Chapter One
The starry night sky and full moon made for a peaceful night in the Smurf Village. The owls called softly in the trees as every other animal in the forest slept soundly. Bats screeched as they searched for their lunch. Nosmurf could stay awake that night, all of them exhausted from a long day of work and play. Even Dreamy Smurf, an insomniac at times, snuggled in his bed with the covers pulled up to his nose.
But someone did not sleep. They were too preoccupied with sneaking around the village.
The shadow moved slowly, carefully, to not wake the sleeping form in the bed he walked past. The form in the bed slept peacefully, unaware of the intruder in her home. The shadow continued to move, creeping closer and closer to the crib in the corner that Handy Smurf made. The specially made bedding, made by Tailor Smurf himself and stuffed with wool Wooly Smurf retrieved, made the crib's occupant sleep just as soundly as the rest of the Smurfs. The shadow looked to make sure the form in the bed continued to sleep before moving to the crib. He moved for the occupant of the crib, his hands getting closer and closer and closer…..
"Gutsy."
Gutsy cringed at his mate's voice.
Archer still lay in bed, her eyes closed, but she had that tone in her voice that would halt a stampede. "If you wake up our baby one more time tonight I'll kill you."
"Aw, c'mon lass." Gutsy whispered as he leaned over Luna's crib. "She's so precious! And I'm just look—" He jumped a little when Luna started complaining and whining.
Archer sighed and sat up in the bed. She raised an eyebrow at her mate. "Gutsy Smurf…"
Gutsy quickly picked up Luna and started bouncing her, softly singing her favorite lullaby. When she calmed down, he smiled and moved back to the bed, sitting beside Archer with Luna still in his arms. "No worries, lass. She's fine." To prove a point, Lung giggled and reached up to bop her father's nose with her tiny fist. "See? She's tough, like her dad."
Archer laughed softly and ruffled her daughter's black-streaked, auburn hair. "She's her parents' child."
Gutsy gave her daughter a soft squeeze as he gently lulled her to sleep, resting the baby in her crib. He took a minute to observe her features: blue skin the color of the summer sky, her father's bright, rusty auburn hair streaked with midnight black, and her sapphire eyes, one tinged with lavender and the other tinged with silver. Gutsy continued to sing softly until Luna slept once more. He moved back to Archer and pulled the covers over the two of them.
"Gutsy?"
"Hmm?"
"You get out of this bed again before dawn and you'll be dead before breakfast."
"Aye, lassie. I won' get outta bed. Besides, it's much smurfier here."
Archer raised an eyebrow and, with her eyes still closed, shoved Gutsy off the bed. "It is now."
"Good morning, my little Smurfs!" Papa called as he entered the dining hall.
"Good morning, Papa Smurf!" the Smurfs called cheerfully.
Papa smiled at the happy setting in the dining hall, moving to his seat at the table. Archer already sat in the seat beside him, cradling Luna in her arms. Luna dressed in a white, short-sleeved, footless onesie with blue polka dots, babbling away. Papa smiled and tickled Luna's stomach, making her giggle uncontrollably.
"Well, aren't we energetic today?" Papa laughed.
"Which is a surprise, considering her papa wouldn't stop smurfing her awake every five minutes." Archer rolled her eyes.
"Hey!" Gutsy whined teasingly as he approached, bottle in hand. "You try stayin' asleep with such a cute smurflin' in yer home."
Archer rolled her eyes again and handed Luna to Gutsy for feeding. "Luna wouldn't have woken up if you weren't bothering her."
Gutsy chuckled. "I was just bein' her father."
Archer sighed and shook her head. But she still smiled. "Ah, the joys of being a first-time father."
"Well, ever since Baby, we haven't had very many new Smurfs." Papa noted. "Imagine how everyone else feels."
"Dat's true, lass." Gutsy nodded as he burped Luna. "Baby's turnin' 5 soon. He's not going to be a baby fer much longer." Archer thought for a moment before nodding in understanding and agreement.
"Well, we do have some work to do on the dam and the new mushrooms today." Papa noted. "But perhaps you two could smurfsit Baby while you take care of Luna?"
"Papa, please." Archer sighed. "We have a baby; we didn't smurf our backs to the point where we can't work."
"Archer, Luna is only a month old." Papa reasoned. "We just recently returned from Patrick and Grace's home of New York. You two need time with your child and to relax. We've all smurfed through a lot. Smurfette, Grouchy, Brainy, Smartette, and Clumsy are also taking a little break."
"I thought we were done with building?" Gutsy said.
"We are." Papa nodded. "Some of the Smurfs need some help moving in."
"We can help." Archer assured. "And I have patrol."
Papa shook his head and smiled. "Archer and Gutsy Smurf, I am ordering you both to take the day off. Clumsy had a wonderful idea to smurf on a picnic in the forest. You should join him and the others."
Archer and Gutsy shared a look before finally agreeing. Papa nodded in satisfaction and cleared his place from the table. "Well, I suppose we should go find the others."
"Hey guys!" Clumsy greeted warmly as he passed them.
"Or dey can find us." Gutsy laughed.
"You coming on our picnic with us later?" Clumsy asked.
"If we may." Archer nodded.
"Sure!" Clumsy nodded happily. "Bring Luna too! Brainy, Smurfette, Grouchy, and Smartette are gonna be there!" He hurried off, a large picnic basket in his hands and tripping a little as he did.
"He certainly hasn't changed since his moment of heroism." Archer laughed.
"Aye." Gutsy nodded. "He still be a klutz."
Archer smiled. "If I may, can I ask you a favor?"
"Ye want ta go on patrol at least once today and ye want me ta take care of Luna." Gutsy guessed.
"Think you can handle it?" Archer asked.
"Please." Gutsy scoffed.
"Don't 'please' me." Archer said as she stood. "You haven't been alone with Luna in the month she's been here. Can you smurf an eye on her while I'm on the other side of the village?"
"Go on, lassie." Gutsy encouraged. "I'll be fine."
"Don't you dump her on one of her uncles." Archer ordered as she walked off.
"Aw, smurf!" Gutsy groaned.
Archer laughed to herself as she jogged off, hurrying through the village and waving to the Smurfs she passed. She let the sun warm her face and the wind blow through her hair as she ran up the ropes of the bridge and up to the highest pole. She looked around, taking in a deep breath of the fresh air. She loved the smell of the sweet wind in the trees and the feeling of the warm sun on her skin. She didn't get to do it as often as she'd like with Luna around, but she knew all that time spent with her daughter was worth it. She loved having her baby in her arms. It reminded her of her time with Stormy. She only wished Gutsy would spend more time alone with Luna. Then again, every time Archer left Luna and Gutsy alone together, they seemed to smurf themselves into trouble.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!"
"Runaway smurfberry wagon!"
"Runaway Smurf baby!"
Archer sighed. "Oh not again." She leaped down from her perch and down to solid ground, taking off across the village and towards the wagon barreling down the dirt paved roads. Gutsy, Farmer, and Passive-Aggressive Smurf followed, but the wagon was far ahead of them. Archer spotted Luna in the wagon, giggling and clapping her hands in glee. Archer skidded to a halt in front of the wagon, stopping it with her foot and catching Luna when she flew out. Farmer, Gutsy, and Passive-Aggressive stopped suddenly, gulping simultaneously at the look Archer gave them.
"Uh oh." Luna giggled.
Archer raised an eyebrow. "Do I even need to?"
"We got it." Passive-Aggressive droned. He smacked Farmer upside the head, who smacked Gutsy upside the head, who smacked Passive-Aggressive upside the head. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to mess with Brainy." He turned and hurried off, anxious to get away from Archer before she became truly angry.
Archer turned to Gutsy and Farmer. "So, instead of smurfing her off to one of her uncles, you put her in a runaway cart."
"Lassie, it wasn't like dat." Gutsy protested.
"It was mai fault." Farmer said hurriedly. "Ah wasn't watchin' mai cart an' it smurfed off withou' meh."
Archer narrowed her eyes. "All right. Just this once, I'm going to believe you." She cuddled Luna close with a smile on her face. "I'll see you later, Guts?"
"At de picnic, lass." Gutsy nodded with a smile. Archer smiled sincerely and walked off, still cuddling Luna. Gutsy sighed in exhaustion. "Oh smurf…"
"Somethin' wrong, Guts?" Farmer asked.
"I don' know if I kin do dis." Gutsy groaned. "I mus' be de worst Papa in history."
"C'mon, Guts!" Farmer slapped his brother good-heartedly on the back. "Yer a good Pa. Ah know ya are."
"I'm not!" Gutsy insisted. "What kind of Papa puts deir kid onta a runaway wagon?"
"So ya smurfed a few mistakes." Farmer shrugged. "All Pa's do. Even Pa Smurf goofs once in a while. Jus' learn from yer mistakes."
Gutsy held his head in his hands. "I want ta be a good father."
"You will be." Farmer assured. "Ah know it."
"Ye really think so?" Gutsy smiled softly.
"Ah would bet mai life on it." Farmer said firmly.
Gutsy rounded the corner and found Clumsy, Grouchy, Brainy, Smartette, Smurfette, Archer, and Luna on a picnic blanket, nestled right below an oak tree. Even Papa sat with them, laughing and talking with his children and grandchild. Gutsy smiled as he approached, sitting down beside Archer and Luna.
"So, about how much longer until the new mushrooms are done?" Smurfette asked Papa.
"Handy says they're about finished. I'd give it another few days." Papa explained.
"Good." Brainy sighed. "I'm tired of Clumsy smurfing in my mushroom."
"I think it's nice having Clumsy around." Smartette shrugged. "Even if he is….well, Clumsy."
Archer laughed. "Well, I must say Handy's really outsmurfed himself. All these new and smurfy mushrooms, the statue, even the new carriages are so wonderful."
"You know what the best part is?" Grouchy took a swig of smurfberry juice. "Gargamel ain't here to ruin it all."
"Grouchy, that's not very smurfy." Smurfette said. "I for one feel sorry for Gargamel. He's stuck in Grace and Patrick's world with no way to smurf home."
"How can ye feel sorry fer someone like Gargamel?" Gutsy asked.
"Well, think about how we felt when we were away from home and not able to sleep in our smurfy beds." Smurfette noted. Everyone fell silent, unable to argue with that.
Archer sighed, leaning her head back to let the sun cast a warm glow on her face. "Moving on from Gargamel, I must say this is quite a day."
"Archer's right." Clumsy nodded. "Good weather, good food, and we're all together as a family! What could be better?"
"You know every time someone smurfs that question something bad happens." Archer pointed out.
"That's just a silly superstition." Brainy waved her off. "There is no way anything could go wrong today!"
"Yee-ow!"
Everysmurf froze, their eyes widening in shock.
"Scratch that." Smartette gulped.
"Stay here and stay quiet." Archer ordered quietly. She handed Luna to Smurfette and drew an arrow, loading it into her bow. She slowly rose from the blanket, venturing close to the bushes the sound came from. Papa and Gutsy followed her. The three of them journeyed inside the bushes and Gutsy gently pulled aside some branches so they could look out the other side. They stayed in the shadows as they scanned the forest, searching for the source of the outburst.
"Where did they go?" Archer whispered.
Suddenly, three figures crashed through the brush, landing only a few feet from the three blue beings in the shrubbery. Archer pulled back her bowstring, but Papa stopped her. They crouched low to the ground, watching the three Wartmongers rise and brush themselves off.
"I told you to watch where you step!" the first one grumbled.
"That root came outta nowhere!" the second snapped.
"Would you two shut up!" the third shouted. "We gotta find that kid!"
"I just don't understand why we gotta do it!" the second complained.
"It's not just us." The first reminded him. "They say he's employed the whole forest in finding her!"
"More like enslaved the whole forest!" the third growled. "Not only has he captured Lord Bellrush, but he's got the queen of the pussywillow pixies and the Laconia the wood elf who makes the flowers grow! Some say he even has Mother Nature, and he won't release her until he has what he wants!"
"That's just a rumor." The first insisted. "Mother Nature is too powerful."
"So is Balthazar." The third one pointed out. "He wants this Smurf baby so badly he's willing to do anything!"
Papa, Archer, and Gutsy stared after the wartmongers as they disappeared. "Balthazar is after Baby?" Papa breathed. "Strange…."
"It can't be Baby." Gutsy said. "Baby's a boy. Dey said 'her'."
Archer's eyes widened. "Luna." She turned and took off for the picnic blanket. Gutsy and Papa followed close behind, but all three of them skidded to a halt when they found the empty picnic blanket.
"Smurfs!" Papa called. "Smurfs! Where are you?"
"In here, Papa!" Clumsy's voice responded. Papa turned to see Clumsy's head fearfully peering out a hole in the tree trunk, nestled amongst the roots. Papa, Archer, and Gutsy hurried over to see everysmurf gathered in the hole of a rabbit family.
"What was that, Papa?" Smurfette asked worriedly.
"Wartmongers." Papa replied.
"An' dey're after Luna." Gutsy added.
"Luna?" Grouchy blinked in surprise. "Why?"
"Balthazar wants her for some reason." Archer said. "We have to get back to the village where he can't find her."
Papa's head shot up. "Get down!" He shoved Archer and Gutsy into the hole and dived in after them. He pushed his Smurfs into the shadows and put a finger to his lips, feverishly signaling them to stay quiet. They waited quietly, without moving, until the light became blocked by a flurry of figures and shadows. A sort of buzzing sound rang out, and Papa immediately recognized it as the sound of fairy wings. He listened carefully as the buzzing stopped and the fairies landed on the ground next to the hole.
"It's a Smurf picnic blanket, all right." One fairy said.
"How can they be so careless when one of their own is in danger?" another demanded.
"They don't even know." A third said. "Balthazar made his orders very clear. Anyone that warns the Smurfs will be destroyed on sight."
"What's so important that Balthazar needs to do this?" the first fairy growled. "If he's so powerful, let him get the kid on his own."
"We can't let that happen." A fourth fairy protested. "Papa Smurf has been good to the fairies of the forest. What right do we have to betray him like this?"
"If we don't at least give him information, we'll never be free." The second fairy sighed. "We don't have a choice. Surely Papa would understand—"
"Wait." A fifth fairy said quickly. Papa lost track of just how many fairies stood up there. His focus was so centered on the fairies he didn't notice Clumsy slowly climbing up to peer over the edge of the hole. The lanky little Smurf yelped when two sets of arms grabbed his wrists and yanked him upwards. Gutsy and Grouchy made wild grabs for their brother, but missed.
"Well now, look who we have here." One fairy mused, gripping Clumsy's arm tightly.
"Check the hole for any more." The second fair gripping Clumsy's arm commanded. But before any of them could approach the hole, the rest of the Smurfs burst out when Archer shouted, "Smurf for it!" The fairies quickly surrounded the fleeing Smurfs, stopping Archer from firing at them to free Clumsy. Now that the Smurfs could see the extent of their danger, they could see at least twenty fairies surrounding them.
"What do you fairies want?" Papa demanded.
"Be serious, Papa Smurf." A fairy scoffed. "How much of our conversation did you hear?"
"Then how about this question: why are you working with Balthazar?" Smurfette demanded, holding Luna close.
"It's because of that baby." A fairy gestured to Luna. "Balthazar is bent on capturing that little baby Smurfette and extracting her essence."
"Why just hers?" Gutsy asked.
"There's something very powerful about her." One of the fairies holding Clumsy said. "One of our fairies overheard Balthazar talking about it; apparently that kid has more power in her essence than any other Smurf. It's almost as powerful as Papa Smurf's essence."
"But Papa's the strongest Smurf in the world!" Brainy protested.
"The fact that he's a wizard makes him even stronger." Smartette added.
"Look, it's just the orders we have to follow." The second fairy holding Clumsy snapped. "Balthazar wants the baby; so we're giving it to him."
"We don't have another choice." A fairy said sadly. "Balthazar will destroy us and the entire forest if we don't."
"You have to understand." Another fairy sighed. "We're so terrified right now. Balthazar captured the leaders of every magical creature clan in the forest. He will release them when the baby is his."
Papa stared at the fairies. He could see the terror in their eyes; the regret they felt and the sadness that filled their hearts. He sighed. "Please, fairies. Perhaps we can help free your leader and all of Balthazar's prisoners."
"That won't happen." A fairy shook her head. "Balthazar will get what he wants and nothing will stop him."
"Unless…." Another fairy rubbed his chin in thought. "He can't find the Smurfs overall." He turned to Papa Smurf. "There's an invisible barrier around your village, right?"
"No one can find our village unless I allow it." Papa confirmed. The fairies exchanged looks, nodding and murmuring amongst themselves.
The unofficial leader of the fairies, a female dressed in a black dress hemmed in gold with a gold belt, approached Papa Smurf. "Papa, we all believe that the best thing would be for you and your Smurfs to all remain in the village until we can figure out a way to stop Balthazar. Then your baby will never be found."
"Confined to the village?" Grouchy repeated. "Are you serious?"
"Balthazar won't hurt you while you're in the village." The fairy in black reasoned. "Perhaps we can free the leaders he has captured. Until then, it would be best if you all just waited in the village."
"I will see what I can do on my end." Papa offered. "There must be a way to stop him."
"Good luck." The fairy in black said. "Now go, quickly!" She took off, the other fairies following her.
"Let's go, Smurfs." Papa urged.
"We're not really gonna stay in de village, are we?" Gutsy asked.
"For now, we must." Papa said. "Especially you, Archer, and Luna. It may be the only way to keep Luna safe."
Archer and Gutsy shared a worried look. Archer took Luna from Smurfette and held her close. Gutsy wrapped a comforting arm around his mate's shoulders. But an involuntary shudder crept down their spines.
Luna babbled and giggled, unaware of the immense danger she was in.