he party traveled for three days down a narrow dirt path that wound its way through The Twisted Forest.

Tom thought the place they had just left, which the Cow called Daisyland, had the bluest sky and brightest flowers he had ever seen. The Twisted Forest, on the other hand, didn't even offer a glimpse of the sky. A thick roof of black branches blocked out the sun and everything that grew on the forest floor looked sickly and dangerous.

As they walked, the Cow provided his companions with more details about the Babarugnofs. They were vile, hunchbacked creatures with large red eyes and sharp teeth, which they used to chew through tree bark so they could eat the slimy bugs beneath. They had long, hairless tails, that they used for balance as they swung through the trees. Their feet were wide and flat, and they had sharp claws which they used for climbing and fighting.

"You can tell when the Baba are coming at you from the ground because they make a creeshing sound as they run, crunching leaves and small branches beneath their flat feet. If they come swinging through the trees, you can't hear them at all," said the Cow.

A shiver went down Tom's spine. "Come on, you're just trying to scare us. There's nothing in the world that - well, actually, I'm not even sure what is in this world. What is the name of this place anyway?" said Tom.

"We're in Aremsland," said the Horse, "It was discovered more than a thousand years ago by King and Queen Arem. Their descendents rule this world. They live in Castle Whitestone, which is where we're going, if we ever get out of this horrible forest."

"The Baba are for real," said the Cow. "Their village is thirty clicks to the south."

"Well, that's too close for comfort," said the Horse. "Couldn't you have taken us farther north?"

"No could do, Horse-face," said the Cow. "There's slimy bogs and shifting sands that will swallow you up if you go that way."

"The sand's not the only shifty thing in this forest," sneered the Horse. "How do we know you're not leading us straight into a Baba trap?"

"Say, that's not a bad idea!" said the Cow, as she stopped in her tracks. "How much do you think I could get for one scrawny little boy and a Horse whose head is full of sawdust?"

"That's it Cow! Come on, Tom, we're going to have steak for dinner tonight," said the Horse as it turned to charge.

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