Chapter Two: The Escape

~Kat~

I panted as I ran through the Smurf Forest with Gargamel hot on my and Clumsy's heels. Only a few moments before, I had been gathering wood for Handy when Clumsy had ineptly tripped over a rock. He had landed with a loud thud, alerting Gargamel to our presence. He'd laughed in delight and tried to capture us with a net, but we'd recognized the danger and had started out for the Smurf Village as fast as our feet would take us. We had been running for fifteen minutes now, but Gargamel showed no sign of slowing down.

"Clumsy! Hurry up! We're going to be Smurf soup at this rate!" I called. I dug my nails into the wood of the logs I hadn't dropped yet, trying to hold onto them. "I-I'm trying! Gargamel's really fast!" puffed Clumsy as he tripped over his feet for the 14th time. This blunder allowed Gargamel to catch up with us. "You stupid Smurfs! I'll get you one day, or my name isn't Gargamel!" cackled Gargamel. He reached out a hand to take us away.

Luckily for us, he tripped over Azrael. We were able to pull ahead of him by only a few feet. I could faintly see the invisible barrier protecting the village ahead and panicked-Gargamel would find our village if we kept heading in this direction! "Clumsy, follow me; we're almost to the village and we can't let Gargamel hurt everyone!" I called as I made a sharp left turn and headed into the depths of the forest. "O-okay!" stammered Clumsy. As he tried to follow me, he slipped in a puddle of mud and skidded across the forest floor. To my horror, I realized that he was headed right for a huge boulder. "Clumsy, watch out! You're going to-" I warned him. But it was too late.

Just as Clumsy turned his head to look at me, the side of his face smacked into the rock. He slumped to the ground in a comatose heap. My heart skipped a few beats as I saw Gargamel cackle in triumph and scoop Clumsy into his hands. "You're finally mine, you annoying little Smurf! And now for the other one…"

Azrael mewled maliciously and reached out for me with his horrifyingly sharp claws, as though I were a tender mouse. I backed away in horror and looked desperately up at Gargamel. I tried to formulate a plan to rescue Clumsy and escape without leading Gargamel to the village. As hard as I thought, I couldn't come up with a decent plan. It didn't help that Azrael kept chasing me around in an attempt to corner me.

I quickly glanced up at Clumsy and nearly burst into tears at his current state. He was as pale as death. He drooped limply over Gargamel's hand while he lay helpless and unconscious. He looked like a dead mouse in a hawk's talons. I knew he needed to be taken care of before he got worse.

I suddenly thought of Amnesiac Smurf, a Smurf with psychic powers who had been struck in the head by a comet and had remained in a hundred-year-long coma until quite recently. I knew I couldn't let that happen to Clumsy-the mere thought of it was just too difficult to bear. And as this thought crept into my brain like a suffocating vine, an idea for escape slithered along with it.

I bent over abruptly and clutched at my belly, as though I had suddenly gotten a terrible stomachache. "What's wrong, little Kat? Too weak for Gargamel now?" smirked Gargamel. He leaned over me, his voice dripping with false concern. Disgusted, I backed away, trying as hard as I could to look pained beyond belief. "I…don't feel so smurfy. I think….I need to smurf down a little," I said weakly as I leaned against a tree for support.

Azrael narrowed his eyes and snorted. I could tell he was suspicious about my sudden discomfort. Feeling that perhaps my performance wasn't very convincing yet, I put the back of my hand to my forehead and slumped over, as though I had a bad fever.

"Kat, are you ill? You poor Smurfling…why don't you come with Uncle Gargamel and let me turn you into something useful, you sniveling wreck of a girl?" sneered Gargamel as he groped out for me. His fingers were curled like a hawk's talons. I knew that he was feeling triumphant at the capture.

I curled my lip; feeling sick at his words. When I was younger, Gargamel had acted as a foster parent for me, and I had been his servant until I turned ninety-eight. On that day, I was taken home to the village.

That was when I realized that the lies Gargamel had fed me about me being his niece were all false-they were all created only to turn me into a trusting ally. Since then, I had hated him with all the loathing I could muster, although I still felt sorry for him at times. After all, he may be a bumbling wizard, but deep down inside he's just a lonely little boy who wants somebody to love him.

Thinking fast, I tackled Gargamel and kicked him in the thigh. He doubled over and yelled in pain, giving me a few moments in which to act. With the swiftness of a darting cat, I raced up his thigh, grabbed Clumsy in my arms, and leaped gracefully into a soft patch of moss. I dusted off my pants and ran as fast as my legs could carry me from the hissing Azrael and his equally frustrated master.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU NAUGHTY LITTLE SMURFETTE! HOW DARE YOU STEAL MY PRIZE!" Gargamel roared, but I didn't stop to listen. Instead, I leaped through the barrier and scuttled behind a tree. I panted hard; trying to capture my breath. Crossing my fingers for luck, I peeked out from behind the tree to see if I could catch a glimpse of the rampaging wizard.

His squinty black eyes glared back at me. Then slowly but surely he crept towards me with Azrael right beside him. I gasped for air and struggled to run. As hard as I tried, I wasn't able to force my legs to leap out of the way. Gargamel came closer and closer like an approaching nightmare. In a last attempt to get help, I threw back my head and screamed like a maiden in dragon's talons. "Very funny, little Kat…but you won't escape this time. You're MINE!" Gargamel chuckled. He took one last step towards me and tried clumsily to grab me.

That was when I heard a new voice speaking. Her words rang out confidently like a bronze gong. "Drop him."