Chapter 10

The trio had finally reached the great state of California. Rhino buzzed excitedly.

Bolt wasn't so excited. He had become suspicious of his two mysterious companions.

The more he thought about it, the less he trusted them. How could he be friends with a cat with a Brooklyn accent and an over-wired hamster?

And so as they crossed into California the amnesiac dog was already planning his escape.

Mittens gestured to their surroundings. "None of it rings a bell?"

Bolt grumbled something in response. Mittens sighed.

Rhino wasn't paying attention to them. In fact, some may wonder if he pays attention to anything. He was hungry. He was paying attention to that.

"Hey cat? Is there someplace to feed my belly of the beast?"

Bolt raised an eyebrow. Mittens sighed. "It's hungry."

Bolt shrugged. "Find a McDonald's. I don't care."

Rhino headed for a fast food place across the street.

Bolt had been eyeing a tree for a few minutes.

"What are you looking at?" Mittens asked.

Bolt didn't answer. He had made up his mind.

Mittens recognized the look in his eye. "No."

But Bolt was already moving. He jumped up into the tree. Mittens tried to follow but the tree was too tall.

"Bolt! What are you doing?"

"I'm getting tired of this. I DON'T KNOW YOU! You're asking me to trust you?"

Mittens sighed. "Bolt, this is stupid. Come on down."

"What are you really leading me too?" Bolt demanded. "A nice fur shop? Someplace where you can kill me?"

"Bolt you're crazy! This is crazy! Now get down here!"

Bolt shook his head and laid down on the branch.

Mittens suddenly noticed something out of the corner of her eye.

"Uh, Bolt? Please come down."

Bolt chuckled. "Sadly I don't respond to the magic word."

"Pretty please Bolt! We gotta go!"

"What? Did Rhino return with some hamburgers?"

Bolt looked down in time to see a man in uniform grab Mittens. Bolt ducked out of sight.

The man put Mittens in the back of a truck. Animal Control. Then the truck drove away.

Bolt jumped down from the tree.

"What the heck?"

The truck was gone. So was Mittens.

Rhino returned from across the street. He appeared to have eaten.

"Best. BLT. Ever." He said. He suddenly realized that Mittens was missing.

"Where's the cat?"

"She's gone Rhino. The Animal Control came. They took her."

Rhino didn't seem concerned. He turned and started rolling away.

"I know where the animal control building is. Then it'll be just you and me. Legend and Be-awesomeness…"

"I'm not going." Bolt said.

Rhino stopped. He turned. "What?"

"I don't know her, Rhino. I don't know you. I'm not going to rush into a potentially fatal situation to save someone I don't know."

Rhino frowned. "But you're Bolt. You're…"

"I'm Bolt? Really?" Bolt shook his head. "I've been hearing that from people. I'm Bolt. I should do all this because…I'm Bolt?" He sighed.

"Let me ask you something. Okay? WHO THE HELL IS BOLT?!!!"

Rhino backed off. "Someone who would save anyone. Whether he liked them or not. Whether he knew them or not."

Bolt sighed. "Then maybe I'm not Bolt, Rhino."

Rhino shook his head. "Follow me."

"Why?"

"Just do it." Rhino said, in an unusual moment of authority.

He led Bolt through the streets. They were navigating for about forty minutes.

They had left the city. Bolt looked ahead. He squinted to see.

There was a house there. He oddly recognized it.

"What is that?"

"That's your home Bolty."

Suddenly it was as if a floodgate had broken in Bolt's mind.

Images came flooding back to him.

Rhino watched. Bolt had been frozen for at least two minutes.

"Uh…Bolt?"

Bolt looked down at the hamster. "I have a friend to save. Wanna come with?"

Rhino jumped into the air. "Let's save that cat!"