Sweet's Journey by Erin Hunter

CHAPTER ONE
    Not my eyes, Callie! Not my eyes . . .
    Sweet ducked and twisted out of reach just as the Beta lashed out her claws, the tip of one catching Sweet’s cheekbone. Knocked off-balance, Sweet fell and rolled, then sprang back to her paws, snarling defiance, her fur and hackles prickling. She could feel blood beading on her face . If Callie’s claw had found my eyeball . . . She shuddered .
    Sweet gave her pelt a firm shake as the two of them circled each other warily, but she couldn’t lose the tingling rage and frustration. In a challenge like this one—a challenge between dogs of the same Pack—aiming for a dog’s eyes was forbidden. It wasn’t just a vicious move, it was a stupid one. No dog wanted a Pack member maimed! And for swift-dogs like them, eyesight mattered even more. They were so fleet, so quick on their paws, they all needed their keen vision intact in a chase .
    That didn’t seem to matter to Callie. The Beta wanted to win at all costs, Sweet realized .
    But there was another Pack rule Sweet didn’t intend to break: no dog whined and cowered and complained about their opponent’s tactics in a challenge. The whole Pack was watching this fight .
    Sweet curled the skin back from her muzzle, revealing her teeth. Callie was not going to get the better of her, and that meant the Beta wasn’t going to send Sweet whining to their Alpha, either. . . .
    Callie bunched her muscles and sprang again. Sweet lunged to meet her in midair .
    Although it went against all her instincts, she closed her eyes, letting her other senses guide her. She could feel Callie’s body right there, and the stir of her hot breath as the Beta snapped and bit at Sweet’s face. Sweet spun and twisted, then sank her teeth into fur and flesh .
    Yes! Opening her eyes, she realized her jaws were clamped on the side of Callie’s neck. Taking advantage of the other dog’s flinch, she flung her whole slender weight against Callie, and the Beta slipped and fell with Sweet on top, pinned to the ground .
    I won, Sweet thought, panting through her mouthful of fur as she straddled Callie’s flank . I finally beat her!
    But Callie wasn’t finished yet. She writhed and heaved, sending Sweet tumbling aside, and in moments Sweet was sprawled on the damp earth, the breath knocked out of her lungs. This time Callie was the dog on top, and her jaws were clamped on Sweet’s scruff, holding her down. There was a light of hate in theBeta’s eyes, and a chill swept through Sweet’s blood along with the fury. Curse Callie!
    But the awful chill that immobilized her didn’t drain away. It filled Sweet’s body, and seemed to seep out into the air around the two fighting dogs. It was instinct, warning her. . . .
    Sweet shuddered. She remembered what happened next. And the fight wasn’t the worst thing that had happened that day . . . the day of the Big Growl. . . .
    The longpaws came from nowhere, and everywhere. They were all around the Pack, as if they’d been hiding inside the very trees. Instantly Callie released Sweet, and they both lined up with their Packmates, growling their defiance at the longpaws .
    Every muscle and bone in her body urged Sweet to run . Turn! Run! Go! They were swift-dogs, weren’t they? The longpaws were slow and clumsy. The dogs could all flee, right now, and if the rest wouldn’t—Sweet could! She could run far away, faster than any longpaw—
    But the Pack was snarling and eyeing the longpaws that closed in from all sides. The Pack wanted to fight, to meet the longpaws’ challenge and defeat them .
    Madness! But if Sweet bolted—if she made a run for it—surely the others would follow. . . .
    She couldn’t battle the urge any longer. Spinning, Sweet fled, her speed carrying her away from the sticks and nets and the long flailing paws of the creatureslooking to capture