Outside of Bolt's mind
Inside of Bolt's mind
Chapter 4 – Mountain
Bolt pushed as hard as he could against the wind, trying to keep himself from both freezing and keep moving forward. "Gerr, come on Bolt, you can do it." he told himself. Descending the mountain had been harder than he thought, the coming storm was kicking up snow, making his visibility almost impossible. "At least I blend in with the surroundings." he told himself before he tripped on…something. "You need to listen to me this time." the voice in his head said, "We need to dig a burrow in the snow, like the humans make igloos. The snow will melt and freeze, reflecting whatever heat we have left back to us." "No, I refuse to let you tell me what to do." Bolt said as he rose from the snow. "Fine," the voice said, "but I won't let you end your own life defying me, I still need you!" Bolt could feel himself change, the pain as his mind closed on him. Looking towards his pawn, he could see the fur as it changed to black. Bolt then turned to his left side, and saw his bolt mark change to a crimson color. "What's going on!" Bolt asked, right as the change reached his neck, and hollered as it quickly crept over his face. Bolt opened his eyes revealing not his usual brown, they were now a bright red. "Relax Bolt!" the new creature said to itself, "I'll take over for now. Apparently I know how to survive better than you do." Turning to brave the storm until he found a spot under an overhanging rock facing away from the wind, then he dug furiously, until he buried himself under the snow. "Who are you?" Bolt asked from inside the monster's head. As it curled up, to stay put, it laughed, "I'm Dark Bolt, your sins in physical form." it said and closed its eyes to sleep. "Tomorrow we hunt for food, then we continue on our way." it said and drifted off.
When morning came, Bolt slowly, awoke, rested and warm. He stretched and yawned as he looked around. Everything was shiny and white, and he quickly remembered where he was. "It worked." he said, mostly to himself. "Of course it worked." he heard from inside he is head. "What?" Bolt asked and looked around, certain that the voice came from outside his head. "He, heh. What's the matter Bolt?" the voice teased, "Still in shock at how powerful I can be?" "It can't be!" Bolt said as he backed up, somehow finding the entrance of the small burrow he had made. "Oh, it is. And I liked being in charge so much, I think I'll stay that way!" Dark Bolt said, and Bolt found himself changing again. "NO!" he shouted, and concentrated, trying to fight the change. It seemed like no matter how hard he tried, it just kept coming, changing him and turning him black furred again. "I am better suited for the tests. You are just far too weak!" Dark Bolt said as the transformation completed itself. "Now, let's find some food." he said, and ran off, racing down the side of the mountain, in search of food.
When Bolt awoke, he found himself walking, or he should say, Dark Bolt walking, along a path down the mountain, wrapped in the fur of a large animal. "What happened." he asked himself. "I happened." he heard himself say, and found a black version of himself staring back at him. "You made taking over far too easy for me Bolt, this body of ours is rather comfortable." "Where am I?" Bolt asked. "You are locked up inside your own head, locked away from the world as I do what I see fit." Dark Bolt said to him. "Wrong!" Bolt shouted and attempted to move, only to notice that he was covered in chains. "He, he he!" Dark Bolt laughed, "You were dreaming again, reliving your sins and lies, each one wrapping you in the chains of despair." "Why you…" Bolt began, only to get laughed at again. "Me? I did nothing. These are your sorrows, this is your shame, I am your sins. Trying to deal with them the way you did, just locked you to the floor of your mind. So now, it's time I get us out of here and find the others." Dork Bolt declared. "What do you want with Mittens and Rhino?" Bolt asked. "What else, I'm going to use our wife any way I want, and take the Warrior's Soul for myself when I get board of them." "NO!" Bolt shouted, and heaved against the chains. Dark Bolt simply laughed, "Struggle all you want Bolt. It's not going to…" {SNAP} Outside, Dark Bolt stooped at the sound of one of the chains breaking. "Impossible." he said, and lay down to enter Bolt's mind. There he found the white shepherd tug with all his might, one chain flung across the room. "No." he said, "This is MY time!" and jumped at Bolt, not wanting to let the dog escape. Biting down on Bolt's neck and legs, trying to get him to stop his struggle, instead it seemed as if the more he fought him, the more Bolt tried. {SNAP} another chain broke, and slammed into Dark Bolt, knocking him to the ground. Quickly, Bolt grabbed Dark Bolt by the scruff, and pulled him under the pile of Chains and wrapped one of them around his neck. Without even realizing it, Bolt slipped out of the chains, leaving Dark Bolt to bear the weight. "My family isn't a toy for you to play with." he said and turned, away. "I will get out again Bolt, and when I do I will make sure you stay here, buried in your own sorrow and chained in your own weakness!" he shouted, just as Bolt disappeared into the light. When Bolt opened his eyes, he found himself covered in the fur of a bear, and at the bottom of the mountain. "Did he really come this far while I was out cold?" he asked himself and turned to look at the distance. The mountain was the tallest he'd ever seen, except for Mt. Everest. "Where am I now?" he asked, and turned to look at the vast aria in front of him. "Either way I've got a long way to go." he said and began walking.
End Chapter 4