Chapter 2: Leaving the Trail

The smoothest part of the journey was over, and… Whatever Dah-Boh-Bay's thought had been, he instantly forgot it as he stared ahead. About four slams stood there, and two more dead furbys lay before them.

"So, when do we leave?" one slam whispered.

"There is still another furby back there, nitwit," the tallest one, and apparently the leader of the group, snapped. "Boss says that we are to dispose of all the furbys that we can; nine so far and one more is still back there."

Nine! Dah-Boh-Bay thought in surprise and horror. Were they counting the ones who had been crushed by the avalanche and chased by the dragons? Or were those simply another six? Were there only five furbys left? Then his foot slipped, and the four furbys turned in his direction.

"There he is!" the leader cried, and the four slams charged at him. Dah-Boh-Bay cowered, covering his eyes with his ears. If he were going to die, he would rather not watch it happen.

"Yaaah!" came a cry from behind Dah-Boh-Bay, and the ghostly furby landed in front of him. "Come at me, beasts!" he ordered, and the slams obeyed. Three slams held spears, but the boss was equipped with claw weapons, just like the ghost.

The ghost did a leap through the air, as the spears came forward, and brought both his claws down upon them with all his might, before performing a midair twist and sending the spears from the slams' hands. The spears then rolled off the edge of the nearby cliff, and down to where Dah-Boh-Bay had been sleeping earlier. Then the boss let out a cry and launched himself forward.

The ghost twisted and blocked the slam's claw, before twirling and blocking again. Then he went onto the offensive and fought the slam, slowly backing him towards the edge of the cliff. Finally, a thrust hit its mark, and the slam stumbled backwards in pain. He lost his footing and plunged over the edge, grabbing the ghost as he went.

Dah-Boh-Bay instantly rushed forward, and saw the slam hit the ground. The ghost, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen.

Dah-Boh-Bay frowned and continued to stare downwards. Who in the world had that furby been? Why did he look and talk so much like a ghost, and where in the world had he gone? The three slams looked at him and a cruel smile crossed their faces. "Get him!"
Dah-Boh-Bay turned and fled up the mountain, the three slams clambering after him. They came to a large crevice, and Dah-Boh-Bay jumped it. Landing on the other side, he kept right on running. The slams chased after him, determined to destroy him.

"Help!" Dah-Boh-Bay called, though he knew nobody would come. Then he did the only thing he could, he turned to fight. "Come at me, slams!" he cried. They stopped for a second in confusion. Hadn't he been running from them just a second before? Now he thought he could kill them? With a cry, Dah-Boh-Bay launched himself at the slams. Totally confused, the slams panicked and ran. Apparently, this furby was much stronger than any of them had imagined!

Dah-Boh-Bay stopped and stared at the slams in confusion as they ran. He had fully expected to die. What in the world had happened? Then another thought entered his mind, and it worried him. What could the slam leader have meant by 'Boss'? Who was this boss, and why would he care who won the contest?

Suddenly, there was a cry, and Dah-Boh-Bay rushed forward as fast as he could. He came upon something quite disturbing. A furby lay on the ground, pierced through the head by a furbish claw. There were footprints next to it that continued to go up the mountain. For a brief, crazy second, Dah-Boh-Bay considered going after the murderer and killing him before he could cause anyone else any harm.

It was the exact same feeling that he had gotten when he heard about the contest and considered entering. Somehow, the feeling seemed to be leading him, and it was not the first time that he had felt it. When he was a child, it was what had saved his life many times while he was on the streets and in the orphanage home. However, he'd always been a coward and only listened to it half of the time. Any time he did, something great seemed to happen. Well… except for the time that his feelings had told him to enter this suicidal contest with death.

Just then the cry came again, and Dah-Boh-Bay turned to see a wounded Doo-Moh, clinging to the edge of the cliff and doing his best not to plunge from the mountain and down into the sea far, far below. Then, Doo-Moh's grip slipped. Acting quickly, Dah-Boh-Bay dove forward and grabbed a hold of the knight. Then, slowly, he struggled to pull him back up. For years, he wondered how he managed to do such a thing. Doo-Moh was heavier and stronger than anything that Dah-Boh-Bay had ever managed to lift before, but somehow, he managed to get the furby back onto the mountain.

Doh-Moh looked at Dah-Boh-Bay, and his eyes widened. It was obvious that, because of all of the dirt and scratches, along with the mature look in his eyes, Doh-Moh had no idea that he was Dah-Boh-Bay. Then the knight's eyes widened and he whispered, "Dar? Baron Dar, is that you?"

"No," Dah-Boh-Bay said. "It's me, Dah-Boh-Bay, from the contest."

"Sir Dah-Boh-Bay," Doh-Moh whispered. "So, you're still alive. Listen, I must speak with you. I am going back down the mountain, but you must continue."

"I must?" Dah-Boh-Bay asked. "Why?"

"If you do not go, Sir A-tah wins," Doh-Moh whispered. "He is a traitor to the furbys, joining up with the slams and everything."

"Slams!!!!" Dah-Boh-Bay exclaimed in surprise. "Yes, I see."

"You are the last contestant," Doh-Moh said, "and A-tah will stop at nothing to become king. You are our last hope."

"What about you?" Dah-Boh-Bay asked. "If you couldn't beat him, what makes you think that I would be able to?"

"He attacked me from behind; I had no chance. Get the jump on him, and kill him. He must not make it to the top? He must not become king of Furbyland," Doh-Moh said.

"No," Dah-Boh-Bay said. "I need to go back down. I cannot do this."

"You have to," Doh-Moh said. "This isn't a question of whether or not you think you can do something. You have to fight him, or Furbyland is lost. If you do not even try, the responsibility for its downfall will be solely yours."

"But…" Dah-Boh-Bay protested.

"Do not argue, Sir Dah-Boh-Bay," Doh-Moh said. "I can go no further. You have courage within you somewhere. You must find it!"

Dah-Boh-Bay stood silent; his mind racing. There had to be another one, but there wasn't. Sir A-tah would have to be stopped, but if he surrendered, Dah-Boh-Bay would spare him. He was no murderer. "Very well, Sir Doh-Moh," Dah-Boh-Bay said. "I will do it."