Chapter 17: Restless Smurfs

The next morning every smurf and smurfette got up early to help finish stocking the S.S. Smurf with food and water for its voyage back to the Smurfette Village. Dreamy Smurf came out of his house after putting on his Captain's hat. He closes his door, but stopped to let out a big yawn and stretch out his arms. As he started rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Dreamy began making his way towards the dock.

Papa Smurf turns to see Dreamy yawning once more as he walked up onto the dock and towards his crew that is all lined up, ready to board.

"Did you get enough rest?" The red-capped elder asked the still very tired captain.

"Yes Papa Smurf. I'm still waking up, though." Dreamy replied with another yawn.

"Alright then. Everyone is ready, and the ship has been restocked for her voyage back to the Smurfette Village."

"Ok." Captain Dreamy walked past each of the chosen crew of the S.S. Smurf.

Grouchy had his usual grouchy look on his face as he stood awaiting his command to board the ship. Beside him was Melody. She wanted to come to make sure her sisters, Mama Smurf, and the other smurfs, especially Hefty, were still safe. Harmony stood waiting to come aboard as well. The last smurf Dreamy passes was Astrologette. Confused, Dreamy stopped to scratch his head. He turned to Papa Smurf.

"Ah, Papa Smurf… Where is Brainy? I thought he was coming to be the navigator?" The Captain asked.

"I have decided to let him stay here, Dreamy. When I asked if he or Brainette would like to come they both seemed to have turned green. They asked if it would be possible to stay behind on this trip. Being that they seem to be getting along now I said they could watch over things while I come with you on this voyage." Papa Smurf explained.

"But who will be the navigator?" Dreamy whined, waving his arms in the air.

"I will." Astrologette called out. Dreamy turned in shock. The jet-black haired smurfette smiled at him. "Don't worry. I have been studying the stars during our trip here. I'll be able to navigate with no troubles." She assured him with a wink. Dreamy smiled, feeling confident that this gypsy smurfette just might be able to do a great job as his navigator.

"Alright mates. If everything is in order there is only one thing left to do. Everysmurf aboard the ship, and lets set sail." Dreamy cried out.

"Aye, Aye Captain!" Papa Smurf and the chosen shipmates cry out with a solute.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

It had been almost a week now since the volcano blew. The dust cloud still covered most of the land. Being up in the mountain left them mostly protected from the volcanic ash. However, that did not stop the smurfs and smurfettes from getting up and doing their usual morning rituals

The first to wake up were Hefty and Toughette. They start heading out of the cave to do their stretches and morning exercises before going for a jog. Mama Smurf is the second one to wake up. She went to check up on the recovery of Marla and Tasle. Thanks to all the care the two injured Wood Sprites have received they are now able to sit up, even get up to walk around a bit. Nursette got up soon after Mama Smurf to help clean and redress the wounds of the two Sprites and Handy's arm. After Handy Smurf has his arm looked at by Nursette, he picked up a few of the tools the smurfettes left in the cave for emergency uses, and heads out into the open to finish building a machine. The machine was for when the smurfs from the Smurf Village came to pick them up they are able to use smoke signals.

Farmer and Cowgirl got up and right away headed out to gather herbs and other edible vegetation for breakfast, while Tattlerette focused on writing down their story from the notes she wrote down for her 'Tattlerette's Daily Report'. She knew all the other smurfs and smurfettes will want to read about this exciting adventure with the volcano when they head back to the Smurf Village.

Coron and the other Wood Sprites also head out to patrol the forest. They search to find any creatures that survived and would need medical care. The Wood Sprites also inspected the extent of damage the volcano created. It was a relief to see that the volcano finally showed signs of calming down, but it was also sad that the smurfettes had lost their home do to the destructive force from the explosion. Each day the five Wood Sprites flew over of what uses to be the Smurfette Village and see absolutely nothing. The ground still smoldered along the thick layer of ash covering the one section of the forest. Surprisingly there were a few stray twigs sticking up that use to be tall strong trees, but the scene still was a sad gloomy one.

After returning from their morning jog, Toughette was determined to spar regardless of the fact her home was forever gone. She handed Hefty his bow as she grabs hers. Hefty knew that she would be upset if he doesn't spar with her. At this point, Hefty didn't want to argue with her. He spars with her, but purposely eased back on his attacks. With any luck her mind would be so pre-occupied that she wouldn't notice his light strikes. No such luck.

"You're being easy on me. Stop it!" She suddenly snapped.

"Toughette look I will understand if you do not want to spar today. I mean, I would be upset too if I had just lost my home. In fact, the Smurfette Village was kind of my second home." He tried to counsel between defensive blocks on her attack.

"Hefty you know that sparring helps to keep my mind focused. I really don't want to be reminded that my village is gone right now." Her voice almost squeaked with emotion. She let out a warrior cry as she brought down her staff hard.

"But Toughette…" The strong smurf again blocked her strike.

"You're being a wuss! Attack me!" The golden blond smurfette demanded. She began lashing out in hard strikes with her bow. Hefty barely was able to block every one of them. Finally there is an opening, and without thinking Hefty took it. Swinging his bow around in a swooping motion, he snagged Toughette right off her feet and flipped her over his head. She landed on solid rock with a hard thud. The wind is instantly knocked right out of her.

"Ow!" She winced with a gasp.

Farmer Smurf and Cowgirl just happened to walk by with herbs and fruit in their arms when Toughette took the fall.

"Ooh, that looks like it would hurt." Farmer cringed.

"Yeah, I am betting it would." Cowgirl agreed.

"Why does Toughette insist on sparing every morning? It won't kill her if she'd take some time to relax, you know." Farmer Smurf suggested.

"Farmer dear, that girl is more stubborn then a mule on a hot summer's day. She will never back down from anything." Cowgirl shook her head as she and Farmer headed into the cave.

"Are you alright?" Hefty asked as he dropped his bow and knelt down beside his fallen Toughette.

"No." She growled, trying not to cry.

Hefty was able to at least help her sit up. He placed his arm around her for support, and sat down beside her. Toughette looked up at the still smoldering volcano with a frown.

"Maybe you're right, Hefty." She sighed. "Maybe I should take a break from sparing for a while."

"I understand." He replied, giving her a kiss on her forehead.

"Hefty? Do you remember when you said that fate must have brought you to the Smurfette Village?" Toughette suddenly spoke after being silent for a brief moment.

"Yeah." Hefty responded, not quite sure where she is headed in this conversation.

"Well, perhaps this is fate again, saying that we are meant to stay together?" Toughette wondered as she leaned up against Hefty's chest. His strong arms felt very comforting at this moment.

"It could." Hefty nodded.

"I'm going to miss this place." She added with a broken hearted tone.

"Me too." He too sounded sad for the loss of the Smurfette Village.

"Hefty? Toughette? Breakfast is ready." Mama Smurf called out to them from cave's entrance.

Hefty looked down at Toughette. He noticed that she could no longer hold in her tears. There would be no way she would feel comfortable sitting with the others right now, even though she was very hungry after a good workout. Barely able to contain his own emotions he still turned to face Mama Smurf.

"J-just give us a moment, ok Mama Smurf." He told her.

"Alright. I'll make sure to save some porridge and fruit for when you two are ready." She said before turning and heading back into the cave.

Hefty faced the direction of the volcano, but this time he allowed his tears to fall. It took a lot to make him cry, and seeing Toughette this upset was enough to get him emotional too. That and seeing the village he called home for the past two years disappear in a rush of hot ash broke his heart too. His one relief was that the other smurfettes were safe back in the Smurf Village.

Toughette reaches up with one of her hands and strokes his arm tenderly. "Thanks," she whispered to him.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

LATER IN THE AFTERNOON…

Mama Smurf returned with Toughette and Tattlerette from gathering more medicine herbs for the recovering Wood Sprites. As they came towards the cave a scene in front of the entrance caught their attention. Cowgirl, Farmer, Nursette, and the Wood Sprites, even Tasle and Marla were up watching Hefty and Handy locking hands over a flat rock. As the smurfettes got closer they saw that the two smurfs are trying to push the other hand over. For the moment it appears that they are evenly matched. This puzzled Mama Smurf and the other smurfettes. They had never seen anything like this before.

"What is going on here?" Mama Smurf finally called out.

"Oh, Mama Smurf you're back." Coron said after finally noticing the smurfettes return.

"Yes. And this is what I come back too?" Mama Smurf raised her eyebrow and addressing the scene in the middle of the crowd.

"It is called a good-old-fashion arm wrestling match, Mama Smurf." Farmer spook up. "Back home Hefty would challenge all the smurfs, but no one had been able to beat him. The one that could come close was Handy as far as I can tell."

"Talk about a male ego sport at its finest." Tattlerette chuckled.

"I challenge the winner." Toughette cried out with her arm raised high.

"As I was saying…" The red-headed smurfette smirked at her golden-haired tom-smurf sister.

Inch by inch Hefty pushed Handy arm over until it finally lands on the flat surface of the rock.

"Ha! I beat you, again!" Hefty cheered triumphantly with his hands high up in the air.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You got lucky because I still have a sore arm." Handy excused himself for losing.

"You know, my heart would bleed for you, but it's my turn…move." Toughette smirked at Handy as she jerks her thumb for him to get up from the rock he was sitting on.

"Toughette, you know how much I love challenging you to any sport, but this is arm wrestling. It's different." Hefty said, trying to get her to back down.

"Whatever, it's a sport. I want to try it." Toughette ignored his warning, and held up her hand in preparation.

"Ok." Hefty shrugged before taking her hand into his. "But I am not going to go easy on you just because you're a smurfette."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Toughette grinned.

"Ready?" Handy said putting his hand on Hefty and Toughette's locked grip. Both challengers nod their heads. "Alright, go!" The carpenter smurf barked as he let go for the match to begin.

To start, both Hefty and Toughette seemed evenly matched. But that wasn't the case. Toughette could tell that he was backing down on his full strength in order to put on a show for the others. It wasn't tell he really began putting on more force behind his push that she is now able to feel his powerful grip.

Slowly Hefty pushed Toughette's hand back. It would be a matter of seconds before he won. Toughette began to feel that she was out muscled in this sport. That was when she came up with a cleaver idea. Before Hefty could have a chance to react, Toughette quickly leans over and kisses him on the lips. This distracted him just enough for her to push his hand down onto the flat rock.

"Whoo-whoo, I win!" Toughette cheered as the audience around them roared with laughter, especially Handy and Farmer. Nether of them ever saw Hefty been beaten in an arm wrestling challenge. To them this was the funniest thing they had ever witnessed.

Hefty was more shocked then embarrassed that he had been beaten by a smurfette.

"You cheated!" He finally said with a cracked voice.

"I did not!" She defended.

"Yes you did. You kissed me. There is no kissing in an arm wrestling challenge!"

Handy and Farmer both started to laugh harder when they heard that.

"Oh dear." Mama Smurf giggled with the other smurfettes and Wood Sprits.

"You never complained before when I kissed you." Toughette huffed over the fact he was being a sore loser.

"That's different! We weren't arm wrestling then. The #No. 1 rule in arm wrestling is 'no kissing'."

"Oh you are just making that up!" Toughette growled as she slammed her fist onto the flat rock in front of her.

"I am not! You can ask any smurf. They will tell you. Isn't that right, smurfs?" Hefty turned to Handy and Farmer, hoping that they would support him in this debate.

"What are you asking me for? I don't arm wrestle." Farmer laughed.

"Hey, I don't want to get involved. This is between you and your girlfriend here." Handy stated, whipping a tear from his eye after laughing so hard.

"Traitors!" Hefty growled. He then turned to the smurfette elder. "Mama Smurf! Will you please explain to Toughette that kissing is a form of cheating in an arm wrestling challenge?"

"I'd love to Hefty, but I have never seen this sport before. I am not familiar with the rules I'm afraid." The smurfette elder said, trying to hide the fact she was still giggling.

"Face it, Hefty. You hate losing, especially if it's a sport you think you have mastered." Toughette snorted.

"That's it! I'm going to get you for that!" Hefty crowed. He instantly jumped up from the rock he was sitting on and lunged at her. Toughette managed to leap back before he could grab her, and ran off towards the path Mama Smurf, Tattlerette and she took coming back from picking herbs. Hefty followed in close pursuit. It didn't take long from the moment both of them were out of sight that the others heard Toughette squeal echoing through the trees.

"I guess he got her." Tattlerette laughed. That comment started everyone laughing out loud again.

Hefty grabbed Toughette from behind, nearly causing her to fall over with fits of giggles. The strong smurf pulled her up and leaned her against a nearby tree.

"Ok, so you got me." She chuckled. "Now what do plan on doing about it?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe this…" He cooed, bringing his face closer to hers.

Gently he strokes his nose smoothly over her soft blue cheek. The feeling tickles her, causing her to start giggling. Toughette could feel her cheeks blush. How embarrassing this would be if the other smurfettes ever saw her like this. Hefty smiled over the fact that her face glowed a purplish-pink color. Their eyes met with instant attraction. Like two magnets their faces started pulling into each other. Toughette stopped once something caught her eye over the cliff and out on the ocean. A smurf-sized ship sailed up towards the shore of what use to be the Smurfette Village.

"Hefty!"

"What?" Her sudden cry made Hefty Smurf jump. The moment shattered so fast that he didn't know if he should be disappointed or upset.

"Is that the S.S. Smurf?" She asked, pointing down towards the ocean.

With surprise, Hefty spun his head around to see what Toughette was pointing at. Indeed he too saw the tiny ship floating roughly five miles from the shore.

"It is!" He exclaimed.

"We have to tell the others right away!" Toughette said, taking hold of Hefty's hand and lead him back up the hill to the cave.

Mama Smurf and the others were just starting to eat lunch when Hefty and Toughette came running up.

"Handy! Start up your machine!" Hefty shouted.

"What?" Handy shot his head up from his bowl of soup.

"Your machine Handy, start it up! We just saw the S.S. Smurf!" Toughette cried out.

"Whoa…" Handy almost spilled his soup on his lap as he got up to run for his machine.

"It's about time, if you ask me." Farmer Smurf grumbled before returning his attention back to finishing his soup.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Papa Smurf! Captain Dreamy! Up on top of the mountain…Look!" Harmony yelled from up in the crow's nest.

Papa Smurf and Captain Dreamy looked up at Harmony before gazing up at the Mount Peak. It was then they saw strange smoke rising up from it.

"Those are smoke signals." Astrologette pointed out.

"I hate smoke signals." Grouchy grumbled.

"That has Handy's work written all over it, Papa Smurf." Captain Dreamy stated as matter of fact.

"What do they say, Papa Smurf?" Melody asked.

"Hmm…" The red-capped elder scratched his bearded chin as he studied the smoke pattern. "It says that the Smurfette Village is no more, but everyone is safe."

"Well that explains the gray ash and lava we saw covering the shore." Melody sighed with a sadden expression.

"Yeah," Astrologette let out a sigh as well before putting her arm around her sister. "But at least the others are alright…just like the prediction I got from my tarot cards."

"It's a shame your tarot cards didn't explain how we would be able to get to them and bring them back to the Smurf Village." Captain Dreamy inquired to the gypsy smurfette.

"Wait my little smurfs, there is more to Handy's message." Papa Smurf waved to the crew. "We can meet them along the east shore. It was unaffected by the volcano explosion."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Vast ye mates! Set sail yon starboard!" The Captain barked.

"Aye, aye Captain!" The crew replied.

"I hate yon starboard…" Grouchy Smurf again grumbled as he started following the Captain's orders.