Empath Goes Wild/Part 4

Over the next 80 years, Traveler saw nothing entirely remarkable happen with either Papa Smurf’s son or with Papa Smurf and the other Smurfs as life continued to go on without any of them yet crossing paths with each other. Sir Johan and Peewit still first encountered the Smurfs when they were trying to get back a magic flute that was stolen from them by Matthew Macreep. Gargamel still entered the forest and threatened to get his revenge on the Smurfs when they rescued one of their own from his evil clutches. He also still created the Smurfette who was originally used as a pawn to destroy the Smurfs, and then later was changed into a real Smurf by Papa Smurf, who later foiled his plans to capture the Smurfs. Baby Smurf still came to the village, and then was later followed by the Smurflings who came from Smurfling Island to look after him, bringing Puppy along with them who again was given to the Smurfs by Homnibus. Sassette was still rescued from being imprisoned in a crystal, though temporarily was given the false story of also being a creation of Gargamel. Scruple still became the mischievous unwanted apprentice of Gargamel when he was kicked out of the guild of sorcerers for his constant bad behavior.

However, the day that would have been Empath’s 150th birthday – the day of his final return from Psychelia in the history that Traveler knew – wound up being yet another ordinary day in the life of the Smurfs who were still yet unaware of the existence of Papa Smurf’s son. No party tables and decorations were being set up, no birthday cakes were being made, no special gifts like the one Empath received from Tailor were being prepared. Nobody was sent to Psychelia to pick up any Smurf who happened to be there waiting for them – if indeed there was any Smurf there. The Psyche Master continued to raise and train the Psyches in Psychelia without any interference from any outsiders. Even Polaris Psyche, one of Traveler’s great-grandfathers, continued his life free of anything that would have give him an inkling of a desire to leave Psychelia.

But then came the day when the existence of Papa Smurf’s son would be known. It happened about a month or so after what would be Empath’s 150th birthday when the Smurfs had ventured out into the forest in a small group to look for some special herbs and leaves Papa Smurf needed for his experiments. Of course, on that day, Gargamel along with his apprentice Scruple had laid numerous types of booby traps around the forest in the hopes that he might capture a few Smurfs when they least expected it. As it turned out, this group of Smurfs fell victim to one of those booby traps, and Gargamel showed up on the scene of the capture, gloating as usual about his prize catch and what he was going to do with them.

Then suddenly came a blue blur that jumped out at Gargamel from a nearby tree, attacking him with such speed and strength that it caught the human wizard off guard, knocking him to the ground. His cat Azrael tried to scare away this blue being that attacked his master, but the attacker reacted fearlessly to Azrael by hissing back at the cat, putting such fear into him that he basically retreated. Hefty, who was among the captured Smurfs, used this distraction to help his fellow Smurfs break free of the booby trap they were caught in and flee for safety back to the Smurf Village.

Papa Smurf with Smurfette and the Smurflings watched as the group of Smurfs returned to the village. “What happened in the forest that made you smurf back so soon, my little Smurfs?” he asked.

“Gargamel smurfed us in one of his booby traps, Papa Smurf, but we managed to escape with our smurfs, Papa Smurf,” Hefty reported.

“There was this Smurf out in the forest that smurfed so wildly that smurfed to our rescue,” Tracker, another Smurf among that group, added. “He just smurfed out of the trees as fast as a squirrel, and then just smurfed straight into Gargamel and smurfed him down to the ground, and then he smurfed a mean scare into Azrael that smurfed him away.”

“You mean there’s a wild Smurf out in the forest?” Snappy exclaimed. “That’s smurfally awesome!”

“A wild Smurf?” Smurfette asked as she overheard this report. “I thought that we’re the only Smurfs who smurf in this forest. How could there be yet another Smurf that we don’t smurf anything about?”

This made Papa Smurf stroke his beard and furrow his eyebrows in wonder. He had a feeling that this “wild Smurf” may be in fact his own son that he thought was forever lost to him years ago when he fell from the sky while he and Papa Smurf were escaping a lightning storm on their way back to the village. But he wasn’t certain of whether to tell his little Smurfs that, since they have come to know him solely as Papa Smurf since they lost their own parents.

“You’d better smurf me where it is you’ve smurfed this ‘wild Smurf’, Hefty and Tracker,” Papa Smurf suggested. “If there is yet another Smurf in this forest, we’d want to let him know that he isn’t alone.” - Hefty and Tracker took Papa Smurf back to the site where Gargamel’s booby trap had caught them and the group of Smurfs they were with. But aside from the broken trap, there was no trace of this “wild Smurf” anywhere in the immediate vicinity.

“I don’t undersmurf it, Papa Smurf,” Hefty said, scratching his head. “He was here a few minutes ago. He couldn’t have just disappeared like that.”

“Tracker, do you hear anything in the forest?” Papa Smurf asked.

Tracker used his finely-tuned hearing to listen to the ambient sounds of the forest, and then just shook his head. “Nothing, Papa Smurf. If this ‘wild Smurf’ is still smurfing around the forest, he isn’t smurfing a single sound in doing so.”

“Why do I smurf the feeling like we’re smurfing after a ghost?” Papa Smurf asked, letting out a frustrated sigh.

“Whatever it was, it smurftainly was no ghost that smurfed at Gargamel like that,” Hefty responded. “Clockwork Smurf could probably smurf Gargamel down with that kind of strength and speed, but I don’t think he could smurf away Azrael with just a mean face and a fierce growl.”

“Papa Smurf! Smurf here quickly!” Brainy’s voice called out from another part of the forest.

Papa Smurf, Hefty, and Tracker quickly ran over to where Brainy and a few other Smurfs were gathered, where they heard loud hissing and growling sounds. “We found this Smurf smurfing in one of Gargamel’s traps that was hidden behind this bush,” Brainy reported. “But he’s smurfing like an animal and won’t let any Smurf come near him. He even smurfed my finger when I smurfed close to him.”

“That should smurf you not to smurf your finger in places where it doesn’t belong, Brainy,” Jokey quipped, laughing at his own joke.

“Smurf as much of the brush back as you can away from the cage,” Papa Smurf ordered. “I want to smurf for myself this Smurf that was captured.”

Hefty and Tracker pulled back much of the brush, to reveal a Smurf around the same age as Papa Smurf’s male adult “little Smurfs”, wearing a leaf-woven Smurf hat and a tattered old loincloth, trapped in the cage. He retreated as the brush that was covering him was now being pulled back to reveal him.

Papa Smurf bravely took a look inside the cage where this “wild Smurf” the other Smurfs found was trapped in. He was cowering in a corner of the cage, not wanting any Smurf to touch him.

“Don’t worry, my little Smurf,” Papa Smurf spoke soothingly, slowly extending a hand inside the cage. “I won’t harm you, and neither will the other Smurfs. You’re among family who cares for you. Let me take a close smurf at you.”

The “wild Smurf” cautiously approached Papa Smurf and sniffed his hand, making sure that he was no threat. Then he allowed Papa Smurf to hold his face with his hands as he examined him. Papa Smurf was amazed at the fact that, despite his now being around 150 years of age, the “wild Smurf” looked very much like his son – the very son he thought had died when he fell from the sky on that rainy day they went flying over the forest.

“Do you remember me?” Papa Smurf asked him. “I am your Papa Smurf. You are my son, the one I smurfed into the world many years ago. I lost you out in the forest, and now here you are grown up.”

The “wild Smurf” reached out his hands and pulled Papa Smurf’s face closer so he could have a look for himself. He studied every feature of that face, as if he was hoping to remember something about this Smurf claiming to be his father. There was a look of surprise as he too recognized Papa Smurf for what he was despite what the years had also done to him.

“Hefty, smurf open the cage,” Papa Smurf ordered. Hefty took a stick and used all his strength to break the cage open, allowing the “wild Smurf” to come out. He immediately leaped toward Papa Smurf and grabbed him in such an embrace that Papa Smurf could not break free from. The other Smurfs just simply watched as Papa Smurf put his own arms around the “wild Smurf”, who was sobbing over meeting his Papa Smurf again for the first time in years.

“Welcome home, my son,” Papa Smurf gently told him, a tear dripping from his own eye. - Soon Papa Smurf and the other Smurfs who were with him led Papa Smurf’s son back to the village, where Papa Smurf called the rest of the Smurfs together to greet the “wild Smurf” in the village center. They all looked curiously at this Smurf who seemed to scamper like a squirrel and even speak like one, wondering where he had come from and why he was behaving like this. All Papa Smurf could tell them was that he was most likely raised by squirrels as he grew up, though he could not explain how that Smurf was able to fashion a Smurf hat out of leaves or even a loincloth.

“At the very least, my little Smurfs, our newfound Smurf is back home in the village where he belongs,” Papa Smurf finished. “So I want you all to smurf him feel like he’s just one of the family and smurf him whatever he wants and needs so he can feel like he’s right at home.”

“We’ll do our best to give this Smurf a smurfy welcome home, won’t we?” Smurfette responded eagerly, finding her heart already going out to Papa Smurf’s son. The other Smurfs all seemed to agree with that.

“Uh, what do we call this Smurf, Papa Smurf?” Clumsy asked out of curiosity.

Papa Smurf wasn’t sure how to answer that. “Just simply call him Wild Smurf, Clumsy. I don’t think he would be offended by that name.” He looked toward his son to seek his approval. “Does that name sound smurfy to you?”

Papa Smurf’s son nodded, not minding this impromptu naming of him in the least.

“Well, I guess that’s settled,” Papa Smurf concluded. “From now on, Wild will be his name.” - Traveler watched as Papa Smurf helped his son, now named Wild Smurf, get adjusted to learning how to live like a Smurf, though now because he had spent his entire life out in the wilderness learning to live like an animal and was only now learning how to live like a Smurf, the learning process was much more challenging. Papa Smurf first took him to Tailor’s workshop, where he gave Wild a white cap and a white pair of pants to wear. Upon trying them on, however, Wild acted very strangely, as if the Smurf clothes he was now wearing was irritating him. He basically ended up hopping all over the workshop trying to get the clothes off him, knocking over anything that was in his way and making a total mess of Tailor’s workshop. Eventually Papa Smurf got Wild to calm down long enough for Tailor to get the Smurf clothes off him, inspiring Tailor to sew up a new loincloth that had a drawstring attached to it. Wearing that and his old leaf-woven Smurf hat, Wild felt much more comfortable and happier.

Next, Papa Smurf took him to the dining area where Greedy was serving split pea soup for lunch. Greedy never saw another Smurf that had such an appetite for food like himself or his brother Nabby, who although lacked Greedy’s skill for making food was so much a food freak that he resorted to filching games to get his hands on more of it. But what was really unsettling was Wild’s eating habits, which were much more like an animal’s. He ate his bowls of split pea soup by just sticking his face right into the bowl and slurping it up, making loud noises as he did. Then he saw Papa Smurf just simply pick up his bowl of soup and pour it into his mouth to drink in the last gulps of his serving. That made Wild desire to do the same with his bowl of soup, although his first attempt to do so caused a bit of soup to be spilled upon his person. Some of the other Smurfs sitting around the dining table, though somewhat offended, simply took it all in stride, knowing that someday Wild will learn to behave more like a Smurf. A few others, like the Smurflings, simply thought Wild’s eating manners were rather amusing.

Then came Wild Smurf’s attempt to play smurfball with his fellow Smurfs. He first watched the game being played by Hefty’s team and Player’s team, fascinated by seeing the red ball being volleyed back and forth across the line marked in the dirt between the two teams, hoping that either team would miss the ball in order to score a point. Then came Wild’s turn to participate in the game, playing on the team opposite Hefty’s team. The other Smurfs were astounded by that, despite his hopping around on all fours instead of standing upright like his fellow Smurfs, Wild was still able to play the game quite well, basically leaping around, using his head and his feet to volley the ball back across the line toward the other team. But then came a bit of a problem when Wild Smurf had accidentally crossed the line in his next attempt to volley the ball. A Smurf on Hefty’s team sternly warned Wild that his crossing the line disqualified his team from winning a point. Unfortunately, that made Wild so mad that he leaped on the Smurf that reprimanded him, wrestling him violently to the ground and pummeling him fiercely to the point where Hefty and a few other Smurfs had to pull Wild off his victim before he caused serious harm.

Papa Smurf, who was watching this scene happening, realized that his son now needed a course in the social graces of a Smurf. He escorted Wild safely away from the playing field and took him somewhere else so he could have a talk with him.

“You have to smurf the difference between an attack and a friendly warning, Wild Smurf,” Papa Smurf tried to explain as Wild tried to listen. “Those Smurfs weren’t out to harm you – they just wanted you to follow the rules of how to play smurfball so you can have fun with your fellow Smurfs. I know it’s going to be difficult for you to undersmurf this now, but I know that in time you will be able to know all that there is to know about being a Smurf, and you will be able to interact with your fellow Smurfs in a way that doesn’t smurf any harm to any of them. And no matter what happens, it won’t smurf me love you any more or less as a son of mine.”

He then saw Brainy passing by with one of his Quotations books, heading somewhere with it, and decided to intercept him. “Brainy, I’m smurfing you in charge of teaching Wild Smurf how to better behave himself as a Smurf,” he directed. “He may also need to be educated so that in time he could learn to speak like a Smurf.”

“Why, absosmurfly, Papa Smurf,” Brainy replied, eager to share his knowledge of things with the newcomer Smurf. “You can count on me, Brainy Smurf, to make smurf that Wild knows all the basics about being a Smurf, and to smurf him a wellrounded education, smurfing him about Smurf history and culture and philosmurphy and…”

“I’m sure that you’ll smurf a fine job in teaching Wild Smurf all that you know, Brainy,” Papa Smurf interrupted, not wishing for Brainy to go on and on. “But let’s start with something simple, like trying to smurf him to speak. I’ll also assign Smurfette and a few other Smurfs to help you in any way possible to teach Wild Smurf other things about being a Smurf.”

Wild Smurf looked at Papa Smurf rather fearfully, as if he didn’t want Papa Smurf to leave him.

“It’s all right, Wild,” Papa Smurf comforted him. “I’ll still be in the village if you need me for anything. I’m leaving you in the good hands of Brainy and some of your fellow Smurfs. They will smurf good care of you and make sure that nothing wrong happens to you while you are here with us.”

Wild Smurf seemed to understand that as Papa Smurf turned him over to Brainy. - In a mushroom cottage that was being used as a schoolhouse for the Smurflings, Brainy began to teach Wild Smurf simple things such as the basic alphabet and some simple words to learn. Wild sat behind a student’s desk trying to pay attention to the words Brainy was writing on the chalkboard.

“Okay, then, can you say the word ‘smurf’?” Brainy instructed as he looked toward Wild.

Wild simply stared at Brainy without any understanding of what he was trying to do.

“’Smurf’,” Brainy repeated, pointing to the word on the chalkboard with the piece of chalk. “Say the word ‘smurf’.” But Wild just continued to stare at Brainy.

“You say the word with your lips,” Brainy pointed out, slowly saying the word “smurf” in the hope that Wild could see what he was supposed to do with his lips.

Still Wild just stared at Brainy.

Brainy sighed, realizing that he wasn’t going to get Wild to say even the common word “smurf”. “Okay, then, can you write the word ‘smurf’ on your slate?” he instructed. He picked up the writing slate that was on the teacher’s desk. “This is the slate.” He also picked up a piece of chalk. “This is a piece of chalk.”

Wild found both items on his desk and picked them up.

“Good,” Brainy beamed. “Now you write the word ‘smurf’ on your slate.” He illustrated this by slowly writing the word “smurf” on the writing slate, doing it close enough so that Wild could see what he was supposed to do with both items. “See, ‘smurf’. Now you write it.”

Wild put down the slate and sniffed the piece of chalk with his nose. He then took a bite out of the piece of chalk.

Brainy groaned at this. “No, no, no, Wild,” he scolded, taking the piece of chalk out of Wild’s hand. “You don’t eat a piece of chalk, you write with it.” He also took the writing slate on Wild’s desk away and then brought over from the teacher’s desk a bottle of ink, a quill, and some pieces of paper.

“Let’s smurf something else to write the word ‘smurf’,” Brainy suggested. “Now this is a quill. You dip the quill into the ink that is in this bottle. You use the ink on this quill to write the word ‘smurf’.” He illustrated this by slowly dipping the tip of the quill into the ink bottle in front of Wild so he could see, and then he wrote the word “smurf” on a piece of paper in the same manner. “See, that’s how you write ‘smurf’. Now let’s see you write it.”

Wild picked up the quill and sniffed at it briefly before flinging it aside. Then he picked up the bottle of ink and sniffed its contents through the bottle’s opening before drinking it.

Brainy groaned even harsher than before. This was one lesson that wasn’t going to go well. - Brainy decided that he would forego trying to get Wild Smurf to learn about speaking and writing, and instead try to teach him how to stand and walk upright. He took him outside the schoolhouse to show him this lesson.

“See what I’m smurfing, Wild?” Brainy instructed. “This is called standing. This is what all Smurfs do.” He noticed that Wild Smurf was still looking at him, unsure of what Brainy was trying to teach him. “I’ll teach you how to stand,” he said as he tried to reach out to Wild. “Let me smurf you to your feet.” But Wild reacted fiercely to Brainy’s attempt to touch him, scaring him away.

“Okay, then,” Brainy said sheepishly, backing away from Wild, “I won’t teach you to stand yet. I’ll teach you how to walk. This is what all Smurfs do.” He then showed Wild walking by doing so, a simple back and forth across a very short distance.

“Of course, walking is better if you can learn to stand. Can you stand up for me?” He illustrated this by first crouching down by bending at the knees and then raising himself back up until he was standing upright.

Wild seemed to understand this motion. He imitated raising himself up until he was also standing upright. Yet he was still a little hunched over when he was standing.

“Well, that’s a start,” Brainy complimented. “Now watch again as I show you walking.” He again did a simple walk back and forth, slowly enough so that Wild could see and understand what he was supposed to do.

Wild tried to make his first steps, but he ended up falling back on the ground hunched over. Brainy slapped his forehead, again feeling that this was another lesson that wouldn’t go well.

Just then, Smurfette passed by outside the schoolhouse. “Hello, Brainy,” she pleasantly greeted. “How’s your schooling with Wild Smurf smurfing?”

“Why, Smurfette, it couldn’t have smurfed any better,” Brainy answered back, not wishing to reveal his current lack of success in his lessons. “I was just smurfing Wild how to speak, how to write, how to stand, and how to walk, and…”

Then Brainy suddenly noticed that Wild had darted over to where Smurfette is and was howling like a dog in front of her. Apparently Wild had felt the same kind of attraction for her that most of her fellow male adult Smurfs had felt when they first saw her after Papa Smurf had changed her into a real Smurf.

“Well, hello there, too, Wild,” Smurfette greeted, giggling at Wild’s reaction to her presence. “I can see you smurf the same kind of feelings for me as well. You don’t smurf so bad yourself for a male Smurf.”

Brainy cleared his throat, trying to get Wild’s attention. Wild then turned away from Smurfette and headed back toward Brainy.

“At the very least, you smurfed him to obey you, Brainy,” Smurfette commented, still not offended by Wild’s greeting her. “I have some things Papa Smurf wanted me to teach Wild about being a Smurf, if you can smurf time for me and Wild sometime during your own lessons.”

“Oh, smurftainly, Smurfette,” Brainy replied. “I’ll see what I can do to smurf you somewhere in my busy schedule of lessons that I have planned for Wild.”

Smurfette gave Brainy a look of total disbelief before she left.

After Smurfette was gone, Brainy turned his attention toward Wild. “You know, that is not how a gentlesmurf acts toward a lady, Wild. You don’t smurf up to Smurfette and start howling at her like she’s some animal in the forest. You have to treat a lady Smurf with some respect and courtesy. Like this.” He pretended that he was walking up to Smurfette to talk to her, even acting it out with gestures. “’Why, hello there, Smurfette. How are you smurfing today? I hope things are smurfing well for you. Is there anything I can smurf for you today?’” Wild just simply sat there, unable to fully understand what Brainy was trying to teach him.

Brainy sighed. “Okay, Wild, I have to admit that Smurfette does seem rather smurfy, and I can’t blame you for acting that way in front of her. It’s just that she still hasn’t decided for the past five to six years who she wants to smurf her life with among the male Smurfs around my age. Maybe you may have better luck smurfing her heart than any of the other male Smurfs here, including me. But I don’t think it’s going to happen to you unless you start smurfing yourself to be more like us instead of like an animal.”

Wild simply sat and whimpered at the thought. He never had to think about these things before since he never had encountered any female Smurfs before now. He was so content when he was living the carefree life as a male Smurf roaming the forest the way he did. Now in addition to dealing with being around other male Smurfs that didn’t live like him, he also had to deal with living with a female Smurf that also didn’t live like him. And this one female Smurf is one that he felt like he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, and he couldn’t understand why he felt that way.