CHAPTER 2: A TRIP IN THE WOODS AND A TRIP TO THE MALL

Snoopy and his Beagle Scouts got ready for a big nature hike that they were going on that day. With him was Woodstock (of course), Bill, Conrad, Oliver, and Harriet. They were all dressed in hiking gear and ready to head out into Monte Woods for their nature hike.

"All right, troops," Snoopy said through his thoughts. "We are about to venture into the unknown. Somewhere that is vast and full of danger." When Snoopy said that, the birds trembled in fear.

"Of course they get scared when 'danger' is mentioned," he thought. "All right, let's fall in line. We will be heading towards Monte Woods for our hike today and we will be on the lookout for the rare white truffle that grows in that area. Let's move out!" And the troops headed out for their hike.

At the mall, Peppermint Patty and Marcie were in the food court. They were determined to try out something else to eat besides Joe's. Peppermint Patty immediately spotted a taco stand.

"Look, Marcie!" she said. "A taco stand! Let's try out the tacos they have."

"I'm not really in the mood for Mexican, sir," said Marcie. "How about we try out Mr. Chung's Asian Buffet?"

"Tell you what, Marcie, I'll go have the tacos, and you try out the buffet. And we'll see how both are."

"Sounds like a plan, sir." And both girls split to try out their chosen restaurants. When they got back to their table, Patty ate her tacos while Marcie enjoyed her sushi and California Rolls.

"How can you eat raw fish, Marcie?" asked Patty, who was gagging at the thought of eating raw fish.

"Sushi is not all raw fish, sir," Marcie replied. "Some of it, like these California Rolls, are made with imitation crab meat and vegetables, and the crab meat is already cooked. Plus they have cucumber rolls which is just cucumbers wrapped in the seaweed and rice. Even this eel is cooked. The only ones that are raw is the salmon and the tuna; everything else is either vegetable-based or cooked. Try this California Roll, sir. You'll like it." Peppermint Patty reluctantly tried the roll and she seemed to enjoy it.

"Not bad, Marcie," she said, with a smile. "If I ever do eat sushi, I'll probably get this, and maybe the cucumber rolls."

"You should try the eel as well, sir," Marcie suggested. "It is cooked and it's like normal fish."

"Maybe another time, Marcie. I tried some of your sushi, it's only fair that you try one of my tacos!"

Marcie took one of Patty's tacos and took a bite. Her face turned red and she was fanning her mouth. "What kind of tacos did you get, sir?!" she asked between fanning her mouth and panting.

"The extra spicy superhot tacos with habanero sauce," said Patty. "Here's some milk. That'll counteract the heat." And Marcie gulped the milk down and after a minute she was back to normal.

"Do they sell any mild tacos?" Marcie asked.

Elsewhere, Snoopy and the Beagle Scouts were walking through Monte Woods looking for the rare White Truffle. Oliver thought he spotted it only to discover it was an ordinary toadstool. Snoopy told them to keep looking.

"When looking for the elusive White Truffle," he said through his thoughts, "you must look at half-dead trees. They grow truffles pretty easily, but the White Truffle is even rarer than a normal one."

And the birds continued to search for the elusive truffle. Two kids, a boy and a girl were walking on a trail when they spotted the beagle and his bird troops.

"Hey, is that a beagle dressed as a scout leader?" asked the girl.

"Yeah, and some birds dressed the same way," the boy replied.

"They look like they're looking for something," said the girl.

"I wonder what they could be searching for?" the boy wondered.

"Whatever it is, it must be important," the girl observed. "We better leave them alone. They look pretty busy." And the kids kept on walking. Snoopy and the birds didn't even notice them.

NEXT CHAPTER: TREEHOUSES 101