Prologue

Chosen Fate

The bell on the door tinkled as it opened, a man entering the pet store, with his daughter right behind him, literally shaking with what appeared to be untold levels of excitement.

The man looked down at his daughter as she looked feverishly around the store, obviously looking for something. "Daddy, where are they?" she cried loudly, her excitement making itself even more pronounced in her high, innocent voice. "Are they here?"

The man laughed, shaking his head. "Relax, Penny," he said, in a futile attempt to calm his daughter down. "I'm sure the one you want is here somewhere." He couldn't help but chuckle as Penny continued to peer into every nook and cranny of the store she could she from the entryway. Even now, after raising her for close to eight years, it still surprised him when Penny got excited like this. She seemed to have an endless supply of energy.

As the man's thoughts continued to wander, the store's owner came into view around a set of shelves. His name-tag identified him as Joe, and that he was the owner and manager of the store, and judging by the small size of the store, the only one working here, too. He seemed to be in his mid-to-late forties, with tanned skin, dark, balding hair, and a marginally plump physique. Overall, his appearance suggested someone who was extremely kind and gentle, and the man knew that Joe's looks were not deceiving, the two were fairly good friends. In such a small town like Silverlake, everyone knew each other.

Joe smiled when he saw who had arrived. "Oh, hey there, Richard!" he greeted happily, his soft voice conveying the same aura of kindness as his appearance. "What brings you and Penny here today?" He shook the man, Richard's hand as he spoke, before ruffling Penny's hair. The girl shoved his hand away, continuing to look around anxiously.

Richard looked down at Penny, before looking at Joe, smiling. "I think Penny makes it a little obvious...we're here to get her a pet!"

Joe smiled even wider. "Ah, yes, it's Penny's birthday, today, isn't it?" Penny responded by nodding her head as fast as she could her could, her energy still brimming over. "You're eight, aren't you, Penny?" Another nod, as Joe knelt down in front of Penny. "Well, happy birthday! Now," Joe stood back up, turning back to Richard, "exactly what are we after today?"

Richard thought for a second, deciding how best to explain his request. It may be Penny's dog, but he needed certain traits in the dog, for both his own private reasons, and for some peace-of-mind that Penny was getting her ultimate companion. Finally he turned to Penny. "Penny, why don't you go take a look, see if you can find one you like. I need to talk with Joe for a moment."

"Okay!" Penny cried, although she was already zipping away as she said it.

Both Richard and Joe chuckled as they watched Penny run off. "She's been like that all day, since I told her I'd get her one this morning," Richard explained.

Joe nodded in agreement. "She been after a pet for some time, hasn't she?"

Richard nodded back. "Years."

They both stood in silence for a brief moment, before Joe clapped his hands together. "So, what are we looking for today? I'm assuming..."

"Yes, a dog." Richard completed Joe's sentence for him. "Penny's always wanted her own puppy, so that's what she's getting. It is her present, after all."

Joe seemed to get distracted for a second, changing topic suddenly. "Speaking of Penny, why now? She's wanted one for years, why have you waited until now?"

"I had to wait until Penny was both old enough, and responsible enough, to look after the animal herself. My work doesn't allow me to take care of it for her. I had to jump through hoops just to get today off so I could be with her for her birthday. I think that, now, Penny is responsible enough, she should be able to care for her pet very well."

"Of course," Joe said, his face staring off in the distance as he fell into thought once more. "Now, how about specifics? Or is it just just whichever one Penny chooses?"

Richard wrapped an arm over Joe's shoulders, the two of them pacing around the front of the store as Richard talked. "This is what I wanted to talk to you about. Obviously this is Penny's puppy, and as such it's her choice. But, there are some specifics I would like, both for Penny, and for my own reasons, mostly my own peace of mind."

"Okay," Joe said, nodding to mark that he understood Richard's request so far. "Go on."

"Now, I need a very specific dog, here. I'm looking for a working dog. Something strong, fast, hardy...it essentially needs to almost replace me as a guardian for Penny. My work is becoming more demanding, and I just can't be with Penny as much as I'd like to. It also needs to be able to cope with Penny's excessive energy." Both of them chuckled at that. "On top of being that, it also needs to be able to control itself. You know, despite it strength and energy, it needs to be gentle and loyal to those it trusts. What I'm trying to say is, it needs - "

"It needs to be Penny's ultimate companion." Joe finished. He continued when Richard nodded. "You're after a dog than can be both her protector and her best friend, right?"

"Right."

Joe seemed to stop, thinking for a moment. "It's a tricky request. It's hard to get a dog with that sort of combination...what age area are you looking for?"

Richard smiled. "Penny's specifically requesting a young puppy. Most likely something a few weeks old."

Joe frowned. "That complicates things slightly, because I cannot guarantee that you will get exactly what you're after. However, a Shepherd of some sort sounds like it would suit your needs best, as they're a strong working dog, and are generally very fond of those they trust. But like I said, with a newborn pup, there's no guarantees."

"I understand," Richard replied. He had expected this, and was willing to make compromises if it turned out to be the case. "Do you have any Shepherd pups here?" Richard knew this was the tricky part. Being such a small store, Joe only ever had a small selection of dogs in the store at any one time. The chances of him finding something here were slim.

Joe's face lifted, causing Richard to sigh with relief. "You're in luck, Richard! Just a couple of days ago we got a White Shepherd puppy in from the nearby Animal Shelter. And I think he'd be just about perfect for both you and Penny, he's the cutest little thing I've ever seen!"

"Alright!" Richard rubbed his hands together, glad the situation had unfolded so well. "Let's see him, then!"

* * * * *

Penny made her way through the pet store, her excitement and happiness completely uncontrollable. I'm getting a puppy! I'm getting a puppy! I'm getting a puppy! She skipped through the small store, stopping every now and again as some animal caught her attention. She giggled in the aquarium section when she noticed, amongst a tank of small goldfish, one with massive eyes that were literally popping out of its head, which Penny always called 'Goggle-Eyes'. She moved from the aquarium to the reptile tank, but didn't stay long. She wasn't afraid of snakes, or any other reptile, but they still creeped her out slightly.

Then Penny found what she was looking for. Two raised benches, with clear plastic sides and open tops, allowing for easy viewing of the contents. These were the pens for the cats and dogs Joe's store offered. She immediately moved to the closest one, slightly disappointed to find it was the cat pen, but nevertheless stopped to peer inside. The store was only holding three little kittens at the moment. Penny giggled at two of them, who were locked tightly in a fierce wrestling match, pouncing on top of each other and rolling around, squealing and growling constantly. The third was off in a corner, curled up, sleeping peacefully.

After watching the wrestling match for a moment, Penny moved to the other pen, her excitement reaching new heights as she spotted the puppies. There was roughly half-a-dozen of them, each of them different kind. There was a large black Labrador pup resting in a corner, and a spotted Dalmatian relentlessly chasing its own tail. In the middle of the pen three little terriers pulled at each others ears, yapping and growling, one occasionally getting distracted by something else in the pen and running off.

But it was the last puppy Penny saw that made her gasp. That's it! That's my puppy!

She almost missed it, since its pure white fur blended in so well with the newspaper laid out on the floor of the pen. It was only the brilliant purity of the white that allowed Penny to spot it. There was not a single mark or blemish on the fur whatsoever. The entire dog was white except for the pink inside ear, the black nose and paws, and the massive brown eyes. The little White Shepherd was chasing a squeaky orange toy shaped like a carrot, grabbing in his mouth and whipping it around, before throwing it away and repeating the whole spectacle over again...at least until it noticed Penny.

When their eyes met, the last of Penny's doubts faded...this was her puppy, this was the one she was going to have. The puppy raised itself up on its hind legs, forelegs pressed against the plastic window, looking up at Penny, panting insistently, its tail wagging so fast it was actually causing the newspaper around it the ripple in the wind. The puppy stared at Penny for a few moments, before it noticed the fast-moving appendage behind it, and immediately chased after it, barking as it ran circles around itself, occasionally changing direction in a futile attempt to catch its own tail.

Penny laughed, pressing her own hand against the glass as the puppy turned his attention back to her, looking at her pleadingly as she grinned from ear to ear, her choice made. "That one!"

* * * * *

Richard and Joe walked up to the dog pen just as Penny spoke. Richard instantly noticed the White Shepherd Penny was staring at, and turned to Joe. "That's him?"

Joe nodded. "The one I was talking about."

Richard turned to Penny, smiling. So Joe had the perfect dog in today, and Penny had fallen in love with it almost instantly. But still, he had to be sure... "You think so, Penny?"

Penny whipped around, jumping a little, obviously startled. She had been so focused on the puppy that she hadn't noticed them behind her. "Yes!" she cried. "He's perfect!"

Richard's smile widened. Penny had definitely made her choice. But still, was he really appropriate for what Richard wanted him to do? He turned back to Joe. "Can I have a closer look at him?"

"Sure!" Joe walked over to the pen, pulling the puppy out with both hands, which caused Penny to actually start jumping, hopping a little on the spot.

"Ohh! Ohh, daddy, can I hold him, please?!" she pleaded, looking up at Richard with her best begging face.

Richard had dealt with that face many times in the past, and was used to it. But it still had an effect. "Maybe...if Joe says you can, once I'm done."

With that, Joe passed the puppy to Richard, who held it in front of him, examining it carefully. The first thing that Richard noticed was the fur. He had never seen a dog's coat so brilliantly pure in its colour before. It looked almost unnatural, like someone had deliberately drained the fur of all colour. He looked everywhere, but there was no mark on the fur at all, the entire coat was the same pure white. The purity of it held a strange beauty in Richard's eyes. He continued his inspection, checking for any problems with the puppy. There was sign of any illness, disease or infection on the dog. Like the fur coat, the skin and teeth were free of any blemishes or marks, or any other sign of infections. The claws were perfect as well, no chipping or scratching. Richard checked over the puppy again, and got exactly the same result. He then felt the muscle and bone structure under the puppy's skin, and again was greeted with perfection. For such a young puppy, his muscles were already well-developed and strong, and there again no signs of any problems. Richard could only gape at Joe as he handed the puppy back; the dog was in perfect health and condition. "Where'd you find this one?" he asked breathlessly.

Joe smiled knowingly. "Like I said, the Animal Shelter. But I was amazed when I checked him, too. The Shelter says they just found him wandering outside their front door a week back. They have no idea where he came from, or how he came to them in such good condition. Personally, I think this little Shepherd's a miracle! His health and general condition are perfect in every way, and he looks a million dollars, even after a fight with one of the other pups a few days ago. If I don't say so myself, I don't think you'll find a more perfect example of the White Shepherd anywhere!"

Richard knew Joe wasn't boasting, merely stating his opinion, and he was inclined to agree with him. The puppy was as perfect as any you could ask for. And if the general behaviour and temperment of the breed were any measure, he would be perfect for himself and Penny, too.

But before Richard could say anything more, Penny yanked at his pants leg. "Dad, pleeeaase! Please can I hold him?"

Richard sighed, then looked at Joe, throwing the question to him. Penny looked at Joe, who smiled, silently handing the puppy down to Penny.

"Thank you!" she cried as she took the Shepherd in her arms, bending her knees slightly at the sudden weight, obviously not expecting him to be quite so heavy. She sat down on the floor as he held the puppy, groaning with the weight. "You're heavy," she commented happily.

The puppy heard her, and responded by licking her eagerly in the face, Penny yelling out, putting the dog in her lap so she could free her hands to push the dog away from her face, Richard and Joe looking at each other and smiling the whole time. Finally the puppy settled down and leapt off Penny's lap, simply standing in front of her as she wiped the drool from her, grumbling.

"Slobbery, too," she added to her previous comment as she petted the animal, looking back up at her father. "Can we get him, dad?"

Richard smiled, deciding to tease his daughter one last time. "Sure, of course we can...if you can come up with a name for him!"

Penny's smile faded as she fell deep in thought, struggling to come up with a name. Finally she looked up at Joe. "What did you call him?"

Richard looked at Joe, who looked as surprised as he himself was by the question. "Uhh...well, I never really gave him a name. I - "

"Why not?" Penny demanded.

"So people like you can come up with your own names," Joe replied kindly. "But if you really want to know, the Shelter I got him from called him 'Bolt', although I don't know why - "

At the word 'Bolt', the puppy went nuts, tearing towards Joe with a speed that shocked everyone. The little creature shot around Joe's legs, before returning to Penny's side just as quickly.

Richard was the first to recover. "I guess that's why!" he finally said, amazed by the show of speed. But then that's what the puppy was, Richard thought. Amazing.

"Bolt..." Penny tried out the name, the puppy once again tearing off, running circles around Penny, yapping the whole time. "He likes it...and I like it! Yeah, Bolt it is! Now, can we get him?!"

Richard laughed at Penny's persistence. She was had been stubborn in her own unique way, always wanting to know what was going on around her. Richard had another one of those moments he frequently had, where he thought that Penny would make an excellent detective one day. But the moment passed quickly, when he realised that she was still waiting for his answer.

"Alright, Penny," he finally said, causing Penny to whoop and yell. "He's Bolt, and he's all yours!"

Penny turned back to the puppy...Bolt, her new puppy. "You hear that, Bolt?" she cuddled him once more as he yapped happily. "You're my good boy now!"