A/N- YAY!!!! OVER TWO PAGES IN MICROSOFT WORD!!!! I'm so proud of myself!!!! Anyway, soooo… here's the third chapter. I guess.
Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING!!!!!!! (except the REAL Swiftpup. She's my puppy. I love her. Anyway…)
Chapter 2- Negative Reaction
Swiftpup slowly blinked her eyes open, feeling dazed, 'Where am I?' she thought tiredly. The last thing she could remember was squeezing herself into a prickly bramble bush, not the soft nest of moss and leaves that that she was in now. She saw a large red animal padding toward her and her first thought was that a fox had captured her, until she blinked a few more times and realized it was not an evil beast, but a beautiful red Irish setter padding toward her.
"Glad your awake." the Irish setter said gently.
"Wh-who are you?" Swiftpup stuttered.
"My name is Burningpelt, I'm the medicine dog of ThunderClan, and you're in the camp."
"ThunderClan…" Swiftpup murmured. She knew that name from somewhere. Then it struck her, "My mother mentioned that name!" she exclaimed.
She could see that Burningpelt was surprised when she said that, but she hid it quickly and asked, "Would you mind coming with me to see our leader?"
Cocking her head to one side, Swiftpup agreed and followed Burningpelt to a den that stood in the shadow of a massive rock that stretched at least three tail-lengths over her head. She gazed wondrously up at it until Burningpelt turned and called, "Come along, Spiritstar will be waiting." She then turned and padded through a curtain of lichen into a cool, shady den with a sandy floor.
At the back of the den, a large gray Irish wolfhound lay stretched out grooming herself. Swiftpup assumed that this was Spiritstar, the leader Burningpelt had spoken of. The wolfhound looked up and said in a rough, yet kind voice, "Greetings, I am Spiritstar, leader of ThunderClan. Burningpelt said she found you in the forest last night. May I ask who you are and where you came from?"
"M-my name is Swiftpup, I was born at a camp a little way away from the Twolegplace."
At her words, Spiritstar snapped her head to face her and said sharply "The half-breed camp?"
The look in her cloudy blue eyes frightened Swiftpup, and she nodded, bewildered. She noticed Spiritstar and Burningpelt exchange grim looks and began to ask why but was cut off by Burningpelt asking "How old are you?"
Forgetting the look, Swiftpup stated proudly "Five moons." shocking both of them.
Spiritstar recovered after a few seconds and sputtered, "B-but you don't look more than three moons old! You're so small!" Swiftpup didn't understand why they were so shocked, she was the runt of the litter, but they weren't that much bigger.
"But what are you doing out of the nursery?" Burningpelt asked, confused.
Swiftpup's eyes clouded with sadness and confusion and she said mournfully, "I-I'm not sure what happened. I was lying with my mother and siblings when suddenly I was dragged away and attacked. I managed to get away and I was just running and running. Then I collapsed and woke up here."
Burningpelt and Spiritstar stared at her in disbelief. What had this poor little pup done to make her Clan drive her out? That was even too cruel for the half-breeds to do.
"Come with me," Spiritstar murmured, "I'll introduce you to the Clan." and she padded out into the sunshine.
Leaping up onto the large rock next to the den, Spiritstar howled, "Let all those old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting."
At this, more dogs than Swiftpup had ever seen began to emerge from the dens surrounding the clearing. When they had all gathered, some giving her questioning or suspicious stares, Spiritstar began, "Last night Burningpelt was out collecting herbs when she came across this young pup. We have decided to welcome her into the Clan."
In the uproar that followed, Swiftpup heard cries of, "But we already have enough problems!" and, "But look at her, she's puny and all legs, she wouldn't stand a chance in a fight."
But the one that rang out above them all came from a dark brindle mastiff. He padded over to her, took one sniff and proclaimed, "She smells like a filthy half-breed! It's obvious that's what she is. They've sent her to spy on us!"
This silenced them all.
Swiftpup crouched, terrified, under the mastiff's cold gaze. She didn't understand what the big deal was, did she do something wrong?
Many of the dogs were staring accusingly up at Spiritstar, who took a deep breath and said calmly "It is true that she is a half-breed, but she is not a spy. She was driven from their camp for no reason at all, and we shall not turn her away. What kind of Clan would we be if we left defenseless pups to fend for themselves?"
Her speech seemed to satisfy some dogs, but most were still glaring at her, and they bared their fangs at Swiftpup as they passed on the way to their dens.
As the crowd thinned, Swiftpup spotted Burningpelt coming toward her, followed by a tawny colored German shepherd.
When she reached her, Burningpelt said, "Swiftpup, this is Owlfeather, she'll take care of you until you're six moons old and become an apprentice along with her own daughter, Leafpup."
Swiftpup nodded hesitantly, wondering if Owlfeather didn't like her, but the German shepherd licked her ear and gazed at her in a motherly fashion. She then led Swiftpup to the nursery.
A/N- I'm proud of myself. Two chapters in one night! I'm on a roll!!!!! Anyway, review, vote, give me dogs, etc., etc., etc….