Chapter 4- The Fall of Smurf Village

After 3 turns of the glass the Wind picked up speed just as prophecy promised. Miner and Handy's group descended into the questionable safety of the mines as Tracker leads the rest of the Smurfs to Papa Smurf and Brainy under the oak. Papa Smurf greeted his little Smurfs with open arms and began a head count.

"What do you mean they wont be joining us?" asked Papa Smurf to Hefty, upon hearing news of Miner's plan.

" Sorry Papa Smurf. I didn't think anything of it. We all just assumed during this situation that you didn't care what we did." Hefty said.

" And you said nothing to try and convince him to stay?!" Papa Smurf asked impatiently.

" Well I… No Papa Smurf…" Hefty said, completely ashamed of himself now.

" Well you have put all 7 of them in grave danger by allowing them to Smurf down there without saying a word.. Should anything happen to them you will have to live with the guilt for the rest of your Smurf! It was a very unsmurfy thing to do Hefty." Papa Smurf lectured.

Hefty lowered his head in shame, his face normally filled with pride and bravery now flushed in disappointment as he takes his place in line and awaits a head count.

"Yes way to go Hefty! You really did great!" Brainy says harshly, with sarcasm.

Papa Smurf goes down the line naming off every Smurf present and ruling out Miner's group of careless and foolish Smurfs.

" Great Smurf! Where's Baby!" Papa Smurf shouts.

" Over here Papa Smurf" Grouchy answers. He holds the young smurfling with the utmost care and affection, this scene was a shocking surprise to every Smurf present. Grouchy is perhaps the only Smurf besides Tracker who has yet to loose his cool during the given situation. He stands there with his scowl on his face holding young Baby Smurf who is just laughing and wiggling and playing with his rattle. Nether of the two were in line but just kind of lingering next to it which is why Papa Smurf had not noticed them during the head count.

" Why weren't you in line Grouchy?" asked Papa Smurf.

" I hate lines!" Grouchy says, before adding "Baby hates lines too right Baby?"

Baby answers by folding his arms and forming a scowl on his face, dropping his rattle. All the Smurfs burst into laughter including Baby while Grouchy looks down at him and gives him a slight grin.

"He he he yes, well I believe it's time for another Smurf to take care of Baby now." Papa Smurf said as he took Baby out of Grouchy's arms. Grouchy bent down and picked up Baby's rattle and gave it back to Baby, he was rewarded a bonk on the head for his good deed by Baby himself.

" I'll take him Papa Smurf…" Smurfette said, with a shaky voice.

" Are you sure Smurfette?" Papa Smurf asks.

" Y-yeah I'll be alright now.." Smurfette answers, as she wipes her eyes clean of tears and accepts the young Smurf into her arms.

" There there Smurfette… It is a shock to all of us.." Papa Smurf said, as Smurfette returned to her spot in line.

" Hyuk Hyuk Hyuk! A shock! Now that's funny!" Jokey insensitively added, laughing.

You would see the classic butterfly scene before Jokey flew on to the screen and landed on his head in the mud.

"Ahem.. Now then.. It won't be much longer now my little Smurfs… We should seek shelter within the Great Oak's trunk and start discussing what we will do after the villages destruction." Papa Smurf says, as he approaches the trunk of the mighty tree.

"Well gosh Papa Smurf! How is any Smurf going to get into there?" Clumsy says, knocking on the firm trunk of the mighty oak.

" Clumsy, Clumsy, Clumsy!.. Papa Smurf obviously has some plan or special way to get into the tree. It is surely obvious to every Smurf here that there is a secret door. Perhaps a chant or spell would make the oak reveal it's secret passage and-" Brainy opens his eyes to see everyone gone, the wind becoming fierce as the night progresses.

" Hey! Wait for me!" Brainy shouts, as he storms into the trunk just before the entrance shuts, every Smurf laughing in the background.

" Papa Smurf?" asks Tracker, "might I propose that we head north of the forest following the bank of the "River Smurf"? I am picking up the scent of many different kinds of food in that direction and if we stay close to the "River Smurf" we will have access to plenty of water.

" That's a Smurfy idea Tracker!" replied Papa Smurf, " but what if something unfortunate should happen to you? How would the rest of us make it to our destination" Papa Smurf added.

"No problem Papa Smurf!" Tracker immediately answers, as he slaps several maps onto the walls of the trunk and pins them to the tree.

"I see… But.. Only Brainy, Dreamy, You, and myself could understand such professionally detailed maps Tracker". Papa Smurf points out.

" Then I believe it is time for a much needed and delayed lesson on survival in uncivilized wilderness! Smurfs! Get comfortable! It's gonna be a jolly good night of learning and studeies.." Tracker declares.

"I hate uncivilized wilderness!" Grouchy yells in protest.

Tracker gives every Smurf a compass, a pocket knife, a goatskin of water ( and a bottle for Baby ), and a copy of a section of the map of the forest that surrounds them. Every Smurf finds a place to sit and await Tracker's lessons.

"Smurfs listen up now!" Papa Smurf yells, as he waves his hands demanding attention and silence. "Tracker has been waiting anxiously for this opportunity and spent a very long time arranging this important lesson! So lets all encourage Tracker and welcome his knowledge, taking it in as our own." Papa Smurf adds, before he takes his seat and Tracker approaches the front of the group. He was about to begin when Brainy stands up and starts in.

" I for one think that this is a most Smurfy opportunity to enhance the minds of the rather unintelligent existence that most Smurfs here are forced to face every single day.. Furthermore I am sure that Tracker will openly and most generously accept a copy of my book: "Brainy Smurf's guide to the outdoors". That being said I-" Brainy's speech was cut short when Tracker attempted to shove Brainy's book into his mouth to get him to shut up. Only half succeeding to do so, Brainy slowly sits back in his seat before spitting his textbook out onto the floor with a hack followed by an uproar of echoing laughter surrounding him.

" Gosh Brainy.. Are ya hurt?" Clumsy asks.

" Just my pride Clumsy" Brainy says, correcting the position of his glasses to there proper location on his head. " Golly!" Clumsy replied.

"Now then without further ado. Let us begin with the navigation of the compass. If every Smurf would please pick up your compass and examine it closely upon doing so you will notice a jolly little needle surround by for Letters of the Human alphabet. Whichever direction the needle is pointing in resembles which direction you face on the forest map. If you draw your attention to your map you will find a very similar symbol as the inside of your compass… this is known as the Compass Rose-" Tracker continued his fairly detailed lesson while Dreamy sits slouched in the far back of the trunk. His mind wandering, a endless amount of thoughts, scenarios, and visions flying around at once conflicting with his pounding head and slight difficulty getting use to his refined body.

" Something is obviously on your mind Dreamy…" Papa Smurf whispers, as he sits down next to Dreamy, setting Baby down in his tiny lap.

Dreamy fights fears of being laughed at, persecuted, and mocked as he also considers telling Papa Smurf about his strangely accurate day dreams.

"You believe me about my friend the visitor from Outer Smurf right Papa?" Dreamy whispers.

" Eh.. Why yes of course I do Dreamy but where are you going with this?" Papa Smurf replied.

" Something tragic is about to happened Papa Smurf… I am getting weird daydreams and visions and-" Dreamy was interrupted.

" Oh now, now Dreamy.. Perhaps you are just experiencing side effects from the medicine". Papa Smurf whispers.

" Wha?… B-But Papa Smurf! Just hear me out will ya?!" Dreamy persists.

" That will be enough Dreamy.. The last thing we need to add is a panic to the situation.." Papa Smurf said.

" I know about the Great Smurf…" Dreamy adds, slipping Papa Smurf a paper.

" Amazing! Simply amazing!" Papa Smurf uttered upon unfolding the parchment.

" But wherever… However did you-?" Papa Smurf says.

Dreamy answers by pointing his last real finger on his left hand to towards the sky. Papa Smurf is astonished, he looks at Dreamy then at the sky and then back to the paper.

"Now do you believe me Papa Smurf?" Dreamy asks with certainty.

"Amazing…" Papa Smurf whispered.

The wind outside was blowing with such intensity that it almost felt as though the oak was swaying back and forth. The roar of gusts so loud that Tracker was pretty much screaming in order to continue his lesson. You could hear the roofs fly off every hut, the storage tower once filled with bounty now empty as it was carried by the wind into the oak, shattering the fine structure on impact. Every Smurf far to shaken to sleep (with the exception of Lazy and Baby of course) found themselves forced to turn to Papa Smurf, who aided them with a sleeping spell, putting them in a trance so they could sleep. It truly sounded like the world was ending to the tiny blue creatures as the night persisted it only got worse.

Papa Smurf sat down with Dreamy and Dreamy told Papa Smurf of all that he had thought about before his accident, Papa Smurf was amazed and never heard anything quite like it before, it was a lot to take in during such hard times. Papa Smurf is still not completely convinced that Dreamy has any form of special power to him. He decides it was just a lucky guess and that the dream about the Great Smurf was just a near death experience caused by medicine and fear. Although none of Papa Smurf's theories could explain the artifact handed to him by Dreamy an hour ago. The artifact was wrapped in a normal piece of paper but the artifact itself was like nothing Papa Smurf had ever seen or heard of before. It was a bronze idol in the form of a rather large Smurf with a tome under his arm and a scepter with an orb as bright as the very sun itself atop of it, which made it painful to eyes to look at directly without proper eye protection. The Smurf looked to be young around 170 years of age and wore long robes that covered even his torso which rarely any Smurf does, his free hand reaching out in a friendly gesture as to welcome someone, his eyes were closed and he had a grin on his face with a tattoo of an eye on his forehead. Such a being seemed unreal to Papa Smurf if he had not known better he would have thought Dreamy created this himself or got it from a human marketplace or from somewhere on his travels, but very few beings know of Smurfs that can speak a recognizable language and have the intelligence to smelt bronze.

The idol gave something of a peaceful feeling to Papa Smurf as he gazed at it's wonder while dozing off, he wasn't sure but he could have sworn the expression on it's face changed to that of a angry one blazing with wrath, giving off a eerie feeling of hopelessness and death. But he couldn't say for sure he was far to tired. When Dawn emerged from the horizon every Smurf gathered their things and waited for Papa Smurf to chant the spell that would free them from the safety of the Great Oak's trunk.

The scene that greeted the Smurfs upon exiting the tree was most tragic and heartbreaking. The village that they had lived in for over a century was now rubble, only the foundation of the well remains.

"Great Smurf…" Papa Smurf says, in response to the scene present before him.