Heart of the City

Bolt let out a sigh of relief after wandering for what seemed to be hours. He finally started to recognize his surroundings. The train stopped at its destination early in the morning. Bolt slipped out while humans unloaded the cargo boxes. He followed a road, hoping it would lead to the city where he parted with Mittens. He almost lost hope after wandering the whole morning, but he eventually found the junk yard where he last talked with Mittens.

Hard to believe it's only been a month since he was last here. Not much has changed except for a few added piles of broken car pieces and other scraps of metal. He assumed it wasn't used too often by the humans. They barely visited when he was temporarily staying here with Mittens a month ago. He treaded carefully through the yard, making sure he didn't step on anything that could cut his paw pads. The last thing he needed was an injured paw. When he reached the other side, he could see the city a few blocks away. It wasn't anywhere near as big like his home city. He noticed what looked to be like the downtown area with some rather tall buildings and another side where the smaller houses resided on.

He had no idea where to start looking, the city wasn't huge, but it was big enough where it would take him a few days to search the entire city and even then, what are the chances he'd find Mittens, if she was even here. He needed some help. He passed by a small park and saw some pigeons in the grassy field. He was skeptical about even bothering to ask for help, as he remembered his past experience with pigeons, but he didn't have much choice.

"Excuse me guys," he approached three brown pigeons cautiously, "do you happen to know a black cat by the name of Mittens?"

"A cat, eh? You got some beef with this cat, dog?" One asked who had white stripes along his feathers.

"No, it's not like that at all. She's actually a friend."

"Hmm, well, I do know of a black cat. Don't know her name though."

"Really? Could you tell me where you usually see her?" His heart raced, Mittens was here. He just had to find her.

"I see her downtown hanging by Luigi's Pizza Parlor sometimes."

Bolt questioned the bird for a minute. How could he tell he was telling the truth? Either way, this was his only clue to find Mittens. He tried not to get his hopes up too high, but he felt his heart start to race with excitement.

"Thank you."

"Psh. No problem, dog. Hope you find her." He went back to his friends. Somehow, Bolt felt better about his doubts now. Perhaps pigeons weren't so bad after all.

The city was a lot bigger than it looked from the outside. He followed a long road with endless buildings on both sides. Occasionally, there was a three-way intersection that led towards the heart of the city. He ran into a few dogs and asked for directions for the pizza parlor. They pointed him towards the outskirts of the city. There were a lot of humans. Many were window shopping, some were dining in local cafes, and others just walking. It was a friendly atmosphere and he could see how it would appeal to Mittens, assuming she was even here.

The parlor was a smaller building compared to the rest of the city. It was only one floor tall with red bricks. He saw a family with two young boys enjoying a pepperoni pizza through one of the two windows that resided to the right of the entrance. Bolt could smell the thick scent of garlic from the breadsticks from the outside. He then realized he hadn't eaten all day when he heard his stomach growl. He remembered a city tip Mittens taught him about how restaurants often threw out food even though it would still practically be fresh. He checked the alley beside the restaurant and found a large dumpster bin. He was about to climb up to peer in until he heard rustling from inside already. Curious, he checked anyway.

It was a black cat, her head buried under various garbage bags and trashes searching for food. It couldn't be, could it?

"Mittens?" He called out.

"Huh?" The cat pulled out and looked frightened when she saw the white dog. "I'm sorry, go right ahead, dog. Please, just don't hurt me."

Bolt frowned when he realized it wasn't her, but perhaps she could help him?

"No, it's fine really. Uh, actually, would you mind joining me for dinner? I'm new in town and I wouldn't mind some company." He tried sounding friendly. She seemed to have calm down realizing he was a visitor.

"Sure," she smiled at him, "I'm afraid there's not much here though. Follow me, I know another place we can check."

She bolted out of the alley and he followed her. They ran a few blocks, weaving in between people and entered another alley which resided next to another restaurant. This time Bolt could smell the fresh scent of beef being grilled for burgers. His mouth watered at the mere thought of them. He watched as the cat climbed up to look into the dumpster. She nodded back to him.

"Jackpot!"

He climbed up after her, half eaten hotdogs and thrown out hamburgers were scattered in the dumpster. She jumped in and passed him the food to set outside. After accumulating a pile of food, they dug in.

She looked similar to Mittens, except her face was more narrow and she had blue eyes instead of green.

"Sorry, I'm not used to eating with others. I'm not crazy, don't worry." She apologized as she scarfed into the juicy burgers. Bolt looked at his food and realized he had barely eaten. He was too distracted by the cat that looked so much like his old friend. She was the closest thing to Mittens he had at the moment.

"I didn't mean to make you feel self-conscious. It's just, you remind me of someone, that's all." He admitted.

"Oh, really now?" She asked sarcastically with her mouth full.

"Yeah, that's actually part of the reason why I asked for your company. I need your help. I'm looking for a black cat, which is why I confused you for someone else earlier." He took another bite of his burger and savored the taste of meat.

"A black cat… Wait, Mittens was her name, right?" She was about to take another bite, but stopped abruptly after the realization.

"Yes, do you know her?" His tail wagged. He was getting closer and closer to finding her. She gave him a grin.

"In fact I do, I know where she will be tonight too."

This was unbelievable. Everything was working out too perfectly. He thought he was dreaming and he prayed that he wasn't.

"Could you take me to her?" She hesitated for a moment which worried Bolt, but then she smiled cheekily.

"I have a better idea. What if I tell her to meet you somewhere instead so you can surprise her?"

"Sounds like a plan," he tried thinking of a place where he could meet with Mittens. He wasn't too familiar with the city yet so he struggled to think of a place. Then he remembered the park he passed just outside the city where he talked to the pigeons. That would have to do.

"How romantic," she teased.

"What? No, it's not like that at all. We're just fr…"

"Oh I'm sure," she interrupted as she noticed the white dog blushing as red as a cherry, "you know there's a nice, long path that walks by the lake at that park."

"Shut up," he murmured, "we're just… friends."

The cat raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Whatever you say, dog." She turned around and started to walk off, "I'll let her know her boyfriend is here."

Bolt growled softly out of frustration. "Kidding dog, just messing with ya. I'll just tell her to meet me there so she can be surprised."

"Wait," he called out and she turned around, "thanks, for everything." She just smiled and continued walking. Bolt realized how much he lucked out. Without her help, it would've taken a lot longer to find Mittens.

He waited at the park all evening. While waiting, he only just realized he never asked for the cat's name. He suddenly felt the need to run. He felt exhilarated with energy as if his heart were going to explode. Mittens was coming. He was going to finally see her.