the bravest of us, afraid of? Dragons!”
I got
chills
from the tips of my
whiskers to the tip of my tail. I am not a
brave mouseking at all!
“We will go look for the dragons!” Max
continued. “We will FACE them! And we
will
defeat
them!”
“Face them? Face the dra . . . the dra . . .
46
the dra . . .”
I didn’t finish my
sentence because
I fainted from
fright!
When I opened my
eyes, I saw a mouseking
hovering over me.
“Wake up, you
smarty-mouseking!” yelled Olaf the Fearless.
“Where am I?” I asked groggily.
“You’re on the Bated Breath, of course!”
he replied.
Squeak! I was headed for Gullet Valley,
whether I liked it or not!
The ship sailed to the edge of a thick
forest.
“These are the Elderberry Honey
Woods,” Max told us. “They lead to Gullet
47
Valley. Move it along!”
We disembarked and marched through
the
dark trees.
I swore I heard
noises
coming from behind the tree trunks.
What
was
that?
It’s
nothing!
“Trap, we’re not alone in these
woods!” I whispered.
“Don’t be a ’fraidy mouse, Cousin!”
Trap said.
This way!
Wild Beasts in the Woods
I kept my ears open as we walked. I heard
more strange sounds . . . brushing . . .
grumbling
. . .
complaining
. . .
Then I passed a tree trunk, and saw deep
claw marks
in it!
“Are there
w-w-wild beasts
in these
woods?” I asked Max.
“Nope,” replied Max. “Just some brown
bears.”
“BROWN BEARS! But they’re wild
beasts!” I cried.
“All they care about is honey,” Max
explained. “Just don’t touch the
beehives
and you’ll be fine.”
I looked up. Dozens of beehives
dangled from the tree branches
overhead.
“With all these beehives, there must be a
lot of bears,” I said nervously.
50
I was thinking of all those
bears with their sharp
claws
when I accidentally
tripped over a big log in the path.
Crusher, Smasher, and Sprainer
lifted the log and threw it like
it was a little branch. When it hit the
ground, however, the whole
forest floor shook!
Out
of
the
way!
Ouch!
plop!
plop!
plop!
Three beehives fell, breaking
open as they hit the ground.
GOLDEN HONEY spilled out
of each one.
RooooaaaAr!!!
A chorus of threatening roars
rose from the bushes.
I ran away with my paws in the
air and my whiskers trembling
in fright.
“I didn’t want to come
here!” I squeaked.
A Dragon’s Tooth
I ran and ran as
FAST
as I could. It felt like
my feet weren’t even touching the ground.
Had my
paws
sprouted wings?
“Stop right there, smarty-mouseking!”
a voice bellowed.
It was Max Musclepaw. That’s when I
realized that I wasn’t flying. The hero had
lifted me up by my cloak. I was so
afraid
of the bears that I hadn’t noticed!
“From now on, you will walk behind
me, Geronimo,” he said.
I nodded.
“And you will be very quiet, if you
“Do you know what’s
good
for you?”
53
This is
Gullet
Valley!
A Dragon’s Tooth
“Yes,” I squeaked.
He put me down and waved his arm at
the scene in front of us. “We have reached
Gullet Valley.
This is the dragons’ hunting
ground. They prowl the valley for
miceking meat.”
I gulped. Squeak! I didn’t want to be
here. I approached Max.
“What exactly is our final test?” I asked
him.
“It’s no big deal,” he replied. “You just
have to pull out a dragon’s tooth!”
“A d-d-dragon’s tooth?” I stammered.
Shivering
squids,
what
an
impossible
task!
Suddenly, Max crouched down. “Hide,
micekings! I hear a noise up ahead.”
Trap snickered. “That’s just the
chattering of my scaredy-cousin’s teeth.”
55
A Dragon’s Tooth
“Not this time,” Max said. He pointed.
“LOOK THERE!”
We all peeked out from behind the bushes
to see two dragons splashing
around in a pool of
filthy
water!
“Let’s get closer,” Max whispered.
“Is that a good idea?” I asked. “Wouldn’t
it be smarter to get far away?”
But Max moved forward, followed by
the others. Not wanting to be left alone, I
followed.
What barbaric beasts!
“Thisss hot
ssspring sssmellsss
of rotten
eggsss, Magmar,” the green dragon was
saying.
“Yesss, it’sss sssuperb!” agreed Magmar,
the orange dragon. “But we should
ssspeed
thingsss up, Rocky.”
Magmar looked around. “If
Gobbler
56
A Dragon’s Tooth
the Putrid
knew we were relaxing in this
ssstinky
pool inssstead of hunting for fresh
miceking meat, there would be trouble!”
Rocky snickered. “We
dessserve a little ressst!”
This is
the life!
We shouldn’t
be
here!
ROCKY
Rocky is a type of dragon
known as a Rinser. He
washes his miceking meat
well before eating it.
MAGMAR
Magmar is a young Slurper.
He uses his long tongue to
slurp up raw micekings —
no ketchup necessary.
“If we’re caught,
Gobbler
will
ssslice
usss with hisss
clawsss!” Magmar
reminded him.
“Ssstay
calm,” Rocky
said. “Gobbler
will never know.
Now relax. We’ll
go back on patrol
later.”
Magmar rolled
over in the pool, but
he wasn’t convinced.
Trap and I were
shivering in
fright. The other
micekings didn’t
A Dragon’s Tooth
seem afraid at all.
“What’s the plan?” asked Crusher, Smasher,
and Sprainer.
“Should we
Crush
them?”
“Should we Smash them?”
“Should we
Sprain
their long tails?”
“Here’s the plan,” Max whispered. “I will
go to the dragons and get their attention.
The rest of you can sneak up behind
them.”
“How will we get to their teeth if we are
behind them?” I asked.
But Max ignored me and headed for the
dragons. Crusher, Smasher, and Sprainer
pushed me forward.
“Let’s go, shrimp!” they said.
jumped out from behind a bush in front
of them.
59
A Dragon’s Tooth
“Hey you two! You with the
ugly
snouts!
I’m talking to you!” he
taunted.
The two dragons sat up and
sniffed the air.
“Look at that moussseking over there!”
Rocky said, spotting Max.
“How
lucky! A nice big one!”
said
Magmar, licking his lips.
Max kept taunting them. “You big-nosed
blubberheads!
You lousy
lizards!
I will peel off your
scales
one by
one!”
From our hiding place we saw Rocky
climb out of the pool. Crusty codfish! He was
truly a BIG . . . no,
giant
. . .
ENORMOUSE
no,
dragon!
How were we supposed to get one of
60
A Dragon’s Tooth
his teeth without being
chomped
and
swallowed?
I had no clue how to do it!
Once again I began to shake with fear.
I was shaking so hard that I bumped
into a pile of rocks behind me. The rocks
tumbled
to the ground, making a
noise.
Magmar turned his head. “Look, more
micekingsss! This really isss our lucky day!”
The dragon moved toward us. “Which one
shall I ssslurp up firssst?”
We were fried,
finished,
done for!
Squeak! What could we do?
Suddenly, a huge mud ball hit Magmar
square in the face.
“RUN!
NOW!”
yelled Max Musclepaw.
61
They see us!
Lookie here . . .
Take that!
A Dragon’s Tooth
The brave mouseking pummeled Magmar
and Rocky with mud balls. Trap dragged me
away from the dragons.
“Let’s get out of here, Geronimo!
Quiiiiiiiick!”
64
Mouseking in
Trouble!
We ran as fast as we could. Crusher,
Smasher, and Sprainer quickly
charged ahead of us toward the woods. Trap
and I followed them as they shouted back at
us.
“This way!”
“Behind me!”
“Down this path!”
I had no idea where we were going.
Z I G Z A GG I N G
We kept
through the trees. It felt like we were going
in circles.
“Where are we running to?” I called
out.
65
Mouseking in Trouble!
Crusher, Smasher, and Sprainer looked at
each other, confused, then each replied:
“This is the way!”
“Trust us!”
“We know where we’re going!”
So we kept following them until we ended
up on the banks of a wild river.
“I don’t remember this river,” Crusher
admitted.
Mouseking in Trouble!
“This doesn’t look familiar,” agreed
Smasher.
“We’re lost!” Sprainer yelled.
I sighed. I knew we were somewhere
between the Elderberry Honey Woods
and Gullet Valley. There were two dragons
behind us, and a river in front of us. We were
doomed!
“Good-bye, miceking world!” I said
dramatically. “Farewell, beautiful
Thora!”
“Stop being such a blubberhead!”
Great groaning glaciers! That was
the voice of Max Musclepaw. I looked up
to see him standing on the other side of the
river.
“Jump in the water and swim like
herrings, all of you!” Max ordered. “The
dragons are coming!”
67
Mouseking in Trouble!
But the river was too big, and the
I have a
solution!
CURRENT
was too strong. If
we tried to swim, we would
be swept away
by the roaring water.
“I have a solution!”
Trap exclaimed. “I am
the village inventor,
aren’t I?”
He quickly went to
work, grabbing strong vines
and tying them together end to end. When
he finished, he had two very long, very
strong vines.
I wasn’t sure what Trap had in mind. Then
he turned to Crusher.
“Toss one end of each over to Max,” he
instructed.
The three beefy micekings tossed the
68
Mouseking in Trouble!
ends of the two vines over to our leader. Then
Trap yelled instructions over to Max.
Max tied the ends of the vines securely
to a tree. Trap tied the other two ends to
a tree on our side. The long vines
stretched across the river.
I finally got it. Trap was making a
bridge!
Crusher, Smasher, and Sprainer made
their way over the skinny bridge like
graceful tightrope walkers.
The
bridge
shook
so
much!
I, on the other paw, was terrified! I am
afraid of heights, and I am not graceful! I am
not an athletic mouseking — I am a scholar!
“Calm down, Cousin. You’ll
make it,” Trap said. “This bridge has been
69
Oh
no!
Miceking Tested
and Approved.”
“Not by this
mouseking!” I said.
I hugged the tree.
“I’m not going
anywhere.
I’m staying here!”
“Fine!” Trap replied. “I’ll
cross first. But follow me, if you
don’t want to become dra
gon
food.”
He took a few steps onto the
swaying, skinny bridge.
The bridge shook so much!
Trap started to
wobble. Then
he slipped!
He
slipped!
Oops!
Mouseking in Trouble!
Splaaash!
My cousin fell into the freezing waters
of the river! His snout dipped under the water,
and the current started to sweep him
away! Max and the three beefy micekings
just stared at Trap, not sure what to do.
I had to do something.
But what?
Suddenly, my determination kicked in. I
QUICKLY scrambled across the bridge, no
longer afraid that I would fall in. (And I didn’t!)
Then I grabbed a vine hanging
from a tree and threw it to my cousin.
“Grab it, Trap!” I yelled.
He grabbed the vine, and Crusher, Smasher,
and Sprainer helped me pull Trap
ashore.
72
Got it!
Good
job!
Heave ho!
Mouseking in Trouble!
“Heeeeeave ho! Heeeeave ho!”
“Heeeeeave ho! Heeeeave ho!”
“Heeeeeave ho! Heeeeave ho!”
With one last tug, Trap fell at our feet.
“Thanks, Cousin. You saved me!” Trap
exclaimed happily.
Max pounded me on the back. “Well done,
shrimpy! You have made me proud.”
Well done!
Thanks!
74
Mouseking in Trouble!
I couldn’t believe my ears. The mouseking
hero had given me a compliment! Maybe
he would tell Sven the Shouter. And maybe,
just maybe, I would finally earn a miceking
helmet!
I imagined myself wearing the helmet.
Thora, beautiful Thora, would
smile
at me.
“Thora,” I would say. “Will you —”
“Dragons!” Trap yelled, jolting me
from my daydream.
Rocky and Magmar had found us!
75
No Mouseking
Left
Behind!
The two dragons lunged toward Max
Musclepaw. Rocky grabbed his paws
and Magmar grabbed his feet, and they
pulled
on Max like he was taffy.
Magmar’s stomach rumbled. He sniffed