Chapter 2 – Beowulf
The black ground was cracked with the weight of the thick darkness that sat upon it like a veil of shadows. All around, if one were alive, they could see the remains of what looked to be a kingdom. The center held the crumbled walls and tattered carpet of what once was a throne room. There at the end, sat a throne, one made from the bones of monsters and humans alike, as if collected from a massacre of epic proportions. The blood fell from the top corners and stained the ground in a large pool of red liquid. All around was the sound of torture, the souls of the damned in the proximity area of eternal darkness released endless howls of torment and suffering, groaning in pain at the lost of their leader, unable to comprehend that for a time...they were free.
A figure, its fur the color of moss and its eyes burning with an unrelenting rage at the failure of the soul which caused the creature to make its presence known; fading into existence as if moving a curtain of reality from its form. As if it personally offended it walked along the cursed terrain, annoyed that it was forced to intervene once again.
Disgust was written all over its face, like it had been forced to picking up the filth left from a dyeing fruit tree. The large animal scratched its bare paws against the ground at the starting point of a large dried pool of blood as if trying to remove the offending sight from his eyes. The beast, which was an enormous male wolf tore into the jet black ground before forcefully burying the appendage into the ground and summoned fourth a pitiful, wallowing it its own filth, fallen king; the one known as Dark Bolt. Dark Bolt groaned in pain as he opened his eyes, letting them focus on the creature before him, and let surprise over take him as he gasped, forcing his eyes to open all the way and his mind to awaken from its eternal slumber, "I gave you everything to accomplish your mission, yet you strayed from your true course of action, pup." the wolf before him snarled. Dark Bolt whimpered, his ears pressed to the back of his skull and tears sliding down his face before he whimpered. "Please, Lord Beowulf. I have not failed you yet, if you just give me more time…"
"More time? More time is what you need to rebuild your kingdom in this worthless mutt's mind. He is not even aware of your presence as of now, and his victory will be at paw soon enough, you stupid sack of #%&!" the wolf growled threateningly into Dark Bolt's face, causing the dog to shiver in fear and release his bladder in fear and embarrassment.
The beast before him let out a long, sad groan and shook his head, "You mortals are not worth our time, I swear...no matter; you have proved your worth for a time. It appears we must find another for our use seeing how Shadows, the Neutrosian, Nightmare and now you, the very essence of Bolt the Superdog's darkness in physical form have failed. Your services are no longer required by the animal gods, mutt. We have no further use for you." Beowulf said in a blunt, guff manner before he turned around and without a word, trotted away. Dark Bolt was left to crawl on the mental dirt of his former kingdom, like a child wailing for his mother, tears and snot trailing down his face as he knew that for the first time since he had been created...he was truly forgotten.
Bolt shot his head up in a start, his breath ragged as he gasped to calm his nerves. "What?" Mittens asked tiredly next to him as she uncurled herself from his warm fur. He turned to her, finding his wife, though through tired eyes, worry about him. However, for the life of him, he could not understand why he was so frightened, "I don't know!" he told her, "Just a…feeling I guess. I've never been this afraid, but I don't know what I need to be afraid of."
The morning soon came, leaving the family rested, and rambunctious again. Bolt chased after his son Chase as the kit tried once again to race around the city as quickly as he could. Crystal and Crash were now hovering in a small blue field, unable to move as they were forced to think about their actions yesterday and apparently this morning. 'I hate this!' Crash thought to himself, seeing that he couldn't say it out loud. "I never thought that my Stasis Field would get such uses!" the twins heard Rhino say. 'He's going to gloat isn't he?' Crash thought. Suddenly they heard a ding, and the field went down. The two kits fell the few inches to the ground, and sat there, knowing they'd quickly be put back in if they tried to fight each other again, "Sorry!" Crash said as he turned his head towards his sister slightly. Crystal turned to him, ready to say something snappy, but thought better of it, "Yah, I'm sorry too." she said and stood up, her head down as she walked away. Crash lifted his head in a slight surprise, turned to her and watched as she left the room. "That's the first time she hasn't said something rude to me after Stasis Time Out." he whispered. "Perhaps you could try to show the same courtesy the next time you see her?" Rhino said from behind the kit. Crash turned towards him, shock still on his face, "Yah, maybe!" he said, "It's just really hard to hold my temper."
"Then you know your weakness, so turn it into your strength." Rhino said cryptically, "Work on your patience, and try to tolerate her a little more." The hamster said no more, instead her turned around and rolled his ball back out of the room. "Hmm." Crash thought as he watched his surrogate uncle disappear behind the door, "Turn my weakness into my strength?" He then stood back up, and walked away, his nerves calm and his mind trying to piece together the new information his had just received.
Bolt ran around the yard as Penny threw the stick for him. He may behave like a person, but he was still a dog, and Penny knew that more than anyone. He loved company and hers was always welcome at his home. She laughed as Bolt brought it back to her, "Oh you think you're a great catcher do you?" she asked. "I'm the best!" Bolt gloated as she took the stick from his mouth. "Oh yah, I bet you wouldn't be so great without your powers!" she said jokingly. "I can catch anything your throw, powers or not!" he retorted. "Oh yah?" Penny asked as she folded her arms, the grin still on her face. "Yah!" Bolt said in response. He loved playing games with Penny, she was his best friend. The two of them had started trash talking a few months after he had began talking, and now that he had his own house and yard at more than an acre in size, they could play as long as they wanted, or at least as long as Penny was visiting and didn't have to go to work. Penny reeled back to throw the stick and launched her hand, getting Bolt to turn around, and look at the field, "You actually have to throw it Penny!" he said as he turned his head. Instead he found her frozen, as if time for her had stopped. He looked up, finding the stick just feet above his head, floating there, suspended. "What the…?" he asked, and looked back to the field. There he saw what looked to be three figures, one of a green wolf, and the others a large woman with snakes for her hair and a long serpent with long flowing whiskers, four legs and piercing yellow eyes. "Who are you?" Bolt growled. Beowulf smiled, but frowned as the woman lifted her hand, "No, the day you two fight is the day you die! Remember what the oracle said!" Beowulf growled at her, "Damn you Medusa!" he said, and turned away, fading from existence. "What have you done?" Bolt asked. Suddenly he heard the sound of his wife's voice, "Bolt?" she asked as she walked out to the yard, "What's going on?" Behind her, the four kits hid from the sight of the strange creatures. Rhino rolled his ball out to be next to her, "Everyone's in a time stasis!" he said and found the two figures, "Uh, they might have something to do with it!"
End Chapter 2
