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Toby swept open the curtains and let the bright Neopian sun through his window into his tiny room.
The sky was a deep blue. There were fluffy clouds above, but not so many that they blocked the sun. It was
another beautiful day in Neopia, but Toby wished he could hop back into bed. He had
a terrible errand to run. He had put it off for two days, but time was running out.
Toby flapped his wings as a wave of nervousness hit him. He looked at the packed bag on the floor. Sticking out of the
single satchel that would be his luggage for the dangerous mission was a map of the Haunted Woods.
Toby checked again to make sure he had everything he would need. Taking a few final breaths, the Eyrie looked at
himself in the mirror. At least he didn't look nervous. He slung his bag over his shoulder and started out of the door...
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Author: Neopets Staff
Date: 6 May
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...Toby softly shut the door and stopped, his hand resting on the door knob."No!" He
thought to himself. "I have to do it, it can't wait any longer!" The Eyrie sighed and
walked down the stairs of his NeoHome. Toby grabbed a NeoCola off the counter and walked out
the door, into the sunlight.
He walked slowly, taking his time, stopping to look in a store window or talk to his
friends. Toby knew no matter how slow he walked, he would still have to complete the errand.
As if a reminder, her picture popped into his head. "Toby, the fate of the Haunted Woods
depends on you. If you fail, who KNOWS what will happen??!!" Toby shook his head and
trudged on. He was almost there now.
He arrived at the Haunted Woods a little after sunset. An eerie fog lingered over the
island. Toby tiptoed through a pumpkin patch, making not a sound. He sighed as he reached
the other side, away from the evil-looking scarecrow. He continued walking, looking around
uncomfortably every time he heard the flutter of a birds wings, the crunch of a twig.
Toby stopped and leaned against a stone wall, a cave of some sort it seemed. He reached inside
his bag and took out the NeoCola from earlier that day. He opened it and took a sip, peering
over the can, uneasily. He slowly pulled the can away from his beak. Toby muffled a scream
with a paw. Staring back at him, about 3 feet away, was a pair of bright red gleaming
eyes...
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Author: Ghettogirl415
Date: 6 May
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...They glared at him, not blinking at all. Ever so slowly, a hunched figure climbed out of
the shadows, it's feet crunching on the dry leaves. Toby felt sick. His feathers were
drenched with sweat. He stared in horror as the figure's face came into view. A twisted,
mutated face. Lumps everywhere, thick hair sprouting all over the place. Toby gulped.
"Get away from here." The creature's raspy voice cut through Toby like a knife through
butter. "Get away," it repeated. "You are in danger...Get away..." The figure's red eyes
gleamed even brighter than before.
Toby didn't know what to do. A terrible wave of panic swept over him. He wanted to ask so
many questions, but he dared not to. What danger? Where? Why? He reached shakily for
his can of Neocola, knocking out the map from his satchel with his quivering paw.
The figure snatched it up, his hideous face peering at it intensely. Toby saw it's huge, hairy claws
grasp tightly around the map and dropped his Neocola can in fright. He had to get the map
back, but how?...
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Author: Hthdtm
Date: 8 May
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...Toby turned to run. Unfortunately, his feet did not turn with the rest of him and he fell
with a resounding 'thud' onto the cave floor. The creature peered down at him from over the
map. Toby was about to plead for his life when he noticed that the tall, imposing figure was
standing on a rather large rock. This had escaped his attention in the cave's gloom. The
creature would only come up to his waist!
This made Toby a little more brave. He remembered the day he went for training on Krawk
Island. Cap'n Threelegs (or Cap'n Toothpicks as the younger Neopians called him) told him
that the worse thing you can do is back away from something you need. Toby stood up.
"I need my map back," he said in what he hoped was a quiet yet brave voice.
The creature, or at least what he could see in the darkness, appeared to be surprised.
"What?"
"I need my map back," he said in a much more commanding voice.
To his surprise the creature hunched forward and jumped off the rock. Its eyes were no
longer fierce, if anything, they seemed sad...
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Author: Chase_spirit
Date: 8 May
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..."But I need it!" the creature wailed. "I need it more than you!" With that, the little...
thing turned and ran out of sight. Toby grew angry. It was getting dark, the shadows
creeping around him and clothing him. The Eyrie screeched and, with a little nervousness,
ran after the thuds. Soon, after like, fifteen minutes, Toby was completely lost!
"Oh man, it's dark and scary and I'm lost in the Haunted Woods!" whispered Toby. "And the
little creature said that there would be danger! I wonder what he meant."
Suddenly there was a shuffling behind him. A loud shuffling, it was more of a...
sweeping though. Toby turned around and there stood the Lava and Swamp Ghouls with
the Pant Devil laughing at their side.
"Shuddup, fathead!" said the Lava Ghoul, looking over his shoulder. "Now go do your job!"
The Pant Devil swiftly swept up to the terrified Toby and snatched his bag, which held his
favorite pink fuzzle, Bob, and a diet NeoCola. He spilled them out on the ground.
Then the Swamp Ghoul swept up to him and, with foul smelling breath, said, "OK, kid, you
were lucky that we didn't hurt ya. Now SCRAM!" The three evil spirits floated off, cackling.
In the distance, Toby heard a soft muffled crying...
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Author: Sugar_baby_2oo2
Date: 8 May
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...Toby, torn between the feeling of sprinting like a racing Poogle out of the cave and
finding who that voice he recently heard belonged to, shakily bent down (though with eyes
still looking around himself for anyone...or thing) and picked up his diet NeoCola and Bob.
Slowly, cautiously, he quickly stuffed his belongings into his bag and looked around again.
Gently exhaling he whispered, "Okay Toby, calm down, now, whi-AHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"
The hair on Toby's neck prickled with sweat. "Wh... who's there?" He said, teeth
chattering madly. "Who's there?" he repeated, still scared, but with more confidence.
*Silence...*
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" cackled an evil voice... SWOOOSH! In one swift movement Toby's bag was forcibly taken from under his arm.
"Noooooooooo!!! Bob!!!" Toby yelled into the darkness. "Alright! No more MISTER NICE EYRIE!"
A squeak made him jump in fright. "RAGHHHHHHHHH!!!" Toby yelled as he ran down the path into
darkness...
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Author: Ff7masta
Date: 9 May
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...Toby stumbled over the gnarled roots of looming, ancient trees as he ripped through the forest floor, having no idea
what awaited him.
He followed the mocking voice in haste as it seemed to stray farther and farther. "Bob!" Toby cried helplessly, as he
finally stopped and began to sob mournfully.
With all hope lost, Toby decided to give up his adventure in the Haunted Woods and head home. Without
his trusty map, he felt extremely lost and afraid about what would happen to him.
As he began to wonder randomly, he suddenly heard munching... Curious, he headed in the direction the strange
sound was coming from. As he got closer, he saw a huge blue head (or a huge mouth), poking from the ground, stuffing all
kinds of nasty foods into his mouth. Beside it was a very tired looking Mutant Kacheek...
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Author: Petowner200215
Date: 9 May
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...The Esophagor grinned. "Well, what do we have here?" he asked, with his mouth full of
food. "Another adventurer to get me good things to eat?"
Toby hastily shook his head. "Um, no, uh, sir Esophagor, sir, I just got lost..."
"Lost? Well, I could give you this wonderful map of the Haunted Woods... if you get me a
brain kabob!"
What a minute, Toby thought. That's MY map! And there's my bag! And Bob!!! "But that's not
fair," Toby replied, edging closer. "Brain kabobs are kind of expensive... and I don't have
many Neopoints." Actually, Toby had a total of 10000 NP, but he wasn't about to let this
monster know that!
"Hmmm," the Esophagor thought a minute. "Well, then, I guess you'll just have to get lost the
right way this time." He went back to eating.
Toby saw his chance. As the Esophagor turned to the Mutant Kacheek for more food, the Eyrie
ran forward. He grabbed his bag and took off running the other way.
"NO ONE STEALS FROM ME!!!" yelled the Esophagor angrily "CATCH THAT THEIF!"
Toby ran faster, but soon he heard quick footsteps behind him. He turned and gasped
at what he saw...
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Author: Flame_tiger37
Date: 9 May
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...The Mutant Kacheek was right on his tail, and moving much, much faster than he could. He
redoubled his efforts, but now he was panting for breath, and there was a burning pain in
his side.
He knew without looking that he was as good as caught. Suddenly, in his head, he could
almost hear Cap'n Threeleg's irate bellow.
"Yer an Eyrie! Think like one!"
Suddenly, he realized what he had to do. Toby stopped dead, then suddenly whirled around,
bowling into the Mutant Kacheek and taking it completely by surprise. Before it could
recover, Toby had flapped up past the canopy.
This was more like it! There was no way a Kacheek could follow him now! He fished out his
map, and scanned it carefully. Where was he?
He needed some kind of landmark to orient himself. He looked around, and dead ahead was a
massive stone tower. Toby felt like laughing. By getting lost, he'd found exactly what he
was looking for!
Then, directly in front of him, rose a flock of Korbats.
Oh no! Tony realized. The Esophagor has other Neopets working for him! And the
Korbats were between him and the tower....
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Author: Westhavenswyvern16
Date: 10 May
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...and then, they suddenly turned towards Toby, screeching and screaming!
"That's the Esophagor's thief!" cried one. Another yelled, "I know, he's taking that map
back too!"
Toby squeezed Bob, who was sticky with the sweat in his hands.
"Oh, look," said one of the Korbats in a stupid voice. "Little Eyrie's scared." All the
Korbats laughed. Toby was angered though. They probably have fuzzles, too, he thought. Then
he remembered the wand the Faerie Queen gave him.
"This is the Purity Wand," he remembered her saying. "Use it against evil creatures to turn
them into pure creatures."
Toby pulled out the sparkly wand and swished it in his hand, and he said the Faerie Queen's
chant that she told him, "Evil beast, begone with purity!"
The Korbats froze as a huge beam of light shot from the wand and it hit them all in the
stomachs. Then POOF! they all turned into harmless Barbats. They screeched in fright and
flew away.
"Hah!" cried Toby, hugging Bob. He entered the tower, and climbed the creaky stairs. His
slow walk suddenly became steady running, then quick jogging. Before long he was at the top,
where the Ghost Lupe sat sleeping.
Toby crept quietly over to it, and grabbed the sword sticking from its bag. He jumped from
the window out of the tower, and flew above the Esophagor, Albert, and the still freaked out
Barbats. He flew home.
When he arrived, the Faerie Queen was happy to greet him. "Thank you, Toby! You saved the
Haunted Woods from a death from the vile Ghost Lupe. With that sword he was going to try to
destroy Edna the Witch. She had cursed him before, but she really was innocent, because it
was a joke. But he took it seriously."
Toby smiled. "Hey! I still have time to drink my NeoCola!"
The End
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Author: Megabird
Date: 10 May
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