Chapter 2

Chapter 2 "Whoops!" Lucas shouted out. His metal suit clanged loudly as he hit the ground, rear end first. "Shhhh...," Princess Pulverizer warned him. "We don't want to alert the beast if he's hiding in this apple orchard." "Sorry," Lucas apologized. "I tripped going around that big hole." "There are a lot of holes in this orchard," Dribble said. "And some of them are huge." He pointed to a giant hole near his foot. "You could fit a whole kid in there. Well, a human kid, anyway. We dragons are way too big." "D-d-do you think the Yabko-kokomo Beast dug these holes?" Lucas asked nervously.

"Nah." Princess Pulverizer shook her head. "I think they were made by animals. Maybe moles." "Those would have to be really big moles," Lucas said. "Maybe they're small moles with really big shovels," Princess Pulverizer suggested with a laugh. GRUMBLE! RUMBLE! Suddenly, a loud, angry sound filled the air. Lucas jumped. "Oh no! It's the Yabko-kokomo Beast!" he exclaimed. Dribble's green cheeks began to flush pink. "No it's not," he admitted. "That was my stomach. I'm hungry. It's been a long time since breakfast." "I could go for a nice grilled brie on sourdough bread," Princess Pulverizer suggested. "You know what's better than a grilled cheese sandwich?" Dribble asked. "Um... nothing?" Lucas tried.

"Nope," Dribble said. "A grilled cheese and apple sandwich. Luckily there are plenty of apples around here." "But all these signs say Private Property and Keep Out," Lucas said nervously. "Maybe we should forget the apples." "There are so many apples on these trees," Dribble countered. "The person who owns this

orchard won't miss one or two." "But what if the orchard is owned by the Yabko-kokomo Beast?" Lucas asked nervously. "Stealing his apples will make him angry." Princess Pulverizer reached up, grabbed an apple off one of the trees, and took a bite. "I haven't seen one hint of a beast anywhere," she told Lucas. "Can you finish chewing before you talk?" Dribble asked her. "You're spraying apple chunks everywhere."

Princess Pulverizer frowned. Dribble sounded just like Lady Frump, her teacher at the Royal School of Ladylike Manners. Still, she swallowed before she spoke again. "I'm beginning to think maybe there isn't any Yabko-kokomo Beast at all," the princess continued. "That would be great," Lucas said. "No it wouldn't," Princess Pulverizer argued. "It would mean a whole day wasted on my Quest of Kindness." "Not exactly," Dribble said. "People were still captured. And they're still missing." Princess Pulverizer smiled broadly. "That's right!" she said excitedly. Then she glanced at Dribble and Lucas. They were giving her some pretty disappointed looks. "I mean, those poor, poor folks," she said, trying desperately to wipe the smile from her face. "We need to look for them." "Right after lunch, I promise," Lucas told her.

"We'll do a better job of looking for them on full stomachs." Dribble sat down on a huge log and looked around. "I wonder if there are any Granny Smith apples here. Why don't you go find some?" he suggested to the princess. "Why me?" Princess Pulverizer asked. "Stop being such a crab apple," Dribble said. "Do you want to eat or not?" Dribble's stomach wasn't the only one grumbling and rumbling right about now. Princess Pulverizer's was making some interesting noises, too. "I'll pick some low-hanging apples from these trees here," Lucas volunteered. "We all have to pitch in." "Fine," the princess agreed. "I'll go to that grove over there. And while I'm at it, I'll try and figure out what kind of beast we're dealing with here—because the minute we finish eating, we're getting back on track with this good deed!"