Chapter 6: Follow Your Nose Tracker!
Grouchy watched as Smurfette followed Poet until they were both out of his sight range.
" I hate Poet!" Grouchy screams, his face turning red. You could never be certain, but the way Baby wiggled his arms around in Grouchy's arms allowed for a split second a sight that almost seemed like Baby gave Poet the finger, of course if he had its not like he or any other Smurf for that matter would have any idea what that meant. Baby folded his arms and gave the same scowl that Grouchy did towards the direction where Poet and Smurfette disappeared from range of sight. Papa Smurf comes out from inside the bushes and makes a commanding gesture with his arm towards Harmony who immediately sounded the trumpet that gathered every Smurf together. Papa Smurf approaches the crowd and raises a hand for silence, then returns it to his back with his other one.
" Listen up my little Smurfs! The time has come to advance forth from these woods.. Never to return again! It is best for us all this way… But first follow me to the River Smurf… I believe we all know what we must do before we depart." Papa Smurf says, as Brainy hands Papa Smurf Vanity's beloved shattered mirror with a sad expression on his face. Every other Smurf followed Brainy in line formation, each (except for Grouchy) had their head down and sported a frown on their face. Their pilgrimage of sorrow was short lived for Smurf Village was not to far from the River Smurf. Upon reaching its bank the Smurfs gathered around Papa Smurf in wedge formation as Papa Smurf reached into his pocket and pulled out a scorched pink flower pin and set it upon the shattered mirror, he then placed both items on a small raft made of twigs and vine and the forest grew silent as Papa Smurf recited the sorrowful final farewell.
"From nature to stork,
From stork to village,
From village to mushroom,
From mushroom to Smurfhood,
And in time comes knowledge,
As does age, and experience,
And then one day,
From Smurfhood to nature… just like long ago,
And as the River Smurf flows…
So does the River of Life flow…
Into the endless sea…
And as every Smurf knows..
The memory of loving grows and grows…"
The crowd by now weeps silent tears as each of them place a single flower atop the mirror and Papa Smurf sends the raft out with a push to be carried by the river.
"And Vanity Smurf will always be… In loving memory…"
Just after Papa Smurf's words every Smurf responded in a moment of silence, with chin down and tears of silence running down their cheeks, except for Grouchy who held a crying Baby Smurf in his arms and managed his usual scowl, and Hefty who stood up straight with his cap near his heart with his head held high. The soft sound of bagpipes was heard in the distance which naturally drew every Smurfs attention, and sitting on a rock by the bank on the other side of the river was none other then Gutsy Smurf. He played a sad tune on his bagpipes with his eyes closed and rocking softly from side to side. Upon finishing he looked up across the river at his fellow Smurfs.
"Gutsy! Your alright!" Smurfette yelled with joy.
" Well of course lass!… It would take more then a we breeze to take down Gutsy Smurf!" Gutsy said confidently, as he dives straight into the River Smurf and skillfully swims with great agility towards the others.
"Adda Smurf Gutsy!" Hefty yells, as he gives Gutsy a friendly punch to the shoulder.
" Easy there Lad! Heh heh…" Gutsy replies, as he approaches Tuffy who was standing beside Hefty.
" Aye their Tuffy! I see ye been pumpin thee ol' iron! Yer starten to get a bulk to ya." Gutsy says, as he tests Tuffy's muscle mass with a squeeze.
" Hefty has been training me to be fit! He's a great coach." Tuffy says, with pride.
" That sure is Smurfy of im' to be takin the time to help ya out! Just like Hefty to be quick to lend a Smurfing hand" Gutsy says, as he approaches Papa Smurf.
" So… This is really the end of the Smurf Village aye Papa Smurf?" Gutsy asks.
" I'm afraid so Gutsy.. I also fear the next hundred years is not going to be Smurfy." Papa Smurf sorrowfully blurts out.
" We didn't know you would be Smurfing back so soon Gutsy.. I must admit I feared the worse.." Papa Smurf said.
" Ah nonsense Papa Smurf! It would have to be worse then this to take down me!" Gutsy says.
" He, he well then.. We mid as well begin our journey my little Smurfs!" Papa Smurf says, before asking: "Tracker?!"
" Right here Papa Smurf!" Tracker raises his hand high as the crowd parts to make way for him.
"The time has come Tracker Smurf… You will be top authority from here on out until our journey is complete…It is a very big responsibility.. But I know we can count on you!" Papa Smurf says, putting a hand on Tracker's shoulder.
" I wont let you down Papa Smurf!" Tracker says proudly, before turning to the crowd.
" Alright Smurfs! Up and at em' now! We have a lot of ground to cover! Compasses… Out! Line formation! " Tracker orders.
" I hate lines!" Grouchy yells, in the background.
" Alright everyone ready?!" Tracker yells.
" Ready!" the crowd yells.
" I hate ready! And I hate yelling!" Grouchy screams.
" Here Grouchy, its Baby's naptime anyway.. I will Smurf in back as far away from the noise as possible." Papa Smurf says as he takes Baby out of Grouchy's arms.
" I hate naptime" Grouchy whispers.
"Then we're off! Tally Ho And all that Rot!" Tracker yells, as he leads the society of homeless Smurfs towards the scent of food of plenty.
Smurfette walked in line between Hefty and Doctor, who was in front of Lazy to keep an eye on his injury and to make sure he does not fall asleep, for to do so in his current condition could prove to be fatal. She wiped Tears of morning from her cheeks and parted her long blonde hair to the sides away from her face. Hefty walks ever vigilant throughout the altered surroundings, stepping over fallen twigs, avoiding unearthed brush scattered by wind amongst the forest floor. Hefty was not going to allow any curse bringing rotten luck bring him down, he walks with his head held high, Tuffy shortly behind, each of them carried spears which Hefty made from flint and branch during Papa Smurf's cool down period in the bushes, only a fool ventures out in this situation unarmed and unprepared and should any further threats endanger his family he will not think twice before putting an end to it, whatever it may be. Hefty remembered something from long ago, a time when a "knight of the round table" once visited the village to slay a dragon, Hefty learned much about combat and the way of the knight during those days even if his teacher was a complete coward.
Hefty handed his spear to Tuffy who then nodded and passed it down to Gutsy, who at first refused the weapon declaring he could hand to hand anything that challenged him, after a look of disbelief from Hefty he accepted it, his face flushing remembering dragons, unfriendly wolves, and the possibility of an encounter from Azrael.
Those 3 were not about to take a threat lightly. And they hope that through their bravery and courage that eventually every Smurf will develop a sense of fight rather then flight, fore Papa Smurf's Lab is history along with all of his potions and all but one of his books which Papa Smurf refuses to reveal the nature of. Alchemist has a potions book but not any tool to brew up a concoction and very few ingredients, a harsh reality that Papa Smurf failed to bring up is that: the Smurfs will no longer have the safety of magic they have grown accustomed to as a means of defense. The Lab is gone, Alchemist's Lab is history, and even more scary the thought, Doctor Smurf's hospital is no more. All the medical supplies left in existence within reach of Smurf hands without conversing with humans lays in a med-kit though large, it would never last long if it had to help nearly 100 Smurfs, Doctor guards this kit with his life as if it were his own child to see that no Smurf goes messing around in it, after all Dabbler Smurf was among the group and you never know when Dabbler might try to play doctor again.
Greedy walks in line directly behind Tracker, filling his face with goodies from his sack recklessly and without considering the limits of food supply and that nearly 100 Smurfs must eat. The scent of pastries fills the air and the sounds of tiny stomachs growling breaks the almost silent tension.
" Would you put those away Greedy!? The rest of us are starving over here and your stuffing your face!" Brainy shouts.
" Uh.. Yeah! What gives you the right to eat?! You not so special!" Clumsy adds.
Suddenly the group grows frenzied and everyone is screaming at Greedy, Unleashing harsh words describing weight and before long they started a riot, wrestling Greed to the ground and taking the sack. Tracker looses his train of thought and whips around to the Smurfs, waving his fist in the air shouting: "Pipe down will you?! I'll never get us their before nightfall at this rate!" The sack is stolen from one Smurf's hands to another before brainy reaches out and swipes it from Pushover and runs as fast as he can to Papa Smurf, giving the bag to him and notifying him what the cause of the ruckus was.
" I am surprised at all of you!.. Fighting back and forth amongst one another like humans!.. I will hold the sack from now on! And I will also be deciding when scheduled eating hours will take place! Now all of you back in line! And follow Tracker.. The sooner we get there the sooner we can set up camp and eat!" Papa Smurf orders, as a sleeping Baby Smurf makes a disturbed expression on his face followed by opening his tired little eyes and crying in protest to the noise.
"Now look what you have done.. You woke Baby from his sleep.. Are you truly so heartless.. Has this time of misfortune shaken us so? That you are so selfish that would deny a sweet little Baby Smurf the rest he needs to grow? There, there Baby.." Papa Smurf says.
"Here Papa Smurf! I'll watch the little squeezer and make sure he gets the silence he needs to rest!" Hefty says, opening his arms for Baby.
"That is very Smurfy of you Hefty!" Papa Smurf replies with a smile, and hands Baby to Hefty.
" Yeah Papa Smurf! We will be good and quiet for Baby so he can nap." Says Tailor.
" Excellent! See to it that you do." Papa Smurf says, with a smile.
Tracker picks up the scent of food once more and sets off in hot pursuit of the trail, they cover much ground before the early signs of evening reveals it's ugly head. What the Smurfs see next brings a great sorrow into their hearts, and strikes fear into it as well. Every Smurf gathers around what use to be the forests only supply of Smurfberries. The once sweet smelling bushes decorated with divine tasting red berries now lay uprooted, pummeled by fallen trees, and violated by wildlife. Baby refuses to consume anything with absence of the Smurfberry in it's being, if the Smurfberry supply already stored runs dry… Baby could starve to death.
"Great Smurfs a fire! Me Smurfberry crop!" Farmer cries, as he falls to his knees, dropping his trademark hoe to the ground.
" Oh Papa Smurf! This is aweful! Just terrible! What will we do?!" Smurfette cries out.
" Well I…. I haven't the slightest clue Smurfette.." Papa Smurf replies puzzled.
" Smurfette, Smurfette, Smurfette! Are you that naïve? Every Smurf knows that vegetation always drops some form of seed with which to reproduce itself! And I, Brainy Smurf, would be so noble as to personally examine the site for seeds!" Brainy says, as he approaches the mass of partially fallen tree trunks and scattered aught from trees that crushed nearly all the bushes.
Brainy proceeds to climb a fallen trunk and enter the mass, when a large stone from the hill above gives way to gravity and tumbles down, crashing into a partially fallen tree with a loud smack, knocking it out of place and sending it crashing down towards Brainy, who immediately looked above him in shock upon hearing the smack.
"Brainy! Get out of there!" Papa Smurf shouts, as the crowd behind him gasps.
Papa Smurf saw the mighty tree smack down with an impact so strong it cracked the trunk below it. He heard Brainy shout to the top of his lungs followed by the massive sound given off by the trees collision with the ground, Brainy's glasses went flying threw the air, landing unharmed just in front of the accident. And then their was silence.