Hello, everyone! :) No, I haven't abandoned this story.

FrittzyCrazy- Yeah, it's sort of my headcanon that cats speak to each other with very formal tones, nearly bordering snooty, because they're such regal creatures. But I digress. Thank you so much on your opinion on Thoughtful's personality. I appreciate it! :D

Chloe- I know, I was so disappointed when I found out Marina was only in three episodes. I think her character could have so much potential. She's not given much love in the fan base, either. Good luck with the formula! I hope the robot wakes up! I wonder what kind of danger he's talking about...

Callister The Great- No problem. :) Here's the next chapter!

thatonesmurfX103.9- I wanted to try something different and that friendship is what developed. I wanted it to be a shock! :D Of course you can draw Thoughtful! I would be honoured! I don't have Deviantart, but Thoughtful's description is in chapter one, if you'd still like it. And I would prefer you credit her to me, if you don't mind. Just as a precaution. :) But thank you again!

Packrat Smurfette-Actually, your review really lifted my spirits. I was starting to think that the story was becoming haphazard, but your review set me back on the right track! Thank you thousandfold! You should try writing an OC story anyway. Practice makes perfect! :D

Again, I apologize for waiting so long to post. I've been on a massive TMNT kick recently. Hopefully re-watching the entire Smurfs series will motivate me more. :P Anyway.

ALERT: This story was plotted out in June 2012. Every similarity is coincidental and I guarantee I copied off of no one. Everything with the exception of Gutsy is based off the cartoons.

I own nothing except Thoughtful, Quintoro, aaaannddd... nothing else.

Enjoy!

Smurf y'all later!

Benny

Thoughtful walked through the village, inhaling deeply, the morning air cooling her lungs. She loved the feeling of the early day before the sun had warmed the land. Other Smurfs did too, apparently. Some were walking around and enjoying the morning, like she was. Others were lounging on the grass, doing nothing in particular. Thoughtful greeted each of these early risers with a cheerful smile and they in turn greeted her.

As she passed by Brainy's house, she stopped. The intellect was sitting on a bench in front of his house, scribbling frantically with a stork quill in a thick handmade book. Curious, the raven-haired Smurfette halted just out of Brainy's line of vision. It was unusual to see Brainy up so early. He was a late sleeper and normally someone had to go and wake him up. Perhaps he'd had inspiration for one of his quotations and was writing it down before he forgot.

Thoughtful was just about to step forward and ask if she could read said quotation when Brainy stood suddenly, muttering something about ink. He disappeared around the corner and into his house.

Thoughtful made a move to follow him, but the chicken-scratch writing in the book caught her eye. That in itself wouldn't really have mattered except for the fact that one of the words that her eyes landed on was 'Thoughtful'.

She felt heat rising to her cheeks. Now that she looked, she could see dates scrawled on the top of the pages. This wasn't a quotation book. This was a diary!

Thoughtful quickly turned away, not wanting to pry any more than she already had. Knowing Brainy would be furious if he found her snooping, Thoughtful reversed her direction and headed back the way she came, trying to forget what she saw in the diary. Even so, curiosity is in the nature of every Smurf and she couldn't help but wonder what Brainy was writing about her. Good things? Probably not. She didn't seem to do much else than get on his nerves. Her mind wandered back to what Smurfette had said a while back. Brainy liked her, the blonde theorized. So maybe he was writing about that.

Stop it, Thoughtful. She scolded herself. It doesn't matter. It's in the past. She needed a way to distract herself, to get her mind off...

A ribbon of green in the middle of the dirt path caught her eyes. It was moving in a winding pattern, almost like... like a snake.

"Quintoro?" Thoughtful whispered, kneeling.

The little snake came right up to her knees and raised his head, bobbing it in an almost welcoming gesture. His black eyes shone with an expression Thoughtful couldn't place. The tiny splint on his tail confirmed that this definitely was Quintoro. Thoughtful couldn't help but grin. "Quintoro! You came back!"

Again, he made the bobbing motion, almost like a head nod, but the Smurfette couldn't tell for sure if that's what it was. "Does that mean you want to stay with me?"

The green head stilled, and a flicker of doubt entered Thoughtful's heart. She wasn't sure what he meant. Snake gestures were assuredly different than Smurf gestures. An idea sparked in her head. She held out a hand to Quintoro, inviting him to climb aboard. He did so and Thoughtful savoured the feel of his scales sliding smoothly over her palm. "Papa Smurf will know what you mean. He can talk to animals." She stood up and started off in the direction of Papa's mushroom.

More Smurfs were awake now and the pathways were bustling with activity. Thoughtful greeted them as well, but not with the same energy and enthusiasm as before. Now she had a goal.

In the end, Papa came to her. Thoughtful's eyes were fixated on the snake in her hands, flicking up only once every so often. She nearly collided with Papa, but froze the instant before they made contact. They both spoke in the same instant as they realized who they'd almost crashed in to. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

Then they both laughed and became more relaxed. "Good morning, Papa Smurf." Thoughtful said first. He returned the greeting, eyes twinkling warmly with mirth as they often did. "I would like to speak with you, if you don't mind."

"Not at all. Please, go ahead."

In reply, Thoughtful extended her hand, bringing Quintoro into full view. Papa's eyebrows arched in mild surprise. "He came back."

"Yes. I asked him if he wanted to stay, but I don't know what he's saying. I thought that maybe you could..." The spectacled Smurfette broke off, not knowing exactly how to continue.

The elder understood. He smiled lightly. "I don't speak snake fluently. Mostly it's temperament that affects their decisions. My guess is that if Quintoro came back, he wants to stay with you, Thoughtful."

A wide beam grew on her mouth. "May he stay, Papa Smurf?"

"Some of the other Smurfs have pets. I don't see why you can't." He replied, returning her grin.

Glee filled Thoughtful's heart and she had to suppress a leap of joy, fearing that she might drop the snake in her hands. "Thank you so much, Papa!"

"I WOULD lecture you on how to care for him," The bearded Smurfs started, "But you're smart enough to remember to feed him and watch so he doesn't get hurt. But I would like to speak with you on another matter."

Thoughtful's happy mood died a little as she looked at Papa's serious weathered face. Had she done something wrong? She couldn't remember anything she'd done that might upset anyone.

"I understand you've been going to... visit Azrael." Thoughtful nodded, understanding where he was going now. "Azrael has been with Garamel for at least fifty years. He's settled into a way of mind that is dangerous to everysmurf."

Thoughtful got the impression that Papa was avoiding the direct point, but she nodded to show she understood what he was saying.

Papa took a deep breath and continued. "He has picked up on Gargamel's cunning skills. I fear that he may be trying to... trick you into becoming comfortable around him so he can eat you."

A hundred protests flooded Thoughtful's mind, but she kept her mouth shut. When Papa didn't continue, she asked, "Is that all, Papa Smurf?"

He seemed as though trying to suppress a sigh. "Yes, Thoughtful. That is all."

As he left, Thoughtful directed her next statement at the snake in her hands. "I don't think that's what he's trying to do at all."

Quintoro merely looked at her.

Thoughtful started walking, although she knew not where, and kept talking to Quintoro. "I mean, if he wanted to eat me, he would've done so already, wouldn't he? And I think he really is just lonely. No one else will talk to him because he's Gargamel's cat, but maybe he doesn't even WANT to belong to Gargamel. There could've been some situations he couldn't control that keep him at Gargamel's, couldn't there?"

The snake didn't answer. Thoughtful smiled at him. Quintoro was a good listener. "Anyway, that's the end of my rant. Here you go, Quint." She raised the brim of her hat and held her hand to it. The reptile slipped under it and onto her head.

When Thoughtful glanced up, she realized she was once again in the forest. Her feet had taken her here on their own. Not like she minded much.

Suddenly something swooped down in front of her and she let out a startled shriek. As her vision cleared, there stood Wild Smurf, crouched and grinning in front of her. He chittered something and stuck out his tongue to her, then raced back up into a nearby tree.

Thoughtful got the gist of his message. Wild wanted her to play. Not one to disappoint, the raven-haired Smurfette scampered after him, a new energy overtaking her body.

The energy that revitalized her couldn't last forever, and Wild definitely had more practice jumping from branch to branch. Soon, Thoughtful's breath was laboured and she lagged behind her more spunky brother. As she tried to follow him through the green leaves, her fatigue crept up on her and Wild soon disappeared into the foliage, leaving Thoughtful alone in the sea of green. The raven-haired Smurfette slowed her sprint to a walk among the branches, practicing what Wild had shown her about tree-hopping and camouflage. Eventually, she sat back against a tree trunk and let her mind wander.

Thoughtful didn't know how long she'd been there until a sound other than that of the forest met her ears. Footsteps were evident, but not that of a human or animal. Coupled with the steady beat was an incoherent muttering, like the creature was talking to him or herself.

Thoughtful rose to a crouch, sliding carefully around a thick clump of leaves, and looked to the ground. There, among the grass and roots, was Brainy Smurf. Thoughtful immediately cocked her head. What is he doing out in the forest? Normally the intellect wouldn't venture outside the perimeter of the village, preferring to make himself useful in the safety of others.

She was about to descend the tree trunk and approach him when something apparently caught Brainy's eye. His head perked up from the focused angle it had previously been directed and he stopped dead in his tracks. Thoughtful froze too, thinking maybe he'd heard something dangerous and was preparing to run.

Brainy only stepped cautiously in the direction of a different tree, one across the path from the hidden Smurfette's. He set his feet deliberately and silently, as if trying not to frighten something off.

Thoughtful tracked him from the branches with her eyes, her only movement being the slight shifting of her weight for comfort. Brainy's eyes were fixated on something near the base of the tree, a splash of light blue among the green, like a piece of sky fallen to Earth. He was speaking gently and if Thoughtful strained her ears, she could make out most of the words.

"Hey, little thing," Brainy said. The patch of blue moved slightly and raised it's head, revealing itself to be a Blue Jay chick. "Did you fall? You must've." Then the typical 'Brainy' voice set in again. "You should've known better. How old are you, three weeks? You can't fly yet, silly thing."

Thoughtful took a chance and sidled closer to the spectacled Smurf, watching him murmur reassurances to the bird as he came closer. His voice was soft and gentle, quite unlike the nasal drawl that was used so frequently in the village. Thoughtful was taken aback by the shift in tone.

Brainy now stood next to the fallen chick, still speaking quietly, but saying nothing of particular importance. He seemed more trying to calm the chick enough to reach down and pick it up without it protesting. After successfully securing the frightened creature, he scaled the tree fairly easily (as was the skill of the Smurf race) even with the bird in his hands. Thoughtful debated going down and helping him, but something made her feet stay rooted to the tree like a mushroom on a log.

Brainy turned onto a branch almost level with her own and trotted to a mass of mud and twigs on the end. Carefully, he placed the chick inside. "You stay there. Don't try and fly again, bird. You're lucky it was ME who found you and not some cat or weasel. Then you'd REALLY be smurfed." Without any further farewell, the intellect scuttled down the tree again and continued on his way with an air of self-satisfaction.

Thoughtful watched him go until he was out of sight. A wide smile wormed its way across her face. and she removed Quintoro from her hat. "What a kind thing to do! I wasn't aware Brainy could be so considerate." She mused to him. Quintoro, in reply, slithered onto the bark of the tree and coiled up in the sun. Thoughtful smiled. "I guess you want to sleep. I'll leave you to it then, since you know the way back to the village."

Following Brainy's lead, Thoughtful lowered herself to the ground and carried onward with no particular destination in mind. She walked, simply enjoying the sound and feel of the forest. At one point, her eyes shut briefly and when they opened again, she halted dead.

The forest had changed drastically. Oak and ash trees had been replaced with spruce and pine. Thoughtful could feel the breeze, cooler than the one she'd felt previously, on her skin. She could hear it rattle the needles on the trees, sending some to the ground where a layer of them already resided. The sky was darker than before, indicating a recent rain or one soon to come. She could taste smoke in the air, like she was near a village.

Suddenly, even though her feet remained firmly where she stood, the forest around her began to move forwards. Slowly at first, and then faster and faster until the sheer speed took Thoughtful's breath away. She careened around boulders and bushes in a pattern that was a bit too strategic to be random. Her vision slowed at an enormous rock face, like she was looking up the side of a cliff. A river surged by her feet, separating the cliff from the bank where Thoughtful currently stood. There was a section that jutted out from the rock, almost like a path...

With a gasp, the spectacled Smurfette returned to reality. Her mind was still reeling with the momentum of the vision and her body pitched forward onto the grass. Thoughtful slapped a palm to her mouth to keep from retching, but her stomach still churned. Her heart crashed against her ribcage and her whole body shook. Before she could even get a grip on her own function, black invaded the edges of her sight range. She felt her body go limp as the darkness overtook her.

Tracker loved a good walk in the forest as much as the next Smurf, but something felt wrong today. It was near noon and the birds had remained silent and still. No crickets hopped around and the squirrels weren't playing like they normally did. The atmosphere seemed tense.

On any other day, Tracker would've guessed humans in the forest. Only, on any other day, Tracker would've been able to smell them, and Tracker Smurf's nose is never wrong. There was no way humans could hide from him and, since he hadn't been alerted of anything unusual, humans were not the problem.

Concentrating, Tracker could smell something different. Not unpleasant, rather Smurfish, actually, but he couldn't place his finger on the scent. I know I've smurfed that somewhere before...

As he continued, the aroma became more pronounced. A grin grew on his face as he identified the source of this particular scent. Thoughtful is out in the forest. He quickened his pace, eager to find his fellow feathered friend.

Coming around the bend, he stopped abruptly. There was a smear of blue, black, red, and beige contrasting the lush green of the grass. Thoughtful was laying face-down on the ground, unmoving.

Immediately, Tracker ran to her side, falling to his knees beside her. Hurriedly flipping her off her face, he pressed two fingers to the side of her neck, checking for a pulse. When one made itself known, he sighed in relief and relaxed a bit, focusing on the beat. It was higher than normal, but otherwise indicated she was asleep.

Silly Smurfette, Tracker thought fondly. What made you fall asleep right here? Well, no use her getting eaten or stepped on by some careless animal.

Bracing himself, Tracker lifted Thoughtful's body into his arms and headed north. He knew a place where she could sleep in complete safety and when she woke up, she could tell him how she came to be snoozing in the middle of the forest.

After some time, Tracker halted in front of a massive oak tree, branches withered and dry. Drawing near to its base, he tapped a spot on the bark and a passage opened up. Inside the hollow tree, a staircase carved directly into the side spiralled upwards. Tracker climbed the stairs with little difficulty, sure-footed even with Thoughtful in his arms. After a long period of time, he reached the top of the staircase, a good twenty feet up the dead tree. A small hole in the wall led out into a larger hollow , perhaps a home for some type of animal long ago when the tree was still alive. A larger gap in the side of the tree could've served as an entry point for aforementioned animal. Now, the interior was decorated with all manner of earthy things, like a nest of leaves in the corner, pictures of animals drawn on thin bark pieces hanging on the walls, or a well-used walking stick propped against a knot. This was Tracker's hidey-hole, a place he returned to if the village became stifling or he felt like camping out for a few days. It was his home-away-from-home.

Gently, he set Thoughtful into the little nest that served as his bed and drew the woollen blanket over her shoulders. She was sleeping too deeply to shift, laying right where Tracker set her.

The wood-Smurf reversed, away from the nest, and padded as quietly as he could to the larger of the two entrances. Stepping outside into the noon sun, he slid down the bark to recline on the branch that poked out from the trunk. As the sun warmed his body and his mind wandered, he too was lulled into slumber.