NOTE: This is BY FAR my favorite chapter. Every time I read it, I fantasize licking every last tear rolling down Kurt's muzzle with my tongue til he stops crying.
Half an hour passes; Bolt, Penny and Owen sneak into a van which was obviously bound for somewhere in California. They have begun their journey towards a mysterious destination; Penny was following the route using a map she had found in the back of the van.
"Hopefully, this van will take us somewhere close to Los Angeles…" Penny exhaled, as the map shows they are about north from Los Angeles. Owen yelps at this comment. His tail wagging excitedly.
Another hour goes by, and the van suddenly screeches to a halt. Penny looks at her map and gets puzzled.
"Ok, it's either: this van has just stopped in Bishop or has just stopped on the side of the road." Penny said. She leans over and pokes her head to the window. "Yep, looks like we've stopped in Bishop. We should get out of here and find another transport." They all step out of the van which was neatly parked near McDonalds. They look around for another ride to get them to Los Angeles in time. While they were walking down the road through the homes. Ahead of them, they could see someone walking their dog. Bolt tilts his head in a kind of surprised kind of way. The two figures approach slowly but become much clearer to Bolt as they approach them. At about ten meters away, they finally recognise them both. It was Kurt, the Chinook from the pound and the old woman. As they were about to interact, Bolt and Penny's smiles disappear as they find out that Kurt has tears rolling down his muzzle. They could also hear him mumbling sadly. They finally started to hear what he was saying.
"February thirtee… n… n… th… D… d… ale… Earnhardt… C… c… c… rashes…" Kurt suddenly breaks out into a sob. At this, Penny and Bolt are already next to him.
"Hey Kurt, what's going on?" Bolt asked, trying to be soothing and gentle. Kurt's muzzle looks up at them and a tearful smile appears. All that lasted for about two seconds until he bursts out into another round of cries.
"Ar… ar… aren't I glad to see you… oo… oo…" Kurt sobbed.
"Hey, hey, hey! Calm down… Take a deep breath…" Penny comforts Kurt. Taking a long inhale and exhale, Kurt joining her. "Relax… Now what's going on, Kurt?"
"Ok" Kurt exhales. "Well you see, when I got home with my new owners, the old man went to the television and turned on the news. I'm not sure if you knew, but today is February the thirteenth and also the twelfth anniversary of Dale Earnhardt's d… d… death." Kurt explains, breaking into yet another sob.
"Come on, Kurt. Don't interact with strays…" the old woman tugged on the lead. Kurt obeying with a paw to his face.
"Bye Kurt!" Penny and Bolt farewell Kurt. They continue to walk down the street.
"I feel so sorry for him…" Penny sighed.
Another half an hour passes…
"Penny, we'll probably need a fast vehicle to get us home now." Said Bolt, quite nervously.
"Funny you should mention that…" Penny exclaims, as she points out a Ferrari parked outside a local Krispy Kreme store. They waited next to the yellow Ferrari Enzo. The car was bound for Long Beach as they could interpret. Suddenly, the Krispy Kreme store's door swung open. A funky-looking man came out and approached his car which seemed to be the Ferrari next to them. He could see them, he seemed pretty into dogs.
"Hello there, little guys, looks like you could use a lift…" the man said. Penny gave a practical nod and lay the map down in front of the man, and then she pointed her muzzle at the area named 'Los Angeles.' The man nodded in agreement.
"Oh, that's perfect. I'm off to Long Beach; I guess I could drop you in the central." The man explained, Penny gives him another nod. "Come on, let's go."
The man revs up the engine, Owen lets out a bark. They all enter the car. The car gets out of the parking lot and makes its way down the road.
"Don't worry guys. As soon as we've left the town and onto the highway, we'll be able to speed up and get to reach Los Angeles much quicker." The man grins. He was right. As soon as the 'Leaving Bishop, Come Again Soon' comes passing by, the car speeds up immensely. Bolt, Penny and Owen launch straight into the car seat they were sitting in from the enormous speed. The man still keeps grinning.
"Check this out!" the man shouts, over the noise of the engine. He puts down the windows, all their faces were getting blowed on by the wind. Especially on Owen, as he decided to lean his head out the window. Also bringing his tongue out for the extra experience. Penny chuckles at the sight.
For the first time, their Ferrari trip seemed to last a really short time, considering it's a long drive from Bishop to Los Angeles. And they also didn't fall asleep in that trip, for the first time.
"Alright, we are officially in Los Angeles. Time to slow down!" The man said, as they passed the Welcome to Los Angeles sign. Owen whines at the news of slowing down, he quite liked the experience. Bolt, Penny and the man all chuckle at the look of Owen's face. The car weaves through many of the streets until he reaches the centre of the city.
"Well, I guess the adventure ends here. Bye!" the man exclaims, letting them out. Then speeding off. They wave goodbye by lifting up one paw and leaving it up for a bit.
"So Penny, where now?" Bolt asked, pretty frantic to get home.
"Well, the studio is down the road…" Penny answered.