Empath And The Golden Magic Bird/Part 2

Meanwhile, out in the forest, Tracker was leading Nat, Snappy, and Slouchy around on his own personal mission for the Harvest Feast day.

"Be careful, Smurflings," Tracker warned. "There are hunters out in the forest smurfing for game around this time of year, and if we're not careful, we could smurf up as dead as any of the poor animals they are hunting for."

"It's just unfortunate that people have to smurf after animals for their food, Tracker," Nat said. "I just wonder why they can't be vegetarians like us Smurfs. There's plenty of food for everyone in the forest without having to harm anyone."

"I wonder about that myself, Nat," Tracker said. "I don't fully understand just what it is about humans that they have to devour other creatures in order to survive. But we can't let what they smurf in their lives how we define the way we should smurf ours, or be the judge of how they smurf theirs."

"Well, if the humans aren't harming us, why should we worry about it?" Snappy said.

"The animals of this forest are part of us, whether we like it or not, Snap," Nat said. "When one of them dies, it makes me feel sad that a precious creation of Mother Nature is lost."

"Tapper says that it's his Almighty that has created all things, Nat, and that everything in this world belongs to Him," Slouchy calmly pointed out.

"So that means the humans can smurf whatever they want in it without consequence?" Nat said, not liking what he was hearing. "Well, excuse me, but I believe that there's a consequence for every action when it comes to harming things in nature, and if humans won't smurf any lessons from the harm they smurf upon living creatures, then they will smurf the price for it somehow."

"Don't smurf angry with me, Nat," Slouchy said, sounding a bit defensive. "I'm just telling you what Tapper believes in, that's all."

"I believe we should be smurfing home right now, watching the football game until the Harvest Feast is ready," Snappy said. "What we're smurfing out there on this day just seems like a..."

Suddenly Tracker stopped walking, motioning the three Smurflings to stop as well. "Shhh, quiet, Snappy," Tracker interrupted. "I'm hearing something smurfing in the forest nearby."

"What are you hearing, Tracker?" Nat asked in a whisper.

"Could it be the hunters?" Slouchy asked, also whispering.

"This is certainly getting interesting," Snappy said in a low voice, sounding bored.

Tracker shushed the three Smurflings again and listened carefully to what his ears were picking up. It sounded like something running through the forest, and it was coming straight towards them.

"Quick, Smurflings, duck!" Tracker cried out. He and the three Smurflings ducked out of the way as a pheasant with gold wings and feathers came rushing by, running for its life, looking rather scared.

"Whoa, now that was very close," Slouchy said as Tracker and the other two Smurflings picked themselves up from the ground after the pheasant passed by.

"Did you see the pheasant as it smurfed by us?" Nat said, sounding awestruck. "It seemed to be smurfing golden feathers. Maybe it's a special kind of bird that..."

"Quiet, Smurflings, I'm hearing something else coming," Tracker interrupted.

"What is it, Tracker?" Nat asked, sounding curious.

Tracker listened carefully in silence before he responded. "Hunters! They must be smurfing after the bird with hunting weapons."

"Then we must smurf after the bird before they can smurf it," Nat said.

"What do you mean, 'we'?" Snappy said. "If it's the hunters, we should let them smurf after their food."

"That's not the way of the Smurfs, Snap," Nat admonished. "We protect life that smurfs in this forest. We don't let life be smurfed harm by anyone else."

"Well, let's just smurf something before the hunters do," Slouchy said, sounding disinterested.

"Follow me, Smurflings," Tracker said. The three Smurflings followed after Tracker as he ran in the direction that he could smell the pheasant heading for.

Suddenly the four Smurfs could hear what sounded like gunshots. "What in the smurf was that?" Snappy asked.

"It's probably those new weapons called muskets," Nat said. "It's what humans use to hunt after wild animals."

"I don't care what they're called," Slouchy said. "I just don't want to be its target."

"Just keep running, my little Smurflings," Tracker said. "If we can smurf out of range of the hunters, we'll be safe." - Meanwhile, the hunters stopped in their tracks, still wielding their muskets. "Any sign of the pheasant that Lord Balthazar was after?" one of them asked.

"No, it must have disappeared into the forest," a second one answered.

"Uhhh, we were so close," the first hunter said, sounding irritated. "That bird must be worth a fortune if Balthazar wants it so badly."

"I don't know why we're hunting it with these guns if Balthazar wants it alive," the second hunter said.

"These are special muskets that the old sorcerer had crafted, you idiot," the first hunter said. "They are not meant to kill, they are just to knock whatever it is hit by its projectiles unconscious so that they can be collected."

"That must be a special bird for Balthazar to give us these kind of weapons, that's for sure," the second hunter said.

Suddenly the first hunter's locket began to glow. He touched it and suddenly he could hear the voice of his master, Lord Balthazar. "So have you two gotten my special magic bird yet?" he asked in a demanding voice.

"Not yet, Lord," the first hunter answered. "The prey is very elusive. We're doing our best with your weapons to bring it back to you alive."

"You'd better get that bird before sundown, or else not being paid for your services will be the least of your problems," Balthazar said. "Do I make myself clear?"

The first hunter gulped. "Yes, very clear, my lord." He touched the locket hanging around his neck to put it back into silent mode. "Okay, you heard him. Let's get a move on and see if we can't capture our prey before sundown."

"It better be worth the reward we're getting," the second hunter said as they started to move again.

To be expanded on.