Yeah. Bet you guys didn't see that coming. Ipati's actually a good guy. He just looks like one of the bad ones. You would think that someone with a bad temper is bound to be labeled as a bad guy. Point is, he may seem stingy, but he really is good as you'll all find out later in the story. Reviews!
Zinka17- Huh. I'll have to read that sometime. It sounds interesting. I do like Shakespeare, but I haven't really read many of his works. And yes, Ipati is a close friend of Crafty's, but I wouldn't exactly call him one of her 'best' friends.
SmallSunshine- Yup. I had a bad flu, too. It was horrible and it lasted for like four days. Oh, and Favian will definitely hear the story of what had transpired between Ipati, Crafty, and Xavier. Like I said, I'll try to do better with the updates. I promise.
Lazy Smurf- I don't know why they don't just admit it. Everyone can see it just as easily as they could see Crafty and Gutsy be together.
flowerpower71- *stares at the first line of the review* Wow. Of all the people who reviewed, I think you had to have been the most shocked at the little twist in the story. Favian sneaks up behind whoever he wants to. He just has too much fun doing it to Wooly :) Anyway, they should go on a double date! If Gutsy and Fern are up to it, let's set it up!
Chloe- It's funny you should mention that very word. Imposter. That very word plays a key word in two of the main conflicts in this story. Don't worry. When you figure out what they are, which will be very easy to do, it'll become more clear to you guys. Anyway, you'll find out soon enough why Ipati was so aggressive with Crafty and the others.
Benny- Thanks, I'm feeling much much better. Yes, I will be having OCXOC coming on in this story, though it won't be until much much later. As for Hefty, I don't believe I made an OC for him. *checks OC couples list* Nope. I don't have anything for him. Anyway, *smiles cheekily* I'm not telling you who Bronzo is, but I'll have to tell you that you guys will LOVE Bronzo. One of these romances will indeed be a love at first sight and it will be mutual, but remember how I said that one Smurf won't approve of Gutsy and Crafty? Well, that same Smurf won't approve of it, either. Aww, come on! If Jo can love Peewit and a hummingbird and a penguin can be together, why can't a cobra be a blacksmith? Like I said, they're not best friends, but they are really close.
Baby smurf- *sighs* I hope I get to the chapter soon where I can announce a couple soon so I can stop getting reviews like this.
babysmurfrock- Same here.
Candy Girl- Hmm. *checks list* Ah! The chapter where Gutsy and Crafty fight will be two to three chapters after Misty and Nanu join the story, which will be the chapter after Crafty gets her memory back, which will be another chapter or two after this one right now. So in about...five or six more chapters.
anon- It's always the ones that seem so into each other that resist love the most. Where's Cupid when we need him?!
Sapphire777- It's finally happened! The Homework Apocalypse is upon us! Run for your lives! *clears throat* Anyway, m'kay, I guess it's all about Wittette and Grouchy and Wooly and Silky in this chapter. Everyone just wants them together. Especially Wittette and Grouchy. I agree and quote from Manny from 'Ice Age: Continental Drift': Denial is the clincher. They're obviously in love.
Don't worry about Bronzo for right now. He won't be mentioned again until you actually meet him and that won't be for quite a while. It must be bad for someone not to remember you even if they were your mother and father..ly figure. Yeah. I was going to make one, but I gave up on it. Maybe next year. I'm working on a Christmas one-shot and planning to post it up on Christmas day...or Christmas Eve. Whichever day I'm feeling like it. Disclaimer time!
I own only Crafty, Hummer, the Creatugos, the Smurfettes, Zorathix, Benevolent, Almia, and Bronzo. Misty is owned by Sapphire777, Noctuma is owned by Benny, Nanu and Livy are owned by flowerpower71, and Jo is owned by CartoonCaster21. Have a Smurfy day!
"WHAT?!" The Smurfs chorused as Favian repeated what he had told Crafty earlier.
"Tell me this is a joke," Wooly crossed his arms in an unfunny matter.
"Believe it or not, it isn't," Aurora said, casually leaning back on a tree in the village.
"It's no joke," Favian shook his head. "Ipati may be a bit rough around the edges, but he is no more evil than any of us and I know he would never harm Crafty intentionally."
"Uh, he bit me and nearly killed me, so I have to disagree," Xavier raised a paw up.
"And I will speak of that to him later. What peaks my interest now is how you survived, Xavier," Favian said, eying the badger over thoughtfully.
"I don't know," Xavier shrugged his shoulders. "We fought, he bit me, Doctor said I probably wouldn't make it, I passed out, I woke up and I was feeling better."
"Hmm. Interesting," Favian muttered to himself. "What astounds me even more is that after all this time, he hasn't tried to come at Crafty at all."
"Probably hidin' in shame from de beatin' I gave'im," Gutsy announced loudly and with great pride.
It was a great shock to the three Smurfettes that Crafty was, well, with someone at first. Favian was the only one that didn't seem so surprised.
"I am not entirely surprised if that is the reason for Ipati's current disappearance. The Scotsmen have been known to be very protective of their mates. They even go so far as to kill if anything were to even touch their females."
Crafty arched an eyebrow at the old tortoise, "What, so now I'm his object? Are you trying to break us up?"
"Certainly not!" Favian shook his head, sounding almost offended. "If anything, I have nothing but respect for the nobility and loyalty the Scotsmen have for their beloveds."
Gutsy smirked in triumph, "Can' say I'm surprised. I mean, look at me. Nothin' but pure toughness."
"Ha!" Crafty laughed dryly. "You couldn't scare a field mouse! You can't even scare me!"
"For once, I completely agree," Noctuma murmured, his yellowish green eyes glinting slightly in amusement.
Gutsy raised a rusty eyebrow at her, "Why would I want te? Yer me future wife."
"That is the lamest excuse I have ever heard in my life," Crafty blandly replied. "Regardless if I'm your fiancé, I should be intimidated by you, that is, if there is anything to be intimidated by."
The Smurfs around them 'ooh'ed loudly at the call out thrown at the toughest Smurf in the village. By a Smurfette and his fiancé, nonetheless.
"Dat right now?" Gutsy raised an eyebrow at her, approaching her with solid, firm steps.
"Sure," Crafty shrugged, completely aware of what Gutsy was trying to do. "I scare you way more than you scare me."
"Well I scared ye plenty a couple of Halloweens ago," Gutsy smirked as he finally halted in front of her. "Ye seemed more scared den a newborn muskrat."
"You were turned into a weresmurf and lost all sense of logical thought. Not to mention you were covered in hair and animalistic to the very core. Then again, what else is new?" Crafty nonchalantly remarked.
"Do you mean the hairy and animalistic part or the being dumb as bricks part?" Wittette teasingly called out, causing the group of Smurfettes including Aurora burst out into laughter.
"I don't know," Crafty threw a smirk at the Scotsmurf. "You tell me."
"I'll tell ye now ye'd better take dat back," Gutsy growled, standing tall to loom over her.
"No," Crafty smiled sweetly. "You should know me by now. I never take back what I say. Especially when they're about you."
Gutsy grabbed her wrists and pinned her to the ground. He pushed his nose right at hers with a triumphant smile on his face as he whispered, "Take it back."
Crafty didn't waver a bit and she brought her knee up into his abdomen, throwing him off of her and onto the ground next to her. She flipped herself onto him, her knees pressing into his stomach and pinning his wrists to the ground.
"You're in no position to be telling me what to do," she pointed out.
Favian blinked his green eyes at the two and turned to Aurora, "I now see why you are not more concerned with Crafty's current engagement."
Aurora raised a non-existent eyebrow at him, "What? And you are?"
"In ways you don't know of yet, yes I am," Favian said, then shook his head. "Anyway, perhaps Noctuma and I should go out and search for Ipati. If he truly was so vicious with you as you said before, we had better bring him and the Rod of Reminiscence here so we may finish this once and for all."
"Why would you need to find him to get that?" Crafty asked, Gutsy squirming under her to get free from her knees pressing against his chest. "The Rod of Reminiscence is with Meena and Homnibus. Ipati doesn't have it."
"Lassie...!" Gutsy gasped, his face starting to turn a harsh purple. "Can't *gasp* breathe...!"
Crafty hastily scrambled off of her fiance to give him air. He sat up abruptly and took in a large gulp of oxygen, returning the smurfy blue to his face.
"What?" Favian asked, nonexistent eyebrows shooting up in astonishment. "He doesn't have it?"
Crafty shook her head along with some of the other Smurfs and Xavier.
"Wait," Explorette interrupted. "How do we know it's yours, though? That rod could be any other one."
"I didn't know, either," Crafty shuddered as she finished, "until I actually touched and was nearly shocked to death."
All of the Smurfettes turned to each other in shock and concern at hearing that. The Smurfs around them merely cringed at the memory of what she had looked like as a result of touching the forbidden artifact.
Aurora raised a flipper and asked, "Uh, isn't Homnibus that old guy with the long beard in that cottage?"
"Are you talking about Homnibus or Grandpa Smurf?" Xavier sarcastically asked. "They both have those things!"
"Crafty knows what I mean!" The emperor penguin snapped.
"Yes. He's the old guy in the cottage, Aurora," Crafty dryly replied. "We can smurf him a visit and get it then."
"And now just a pinch of basil," Homnibus muttered, sprinkling the spice into the cauldron with he and Meena standing right over it.
A knocking at the door caught their attention and Homnibus involuntarily rolled his eyes.
"Probably Peewit again," he muttered, stirring in the ingredients inside the cauldron. "Would you mind, Meena? He won't quit until he gets inside."
"I'm on it," Meena took off from the edge of the table and flew into the other room. As he continued to stir the ingredients, he heard the door open, but no sound of Peewit's voice. He then heard Meena say, "Homnibus. It wasn't Peewit at the door."
Homnibus raised an eyebrow and set the concoction off to the side. Obviously if it wasn't Peewit, then the guest was either a stranger worth meeting or an emergency that needed attention immediately. He entered the room and was surprised to see the guests in his home at the current moment. Those guests consisted of Crafty, Papa, some of the Smurfs and the Smurfettes he never saw before, Aurora, Hummer, Xavier, and an old looking tortoise.
"Erm...Hello, Smurfs," Homnibus waved. "Is there something I can assist you with?"
"Actually, yes," Favian answered for them, catching both the human wizard and Meena by surprise. "We've come here for the Rod of Reminiscence. I believe Crafty told me she left it in your care and observation, I assume?"
"Y-yes," Homnibus gestured into the other room. "It's right here in my study. You're more than welcome to have it if you need it."
"Thank you kindly," Favian gave a slight nod and started towards the room, only at a much slower pace.
The others looked at each other and also walked to the room, though their pace easily exceeded Favian's. When they entered the room, Crafty and the other Smurfs looked to the desk where the Rod of Reminiscence had usually sat as Homnibus studied it and studied it constantly for an answer to uncover its secrets.
They gasped in horror when they saw that the silver serpent scepter no longer sat there or anywhere else in the room.
Again, a short chapter, I know, but I'm trying my best here. The good news is that because this chapter was so short, I'll be sure to make the next one even longer. Oh, and I apologize if that 'Scottish stereotype' offended any of you. I would never want to offend anyone in that sort of way and frankly, I don't even think it's a real stereotype. I kind of made it up because I thought it would be cute for the story. It's going to be mentioned a lot, so if it offends you, I would really appreciate it if it could be tolerated. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Have a smurfy day!