I'm not going to say anything about not updating in like forever. Actually, it gave me a pretty good idea on how bad you guys want to know what happens next, so that makes it kind of worth it. Anyway...hello! Well, I hope you guys like the last chapter and I'm sure you'll love the future ones because starting with this one, all of the secrets of Crafty's past along with other characters will be revealed! Let's look at some reviews!
Sapphire777- First of all, congrats on being the first to review for the last chapter. Yes. You are the second person to actually get the meaning of the title. Mama and Papa felt it would be good for Grouchy and Wittette to spend time together on account of how well they get along. I had no idea what to make their conversation about, so I pretty much just started watching movies and for some reason, bananas and flamingos came into my mind.
That very quote unquote Scottish stereotype really was made up and I'm glad you approve of it. It's just basically that anyone of the Scottish heritage are loyal and protective of their husband/wife and anyone having a problem with that either ends up beaten or dead. Pretty much, if anyone Scottish loves you or wants to be with you for the rest of his or her life, you're very lucky. Anyway, *chuckles* yes, Misty and Nanu will in fact be appearing in this chapter. All of your waiting will be worth what you are about to read in this chapter.
Benny- Actually, Crafty did that when she was just a little Smurfling and it was by accident, but Noctuma was really mad about it. And as a matter of fact, Benevolent and Favian already got along before. *winces* Ssss. I don't know. Crafty and Gutsy's future together looks pretty bleak at the moment. And I know! I loved Slyly in that movie and thought his voice would be perfect for Wiklor.
Grouchy and Wittette do end up getting along better from that chapter forward, but it happens very slowly. Very slowly. Anyway, hmm. Are all Drakonus evil? Well, you're gonna have to read this chapter and find out, won't you? Oh, and the Shadow Hounds are the minimum of danger that Crafty and Gutsy will be facing in this story. Not to mention the other Smurfs.
flowerpower71- We finally have a date set! Tell Gutsy and Fern to meet Grouchy and Wittette at the Old Oak at high noon this Friday. And remember: Fifth Annual Hate Convention. Just like Wiklor, I felt that Zach Levi's voice would go well with Roland the Oracle's personality, but you won't know that until way further into the story.
Candy Girl- Don't worry. It's a perfect time to be dramatic. Especially when you're being chased by ravenous, blood-thirsty, demonic wolves.
Zinka17- Yup. When you're being chased by wolves, you don't really have time to think about anything else. Grouchy and Wittette technically did admit that they hated each other. They just said that they hated each other less. Just like the movie.
Chloe- That is sad. I hope they're reunited someday. Anyway, the Shadow Hounds are really unpleasant, ruthless, and bloodthirsty. No further comment.
SmallSunshine- It's kind of uncomfortable to watch someone who says they're in a big hurry go so slow. Favian shooting out through the door was something I thought would be a great controversy or whatever you want to call it. I, myself, am about to be hit with a Homework Apocalypse, but luckily I have a lot of free time this week so I wouldn't be surprised if I updated this story another two or three times this week.
Lazy smurf- Grouchy and Wittette are really going to start forming a mutual liking. Not exactly love but not really hating each other.
babysmurfrock- Same here. I'm hoping to have few more updates up because I'm anxious to get your opinion on the Smurf OC I told you about. You know, the one that wants Crafty and Gutsy broken up. He'll be coming up sooner than you all actually think.
LULLABY1LOVE- No, Grouchy isn't the friend with darkness in his heart. You'll actually be hearing about this friend in the next chapter or two. Now would actually be a good time to say, if you didn't figure it out already from the fifth chapter, Crafty did not have one but two Smurflinghood friends. The friend with darkness within him is the one.
The Smurf Reaper- You can't take my soul. How will you know how the story ends if I don't have a soul to write the story with? Disclaimer time!
I own only Crafty, the Creatugos, Smurfettes, Drakonai (plural for Drakonus), Meena, and Hummer. flowerpower71 owns Livy and Nanu, Benny owns Noctuma, Sapphire777 owns Misty, the Smurfs, Johan, and Peewit belong to Peyo, and CartoonCaster21 owns Jo. Have a smurfy day!
"Lassie!" Gutsy yelled into the forest. "Lassie, where are ye?"
"Crafty! Come on! Leave the bad jokes to Jokey! This isn't funny!" Hefty called out, hopping to draw Crafty out into the open.
"Crafts! Come on out!" Sweepy joined them as they continued their search. "I'd love to hear about your memories! Ye probably had some good times!"
Gutsy let out a great 'Umph!' as Crafty tore through the bushes and crashed right into him. The two tumbled to the ground and while Gutsy was in a shocked state, Crafty was up in an instant pulling her fiancé to his feet and pulling him along.
"We've gotta go. We've all gotta get out of here now!" She urged them all to follow her.
"Whoa there, Crafty," Hefty chuckled. "What's going on?"
"Do you want to talk or do you want to stay alive?" Crafty snapped at the brawny Smurf. "Get moving!"
"Lassie! What's de matter with ye?" Gutsy asked, yanking his arm away from her grip.
A low, vicious growl from behind made them all tense up and turn around very slowly. The three shadow hounds prowled into the open, their blood red eyes locked right onto those of their targets. The largest of the three, the leader more than likely, snapped his jaws with a snarl as if he were sending out some sort of signal.
The two growled and prodded to them with threatening steps. The group of four stepped back slowly in fear so not to set off the wolf-like demons.
"Split up," Crafty whispered as quietly as she could to the other Smurfs. "It might confuse them."
"Smurf for it!" Hefty yelled out, he and Sweepy rushing into the bushes in one direction, Crafty and Gutsy rushing into the other.
The two Shadow Hounds' ears perked up then lowered, their red eyes darting side to side, hopeless to know which group of Smurfs to follow. The alpha male rolled his eyes as best as a creature like him could manage and snapped at them, leaping forward and bounding in the direction where Gutsy and Crafty ran. The second growled and followed the alpha. The third merely snapped his jaws and lowered his ears, rushing after the trail where Sweepy and Hefty ran.
"What in blue blazes are those things?!" Hefty gasped as he and Sweepy kept running for their lives.
"I don' know, but I'd rather not ask questions if it means keeping my head on my body," Sweepy gasped as he leaped clear over a fallen tree. Not too far behind them, they could hear the Shadow Hound's harsh panting and the padding of its paws in the dirt.
The two ran and ran as fast as they could, but the Shadow Hound just sounded like it was gaining more ground than they were. Sweepy suddenly let out a loud 'oomph!' and landed face first into the dirt. He scrambled forward, trying to run again, but found that he couldn't. He looked down and saw that his foot was caught on a thick tree root.
"Hefty? Could really use yer help now!" Sweepy yelled out as he panicked, yanking at the tree root to get himself free.
Hefty threw his gaze over his shoulder and before anyone could count three seconds, he had skidded to a stop before sprinting to the chimney sweep Smurf. His eyes widened as he saw that the oncoming Shadow Hound's direction. He couldn't see it's expression, but he could tell that he was eying Sweepy and not in a good way either.
Everything seemed to go in slow motion for all three of them. It would be too close to call who would reach Sweepy first. Though it seemed that the Shadow Hound was fast, Hefty was just as fast.
Just as the Shadow Hound was about to pounce and snap his jaws at he ash-covered Smurf, Hefty ran in front of his brother, holding his arms in front of him. The Shadow Hound's snout, mostly the top, furry part, was caught in Hefty's strong grip and was held their by his strength.
"Sheesh! Take a mint or something!" Hefty gagged at the foul odor coming from the creature's mouth.
Startled, the Shadow Hound lifted his snout and shook all around, trying to throw the burly Smurf off. Hefty clung to the jaws of the beast as it bucked wildly, giving Sweepy enough time to escape from the trap.
Suddenly, the Shadow Hound threw his head to the side, throwing Hefty out of his mouth and into a tree. The Shadow Hound shook his head and growled, now prowling towards the chimney sweep Smurf.
"Oh, great," Sweepy backed away slowly at first, then as quickly as he could.
The Shadow Hound growled and threw himself off the ground and at the Smurf. Sweepy slammed his eyes shut and waited for the slaughter to begin, only it didn't. Opening one eye, Sweepy snapped the other open in an instant. A large white wolf, not as big as the Shadow Hound, had its jaws clamped on the scruff of the darker canine. The Shadow Hound stumbled around, trying to throw the wolf off of him.
The white wolf leaped off of him and charged, throwing its body into the Shadow Hound with all of its strength in a blunt tackle. The Shadow Hound crashed into a boulder, sending a large crack both into the boulder and into the Shadow Hound himself. The wolf struck again as it snapped its jaws harshly into the Shadow Hound's leg, drawing a lot of blood and making the dark canine give out a loud, painful yelp.
The Shadow Hound's ears flattened on his head as the wolf let go before he yipped in fright and rushed out of the scene, barely leaving a trace that he was even there. Panting, the white wolf blew air out of its nose in disgust before padding over to the two Smurfs.
"Are you both all right?" The wolf, now recognized as a she, asked.
"Uh...yeah," Sweepy replied. "You're a Creatugo, right?"
"Of course. I am Nanu, co-commander of the CPPF. My partner Misty should be around here somewhere," Nanu introduced, looking around with her piercing blue eyes.
"Uh, not to be a wet blanket and not that we're not grateful, but there's two more of those things out here," Hefty said. "I think they're after Crafty and Gutsy!"
"Then we'll have to find them, now won't we?" Nanu smirked, crouching down. "Climb on. We'll go look for them. And Misty, too."
"What in the blinkin' flip are those things, lassie?!" Gutsy panted, he and she still running for their lives away from the two Shadow Hounds that were quickly gaining ground on them.
"Gee, do you think that if I knew what they were, I would've gotten them off our smurfs by now?!" Crafty snapped back.
Turning a corner, the two ran into a violent river. The currents swished and crashed, threatening to pull under anything, say, the size of a Smurf.
"Oh smurf," Crafty's shoulders sagged dramatically. "We are so smurfed."
The Shadow Hounds skidded to a stop as they turned the corner as well, making Crafty and Gutsy snap their attention to the two beasts in front of them. They flattened their ears and bared their teeth at the two as the prowled forward slowly, almost tauntingly.
The swooshing of the river suddenly ceased for a moment, the water standing still for a brief moment, before coming at the Shadow Hounds in a harsh torrent. Somehow, the water had split apart, rushing past Crafty and Gutsy as the water drenched the monstrous canines.
"What de smurf?!" Gutsy looked around frantically, trying to spot the source of the sudden attack.
The Shadow Hounds picked themselves up off of the ground and shook their bodies, the water splattering everywhere. The smaller of the two growled and leaped in for the kill, only to be stopped by a brown blur flying out of the water and tackle him right in his stomach. The dark beast fell to the ground with a yelp while the blur landed down on its feet.
The blur, in fact, was an otter. It panted heavily as it sent the Shadow Hound a harsh glare with its green eyes. The alpha Shadow Hound flattened his ears and snarled, teeth bared and all, before dashing past the otter and right at the two Smurfs.
"Gutsy? Why didn't we just run when they got drenched?!" Crafty whispered harshly.
"I was waitin' fer you to do it first!" he replied with as much harshness.
"You know I have too much pride to run away first!"
Just as the alpha Shadow Hound was about to close in, another blur had slammed its smaller form against his and knocking him into a tree, this time the blur was orange and white. This blur was a red fox.
"Misty?!" Crafty asked, her eyes wide and her tone disbelieving. "Is that you?!"
"Ye know each other?" Gutsy asked, looking back and forth between his love and the vixen.
Misty turned her head down to the Smurfette, her teal eyes scanning over her, "A little advice, mi amiga: Run! Get away from here!"
"And where do you suggest we go?!" Crafty snapped.
Misty rolled her eyes and flicked her bushy tail, making the water behind them crackle a bit as it slowly turned to ice. Soon, a small ice bridge had formed across the wide river.
"Dat...was pretty cool," Gutsy nodded, obviously impressed.
"You can say that again," Mist smiled. She then nudged them with her snout, "Now go! Get out of here! That bridge won't last long!"
"Thanks, Mist! I owe you one!" Crafty saluted as she and Gutsy ran across the bridge, stumbling at times, but getting across nonetheless. The two disappeared into the brush until their footsteps were no longer heard by either Creatugos.
"You owe me four already, chica!" Misty laughed, only to hiss seconds later as the alpha Shadow Hound snapped his jaws right on her tail. Her teal eyes flared as she growled, "Nobody touches my tail, you indocto salvaje!"
Just as she was about to snap back at the creature, a dark green blur flashed from the bushes and upon contact with the Shadow Hound, thrusted him clear across the small clearing and into the other Shadow Hound, where they flew into the rushing river. They surfaced and struggled to swim back to shore, but the current was just too strong for them. The two Creatugos watched satisfied as they squirmed through the water until they were out of sight.
"Ooohh," Favian groaned, his shell ceased spinning around and he finally came out. "What did I hit? Did someone get hurt?"
"Nobody important," the otter replied, shaking her chocolate fur out. "What are you doing here, Favian?"
"I'm in search of Crafty," Favian replied, his neck craning as he searched for said Smurfette. "Misty? Hazel? Have either of you seen her?"
"Just missed her," Hazel answered, jerking her head towards the river. "Went across the river back into the forest."
"After her, then!" Favian started his "fast" walk towards the river. "Oh, confound this river!"
Bending his knees, Favian shot up into the air and landed on the other side of the riverbank. He looked over his shell and yelled, "Well, come on! She's not waiting for us!"
"No matter how many times he does that, it never loses its flair," Misty whispered to the otter.
"You get used to it over five hundred thousand years," Hazel whispered back as she jumped into the water.
"Did we lose them?" Crafty panted, grabbing her knees after they got far away from the river.
"I think so," Gutsy breathed heavily, his back pressed against a small boulder. "Ye know dat fox?"
"Uh huh," Crafty nodded. "She's a good friend of mine. Favian thought we'd like each other since we're both so clever, so he brought us together."
"How long ago was dat?"
"About one hundred and seven years ago," Crafty finally caught her breath. "By the way, in case you haven't noticed, I remember things now."
"I've noticed," Gutsy gave out a breathy chuckle. "Ye know, runnin' fer me life works up an appetite. Let's find something to eat."
Crafty nodded in agreement and the two looked around for Smurfberries, or any kind of food they could find.
"Oh! Over there, lassie!" Gutsy pointed. On a lone vine growing out of the ground hung what looked like a bundle of Smurfberries.
"I don't know. Those don't look like any Smurfberry I've ever smurfed," Crafty scratched her head, but Gutsy ran up to the vine. Shaking her head, she followed and stood near the tempting-looking fruit like Gutsy was. "Gutsy. We should leave this alone. Something's not right about this."
Gutsy scoffed as he reached for the berries, "Please, lassie! Like I'm afraid of a wee lil' plant!"
As soon as Gutsy's hands touched the "berries," the ground beneath the two suddenly darkened and the two were slammed together chest-to-chest. A white and light blue bud had closed around the two and rose off the ground a little, the vine acing as the stem of what now looked like a flower nearly ready to bloom.
"I bet you did not see that coming," Crafty's muffled voice sounded from the inside the bud.
"I get it! Ye were right and I was wrong!" Gutsy growled.
It was as if out of nowhere, but two Drakonus in badly tattered silk robes were slinking nearby, one dressed in dark blue and the other in dark violet. No rough skin showed except for their snouts, tails, and broad, curled up wings, the violet one was golden while the other one was bronze in color. The one in violet turned at the sound of the muffled voices and approached the plant cautiously. The one in blue and the taller of the two had followed closely behind. The two leaned down to get a better listen, just to see if they were imagining things or not.
"How are we going to get out of here?!"
"I don' know! Yer de smart one! Think of somethin'!"
The two shot backwards in surprise before looking at each other and nodding. The one in violet bent down and wrapped two, dark gold, clawed hands with sky blue markings around the stem. With barely any effort, it plucked the plant from the ground. With as much haste as they could muster, the two ran through the forest, looking around constantly as they ran.
"FREEZE!"
The two Drakonus came to an immediate halt and snapped in the direction of the voice. Nanu had her back arched, the hairs on the back of her neck would be standing if not for Sweepy and Hefty sitting on it.
"Stay where you are and put your claws in the air," she snarled. Slowly, the two Drakonus lifted their clawed hands up in surrender, though the golden one kept a firm grip on the plant trap.
"Nanu! What the devil is going on here?!" Favian gasped as he ran (as fast as a tortoise could) to the white wolf's side. Misty and Hazel joined right behind them.
"Just making an arrest on the two Drakonus intel informed us of," Nanu growled, narrowing her eyes at the two still dragon people. She eyed the plant in one of their hands and snapped, "Set that thing on the ground and remove your hoods! NOW!"
Very slowly, the violet-clad Drakonus knelt down and set the white and blue plant on the ground almost gently. Standing back up, they simultaneously took their clawed hands and pulled down their hoods.
The Drakonus dressed in dark blue with bronze scales had yellowish eyes that held calm yet complete panic as he looked upon the threat that stood before him and his partner.
The golden Drakonus, however, was different. The spikes that would normally grow on top of a Drakonus' head curved down, giving the look of regular human hair. Light blue marking covered the golden skin almost like tatoos. Slitted, smurfish blue eyes looked over the Creatugos with fear, but also the flower with just as much anxiety.
"Ichabod? Morgana?" Favian whispered, his green eyes wide with exasperation. "Is that truly you?"
"Of course," the bronze Drakonus, Ichabod, replied with a rough chuckle. "Good to see you too, Favian."
"Uh, hello! Trapped in a plant here!" Everyone's gaze turned down to the white and blue flower as it shook and convulsed violently.
"Crafty? Is that you in there?" Sweepy asked, tilting his head in confusion.
The golden Drakonus, Morgana, knelt down and used a clawed finger, dragging in gently across the surface of the bud. The surface cut easily and almost immediately, Crafty and Gutsy popped out, each gasping for air. Smiling, Morgana scooped up the two and brought them to her eye level.
"Crafty," she whispered lovingly. "You haven't changed a bit."
Smiling back, Crafty waved slightly, "Hey, Morgana. Hello, Ichabod."
"And just who is this charming young Smurf you have with you?" Ichabod asked, craning his neck so that his reptilian eyes could observe Gutsy better.
"Guys, this is Gutsy," Crafty slung an arm around the Scotsmurf's shoulders. "He's my groom-to-be."
"Huh. Never thought for you to be the marrying type, Crafty," Ichabod laughed, only to get elbowed by his mate.
"Ichabod, hush!" Morgana scolded, then looked back down with a soft smile. "I think that's wonderful. You must tell us when the wedding is so we can attend!"
"You and Peewit both want to know," Crafty chuckled. When Morgana and Ichabod gave each other a confused glance at each other, Crafty corrected herself, "I'll tell you later. Let's go home, I'm smurfed."
"Do you know when Papa's going to be back?" Livy asked, she and the other young teens hanging out at the edge of the village. "I need to ask him how to do that blizzard spell I've been working on. I can't get it right."
"Why not go to Homnibus? I'm sure he could help you," Handy asked.
"We tried," Johan said. "Neither he nor Meena were there. The door was broken off of its hinges as well."
"That's strange," Tracker scratched his head. He went closer to Johan and whispered as quietly as he could, "What's wrong with Peewit? He looks so sad."
Johan's shoulders suddenly sagged as he turned to the short, blonde jester. Peewit was currently sitting cross-legged next to Biquette, who was lying down on the grass and not looking all too well. She gave out weak bleats on occasion, but made no other sound. Peewit kept his sad eyes on her and petted her head constantly.
"I'm afraid Biquette has become quite ill. They say she might not live much longer. Peewit's been terribly distraught ever since," he whispered back, careful not to let Peewit hear. "That's also why we've come to see Papa Smurf."
"Well, if anysmurf can, it's Papa Smurf."
Puppy suddenly lifted his head and sniffed the air. He gave out an excited yip and raced through the bushes, but nobody had to follow him long as only mere seconds later did they hear a startled yell.
"Oh my!"
"Looks like Puppy found a lady with a picnic most likely," Johan mused. When they entered through the bushes, however, they saw no lady with a picnic. Instead, they found Morgana on the ground with Puppy on her lower abdomen, wagging his tail excitedly.
"Puppy! Down! You don't jump up on people!" Crafty scolded, but didn't hold back any laughter.
"What a friendly little canine," Morgana chuckled, patting the dog's head before gently shooing him off of her. After he jumped off, she picked herself up and dusted her robe off.
"Uh, hello," Livy waved to them.
The two Drakonus looked to the humans in curiosity, almost as if they had never seen one before. The Smurfs gathered around, obviously interested in their new company. The Smurfettes, however, went into their rehearsed formality of their familiar guests.
"Hello, your majesties," Meditette greeted with a bow.
"Majisties?" Many of the others echoed.
Favian cleared his throat and confirmed, "Yes. Smurfs, humans, this is King Ichabod and Queen Morgana of the Isle of Drakoi. They are-were-the high rulers over the Drakonai. Obviously there is some big trouble going on. We must discuss it immediately.
Yup. That answers some questions. All Drakonus are not evil, Morgana and Ichabod are indeed a former king and queen but were thrown out of power and forced to flee their homeland, and unfortunately, Biquette has a deadly illness. I'm sorry, flowerpower71. Your love for fluff makes me think you do not like tragedy. By the by, hope you don't mind I made Nanu a co-commander with Misty. Same with you, Sapphire777. Well, I hope you guys liked their first appearance in the story.
By the way, the first reviewer who finds the Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs reference wins a free wish! Bye!