Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any of the characters - all I own is Toby here.
Hope you enjoy!
A quick note, as I read through I realized that this chapter is rather boring save the end, and I assure you the following chapters (to me, at least) are better. Just bear with me, and if you have any suggestions at all please let me know. Thanks!
The search party had stopped for a quick break. I walked a ways into the woods to find a stream, for I was thirsty. But before I went far, I came upon a familiar smell... and soon found a scrap of cloth, and part of a feather from an arrow. I followed the smell farther into the woods - but the whole woods seemed to be moving. My eyes swam. The trees, they were more human-like than ever... no. They were humans! And this was stone, not grass... noise was everywhere and the air's scent seemed to have changed abrubtly. What happened?
Could I have possibly stumbled upon the world of the Four?
Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy wandered out of the dark cinema into the groggy air of London. They were all lost in thought, but were likely thinking of the same thing – Narnia. The land they had left behind (quite by accident) less than two months ago. Of course they'd all knocked the back of the old wardrobe at least three times each for the remainder of their stay at the Professor's house, but to no avail. As the walked through the streets together, they started chatting lightly about the movie they'd just seen, which happened to be an old one in which another person had stumbled across another world.
"Oh, Peter, I can't stand this," Lucy said. "Do you think we'll ever go back?" she asked a little wistfully.
"I do hope so, Lu," Peter answered. "I wonder – I wonder how they're getting along without us?"
The question was left unanswered, because truly none of them knew. The walked along in silence until Lucy exclaimed, "Oh, I say – is that a dog over there?" She skipped over to the dog, waving and smiling.
"Lucy!" Susan scolded. "Don't go running after strays. They mayn't be friendly."
"I think this one looks all right," Edmund said.
"Hello there, what's your name?" Lucy asked, addressing the dog. "Oh…" - here she turned a bit red – "But of course you can't talk."
The dog simply studied them curiously, wagging its tail a bit. It was a dull brown color, tall with floppy ears and short fur.
"You don't think he can talk, do you?" Edmund asked after a while, both hopefully and thoughtfully. "I mean, no dog from our world would look at something that long."
"Of course he can't. Don't be silly, Ed," came Susan's practical reply.
The dog barked happily at Edmund and Susan. It trotted away a few feet and looked back at them.
"Let's follow it," Peter put in. And so they did. It led them, eventually, to a small empty shop on a street with very few people. Then it stopped, licked Lucy's hand, and sat down to stare at the four.
It was quite a while before Lucy finally said, "Maybe you were right, Su," she looked crestfallen. "Maybe he can't talk after all."
"Oh, but I can!" the dog suddenly said.
Susan's eyes rapidly grew to an enormous size. Lucy nearly jumped out of her socks, and Peter jerked backwards into Edmund, who had just begun to open his mouth but instead yelled "Ow! Watch it!"
"My dear Kings and Queens," the dog whispered, for he could tell that these children were indeed the missing royals of Narnia. They nodded.
Excitedly, he told them his name was Toby. He chattered at a rapid pace, telling them how he had been part of one of the search parties that were sent to find the Kings and Queens, and how he had suddenly found himself not in the Western Wood but on a crowded, busy street simply filled with Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve.
Here he grew extremely excited, and talked even faster (if that was possible) about how he heard the Queen Lucy ask if they'd ever go back and listened to what must be but didn't sound quite like the High King's voice answer her. Next, as Toby related, he had spotted King Edmund (there was no mistaking his black hair and knowing eyes, however much younger he was) followed by Queen Lucy and King Peter, and finally Queen Susan.
"Why, dear Toby, we would love to return," Susan said, a bit sadly, "But… we don't know how we could. We've already tried going back through the Wardrobe in the Spare Room."
"Spare Oom, your majesty?" Toby questioned, and started talking rather quickly again. "Might you take me to see this legendary land? Tumnus has shared the story of this place with me – I'd love to see it – if it's not any trouble, of course, and if it's not far – what's it like? What sort of creatures live there? Is it-"
"Toby, please do slow down! Of course we'd take you, but it's not that grand," Peter said. "Why, it's not even a land at all. It's a small room, in a house."
"We could take him to meet the Professor, Peter, couldn't we?" asked Lucy. "He'd be delighted to meet a Narnian again."
"We could - possibly. If we can convince our parents to let us visit the Professor, I'm sure they wouldn't mind - after all it is summer and we've nothing to do."
"Certainly, Pete, but what can we do about Toby?" asked Edmund. "They'll certainly ask questions, and mum might have a heart attack if she finds he can talk. Not to mention he wouldn't be allowed on the train."
"Oh - now that does put a stopper to it," Peter said.
"We should go," Susan interrupted. "People outside are starting to stare."
So the siblings left the dusty shop and started home again. Toby agreed that he would make a temporary house of the closed shop until they had finalized their plans to visit the Professor, and to come find them at their home (they gave directions, saying he would understand them once he started to follow them) if they weren't back in three days. Toby watched until they were out of sight, and finally settled down onto a few dirty cloth sacks reflecting his day in their world.
After a few silent minutes, Toby's ears perked up. He heard something - soft footsteps. A human's breath. Some rustling. He looked up cautiously from his concealed bed, and saw a dark figure - probably the shop's owner, he thought. Toby realized he needed to get out of the place, now. What had some of the Narnians said about the four young monarch's world?
"They would do terrible things to you there. Show you at fairs and circuses, feed you small dry scraps, and keep you in a rusty, crude cage for life..."
He sniffed around, looking for an escape and careful not to make any noise. Likely as not the man had heard five voices and seen four leave. Toby examined his position. He was surrounded on two sides by boxes, on one side by a few piles of cloth and on the last side by the wall.
It to a few crashes before the brown dog realized that the crates were being thrown aside. Rather desperate now, he clawed the wall and quietly whimpered. At last he spotted his chance - his only chance - and climbed into the dark opening of one wooden crate.
A/N: Okay, this is my first real story on here and I hope you like it. No, I won't leave poor Toby in the dusty old wooden box and will be adding another chapter later (Not sure when exactly)! So, all feedback and ideas are welcome and I don't mind constructive critisism if it needs it. Oh, and feel free to point out any typos or mistakes. Thank you!