Chapter 2 - Futile Search

Maggie hadn't returned to Nowhere Land in a few days, which worried Beast and Hamilton quite easily. And as Beast anxiously paced around while Hamilton nervously dusted his box, the sun shown and the birds chirped innocently; but the peace did nothing to help the two calm down, especially while the Beast constantly annoyed Hamilton.

"Oh, where is she?"

"I don't know, Beast."

"Do you think she's hurt?"

"I don't know."

"What if she doesn't wanna see us anymore?"

"I-I doubt that very much, but…"

"But you still think it's possible, don't you?!"

"Yes, I do!"

In a blind panic, the two boys embraced and cried out like children, to which they failed to notice a certain redheaded girl approaching with a large backpack full of equipment.

"What's wrong?" Maggie asked out of concern.

"We're just sad that you won't come back!" Beast bellowed.

"Devastated, even!" Hamilton sobbed.

Maggie smirked, crossed her arms and tapped her foot as the crying lasted for another moment, but it wasn't long before the boys' crying came to an end. Hamilton and Beast stared at Maggie wide-eyed, creating a terribly awkward silence.

"Wait a minute!" Beast shouted in great joy, but accidentally dropped Hamilton like a rock in the process.

"Ow…" Hamilton grunted in pain.

"I knew you wouldn't leave us," Beast chuckled nervously.

"Of course not. You're my best friends," Maggie giggled while helping Hamilton back onto his feet.

"What's in your backpack, Maggie?" the pig asked when he noticed the stuffed backpack.

"Exploration equipment: Walking sticks, canteens of water, snacks, a compass, and-."

"What exactly are we looking for?" Beast cut in with a cocked brow.

"That's just it. We won't know until we find it. Sounds fun, right?" Maggie replied as she and Hamilton winked at each other.

"Sure does!" Knowing that the Beast was completely oblivious to their true intentions, Maggie and Hamilton were more certain than ever that they would be successful in finding a companion for their friend.

Beast carried his two friends all the way to Sandcastle Beach, and Maggie instructed them to look around for anything new and/or interesting. And while Beast was oblivious and soon distracted himself with seashells, Maggie and Hamilton went in the opposite direction to look for their real objective.

"Ok, now what?" Hamilton finally questioned.

"Let's see. If I were a beast at the beach, where would I be?" Maggie pondered aloud.

"Swimming, maybe?"

"Good idea! Let's check the water."

With that, the six-year-old and pig changed into their swim suits and skimmed into the seemingly calm water; they even grabbed a pair of giggles to search underwater, but it was far too dark and murky to make out any images. Eventually, the two swam so far out that the sand dipped down too far for them to walk on anymore, which quickly worried Hamilton.

"Maggie, I think we should go back!" Hamilton shouted worriedly.

"It'll be ok, Hamilton!" Maggie called back reassuringly, but she was more focused on looking for another beast than how far she was out in the ocean.

Unbeknownst to them, they were fast approaching an undertow that reached out into the more treacherous waters; it wasn't until it was too late that poor Hamilton accidentally swam into the powerful current, huffing and crying out to Maggie while swimming against the current.

Maggie immediately dropped her search and swam desperately towards her friend, letting Hamilton grab one hand while trying to pull them free with the other, but to no avail. The two were quickly running out of energy while water splashed into their faces from panic and depleted their oxygen, and hope seemed bleak when the beach disappeared over the horizon.

But just as Maggie and Hamilton were beginning to sink into the watery grave, a large object dropped into the water and scooped them up, effortlessly pulling them to the surface. Beast was barely tall enough, but he managed to kick his feet against the seafloor while the others rode on his back.

"Are you ok?!" Beast exclaimed in great concern when he reached the shore, and carefully put his friends down to catch their breath.

"Yes…thanks to you…" Maggie huffed.

"Ow…I'm never going swimming…again…" Hamilton groaned in pain after coughing up water.

"Don't scare me like that!"

"We're sorry, Beast…we thought we saw something out there," Maggie explained meekly.

"But we didn't find it," Hamilton added with a sigh.

"That doesn't mean we should give up. I know somewhere much drier that we can go."

True to Maggie's word, the next place they visited was the desert, which was obviously as dry as it gets; no water around for mile, unless you include the Lemonade Spring, which isn't really water. Anyway, Maggie and Hamilton made sure to put on their protective hats and sunscreen, as well as open Kalee's gift to Beast, a red silk umbrella, and coat him in sunscreen.

But after a long while of nothing but looking and walking, Beast was getting rather annoyed that they hadn't found anything yet.

"Are you sure you don't know what we're looking for, Maggie?" Beast questioned in annoyance.

"Nope, and that's why it's fun. Trust me," Maggie reassured while patting Beast's back.

But Beast only huffed and scowled out into the sandy horizon, beginning to believe that his friend was lying. In fact, Beast was so deep in his aggravated thoughts, that he didn't watch where he was going and suddenly tripped over a large lump in the sand, sending Maggie and Hamilton flying off.

Although they weren't hurt, they were certainly surprised and quickly realized that what Beast tripped on was none other than Kalee the camel.

"Oh, poo. I was having a most pleasant dream," Kalee yawned while uncoiling his head from around his body.

"Sorry, Kalee. I didn't see you. It's not my fault your so perfectly camouflaged," Beast commented, trying to make up for his mistake.

"Or that you're so clumsy?" Hamilton muttered sarcastically under his breath.

"Well, I can always take another nap. It's just so rare that I get to see my friends," Kalee informed with a smile and stood proudly, "Tell me, what brings you three here?"

"We're looking for something new," Maggie replied in excitement.

"Seen anything?" Hamilton inquired.

"I'm sorry to rain on your parade, but I'm afraid I haven't seen anything," Kalee regretfully informed while shaking his head.

"Are you sure?" Beast asked in disappointment.

"Indeed. I've explored nearly every inch of this vast desert, so you certainly won't find anything now."

The trio sighed in great disappointment, to which Kalee wanted to brighten up their day, "Perhaps you should try Highest Mountain? I here the weather is perfect for skiing at the moment."

Maggie looked up at Kalee, puckering her lips and pondering his suggestion for a moment until smiling brightly, "Ya know, that's not such a bad idea."

"Oh, come on!" Beast exclaimed, standing up on his hind legs and flailing his front paws around angrily, "I'm not walking all the way to Highest Mountain for something that might not even there!"

"Please, Beast! It'll be fun," Maggie pleaded.

But the beast only got back down on all fours and walked passed them, "No. I'm going home."

Scared that their mission might be jeopardized, Maggie and Hamilton sprinted to catch up, standing in front of him to stop him in his tracks.

"Ok, Beast, ok!" Maggie snapped, "You got me. I really do know what we're looking for, but—it's a surprise."

Beast simply quirked a brow, "Really?"

"Definitely! I know what it is, too, and boy is it stupendous!" Hamilton quickly lied.

"So, you both lied to me?"

"We didn't lie, we just kept a secret," Maggie protested.

"Well, I don't like secrets." Beast paused before sighing and rolling his eyes in defeat. "But—I guess I like surprises."

"So you'll come with us to Highest Mountain?" Hamilton asked with high hopes.

"Yes, I will. But after that, we're going home, whether or not we find your surprise," Beast stated firmly.

After making a quick stop back home to grab their winter gear, Beast, Maggie and Hamilton set off for their final destination: Highest Mountain, the coldest place in all of Nowhere Land.

Lucky for the Beast, his fur coat and spots kept him quite warm, and the energy needed to carry his friends certainly helped; still, he would have preferred to go home and break for lunch, but Maggie's persistence prevented them from doing so.

"Can you at least give me a hint?" Beast eventually spoke, breaking the winter silence.

"Nope," Maggie simply replied while pulling out a pair of binoculars, but all she could see was snow, icy trees, and more snow, "But I think I know someone who can help?"

Almost immediately, the snow began to fall and a cheery laugh filled the air.

"Mr. Shivers!" Beast and Hamilton exclaimed happily when they saw the said snowman approaching.

"Hello, Everyone. What brings you here? Come to ski?" Mr. Shivers asked with a friendly smile, tipping his hat politely.

"No. We're looking for—something, I guess," Beast replied grimly.

With that, Maggie walked up to Mr. Shivers and waved for him to lean down so that she could reach his ear; she then whispered their plan to find another beast for their friend to him, causing the snowman's smile grew even bigger.

But the Beast was not amused, "Oh, so he gets to know what the surprise is?"

Mr. Shivers chuckled, "You know, I do believe I have just the thing you're looking for. Very recently, I think I've seen something in the western woods that matches your description. Oh, but do be wary of the wolves. They're quite active this time of year."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Shivers and don't worry, we'll be careful," Maggie thanked as Beast trekked through the snow to get to the western side of the mountain.

"Didn't you hear him? He said there's wolves—very hungry ones. And what do you think they'll do when they see a plump pig like me, huh?" Hamilton rambled on hysterically.

"Don't be afraid, Hamilton. Wolves are nothing compared to a ferocious beast like me," Beast boasted while grinning.

"Actually, if we're going to find the surprise quickly, we're going to need to split up again. Beast, you go up the mountain while Hamilton and I make our way down," Maggie instructed firmly, carefully sliding off of Beast's back.

"But I'd like to stay with the pig shield-I mean, Beast," Hamilton quickly protested.

"You'll be alright with me, Hamilton, I promise," Maggie reassured, reaching a hand out for the said pig to take. And although it convinced him, Hamilton jumped down, albeit reluctantly.

"Just be careful this time," Beast warned before making his way up the mountain and begin his search.

Hamilton and Maggie went in the opposite direction, checking behind every snow mound and around every tree. But like the previous two times, they had no luck in finding a beast.

"You sure it's a good idea to keep lying to Beast like this? He seems pretty mad at us," Hamilton spoke up.

"I know, and I do feel a little guilty. I just don't want him to feel like he's all alone," Maggie explained in sorrow.

"Your intentions are pure, Maggie, but—and forgive me for saying this—this was kinda futile to begin with, and it's put us all in danger."

The little girl sighed again, shaking her head this time, "I know that, too."

All of a sudden, Hamilton gasped when he saw something at the corner of his eye, a vague shadow through the woods, but it was there.

"Did you see that?"

"See what?" Maggie asked with a quirked brow, following Hamilton's gaze but there was nothing to be seen.

"I-I don't know…whatever it is, it's big and grey." Hamilton's eyes suddenly widened in shock. "Oh, I hope it's not a polar bear!"

"Don't be such a worrywart. There's not enough food around for a polar bear to live here."

Just as Maggie said that, heavy huffing and loud stomping in the snow could be heard, as well as a few growls, all of which were growing closer. Hamilton immediately quivered and grabbed Maggie for protection, and the latter tried to remain calm and find the source of the stomping.

And just when the growling and stomping stopped, a large shadow crept over the two; they soon turned around and realized that Maggie was indeed wrong. Towering over them effortlessly was a flawless white polar bear, as he stood on his hind legs and extended the claws on his front paws; he curled his lips back to bare his jagged yellow teeth, opening his mouth wide to let out a monstrous roar.

"H-Hello…are you Mr. Shivers' neighbor?" Maggie greeted sheepishly, only for the bear to roar at her again.

"Heh-heh! Tootles!" Hamilton shouted before sprinting away, making sure to drag Maggie along with him. But the bear proved to be quite fast, and even smart, as he ran up a hill and jumped to intersect them in a clearing.

He brought a massive paw back, just about ready to strike a deathly blow when another powerful roar rang through the air and the Beast himself came barreling towards them. The mere second the polar bear looked up to face his challenger, he was blindsided by the Beast and he was bashed in the side, getting impaled in the side by his horns.

The bear roared in agony, his white fur getting stained crimson as he jumped away. But due to his thick fur and skin, the polar bear practically walked it off and growled back at Beast; the said red and yellow creature stood defensively in front of his friends, as the his horns dripped with the bear's blood.

"Don't come back," Beast warned, growling and bearing his teeth animalistically. Knowing he was significantly out-sized, the polar bear reluctantly backed down and disappeared into the woods to treat his wounds.

An awkward silence fell, and it didn't help when Beast finally turned towards Hamilton and Maggie, who were still trembling. But they weren't trembling the trauma the bear caused, they were truly shaking at this new side of their friend that they have never seen.

"I thought I told you to be careful," Beast reminded them angrily.

"We're sorry…w-we just wanted to-," Maggie tried to apologize, but she paused when Beast sighed heavily and shook his head.

"This is about finding another beast, isn't it?" he stated matter-of-factly.

"Um…" was all Maggie could say.

"W-Well…" Hamilton stuttered.

"I'm not that naïve, you know. And I know you, Maggie—you wiggle your way into a lot of situations, saying it's just your way of helping, but you never listen to what everyone else wants. And because of that, you put yourself and Hamilton in grave danger."

Tears welled up in Maggie's eyes, "I…I really am sorry…"

"And I forgive you, but this needs to stop. I really don't need another beast to be happy—and I don't know what I'd do if I lost you guys," Beast explained with utmost sincerity, "It's getting late. We'll have to make camp and leave in the morning."

The three didn't speak another word to each other for the rest of the night after that, as they went their separate ways to prepare their camp; Hamilton built a fire and prepared dinner, Beast went to clean his horns off in the snow, and Maggie was busy unpacking their sleeping bags and laying them out.

But as the little girl made their beds, she was plagued with the most guilt. She only wanted to help her best friend, but she was starting to believe that maybe Hamilton was right; maybe her plan was completely pointless.

Still no sign of another beast in Nowhere Land, and even Maggie has given up. But does that necessarily mean that all hope is lost?

Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!