Toby didn't even see the owl following them, so in his mind everything was fine until they got out of the cab and he saw the owl. It looked so big, so menacing in the sky. Even though Claire told him to go inside, once again he ignored her warning. He couldn't just leave her out here to deal with Jareth alone, even though he knew that Claire was an adult and could handle this on her own.
"No!" He shouted, more to the bird than to Claire. He pulled one of the cans of soup out of his grocery sack and hurled it at the owl. Toby's aim was good for an eleven year old, but he was still just a child. The owl easily avoided the can.