Author's Note : I forgot to put this in the first 10 chapters, so I am very sorry. I do not own Bolt - all rights belong to Disney's fabulous creators. The only things I own are the two societies and their dogs. And the scenes that weren't in the movie. Obviously. Anyway, thank you all so much for the wonderful comments! I hope you enjoy this next chapter because before long we will be getting into the ACTION. Like the intense action! Yea!
~Chapter 11~
Something long and tall soared through the calm air of the night and whizzed around the sky, then came downward and hit the neon PET RESCUE sign. The sign flickered before falling onto a truck, which exploded and sent flames all over the near empty parking lot.
A dog the color of sand was watching from some bushes nearby, though not to close to the sign to where he would have to move. He watched as three animals - a white dog, a black cat, a fat hamster in a ball - dove out the door and raced for the road, dodging the flames on the ground. He set his paw back on the ground and looked at the paw-cam. It had two words written in red : VIDEO RECORDED.
The dog smiled and started to follow the dog and his friends but then realized that they had disappeared down the road. Taking a deep breath he started to run after them, hoping to catch them before they got away again.
It was only a small town but the sight of it was welcoming for the exhausted group of five. Arrow knew that there were no S.S.A.O.N.A packs here, that they would have to find someplace unsafe to stay the night. It was towns like these that Volt's evil agents liked to hide in.
Carter was bouncing in place, despite his complaints on how tired he was not a few minutes ago. The houses all along one of the few roads they were traveling on were all painted over the original colors at least twice because you could easily see the paint peeling off into another layer. It was midday and the sun was still beating down on the dogs, but it was better knowing that they were closer to resting.
There were only a few people out at this time, and the ones who did happen to see the traveling animals looked at them with suspiscion and sometimes a little bit afraid, because who knew what diseases those filthy animals could carry?
"Well, it certainly is peaceful here," Rain said, looking around with curiousity. "This is quaint, quiet, calm. My kind of style."
"So your new style is calm and old looking?" Sypher smiled at Rain, who was walking right beside him. "I should have known."
"Where are we going to rest?" Bing asked, looking around. The trip was beginning to get a little easier now that they were going back to Headquarters. "I mean, unless we find a pack of stray dogs we won't be safe."
"That means we can't stay at dark," said Arrow. "We will have to leave at dusk."
"Fine with me, as long as we don't have to travel in the daytime!" Carter started running circles around the walking group. As he was doing this, he didn't realize that the pack of dogs had stopped walking and stared straight ahead. He just kept turning circles until he bumped into something . . . someone.
Carter looked up at a man with a mustache just growing in, rough brown hair, muddy jeans and a red plaid shirt. He looked around his thirties, though maybe a tad bit younger. Carter gulped.
"Hey, there, li'l pup," the man reached down to pet him. "You and your friends looking for some place to call your own?"
Carter shook his head and tucked his tail. He glanced back at Arrow and the others to see the Shepherd step forward a step.
"Arrow," Carter whispered urgently. "Help!"
"It's okay, puppy," said the man as he bent down to get eye to eye with the frightened dog. "I won't hurt you."
"Yeah, and who can trust you?" Carter barked and leaped up suddenly, landing near Bing. The man jolted up in surprise and got up, shaking his own head.
"Alright, dogs," he smiled, despite Carter surprising him. "Y'all have a nice day."
He walked away with nary a glance back.
Sypher let out a relieved sigh. "Well, that was unexpected."
"I am sure some people aren't so nice to stray mutts as that guy was," Arrow cautioned, looking warily over the whole road. "We need to get going; we can't stay in one place to long."
"Why?" Carter asked as they continued at a slightly faster pace.
"Because Volt's dogs could find us, tell their other agents, and then easily trap us in the middle of nowhere. We would be dead before we could get a pack out here."
"Right," Carter said, nodding his head. "Keep moving."
"Keep moving, correct," Arrow said, smiling. "Is everyone prepared to take on the town?"
"The town, yes," Bing said, staring with wide eyes ahead of them. "The dogcatcher? Not really."
All of them swiveled their heads in the direction Bing was looking. A gray truck with a barking dog symbol on it was heading their way.
"Oh great!" Carter exclaimed. They all turned around and ran in the opposite direction, running down the streets, following Arrow.
"Let's cut across here!" Arrow barked in suggestion, turning onto someone's front lawn. "Make noise!"
They all headed in the direction of the door, barking as loud as they could. Just as the reached the old, paint-peeling front porch, the door swung open to a woman's surprised face. Without looking, all the dogs ran through her legs and into her house.
Rain cast a last minute glance at the outside, seeing a fat man in a red shirt hastily getting out of the truck. He whipped his head around and they ran through the house, jumped over a baby on the floor playing with wooden blocks, and at last saw the back door. It was closed but obviously nothing was going to stop them now.
Until a huge dog stepped in their way, snarling and growling. The fur on his back was sticking straight up stiff, his teeth were barred. He was a full grown Mastiff and he was not about to let anything get in his way.
Sypher took the lead and jumped over the dog, just barely getting over his back. Arrow and Rain did the same thing, and Bing and Carter ducked under his massive paws. The dog whirled around and charged after them just as Sypher managed to get the door open with his paws.
Six dogs went running through the back yard, five of them racing for their lives, one of them running to take all five of their lives.
"Get back here you scraggly mutts!"
Sypher, still in lead, calculated the height of the fence before calling over his back, "Clear the fence!"
It was easy for Sypher because agility, speed, and anything physical activity was his job. Rain had no trouble because he trained under Sypher and was prepared for stuff like this. Arrow was not quite like the two, but he made a good jump and got over the fence. Carter, who reached the fence before Bing, tried to jump the fence but did not succeed and pawed at the fence with wild eyes. Bing rolled his eyes and boosted the heavy dog up, tossing him over the fence before jumping over - just barely making it - himself.
As soon as they hit the other side of that wood fence, they turned and bolted down the street into an alleyway that was a dark shade of grey even in the daylight.
When they were sure that nobody had been following or was following, they all stopped to catch their breaths, doubling over in the attempt.
"Impressive." said a mysterious voice from the far side of the closed alley.
