Bolting into Love

…A day before Bolt was taken home by Penny, something was taken away from him…

Bolt heard a playful female growl in his ear. He opened his eyes sleepily, and smiling in front of his nose was Streak, a female husky puppy, and most importantly, his best friend.

Bolt got up and stretched. But suddenly he was slammed into the ground, the air knocked out of him. He was lying on his back, and Streak was pinning him down. The two got up and played, wrestling and growling.

After lunch, the two laid down for a nap next to the other puppies in the animal shelter. The two snuggled up next to each other, bellies full and happy.

Just then, the door to the shelter opened. Bolt's ears tilted to the sound, and he got up, Streak opening her eyes sleepily.

An older human had just come in, and he immediately walked over to the pen where the puppies were kept. Bolt started to growl. He didn't like this human. The man ignored him and looked at Streak, who had gotten up and stood next to Bolt. The human stared at Steak for a while, and then looked up at the clerk.

"Is this a purebred husky?" he asked the clerk, pointing to Streak. The clerk nodded and walked over to the pen.

"Yup, she is. Beauty, isn't she? Someone brought her in, finding her sitting in an alley," the clerk said. The man nodded, looking to Streak again.

"I'll take her," he simply demanded, and handed some money to the clerk, who took it.

"She's all yours," the clerk said somewhat disapprovingly. The man reached down to pick up Streak, but Bolt snarled in his puppy voice. The man snarled back at Bolt, and knocked him aside, making him tumble over to the corner of the pen. Streak yelped and began to run over to Bolt, but was scooped up by the man. She whimpered with pain as he took her by the scruff of the neck. Bolt leapt back up, and ran over to the side of the pen, barking. His last glimpse of Streak was her looking sadly back at him. Then she was gone. Bolt barked in anger and sadness. The clerk walked over and patted Bolt's head.

"Don't worry, fella. Maybe someone will take you home tomorrow," he said, and switched off the lights.

And someone had taken Bolt home the next day, Penny. And for the next 5 years, Bolt never thought of Streak again…

Bolt woke up and barked suddenly. He was lying next to Penny in her bed. Penny simply rolled over and didn't wake up. Rhino was sleeping in his cage and Mittens was in Penny's mom's room.

Bolt blinked in confusion. Who had been that female husky puppy in his dream? He had no memory of that dog. He got up, jumped off Penny's bed quietly, and trotted out to his water bowl in the kitchen. He drank a few gulps, and then dunked his whole head in the bowl.

"Need a bath, dog?" said a voice, and Bolt's head snapped back up, shaking off water. He looked over to Mittens, who was sitting on the counter, licking her paw. She blinked at him. "Don't look at me. I'm not licking a dog. Clean yourself!" she said. Bolt just rolled his eyes and looked away. Mittens was always like this. Mittens sensed his agitation. Her voice grew soft. "Hey, Bolt. What's wrong? I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," she said, jumping down and sitting next to Bolt. Bolt shook his head.

"No, Mittens. It's ok. I was just thinking about something…" he said dreamily. Mittens stood up. This was unusual.

"Thinking about something? Can you tell me?" she asked. Bolt looked at her. For some reason, he felt embarrassed to tell her about the husky. He pinned his ears down, ashamed. Mittens walked up to him and rubbed up next to him. "It's ok, Bolt. You can tell me," she said. Bolt was her best friend. She didn't want him to be ashamed of something enough to not tell her. Bolt stepped back up and sat down, sighing.

"Ok, but promise you won't tell Rhino," he said. Mittens's eyes widened. This must be important. She sat down next to him and nodded.

"Ok, I promise. Shoot," she said. Bolt sighed again and told Mittens of his dream. When he was done, Mittens tilted her head. "And you have no memory of her?" she asked, and Bolt shook his head. Mittens looked out the window. Even with it dark outside, Mittens could see with her eyes that the trees and flowers were in full bloom. She suddenly chuckled. Bolt blinked in confusion.

"What?" he asked, ears pinning down again. Was this dream something to be ashamed of? Mittens stopped chuckling and smiled at Bolt.

"It's ok, Bolt. I'm sorry. It's just… It's spring and all… Ya know, the birds and the bees?" she said. Bolt tilted his head. Mittens smacked her head lightly with her white paw. "Oh, yeah! You were grown up in a TV show, and you never learned how to be a dog!" she said. Bolt smiled.

"But, you taught me. Am I missing something?" he asked hesitantly. Mittens sighed. She HAD taught Bolt a number of things, but she had never told him about… this subject.

"Well, Bolt… It's hard to explain. You see, us animals, including the humans, are made by two others of their kind, a male and female. You get what I'm saying, right?" she asked hopefully. Bolt smiled and nodded, then frowned and shook his head no. Mittens sighed. This was hard. "I think I'll have to let Rhino explain this. He knows a lot about humans," she said. Bolt whined; he told her he didn't want Rhino to know, for some reason. He already thought telling Mittens was bad. "It's ok, Bolt. We won't tell him anything," Mittens promised. Bolt nodded.

The next morning, Penny was getting ready for school. She looked down at Bolt, who was staring at the floor.

"Bolt, what's wrong?" she asked, bending down to rub his ear. Bolt only looked at her. Penny felt his sadness. She put another hand on his other ear. Bolt, afraid to attract attention, smiled and wagged his tail slightly. Penny smiled and kissed Bolt's head. "That's my good boy," she said, and ran off to the bus.

"The birds and the bees? You mean romance?" Rhino asked. Mittens nodded. She and Bolt sat in front of Rhino, who was in his ball, as usual. Rhino looked between the two, and then his eyes grew shifty. "Why do you ask?" he asked suspiciously. Mittens rolled her eyes; this hamster got on her nerves so much sometimes!

"Rhino, just please explain to Bolt," Mittens sighed. Rhino nodded sadly. He felt like he was missing out on something. He turned to the TV, and, clicking the remote, turned to a channel. It showed a couple sitting by each other and holding hands, ready to kiss. Rhino held up his two paws. "This is romance," he said simply. Then, the couple on TV got closer and kissed. Mittens groaned and looked away. Rhino wrinkled his nose. But Bolt simply tilted his head.

"What are they doing?" Bolt asked.

"Kissing," Rhino replied. "Among the humans, it's a sign of affection. Among us animals… Well, we don't do that. We just snuggle and lick," Rhino explained. Bolt nodded. He understood a little.

"But, WHY are they doing that?" he asked.

"Because they love each other. You see Bolt, 'love' is much stronger then friendship. And there are two forms of it. One is what you feel for Penny," Rhino said. Bolt nodded. He knew he more then liked Penny, but wasn't sure what that was.

"And the other kind?" Bolt asked.

"The other kind… is what these two are doing," Rhino said, gesturing to the TV, where the two humans were still kissing. Bolt nodded. The subject still confused him a little, but he thought he understood most of it, except the 'other' kind of love.

The next day, Bolt, Mittens, and Rhino were sitting in front of the TV. A dog show was on. Mittens was occupied with a bird outside, and Rhino and Bolt were watching the TV.

"I don't understand how those dogs just let the humans put them there. I'd hate to be scrubbed, trained, and live to just get a heavy gold thing around my neck," Mittens said disapprovingly. Bolt shrugged.

"They just wanna obey their owners. It's a dog's job to protect, please, and love their owners," he said. Mittens rolled her eyes.

"Just as well, I'd still hate it," she responded. Bolt smiled and looked back to the show. Suddenly, a female husky and her owner came trotting into the scene. Bolt jumped up, eyes wide and glued to the screen. Rhino and Mittens looked at him in alarm.

"Bolt?" Rhino asked.

"That's her… Streak," Bolt whispered, still staring at the screen. Rhino lifted an eyebrow at Mittens, but she jumped down from the window and sat by Bolt.

"So that's her," she said quietly. Bolt glanced at her quickly and nodded. He gazed at the beautiful husky on TV. She walked with beauty, grace, and pride. But, she seemed sad and frequently looked up at her owner. Bolt then turned his attention to her owner. Suddenly his dream flashed back to him: the man coming into the store, knocking Bolt outside, grabbing Streak and never coming back. Bolt growled; it was the same human!

The trio watched the show, and Streak became one of the top five finalists.

"And best in show goes to…" the judge said. He glanced at the group of eager humans and their dogs. "…The poodle!" The crowd cheered. Rhino groaned.

"Every year!" he said. Meanwhile, Streak had gotten second place. But, she didn't seem at all happy about it, and neither did her owner. She looked up at him with fearful eyes.

Just then, Penny came into the room and sat down by Bolt, rubbing his ears.

"So, boy, who won?" she asked and looked at the TV. She sighed. "The poodle, of course. It's a shame the husky didn't get it. I think she's the most prettiest." Penny glanced at Bolt and laughed. "I guess you think so too, huh, boy?" she said. Bolt barked. Penny got up and left to eat dinner. Bolt looked back to the screen. The credits were over. He groaned.

"Shoot, now I won't know where the show is held," he said to Mittens and Rhino.

"At the community center downtown," Rhino replied. Bolt grinned.

"Thanks, buddy," he said. Mittens looked at Bolt.

"Bolt, you can't just go find Streak, she has an owner, remember? They might live somewhere else. Besides, she might not even remember you," she warned. Bolt shook his head.

"Yeah, but, I HAVE to find her. Or I'll never get any rest," he said. Rhino suddenly laughed.

"So THAT's why you asked me about romance! Got some glances for the husky, huh?" he laughed. Bolt groaned. Now he would never get rest for sure! Mittens sighed.

"So, Bolt, what are you gonna do about it?" she asked. Bolt grinned.

"Tonight, I'm gonna head down to the community center," he said. Rhino squeaked.

"Ooh, I'll go get my ball!" he said and ran out of the room. Mittens looked at Bolt.

"You have got to be kidding me!" she yowled. Bolt smiled.

"I'm not. Now, are you coming?" he asked. Mittens got up and stretched.

"If you really want to, I guess I'll come."

That night, Bolt woke Mittens and Rhino up. Bolt had been unable to sleep at all. The trio walked through Bolt's doggy door, and headed toward downtown.

"So, what are you planning to do IF you meet Streak?" Mittens asked as they walked.

"I have no idea," Bolt said truthfully. They rounded a building into an alleyway. Bolt suddenly heard barking. He perked his ears up, and ran toward the sound.

"Bolt, wait up!" Rhino and Mittens cried, but Bolt was already far ahead. Bolt slid to a stop. He heard barking, but saw nothing. Suddenly, a dog slid around the corner, slamming into him. The two tumbled, and Bolt felt himself pinned down. He looked up; there was a dog on top of him, snarling. But Bolt studied her. She was a husky, with bright blue eyes and black and white fur. Bolt blinked.

"Streak?" he asked shockingly. The dog stopped snarling, and stepped off him. Bolt got up.

"How do you know my name?" Streak asked. Bolt felt his heart skip a beat. Her voice was beautiful.

"I'm… Bolt," he said. Streak lifted an eyebrow.

"Who's that?" she asked suspiciously.

"I-I was the star of a TV show, but me and my owner, Penny, quit. But, that's not how you know me," Bolt began, but Streak held up a paw.

"You can tell me later. Come on," she said and ran off. Bolt blinked and ran after her. The two dogs ran a few blocks, and then hid under a car. Bolt heard a human run by.

"Streak! You get over here, you worthless mutt!" he yelled. Bolt blinked. What a cruel human!

"He's said worse," Streak said quietly, answering his question. Soon, the man left. Bolt turned to Streak, who was right in front of his nose. He gasped and scooted back, even though he wanted to inch closer.

"Relax… Bolt. Now, how do you know me?" Streak asked. Bolt swallowed and told her his story of the shelter. Streak squinted at times. When Bolt was done, Streak was silent, then grinned.

"I remember you!" she yelped happily, and pounced on Bolt. Bolt looked up at Streak's surprisingly excited face. Then Streak went back to serious and stepped away.

"I… didn't think I'd ever see you again…" she said quietly. "When he took me away, I cried for days, knowing I'd never see you again… But, I was wrong." Streak looked up at Bolt and smiled, blue eyes glowing. Bolt smiled.

"Yeah, I forgot all about you too," he said. The two simply smiled at each for the next few moments, lost in their own little world.

"Bolt!" a voice yowled. Bolt perked his ear. It was Mittens. Streak tilted her head.

"Who's that?" she asked. Bolt smiled sheepishly.

"That's Mittens," he said, as Mittens and Rhino appeared.

"Bolt! Ya just left us!" Rhino said, and then blinked at Streak. "You found her!" he squeaked. Streak looked at Bolt, confused.

"I told them about you," Bolt confessed, feeling ashamed, but Streak smiled and walked up to Rhino.

"Hello, I'm Streak," she said, smiling. Rhino, still in his ball, bowed.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady; I am Rhino. Even though you are not of my kind, you are very beautiful," he said. Streak giggled, and Bolt blushed.

"Why, thank you, sir," she said and tilted her head. She turned to Mittens. "Hi," she said. But Mittens began licking her paw in response. Bolt gaped at Mittens' rudeness, and slightly stepped on her tail. Mittens gave him a glare and said to Streak, "Hey, I'm Mittens," and continued to lick her paw. Bolt rolled his eyes.

"Don't mind Mittens; she's always like that," Bolt whispered to Streak, who nodded. Bolt stepped back and looked to them all, then to Streak.

"So, Streak… Um, why were you running away?" he asked. Streak's face grew vicious.

"When I didn't win the Dog Show, he became angry and yelled at me. So, I ran. I'm never going back to him," she said. Bolt nodded.

"So you don't have a home," he said, and Streak nodded. Bolt looked to Rhino, who grinned and nodded rapidly. But Mittens frowned.

"I doubt Penny would want a stray," she sniffed. Bolt glared at her.

"She took you, didn't she?" he said through clenched teeth. Mittens lifted an eyebrow, then sighed and nodded. Bolt turned to Streak.

"Streak, how would you like to live with us? My person is really nice, and she loves animals," he asked hopefully.

"Well, I dunno, Bolt. I mean, I'm kinda sick of humans lately. All they want is a good, purebred dog," Streak said sadly. Bolt shook his head.

"Not Penny. She's not like that," he reassured her. Finally, Streak nodded.

"Alright, then. If you say so, Bolt," she said. Bolt nodded.

"Yes! Uh, I mean, great…" he said quietly, lowering his head. Streak looked away and blushed. Bolt looked back up to everyone.

"Ok, guys, lets get home. It's almost light," he said, then the foursome trotted back home.

As Mittens and Rhino got back inside, Bolt turned to Streak. Again, he was awestruck by her black and white fur, blue eyes, and sweet smile.

"Bolt?" she asked, knocking him out of his trance.

"Sorry," he said quickly, then said, "Ok, well, I don't think you should come in right away. For the night, you should sleep in my dog house. Tomorrow, Penny will be home and I'll introduce her to you," he said, and Streak nodded.

"But, I'll get cold," Streak said, not a complaint, but as a statement. Bolt turned away.

"Here, I'll go get you a blanket," he said. But Streak caught him.

"Why don't YOU just lay with me?" she asked simply. Bolt froze. He was stuck. He wanted to yell, "Yes! I will! I want to!" but he didn't know how Streak felt about him. She probably just thinks we're friends, he thought. He forced a smiled and turned to her.

"Of course. Yeah, sure," he said. Streak had gotten into the doghouse, staying to one side. Bolt carefully climbed in and lay beside her, careful not to touch. Streak was tired, and she fell asleep before Bolt could say anything. Soon, it got cooler, and Streak shivered. Bolt carefully scooted closer to her, and he lay his head next to hers, feeling her soft fur against his. He smiled and fell asleep.

Bolt woke up and rolled over, taking Streak's spot. He jumped up, afraid he was squashing her, but she was not there. Bolt walked outside into the morning sun. Streak was nowhere to be seen.

"Streak!" he yelled.

"Bolt!" a voice called. Bolt's ears perked up. It was Penny. Bolt ran inside. Penny was in the living room.

"There you are! I've been looking for you all morning, boy!" she said and ran over to him, hugging him. Bolt smiled and grunted happily. "Where did you go, Bolt?" Penny asked, pulling away. Bolt took a deep breath, and barked. "Bolt, what's wrong?" Penny asked. Bolt, still barking, ran out the door, Penny right behind him. "Bolt, where are you going?!" Penny yelled. Bolt got into the yard and looked around, barking. Just, then, Streak rounded the corner. She had some garbage in her mouth. She froze when she saw Penny, dropping the food. She and Penny stared at each other for a moment, then Penny bent down slowly.

"Hey, isn't that the husky from the dog show? Streak?" Penny asked. Streak's ears perked up. Bolt smiled at the two, then trotted over to Streak.

"Streak, this is my person, Penny," he said to her, and she nodded, taking a step forward. Penny slowly reached out her hand. The two inched forward, then Streak sniffed Penny's hand. Suddenly, she relaxed, wagging her tail, and began licking Penny's face. Penny laughed.

"Calm down, girl," she said, laughing. Bolt smiled as he watched the two. Finally, Streak pulled away and sat down, Penny stroking her soft fur.

"Wait, where's your owner?" Penny asked and looked around. Both Streak and Bolt whined. Penny frowned. "What's wrong, you two? Is he mean? When I saw him on TV with you, Streak, he seemed ready to smack you at any second," she said. Streak snorted and stood up. Penny sighed. "Look, Streak. I'd love to keep you, but my mom would want to make sure you got back to your owner. I'd be stealing," she said. She pulled out her camera and took a picture of Streak. "I'll go make some flyers," she said, and went back inside. Streak smiled at Bolt.

"I like her, I like her a lot. Can I stay?" she asked. Bolt never heard the pleading in her voice before.

"I don't know. I know she likes you, but I think she wants to return you to your person," Bolt replied. Streak's eyes widened and she backed away.

"No, no. She can't… I'm never going back to him," she said with terror in her voice. Bolt walked over and nuzzled her.

"Don't worry, I'll convince her. I promise," he whispered. Streak smiled and nuzzled him back. And the two shared a tender moment.

But, Penny had made flyers. She put them around town. The next day, Bolt and Streak were laying in the yard when there was a knock at the door. Bolt's ears automatically perked up and he started barking. Penny came down the stairs.

"I'll get it," she said to her mom, and answered the door. There stood a man… Streak's owner!

"Hi, are you Penny?" he asked in an impatient voice.

"I am," Penny answered. Bolt came up from behind her and squeezed through. When he saw the man, flashbacks from his puppyhood and last night told him that the human was Streak's mean owner. He began to growl. The man looked down at him, smiling greedily.

"Your dog?" he sniffed. Penny nodded and held Bolt's collar.

"Sorry, he must not like you," she said. The man grunted.

"Well, I've come for my dog," he said, holding up the flyer. Bolt whined.

"Yes, well, I have to know that you are her real owner. Can you call her?" Penny said.

"Yeah, Streak!" the man yelled, and whistled. Bolt whined again as Streak came running to the door. She looked up and saw the person… and froze.

"Hey, girl. Think you could run away from me, did ya?" the man said, and grabbed Streak's collar – a little too tight, making Streak yelp. Penny let go of Bolt's collar.

"Hey!" she said in a stern voice. Bolt barked and attacked the man's leg.

"Hey, you mutt!" the man cried and smacked at Bolt, freeing Streak. She bolted out and down the street. The man snarled and ran to his truck. He started it, engine roaring, and chased after Streak. Penny bent down and held Bolt's head.

"Bolt, you don't bite people! You hear me?" she said sternly. Bolt bore his sad eyes into her and broke free. "Bolt!" Penny yelled after him, but he was already down the street.

Panting, Bolt caught up to the truck. He saw Streak running a few yards in front of the truck. But the man was gaining speed.

Zoom, zoom, Bolt thought and ran faster.

"Streak, run!" Bolt barked at her. But the man went faster and skidded in front of Streak. He stepped out of the truck as Streak slid to a stop. The man scooped up Streak and stuffed her into the back seat.

"Bolt!" Streak yelped. Bolt snarled and leapt onto the man, biting and thrashing.

"Get off me, you crazy animal!" the man yelled, and kicked Bolt, sending him yelping to the road. The man got back into his truck and sped away, Streak howling out the window.

Bolt slowly stepped back up, legs shaking, and gazed sadly after the truck. He then turned around and loped painfully and slowly back home. He had lost Streak once, he wasn't gonna lose her again.

"What do you mean, let her go?" Bolt snarled in anger. He was at home, lying across the floor. He had bruises covering his legs. Mittens and Rhino sat across from him.

"Bolt, look how much she's done to you already," Mittens said. Bolt frowned.

"She hasn't done any-… You're jealous, aren't you?" Bolt whispered in a harsh tone. Rhino gulped and cowered down in his ball. Mittens blinked, unaware, back at Bolt.

"Now, why would I be jealous?" Mittens asked in a sarcastic tone. "Oh, yeah, maybe because for the last few days all you've been doing is laying outside with her!" Mittens hissed.

"You're done, cat!" Bolt snarled and leapt at Mittens, pinning her down to the floor. Rhino put his paws over his head and shook, as Mittens struggled against Bolt's firm grip.

"Don't you love us anymore?" Mittens yowled. Bolt growled and pressed harder.

"How dare you, Mittens? After all we've been through…" Bolt whispered sadly. Mittens stopped struggling and looked up at Bolt with sad eyes.

"She's all you care about now, Bolt," Mittens said. That wasn't true. Bolt sighed and stepped off Mittens, looking at Rhino.

"Rhino, you coming?" he asked. Rhino snapped back up and held a paw at his forehead.

"Rhino, reporting for duty!" he squeaked happily. Bolt smiled and ran to Penny's room. She was lying on her bed, reading. She looked up as he came in.

"Hey, Bolt. How you feelin'?" she asked him as he put his head on her bed. Penny petted his snout. "What's wrong, boy?" Penny asked as she noticed Bolt's eyes filled with gloom.

What's wrong? What's wrong? I'm leaving you, abandoning you. Everything a dog's not supposed to… Bolt thought sadly. He licked Penny's hand and trotted out the door, Penny staring after him in confusion.

"Let's go, Rhino," Bolt said. Rhino nodded and rolled out the door. Bolt looked one last time at Mittens, who was sitting on the window.

"Good bye, Mittens," Bolt said to her, and loped after Rhino. Mittens watched as they disappeared down the street.

"Good bye, Boltie," she whispered.

"Oh, shut up!" the man yelled. He sat at his desk, on the phone, calling for the next flight to New York. Streak sat in a small cage, howling in grief.

"I need a new hobby," the man grumbled and walked out of the room. Streak was silent, and then she started to bite at the cage handle.

"Come on," she said, frustrated. She couldn't open the door. She had studied her owner as he opened the door every time, and she couldn't do it!

When her owner came back into the room, Streak immediately stopped and scratched her ear. Another man came into the room with a cart and lifted Streak's cage onto it, rolling it out of the room. The man sighed and closed the door.

"So, my super hero, what's the plan?" Rhino asked. The two were near the airport, trying to find Streak's owner's house.

"I don't know, but-" Bolt began, then a voice split the air.

"Bolt!"

Bolt's ears lifted up and he turned around. There was a small airplane, and Streak was being put into it!

"Streak!" Bolt barked, and bolted towards the plane. Rhino was right next to him.

"DIE!!!" Rhino roared and attacked (or tried to) the man putting Streak into the plane.

"What the…?" the man said. "Hey, it's a hamster!" he exclaimed.

"You got that right, sir," Rhino said, rolling back and forth into the man's leg. Meanwhile, Bolt leaped inside the plane next to Streak.

"Bolt! You found me!" Streak said happily. Bolt grinned.

"Of course I did. Bolt can find anything. Now hold on; I'm gonna get'cha out," he replied.

"You again!" a voice exclaimed. The two dogs gasped and jumped around, facing Streak's owner. "I'm so sick of you, mutt!" the man yelled and grabbed Bolt. Bolt snarled and bit the man's arm, who growled and tossed Bolt out of the plane. Bolt tried to jump back in but met the door of the plane, which was closed. Bolt smacked into it, sighed, tongue hanging out, and fell backward.

Streak's owner started up the plane, engines roaring. Rhino meanwhile was losing his battle with the cart dude. He was getting tired by just ramming into him. The man, meanwhile, was laughing. Rhino, panting, stopped, then looked at the engines. He smiled, getting an idea.

Rhino rolled in front of the engine, and, putting on paw out of his ball, held onto the engine. As the engine got stronger, Rhino cried, "I feel alive!"

Rhino then let go, and shot into the cart dude, who fell over.

"Now laugh at that," Rhino said, wiping his paws together. He rolled over to Bolt, who was still lying on the ground, and bumped into him.

"Wake up, Bolt! The battle is not yet done!" Rhino squeaked. Bolt finally opened his eyes and jumped up.

"Streak!" he yelped, looking at the plane, which was already rolling away. "Come on!" Bolt cried, grabbing Rhino's ball in his mouth, and ran after the plane. Bolt ran towards the front of the plane and leapt onto the nose of it, snarling. He crawled in the window and attacked the man, who lost his control of the plane. Rhino crawled out of his ball and took hold of the wheel.

"Now, how do you work this thing?" he murmured to himself absentmindedly as Bolt and the man fought behind him. Rhino took a deep breath and turned the wheel all the way to the left.

The man fell over, Bolt on top of him. Streak yelped as her cage, and her, toppled over. Finally, the door broke open, and Streak clawed her way out. She ran over to Bolt and attacked the man with him.

"Ok, let's try this way," Rhino said, and spun the wheel to the right.

"Whoa!" Bolt and Streak howled and toppled over again. The man jumped back up pulled out a can of pepper spray.

"Aha!" he said and sprayed, but Streak and Bolt leapt out of the way. Snarling, the man grabbed Streak, opened the door, and leapt out of the plane. Bolt looked after them, then ran to the front.

"Rhino, stop this plane!" he said.

"How do you do that?!" Rhino piped, frustrated with all the buttons. Bolt sighed, rolling his eyes, and pulled a lever with his teeth. The plane screeched to a stop. "Oh," Rhino simply replied. Bolt jumped out the door and ran towards the man and Streak.

"Ha, pup!" the man yelled, and sprayed the can at Bolt's eyes. Bolt yelped and shut his eyes, which were burning with pain. Streak ran over to Bolt, whimpering and licking Bolt's eyes.

"I'm so sick of dogs," the man said, and once again aimed his can of pepper spray at Streak, who puffed her chest out, not afraid of what was to come.

Suddenly, a meow of anger split the air. "Then why don't you get a cat!" Everyone, even Bolt opening his red eyes, turned around.

Mittens! She hissed and leapt onto the man's head, biting and beating with her paws. The man yelled and tore her off, running away. But, he bumped into Penny and her mom, along with a police officer.

"Sir, you are under arrest for the use of animal cruelty," the officer said, snapping handcuffs on him.

"But, the animals, they've all gone crazy! A hamster just drove my plane!" the man howled in shock.

"Yeah, yeah, tell it to the judge," the officer said and pulled him away. Penny ran over to Bolt, holding him.

"Oh, Bolt! Are you ok, boy?" she cried and held his head. Bolt smiled and licked her face. Rhino rolled over to the group, looking back at the plane and quivering with excitement.

"That… was… AWESOME!!!" he cried and began rolling in circles. The group laughed. Bolt turned to Mittens, smiling.

"Mittens, how did you…?" he began, but Mittens held up a paw.

"I had Penny and her mom follow me, and I was following your scent," she explained, smiling.

"But, you were jealous…" Bolt said, confused.

"I was being stupid. Why should I be jealous of Streak?" Mittens said and smiled at her. Streak grinned and licked Mittens' face, who groaned.

"Aw, yuck!" she said and began licking herself. Streak laughed and turned to Bolt, smiling.

"Oh, guys, guess what?" Penny said. Everyone looked at her. "We get to keep Streak!" she said happily. Streak, Bolt, Mittens, and Rhino cheered. Bolt and Streak ran around each other, then stopped, noses touching. Streak stepped closer and nuzzled Bolt's neck fur. Bolt smiled and nuzzled her back. They were a family.

3 MONTHS LATER

Bolt was peacefully dozing out in the yard. He was dreaming about when he had met Streak for the second time, how happy he had been…

Bolt's dream was interrupted by a small growl then a nip on his ear. Bolt's eyes opened and he smiled; in front of his was a female husky puppy, tail wagging, rump in the air. This was his daughter.

Bolt smiled and got up, stretching. He leaned down and licked the pup, who grunted and licked his nose with her tiny pink tongue. Then she bolted away towards her siblings. Bolt smiled and walked towards the litter.

There were 4: 3 girls and 1 boy. Streak was laying by them, the puppies crawling over her. Bolt trotted over and nuzzled her, who smiled and licked his snout. Her balloon of a stomach was almost gone; back to its normal size (Personally, Bolt didn't like the hugeness of her stomach but understood it was necessary). The three girls were black and white like her mother, and had a smooth tail like Bolt's. The only boy was all white like his father but had the fluffy, curling tail like Streak's.

The door opened and Penny came out. The puppies yelped with happiness and ran over to her, licking and tails wagging a hundred miles per hour. Penny laughed and played with them. Just then, Mittens and Rhino came out of the house. The puppies paused in their playing, staring at the two. Then they all rushed toward them.

"NO!" Mitten yowled, and was met with two puppies pouncing on her, growling and biting.

"Come here, my puppies!" Rhino said, paws out. The other two puppies showered his ball with licks and pushed it with their noses. Bolt and Streak laughed. The two gazed into each other's eyes and Bolt rested his head on Streak's, the two watching their family. Bolt trotted over to Penny and licked her face, and she hugged him.

"You did good, boy," she whispered, burying her face in his long white fur. Bolt sighed with happiness. It didn't get any better then this.

THE END