Disclaimer!
I do not own Bolt, Mittens, Rhino, and the characters of Penny and Emily. I do, however, own the names Emily and Wallace. The rest is owned by Walt Disney Pictures. Kodie belongs to my friend, Vince (xxLoneWolf14xx). Rex, Isabel, Eddie, Lizzy, and all other characters not mentioned here do belong to me.
Slight AU will be used. This is regarding facts I do not know, street names that may or may not exist, and, of course, the fact that the animals can all apparently see in colour.
Rated T (Teen) for pretty much the same reasons as my last three. This fanfic may or may not contain:
• Blood/violence
• Coarse language
• Suggestive dialogue
• Sexual innuendo
• Crude humour
• Mature themes
• Substance abuse
And not necessarily limited to the above, either.
Prologue
Welcome to the fourth and final installment of my Bolt fanfic series. Hope you all have enjoyed it so far, because I've had a lot of fun writing it =D If you are coming here expecting the same, then you are mistaken. My goal this time is to take chapters I wrote which I, and my critics, really liked (i.e. 5, 9, 11, and 14 of Until I'm Saved; 4, 6, 7, 12, and 15 of Vertigo; and 14 of Barely Aware), observe what I did that I liked (usually twists, sensory imagery, cliffhangers, and emotional or suspenseful description), and integrate it into this one. The result will be longer and much more detailed chapters, and hopefully a completely new and better direction to my fanfic writing. Oh, by the way... 3-10 day delays between chapters, likely all the way through. Sorry. Nope, not doing a foreword this time because it confused the hell out of me once I put it up (i.e. what chapter I am uploading). So, this time, I'm just leaving a brief statement at the beginning of the first chapter... so... that's all I have to say...
Pictures of characters! Yay! I am currently having a few friends and acquaintances draw me pictures of some of my OCs. In progress now are the pups, and I already have an Isabel commission sent to me, but I am having another artist draw me one as well. Rex is based off a real life dog I used to own and looks exactly like he does in the story. I also have a picture of Zed from Barely Aware who is based off a real life cat I used to own. I may use my fursona in this fanfic as well as a fursona of Vince. I can get you a reference to my fursona easy, not so much for Vince's unless he draws it himself. PM me if you want pics.
Now, this new fanfic was inspired by Vince (above), and a bit inspired by the movie Cold Mountain. I knew I was gonna do another, but I wasn't sure exactly what until Vince proposed the idea, so thanks, Vince!!
This is how it goes: Christmas is approaching as the family enjoys a ski vacation, and Bolt's puppies, regardless of Bolt's discouragement of getting him a gift, want to get him something that will, no matter what he says, make him happy. Well, coincidence and good fortune play into the puppies' favour, so Eddie and Lizzy set out on a cross-country quest to find Bolt's parents... if they are still alive, that is.
Let's Begin!!!
Nostalgia
I: Half Content
It began with a single voice, but as the waning moments of the hungry anticipation passed like a slug, the more voices that joined into song, the less it seemed like Bolt and the gang would be fed anytime soon. The moments that had been waning now slowly counted up as the spent time increased. Bolt's expression quickly grew hints of impatience as his mate, Isabel and his good friends, Rhino, Rex, and Mittens all gave up. Bolt peered to the left to see them walking slowly away toward a dog bed underneath the living room window, leaving subtle pawprints in the soft, plush red carpet of the vacation cabin. Bolt eyed the clock. 6:20. It had been 20 minutes later than they had expected to be fed now. What would take them this long? "Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh! Dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh, over the fields we go, laughing all the way! ..." Bolt typically enjoyed when the family sang Christmas carols, and he, often times, enjoyed staring at the hypnotic blinking lights on the tree, but not this time... not on an empty stomach.
"Bolt!" Called out the unmissable city voice of the familiar black cat. "Come over here, they'll feed us when they feed us!" Bolt thought for a moment before lifting a paw, looking back toward the family, a little aggravated, and finally beginning to slowly trot away. The plush carpet underneath his paws relaxed him quickly, and as he neared his friends, who were gathered around a large green dog bed laid against the peach-coloured stucco walls, his anger at not being fed on time nearly evapourated.
He found a spot between Mittens and Isabel that they had apparently left open for him. As he neared it, he lifted his head to see over the side of the tall bed which was covered in the careful patchwork of bone shapes upon the soft, green side of it. He could now see the contents of this dog bed and he gazed proudly upon the only thing that could get his mind off his stomach and self-pity. In the bed lay two young dogs. One of them looked closer to a small husky than anything else. His fur was black and white, with white the dominant colour upon his face save a splotch of black on the tip of his left ear. The rest of his long fur was pockmarked with large splotches of black. The other pup was a mix between the two breeds of American Shepherd and Siberian Husky. The dog's medium-length fur was white with gold speckles covering it. A gold-glittered quartz stone. Her eyes were nothing short of entrancing. The young girl opened her limestone-green eyes and gazed upon the crowd of four that had surrounded her and her brouther lying next to her.
The feisty young dog sighed in annoyance at the crowd that was gathered around her and her sleeping sibling, "Mommy, daddy... go away! You're embarrassing me!" She pleaded, sounding exhausted. Bolt and Isabel both gazed at each other knowingly and Isabel let out a short chuckle, "Oh, alright, honey. You can go back to sleep." Isabel nuzzled her and gave her a quick lick on the cheek with her broad tongue.
At that, the young lady was out like a light bulb. She dropped her head back into the pile of blankets and pillows laid out askew in the dog bed, and within her next few quiet breaths, she had faded back into sleep. Bolt and Isabel didn't really take heed of what she said, but she was asleep so what did it matter? Bolt sighed contentedly, "Could you ever believe we could make such a beautiful baby girl?" He asked Isabel passionately. "Not in a million years, Bolt!" Isabel responded with a hint of amazement. To them, looking at their pups was like a poor man looking at his newly-won Powerball jackpot.
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The Wallaces accompanied by a few family friends had gone on vacation for Christmas to catch a breath of fresh air as the fast paced Denver life had worn the family out. The original plan was for the family to meet up at Emily's mom's house in Ocean Shores, WA., but when Emily's mom came down to Denver herself, confused, they simply decided to just leave it up to chance. Joe proposed the idea of simply throwing a dart blindfolded at a U.S. map to see where they would vacation. The dart landed in extreme-west central North Carolina. They shortly thereafter looked up information on the location nearest to where it landed, and found the ski town of Wolf Laurel. The rest was history.
The Rockies and Appalachians are different, that's for sure. In Denver, the daytime high temperatures would rarely escape the low 20s in the winter. Here in Wolf Laurel, the temperatures often reached a balmy 50ºF, much to the family's pleasure, and not quite enough to melt the hard-packed artificial snow.
There was Joe, Emily, and Penny, of course, on this vacation. However, a few friends and additional family members tagged along with them. Staying in a lodge nearby was Peggy, as well as Mindy's family. The in-laws were the only family members that joined the Wallaces. Joe's dad and both Emily's mom and dad.
The family had been gathered around the large Christmas tree, which had been carefully garnished with antique ornaments and more flashy neon than Las Vegas. It was tradition of their's every year to get everyone together and carol for about an hour. Unfortunately for Bolt, they picked the feeding hour. 6p.m. sharp had been Bolt's understanding for the last year and a half, and he was extremely picky about when he ate. If food was presented to him even twenty minutes short of 6:00, he would wait until those twenty minutes ran down before digging in. Strangely, however, the day seemed to go by a bit quicker than expected, so maybe the time was just off? Bolt eyed the clock once more, 6:41. "Izzy... you think they forgot about us?" Bolt asked Isabel, sounding dejected, like a lovestruck teenager that had been dumped by his dream date. Isabel laughed at his gluttony, "Come now, Bolt. They wouldn't forget. They are just a little preoccupied."
"I betcha they're gonna sing all night." Bolt spat. His glass was obviously half empty now, but it filled immediately following his prediction. The large group of people surrounding the tree began to disperse, and the caroling quickly died down. "I stand corrected!" Bolt exclaimed enthusiastically, tail thumping on the velvety red couch he and Isabel were laying on.
Much to Bolt's relief, Penny charged toward him, a smile on her face, "Bolt, ya hungry?" She asked in the same playful voice she always spoke in when she talked to Bolt, and Bolt loved it. Bolt yipped happily and charged off the couch as Penny grabbed Bolt's white food dish and skipped to the dining room table, grabbing a full bag of dog food and tearing it open with ease. There were now five animals at Penny's feet as she stood at the dining room table; Isabel, Rhino, Rex, Bolt, and Mittens. The shuffling and skittering of dog paws across the wooden kitchen floor could be heard over the dingling of the food hitting Bolt's dish, luckily Rhino was in his ball or he'd have gotten mauled.
Penny smiled as she placed Bolt's dish on the floor, and Bolt, slobbering, immediately dug in, not caring that he was making somewhat of a mess. Then Penny proceeded to feeding the rest of the gang. She noticed, however, that while she was feeding Isabel, that the puppies were not gathered around at her feet. "Hmm... that's weird." She commented. Then she shrugged her shoulders and continued. She then filled Rex's food bowl on the ground and Rex, also slobbering a little, began devouring his meal. Penny filled the two remaining dog bowls, reserved for Eddie and Lizzy, and simply left them on the table for whenever they should arrive.
After Penny fed both Mittens and Rhino, she strolled to the living room in search of the pups, and she quickly found them. She couldn't help but breathe a quick, "Aww" upon first glance of the beautiful sight. Eddie and Lizzy were cuddled together in the green dog bed, fast asleep. Penny knelt down and kissed them both on the head, and then walked to the couch to text message Mindy.
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The small party at the house was simply conversing with each other while Bolt and Isabel, worn out from their crazy day of cross-country mayhem, exploring new scenery, and growing accustomed to the new setting and warmer climate. Most of the conversation the dogs heard around the room was something relevant to skiing, with an occasional mutter of something relevant to the holidays or presents. At one point, Penny and Emily began to chat amongst each other, and Bolt, panting at the stuffiness of the house, being used to the bone-chilling Denver climate, listened in, eyes fixed on the television. "Penny, we thought we'd try our hand at skiing tomorrow. My parents say they have been doing a lot of it up in Washington over the last three years and they'd teach us how."
"Really?" Penny replied, trying to sound enthusiastic.
"Really. They say it is some of the most fun you can ever have."
Penny had been texting on her phone, only half listening to her mom as the words came out of her mouth like they would an angry politician, as if they had been begging to be released. She put down her phone after finishing off her text message on the oak table in front of the red couch and reclined in the chair, turning her head to face her mom, somewhat of a smug, bored look on her face. Emily was looking a little crossly at her, "Penny, I brought you out here so we'd have a good time, and I want you to have one."
"Mom... I know. I will have a good time... but I just don't know what to expect."
"Neither do I, and look at me! I'm excited as I've ever been!" Emily waved her arms back and forth slightly to add emphasis. To her, it was as if she and Penny had switched bodies, as Emily was the live-wire teenager with a hunger to party and Penny was the laid-back, pessimistic mother. "Penny, just wait and see. When we leave here in a week, you will be begging to stay!"
Penny smiled confidently, "I know I will. Don't worry."
Emily gave her an unsure smile. She trusted her, but what if she didn't enjoy it? That's $600 spent on Penny alone that had gone to waste. She shook her head back and forth to get the thoughts out of her head, and looked at the clock. The day seemed to have flown by, as it was already quarter past eight. Time zones. It had to be the eastern time zone causing the day to pass quicker, as Colorado was 2 hours behind. Plus, it was the first day of winter; the shortest day of the year, "Well, it's early, but I think I'm gonna call it a day." She began.
"Alright, goodnight mom."
"Goodnight, Penny." She gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and quickly departed.
Bolt let out a loud sigh, his head planted on the couch and amber eyes fixed on Penny. "Aww, Bolt. I'm not ignoring you." She turned to him and scratched behind his ears. A content, relaxed smile appeared on Bolt's visage as Penny scratched. Isabel chuckled at him, "You lazy guy!"
"Aww, come on, it's been a rough day, Izzy. A massage never hurt anyone on a rough day." Bolt whined lazily, trying not to use whatever energy he had left to complain.
"I know, and I don't blame you... but can I get in on this?"
"Oh..." Bolt sighed, "Yeah, okay." He affirmed and quickly, half willingly and half out of respect and sympathy for Isabel, sprang off the couch and left Penny's hand for Isabel. He sauntered across the floor toward his pups, savouring how soft the carpet felt on his worn out paws. Isabel took advantage of Bolt's departure and took his place once he had left.
Eddie and Lizzy had been talking amongst themselves in the bed, and Bolt's curiosity now had the better of him. He trekked across the room to the green dog bed near the Christmas tree, "What are you guys doing?" He asked. Eddie and Lizzy awkwardly looked at each other for a brief moment before the innocent little voice of the black and white husky broke in, "We're talking about what we're gonna get you for Christmas." These words sparked a reaction from Bolt that Eddie nor Lizzy could have fathomed. The curious smile that had once been apparent on his face vanished like it was a magician's act. A dry expression now made Bolt's visage it's happy home, and it showed no signs of relocating anytime soon. "Daddy?" Lizzy asked in her sweet, smooth voice. Bolt shook it off, he didn't want to look back at the traumatizing era that he now remembered; the week before his sixth birthday. "Oh, it's nothing. I just... you know... bad memories."
"Bad memories... of Christmas? But... mom says Christmas is a magical time of year."
"It is. It's just... I don't believe that Christmas should be celebrated simply by getting gifts. Of course, I'd give you guys something, but you don't have to get me anything." The nostalgia returned now, and Bolt reminisced on the whole dilemma; DAVE, Rex, Keith, the riot, et cetera. Again, he had to quickly shake himself to get it out of his head. He looked at his son and daughter wisely. They both had confident smirks on their faces, "What are you guys hiding?" Bolt sneered playfully. Eddie cleared his throat and simply stated, "After you see the gift we're gonna get you, you'll change your mind. Trust me." Bolt was intrigued, but his mind scoffed at the idea. Bolt nuzzled his kids as he thought it over. Maybe they knew something he didn't? Four days to wait and then he'd see.