waivered a little, the two sat down in the grass.
"Is there...Anything else you want to talk about?" Leo asked
Challa hestitated "Many things," She said "But I'm a little afraid to talk about them here, though the tribesmen can't understand you they can still potentially understand me, and since we don't know how many of them are trustworthy there are certain things I don't want to talk about here."
"Good point." Leo said remembering the Gibbon, he still hadn't informed Challa or Aneka of who had been secretly watching them.
"But thank you, for asking me..." Challa said "...You've done more for me than my own family has done my entire life."
Leo felt a lump rise in his throat, how much he wanted to hold her close and kiss her...But he dare not, that was not his place.
"Challa..." Leo finally said "...I realized I had to help you because...I was once in a position where I needed help...Let me tell you a story..."
And the story he told was possibly the most harrowing story Challa had ever heard, he told of their greatest battle with their greatest enemy the Shredder and how they had to stop him from returning to him homeworld and would basically enslave the universe if he did, and they failed miserably got beaten within inches of their lives, and their only hope of stopping the Shredder would be...Cause the ship to explode with them on it, they were only saved because of distress call they sent out before, was anwered in the nick of time by the Utroms Shredder's people and they froze the ship but the Shredder on trial and banished him to a chuck of ice in the sky.
But after that Leo was stuck with the horrible feeling of 'I wasn't good enough' his anger consumed him causing him to become brutal with his brothers in his quest to become the perfect warrior.
"Challa.." Leo said his voice cracking a little showing he was on the verge of crying "...If you had met me during those days, you would have been terrified of me, I that realization makes me look back on those days with even more horror of what I became."
Finally when he wounded Splinter in sparring everyone realized enough was enough, Splinter kicked him out of the house to train with Master Yoshi's Master the Ancient One and there the Ancient One put him through a mystical journey to realize his greatest enemy was himself.
"I know our situations aren't the same..." Leo said "...But there are some ways we are similar, I think about your situation, how you endured being sold into slavery in ways I couldn't imagine myself doing I jst keep feeling if I was in your situation I would act similar to Aneka maybe not as bratty but..." Leo hated to admit he still had a problem with his pride so much that it could potentially put his life in danger.
Thinking about how she would act if she was in the situation on Shredder's ship, Challa's logical side came to the fore
"We're actually pretty different, Leo." She said "You are the eldest child, you are the best student, where I am the youngest child I am the family embaressment, when I saw that on Earth the name for such a person is 'The Black Sheep' it was hard not to feel like it was somehow referring to me even though I'm a black and white sheep.
"I know..." Leo said "But...As I learned more about you...Your unswerving faith in your father's innocence, your unshakable dedication to not stop in your quest even though you had been taken to another world, I admired that in you from the very beginning."
"What I mean is..." Leo said standing up "...You're stronger than you think you are Challa don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
Fianlly feeling like sleeping, Leo headed off, Challa felt tired too, but she slowly contemplated all she had just heard as she walked, thinking about the differences Leo seemed to be getting at Challa was reminded of the story of the tree and the river reeds, the tree mocked the reeds for how the trembled at the slightest breeze but when a great storm came while the reeds were whipped this way and that, the tree stood proud and strong until he was finally brown over, the reeds whispered to the tree 'We bowed to the wind and survived, you resisted and perished.'
And that got her thinking, she had seen Leo as being like a great strong tree she could lean on for support, who could give her shade, but now Leo had revealed a new side of himself and Challa realized even a great and strong warrior feels vulnerable and she realized the hard and strong, turns to the soft and warm for shelter...Relief in a soft and warm pair of arms...She had been thinking about Leo in terms of what he could do for her, now she was thinking 'What can I do for you?' The Tomboy was realizing the power of her femmininity
So reading through the World Guide I finally learned the proper name for the Wandering Tribes is 'Taskara' (As opposed to the names of the real world groups that inspired them whose political correctness is under debate) well after reading about the Taskara and knowing what I know about the NPCs that spired some of the characters, let's just say what this tribe actually is is more complex than they let on