I Dare Ya!

Mooch grinned at Dolly, Pepper and Cadpig. "Toldaja," he said, "Toldja I fought lions." He was sore at Penny however. His eyes watered slightly. He didn't like being so hated. He didn't do anything bad. He didn't hurt her ever, why did she hate him so much. His head dropped, turning to Dolly. "I like you too," he said with a nod, "At least somebody likes me." He grumbled and pawed over to Penny and Tani.

"Its not worth it Tani," he said, "In her eyes and everyone else's in this stupid spotted family besides Cadpig and Pepper, I'll always be the trash that their pets refused to get rid of." He turned again. "I'm just trash," he murmured, "Let's go."

"You're NOT trash." Scamp insisted, stepping closer to Mooch. He could feel anger rising inside him - how dare that girl say anything like that about Mooch? "Who do you think you are?" he spat at Penny.

Penny simply turned away, not responding again. She didn't believe for a moment that her opinion of Mooch was wrong, but... She hadn't missed the tears in Mooch's eyes, brief as they had been, and seeing that confused her. Was Mooch really trying to be different? She gave a barely perceptible shake of her head and returned to Becca's side.

"I agree"! Cadpig said. "You might be a lot of things Mooch. But, don't for one second think you're trash or anything like that. You're a really cool guy Mooch and truthfully anyone who doesn't believe that is jealous" Cadpig said.

Vitani growled after Penny, how dare she do that to Mooch! Penny was more of a bully than Mooch supposedly was. She padded to Mooch's side and rubbed he cheek against his hoping to give him a small amount of comfort. He didn't deserve that.

"You aren't trash Mooch. You're like a brother to me and I know that you're a good person. You're my hero." she said softly taking a step back from him so she could look him in the eye. She then looked at Scamp with a smile. She didn't know what she would do if she didn't have her best friends.

"That wasn't very nice, Penny." Annabelle whispered disapprovingly, padding up to the younger girl. She may not have neccessarily trusted Mooch, but that didn't make him a bad dog. It just meant he needed babysitting until he grew out of his reckless behavior.

Penny didn't see that.

Nor did many other pups.

Shaking her head, Annabelle clicked her tongue to the roof of her mouth in a scolding manner.

And they thought they could handle things on their own. Such children.

"Yeah Mooch!! You're cool!!" Dipstick added.

Again he'd just rejoined mother earth after slipping into another daydream....courtesy of Rebecca.

Just in time to hear the tail end of the conversation.

He padded closer...not to Mooch but to the other side of Rebecca opposite of Penny.

"Can we go already so I can get Becca her crystal?"

Pepper's head perked up. "That's right, Cadpig. Mooch is one of the coolest, adventurous, awsomest people on the farm. You should be proud to call him your brother." Pepper felt her cheecks burn at the word brother. No one had ever adressed him that way but, in a way he almost was. One of those older brothers who would get under your skin but by the end of the day realised you loved them.

"Pepp, I couldn't have said it better myself. Mooch is an awesome brother and friend" Cadpig said . On the farm she really like Mooch as a brother but she was doubtful she would defend him this much. With Lucky not being around. She just felt it was okay to show how she really felt about Mooch. "And we will be fine, mom" Cadpig said with sarcasm with a roll of her eyes at Annabelle. "We have Mooch here to protect us" Cadpig said finding Annabelle just a little annoying.

Mooch didn't really hear any of the praise. He heard Dipstick's comment but it took a while for the sheepdog to respond to the statement at first. In his mind, he was brooding and hurt over the comments made by Penny. She would always hate him, just like Annabelle would always hate him, just like many of the pups on the farm would hate him. A bad dog? Mooch was the worst dog. He sneered, his mouth upturned in a clearly false smile. "Whatever you say, Dipstick," he mumbled.

Leading the pups forward, Mooch finally moved past the entrance of the camp, ahead of the others. He turned his head and looked back pathetically. "You guys coming or what?"

Dolly frowned sympathetically, before turning and casting a vicious glare over her shoulder at the main Dalmatian who had caused this blip in Mooch's ego filled good mood. Where had that pup gone all the sudden? The lass enjoyed it quite a lot- she saw through it, but she enjoyed it. Turning her attention back to Mooch, she tilted those fluffy ears back, creeping up his side and tilting her head to see his face at a better angle.

"Keep your head up..." she commented in a low voice. Should hthe chance come that he turn and look at her, she'd quickly lean forward, and lightly tap his chin upwards with the top of her nose and offer a small smile without breaking stride.

Mooch looked to the dog. She was a flirt, wasn't she? Why should he buy anything she had said? However she seemed sincere. He smiled, lowering his head after she nudged his chin. The feeling warmed his body, she was nice, even if she didn't think he was as cute as Scamp. "Thanks..."

He moved forward. "Let's go, the crystal cave's just over the hill...Promise, its really pretty."

Cadpig follows her excitement growing. "Mooch do you think we might see hyenas in this adventure"? Cadpig asked Mooch. She hoped they didn't but Mooch would be able to fight them off and if not Cadpig could out think them.

"Probably." Scamp replied, although the question hadn't been directed at him. "We did last time - but the three of us beat them pretty good, didn't we, Mooch?" Penny's words against his friend were already forgotten.

"C'mon, Tani." he called back over his shoulder as he ran to keep up with Mooch.

"They're just stupid slobbery mangy poachers." Vitani added padding beside Scamp "They won't be too much bother...it's getting lost you need to worry about."

Vitani remembered the dark labrinyth-like tunnels that ran for miles underground, they were just lucky they managed to stumble across the entrance or they could have been stuck down there.

"Just don't run off on your own this time." Scamp muttered aside to Tani. Not that he could blame her really - he'd been the one to almost attack her when he'd found out that she'd been one of the lionesses who'd attacked Angel.

It still felt strange to think of her as such - she seemed to get on pretty well with Angel now, for someone who'd ripped her back open - but he'd long since come to terms with who she had been. It was who she was now, and - and Scamp blushed just a little as he thought this - their feelings for each other that were important.