Sunlight flashed across the city park as Bolt raced after a tiny puppy. Muddy paw prints dotted the path beneath a bench. “Wait!” he called. A superhero dog bounded behind him, its cape flying and a squeaky toy popping free.
The puppy vanished between the benches, but a frightened whimper floated toward the neighborhood streets. Bolt followed the sound, and the superhero dog bounded after him. Behind them, muddy prints curved away from the fountain like a dotted trail.
Bolt knelt beside the prints and studied their zigzag path. “There!” he said, pointing past the flower beds. The superhero dog sniffed one mark, sneezed—Achoo!—and sent the folded park map spinning into a bush.
Bolt pulled the map from the bush and spread it across his knees. A red marker showed the busy crossing ahead. He traced the route with one finger, then hurried after the next prints while the superhero dog carried the fluttering map.
At the crowded crossing, bicycles rang and buses rumbled. Bolt raised one hand, waiting for a safe pause. The superhero dog carried the map and barked whenever muddy prints appeared between the wheels. Somewhere ahead, a leash tag jingled.
The prints led into a narrow lane, where a sprinkler suddenly hissed across the pavement. Half the trail disappeared. Bolt spread the map on the ground, while the superhero dog noticed tiny wet marks beside a row of yellow boots.
“Together,” Bolt said. He checked the lane while the superhero dog searched the gardens. Water glittered on the stones, and the yellow boots stood like little signposts. Then came a sharp yip behind a garden gate.
Bolt raced to the gate with the superhero dog at his side. Behind it, the tiny puppy was wedged beneath a tipped flower cart, wagging its tail. Bolt lifted the cart, and the dog gently tugged the leash. “Easy,” Bolt whispered.
Around the corner, a family rushed into the lane, calling the puppy’s name. The freed puppy bounded toward them, leash bouncing and tag jingling. Bolt lowered the flower cart, while the superhero dog’s squeaky toy gave one final peep.
The family hugged their puppy beside the flower cart. Bolt watched the yellow tag swing safely against its collar. The superhero dog nudged the squeaky toy with one paw. From the park beyond the lane came the cheerful splash of the fountain.