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The studio Thunderbolt worked for had come back to London to shoot some scenes there. It had been a while since his last visit. They had a new season to film, but honestly he was looking more forward to catching up with the Dalmatian family again.

He had plenty of time to kill, given that the crew had a lot of equipment to unpack and scenes to set up. At least his trailer had been readied, along with ones for the other actors and crews, giving those who weren't working aboard a place to rest and relax in the meantime. It was a good thing too, long journeys always made him a bit tired so after a nap, he was out and ready to find his friends.

"Ah, Thunderbolt. I was just about to come knocking." One of the canine crew members approached the actor. Clearly he had some news for the German shepherd. "There's someone here to see you. He insisted he knew you."

This was a surprise. They had only just arrived that morning and it was just after noon. For a moment, he wondered if the Dalmatians caught wind of his return to London. He felt rather excited and was led to the filming set's entrance.

There was someone waiting for him, but not who the star actor would have expected. Sitting at the entrance with a nervous look on his face was someone very familiar.

"L-Lightning?!" the actor asked aloud. His shock surprised the staff member. He was rather new to the crew and wasn't aware of the other canine's reputation. Once bringing Thunderbolt to the visitor, he excused himself to attend to other matters.

He was left alone with the other dog and though the corgi was much smaller, Thunderbolt felt more than a little nervous to approach.

Lightning looked rough...like he had been living on the street for ages, honestly if it hadn't been for his signature dog-tag, Thunderbolt might not have recognized him right away.

"H-hey, Thunder..." the corgi responded. The smaller dog sounded just as tired as he looked, his eyes were a lot duller than the german shepherd remembered. It was easy to think back to the somewhat cocky dog that enjoyed the spotlight just as much as he did. That ended up being Lightning's downfall, wanting to upstage Thunderbolt and even replace him. Going too far with those desires led to him being fired then taken away by authorities. There hadn't been any word from the corgi since, becoming a sort of cautionary tale shared among the studio's crew.

"Lightning...what are you doing here? I thought you were put in a kennel to be adopted." At least that was the last he had heard of his fellow dog actor.

The corgi laughed a bit emptily. "Is that what they told you? They threw me on the street after only spending some weeks there, said my bad reputation was ruining the shelter's image and preventing the "good" dogs from being adopted."

Thunderbolt was surprised to hear that. In fact, he hadn't considered what happened to dogs that fell out of favor. As long as he could remember, the german shepard had been popular. Even worse was on some level, he could agree with the idea of Lightning bringing down a shelter's image. Even after all this time, it was hard for him to get past what the smaller dog did, getting them captured and potentially killed...

He should have growled and told the other dog to leave the premises. But he also remembered all the good times, all the time they spent together both on and offset. He couldn't look past what Lighting did, but they shouldn't have thrown him on the streets...that was a step too far...

"I can't help but notice you avoided my question Lightning...why are you here?" Thunderbolt asked again, letting the corgi get a chance to get out whatever was on his chest.

"I just...I don't know...Living on the streets...barely scraping by some days...I had a lot of time to think..."

It had been a jarring experience for the dog. Being a star from a young age, Lightning was used to having his needs taken care of by crew and staff and wasn't equipped to fend for himself. Even worse was him being stuck on the streets of London while Thunderbolt did eventually return to America. He was stuck and lost in a new place, having no one to turn to.

He had raged about it for weeks on end...but eventually he burned out and actually started thinking, reflecting on his actions and behavior led to a feeling of guilt he furiously rejected, but that stayed with him.

At one point, he was starving and sure he wouldn't survive. Just as he collapsed, there was another dog just rounding the corner to see him fall. He passed out after that but woke up to food and water being given to him. The other dog offered it, telling him to just eat and drink.

After getting his fill, he thanked the other dog and the two of them began to talk. The hound dog could tell he wasn't from around here.

Lightning then told his life story. For the first time, he spilled his guts and to a total stranger, no less. He told of his former career, how much he loved the spotlight but couldn't accept that the fans loved Thunderbolt more. His devious actions were admitted, leading all the way up to now.

He was expecting to be told how terrible he was, how his fate was deserved. But the other dog took pity on him instead, asking how he felt about all of it now. And looking back, Lightning could say that he made a terrible choice. Comparing then to now, he would easily take being the second best in a heartbeat even if he envied how Thunder got so much better treatment than he did.

He stayed with that dog for a few more days. It turned out the hound dog used to belong to a therapist, being made homeless when the old man passed on. Growing accustomed to the life of a street dog, he carried on his master's legacy by helping other dogs down on their luck.

Lightning was reluctant at first but kept with his "sessions," eventually being glad that he did so. All of those bottled up emotions he had, they were finally being let out in a healthy way. That very morning, the hound dog returned, telling Lighting of some visitors from America and some dog called "Thunderbolt." When Lightning heard that name, he knew what he needed to do...

"Thunder...I...want to apologize...I know that likely means very little to you after what I did...I was awful...I was just so...envious and jealous of you..." Thunderbolt hadn't expected Lightning to apologize, but something felt off and when the corgi continued he found out why.

"I saw how well you were treated...got all that nice food...time to relax..." the corgi paused and chuckled. "And I never ever heard your crew ever trying to push you, telling you that if you didn't shape up that they would replace you...but I guess that's just the perk of being number one..."

Thunderbolt thought he had it all figured out, but hearing that made him realize that there was more to the story than he had known. Was that how Lightning had been treated? They had separate trailers and schedules, save for their filming time and breaks. As far as he was concerned, the crew were kind and patient. When he messed up lines or stepped into the wrong position, they were willing to do as many retakes as it took or readjust the scene if something didn't work for him.

"That's really all I wanted to say..." Lightning said his piece and was ready to leave, but the german shepherd spoke up.

"Wait, Lightning... Just how did they treat you?" He almost didn't want to ask, knowing his image of the crew may be permanently changed.

This made the smaller dog pause and turn around again. Suddenly, there was a dark look on Lightning's face, as if he was reliving something traumatic. "You really wanna know?" the question was almost growled out. And the tired look became one of anger and stress that never truly left him.

Thunderbolt gulped but nodded, bracing himself for the truth.

"Then let me tell you "super star", bet you will get a kick out of it!" Lightning took a deep breath.

-

"Viewership is looking grim, the last episode tanked, you need to get at least double the views on the next episode or we will need to start looking for your replacement."

"Don't whine...that's all the food you deserve, do better and you might get more next time."

"Stage left! Left! How hard is that to memorize! If you mess this up during the live shooting, you're finished!"

"Never forget...a runt like you...is easily replaceable..."

-

Lightning told of how his experience was on set. He wasn't given the liberties or redos that Thunderbolt was. He was berated and threatened to not mess up at all or else he would be replaced. That threat was taken to heart, hearing it almost everyday and slipping up just a little meant they would take something from him until he improved again. Being so certain that he wasn't good enough and his replacement could happen at any time, Lightning sought to instead take Thunderbolt down. If he were the new number one, then there would be nothing more to worry about. He would get all those perks and good treatment...or at least...so he had thought...

The listening shepard was stunned by what he heard. When comparing his own treatment, it was like night and day. Just as he predicted, this completely changed the way he viewed the crew. Clearly they played favorites. And though he was the more liked character, Thunderbolt had always enjoyed Lightning's company, being his "little buddy."

"Look Thunderbolt...I...I'm not here to beg to be taken in again...I don't deserve that after what I did...I just...just wanted to say I am sorry...I acted so wrongly out of fear of not meeting my crew's expectations and getting replaced...so there!" The corgi breathed out, finally having been able to let that out.

Not only had this revealed the other canine's side, but it made him aware of his own privilege. Being the star of the show, Thunderbolt was irreplaceable. The crew made sure he worried about nothing, always been comfortable and having any and all of his needs tended to.

"They really said those things to you?" the star asked, still trying to wrap his head around it all.

"To my face yeah...just about every day. Told me if I didn't shape up and got more views they would toss me out on the street and find someone who looked just like me and could perform better..." Lightning sighed. It was a bit ironic...he had tried so hard to avoid it and yet he had landed on the streets anyway.

Finally some things made sense to the shepherd, he had wondered why Lightning looked really tense some days and so tired on some other days...those must have been the days he had been worked extra hard, driven by fear to constantly be on edge.

Up until now, Thunderbolt just assumed the smaller canine had been getting along fine. He had been a new addition for the reboot and ratings were going well from what he was told. Sure, Lightning wasn't as popular, but his addition did make an impact. The fans enjoyed the canine duo just as much, if not more than the original solo adventures.

"Lighting...I truly had no idea. Believe me, if I had known I wouldn't have let them do that to you."

"Really? You mean that?" The corgi was surprised "Heh...not like there was a lot you could have done anyway..."

Another reveal came. It turned out that Lightning wasn't actually owned by the studio like Thunderbolt. Lightning could remember the day of his tryouts for Thunderbolt's partner. He was much younger and eager then. The studio tried to purchase and adopt him. But his owners offered to essentially rent him out. They convinced the crew it would be a cheaper deal, having them take care of and manage Lightning instead of them.

The studio gave them checks, the money supposed to aid his acting career instead got pocketed while they just pushed him to keep up despite his inadequate training. Being away from the studio allowed them to keep the corgi's abuse a secret.

Everything came to a head after Lightning's arrest. His owners cut ties and fled with the money they had made, leaving Lightning in whatever shelter the authorities dumped him in.

When the news came that Lightning was no longer a part of the show, Thunderbolt wasn't surprised, not after what the other dog had done.

"We will have to do the show without him, hopefully the ratings won't change much."

Sure, the ratings were maintained, but Thunder had to admit that he did miss Lightning's company sometimes despite it all.

"Come on, let's go to my trailer" Thunderbolt offered, "I don't know..." Lighting hesitated.

"Let me at least get you some food." The shepherd insisted and after a moment the corgi accepted. Lightning couldn't help but chuckle when they stepped inside the trailer. The place had hardly changed.

He was offered to sit down and get comfortable. The corgi just sat down on the carpet, not wanting to make a mess from the dirt that clung to his pelt.

Thunderbolt took in all that he was told. "So all this time, they left you back here in London... And then you got tossed out. So, you've been on the streets since then?"

Lightning nodded, his eyes looking down at his paws.

This...this wasn't what he had wanted...Thunderbolt had just wanted Lightning to face a proportional punishment, not get abandoned and thrown out on the streets.

Hopefully they could fix it now, he knew the studio, they wouldn't have stood for this either if they had known. Maybe they should have investigated Lightning's owners at the time. But they had been a bit short on money at the time, so their eagerness to let his prior owners take care of him was somewhat understandable. He had to give credit to Lightning's owners; they were smart and knew just how to make it seem like nothing had been wrong.

It was quite clear that Lightning wasn't that same vengeful dog he had been. He deserved a second chance, not only at being an actor but in being treated with actual respect and care by the studio itself.

"Is there any way that you could forgive me, Thunder?" Lightning asked, keeping his gaze lowered.

"That's what you're worried about?" Thunderbolt asked, sounding shocked. "Lightning, what they did to you wasn't right. Come on, let's get you taken care of."

He couldn't just stand by and listen to the dog beat himself up anymore. It was clear to see that his friend was pushed to the extremes. And looking at him now, it was also safe to assume that a lesson had been learned.

The star actor had more than enough power to get his friend something hearty to eat, and the bath scheduled for himself was given to Lightning instead. That would give him time to talk with the other canine crew members.

Thunderbolt thought it best to not tell the entire crew just yet, approaching only those he could fully trust, he needed to tell them all the full story so they would understand.

A group of four other dogs was gathered, being the ones that Thunderbolt had grown closest to, being more friends than crew members. He revealed Lightning's presence to them. They were shocked and even a bit afraid but Thunderbolt was quick to explain, telling them the truth. Lighting wasn't a villain, more of a victim that was pushed to his breaking point. He was punished more than enough for what he did.

Taking a look at the other canines, they couldn't deny that Lightning looked nothing like they imagined. He was dirty, tired looking, and even a bit thin.

"Whatever you need done, we'll do."

"Alright. Bentley, Charlie. Get Lightning some premium food and draw him a hot bath." The addressed bulldog and collie nodded.

"Samuel, Richard. Can you guys get me the records?" Thunderbolt inquired.

The beagle and boxer looked surprised. "You mean the financial records?"

"I wouldn't ask if it weren't important," Thunderbolt said. The two were known for "digging up dirt" around the studio. They somehow knew the latest news and gossip before it reached everyone else.

"See if you can find anything on Lightning's former owners, dig deep, we need to be able to show the studio clear proof that they misused the money."

The pair nodded and dispersed, one team tending to Lightning and the other taking the rest of sneaking into head office.

Bentley and Charlie were still a bit nervous towards the corgi. Though he wasn't exactly what they thought, the smaller dog had still attempted to get rid of Thunderbolt rather dramatically.

The bulldog brought him something to eat, high quality food that Lightning dove into like a rabid creature, showing just how hungry he really was. The corgi even started to tear up at how good the food was.

This helped to ease their fear, making them realize that the canine was just a tired, dirty, and hungry dog.

When the food was finished, Charlie helped sneak Lightning off to where he could take a bath in private. The water was already drawn and after helping the other dog into the tub, he assisted in washing the dirt from his pelt.

"Th-thank you...nobody ever helped me bathe before..." Lightning said a bit embarrassed. The pair of dogs had heard how badly the corgi had been treated from Thunderbolt, but only after hearing Lightning admit that did it sink in how little care the corgi likely had been shown.

While the other dogs worked Thunderbolt ran diversion and kept the humans away from the general area where Lightning was.

Hopefully Samuel and Richard would soon have what he needed.

The beagle and boxer came looking rather embarrassed with another dog in tow "Rasputin found us out, but after a quick explanation he agreed to help. He was a big help." The kelpie looked very pleased. Being brought up to speed and rather hard to rattle, he wasn't nervous to see Lightning being helped out of the bath, but did subtly keep an eye on the corgi.

"They were hardly sneaky about it...they clearly needed my help." Thunderbolt nodded in thanks, Rasputin was sharp as a knife, one of the reasons he was often stationed in the studio's main trailer. A set of bags containing the needed files was worn by the kelpie. Taking it off and opening them up he then handed the files to Thunderbolt

"I assume you have a good reason?" the kelpie asked.

"Don't I always?" Thunderbolt responded, his tone being amused.

"Heh...bloody hero..." Rasputin huffed amused.

Lightning had been dried off and his pelt was back to its golden color and soft fluffy texture. He joined the others, standing around the files spread on the floor. But he put a bit of distance between himself and the others.

It was worse than predicted. Clearly, the given budget didn't match how Lightning's owners were spending the money. The studio wrote out checks, and the money given was meant to pay for Lightning's comfort and education as an actor. Only a fraction of the given money had actually been reported. And given how long they had been at this...there was no telling what the money had been used on, or if there was any it left.

"Wait...they didn't give you any acting lessons at all?!" Charlie asked, shocked.

"No wonder you were so stressed about messing up all the time..." Samuel noted.

Rasputin had a cold look in his eyes as he surveyed all the documents "This is unacceptable...I'm bringing this to Lawrence's attention. You five keep him hidden a bit longer." The other dogs just quickly nodded and agreed, Rasputin could be really darn scary sometimes, but he knew how to get things done.

Thunderbolt wasn't happy either. These reports made it all but explicit that Lightning's very presence was part of some kind of scam. The moment a contract was drawn up, the corgi was being taken advantage of. No more than a canine cash cow. And of course when Lightning was locked up and no longer useful, the others disappeared without a trace, having took the money and ran away with it. It was no small amount either, a hefty sum that could potentially have them set for many years to come, if not the rest of their lives.

The more he learned, the sorrier Thunderbolt felt, not only for his friend but towards himself as well. He should have noticed the signs, how often Lightning seemed drained even though filming hadn't begun.

He had always joked to Lightning, teasingly asking him if he had been training far into the night, that likely hadn't helped the corgi's mood or his twisted image of how he wasn't good enough.

"How did you manage?" Bentley asked curiously.

"They made me act out the scenes in advance. We did them over and over again until I could perform the lines and steps by heart. It wouldn't stop until they were satisfied...or until I would collapse sometimes. I was finally allowed back to my trailer when my performance was 'up to standard'." The others were horrified, that wasn't proper training, that was just pushing Lightning till he could do what they wanted. It was clear that they needed him to do just well enough to keep the money rolling in and avoid any questions being raised.

"Darn...you must have some acting talent to turn their subpar training into something actually good," Charlie said. The others glared but Lightning took it as a compliment.

"You know..." Samuel said. "I can't say I wouldn't have...snapped somewhere down the line either. Personally speaking, I would have tried to get rid of them instead of Thunderbolt. Uh, no offense."

"None taken," Lightning said "I just...I just thought that was how all actor dogs were treated...well other than Thunderbolt..."

"It's not a pecking order. We're equals here. I mean, without the crews there wouldn't be any set production, lighting, filming..." The crew dogs looked rather proud of themselves, hearing the star's praise of their efforts.

"We do what we can," Richard said proudly. "Speaking of which, we'd better get you back to the trailer. It's gonna be a crew-wide break soon. I'd bet my bunk that Lawrence will bring up what Rasputin showed him then."

They escorted Lightning back to the trailer. Thunderbolt thanked the others. The rest of the files were gathered, having what they needed, the rest could be returned before their loss was noticed.

"Those dogs..." Lightning said, looking completely unsure. "W-why did they treat me so nicely? They know what I did and yet..."

"Lightning...we didn't know the crew hired to take care of you weren't doing their job right...this is how you were always supposed to be treated. Actors aren't meant to be overworked or stressed...the job is demanding enough as it is."

"So, all this time... T-they...treated me wrong?" Lightning whispered, it was as if it was only now starting to settle in that he wasn't supposed to be treated like that.

Hearing that broke Thunderbolt's heart, Lighting had actually thought the way they had treated him all this time had been normal.

"Yes Lightning...they were wrong to treat you like that...I'm sorry I didn't notice anything..."

"Wh-wha...why are you apologizing? I was the one who did all those horrible things to you."

"You were stressed to the point of a mental collapse Lightning, you weren't fully at fault for what you did."

Lightning really had to process the words said to him. Being an actor was his dream and it had finally happened for him. Being kept away from the other acting dogs, Lightning wasn't able to compare his treatment to others. He could only assume that it was the life of an actor. The treatment from his owners was terrible but those moments of being on set, acting alongside Thunderbolt made it all worthwhile.

With no frame of reference, he had just assumed that aside from the better treatment he had seen that Thunderbolt had been treated somewhat the same, which was why he was so infuriated whenever the german shepherd acted jovial all the time, but now it made sense why he wasn't acting stressed at all...

"S-so...all this time...that wasn't h-how I was supposed to be t-treated?" Lightning tried to stop himself from sobbing, but it was painfully clear to Thunderbolt the smaller dog was on the edge of crying.

As a rescue dog Thunderbolt's natural instinct to comfort Lightning kicked in and he held him calmingly.

"I'm sorry buddy...I should have saved you from that mistreatment...can you forgive me?"

Lightning sobbed and clung to the first comfort he had been given for a long time. "I...I...I'll forgive you if you can forgive me."

"That sounds more than fair little buddy..." Thunderbolt agreed as he started to tear up a little himself.

-

Rasputin was swift in his efforts, showing exactly why he was one of the higher ranked crew members. He brought the files directly to Lawrence, the one in charge of the studio's finances. The man had found it odd when the kelpie came charging right in with a stack of papers in his mouth, but having worked with him for so long, the man knew it was something important.

He took the files and skimmed through them and his eyes widened "What the...?" He turned to his computer to verify the information. To his own surprise, the computer's records and the physical documentation did not add up.

"Were these...falsified?" he asked aloud. Rasputin's tail began to wag. Lawrence was a smart man and would soon figure out what the dog's already knew. But...it didn't hurt to give him a nudge in the right direction. Ever so casually, Rasputin slid a particular page forward so it stuck out among the rest.

"I am not gonna like what is on that page, am I?" Lawrence asked flatly and then sighed as he picked it up. Reading it he clearly got more and more upset.

"All this time...and we didn't notice anything, oh gods...no wonder Lightning acted out sometimes, and if they did this, there is no telling what other abuse they also did..." The human rested his head on the tip of clasped together hands.

Rasputin looked expectantly at Lawrence "You want me to bring this up to the others right? It's a bit late though...they already made off and Lightning is in a shelter in...London...where we currently are...oh..." the dog smirked when the realization hit the human.

"If we are lucky...we might be able to find who took him in and perhaps can make a deal with them or even better if he hasn't been adopted yet..." Rasputin had to stifle a snicker. If only he could tell him how close the corgi really was. Rasputin sighed, or tell him that Lightning had been living on the streets until now and was likely traumatized. The language barrier between humans and dogs really sucked sometimes...

-

The news swept through the studio like a wildfire and everyone was ready to start looking for the former, hopefully soon reinstated, dog actor, having no idea how close-by he truly was. When word reached Thunderbolt he figured it was best to reveal the corgi's presence before they all went on a wild goose chase.

"Are you sure about this?" Lightning asked.

"Well, it's up to you, little buddy," Thunderbolt said. "I get that you are scared after all you went through, but I promise my crew are good people who won't treat you like your old owners. So...think you're ready to give acting another chance?"

"And it won't be like the last time, right?" Lightning gulped.

"I promise. This time I'll be right there with you," Thunderbolt offered.

The corgi took a deep breath. Despite it all, acting was his calling and he did want to go back to the career he loved. "A-alright I-I'm ready."

Together, the two of them walked out of the trailer and Thunderbolt made their presence known by barking. The gathered crew all looked at the shepard. With all eyes on him, Thunderbolt simply stepped aside and revealed the dog they were intending to search for.

"Wait...that's him. That's Lil' Lightning!" one of them said. Though thinner, he looked just as he had when still part of their crew before. They all came swarming in and Lightning cowered a bit. But Thunderbolt remained close to him. It was then the small dog noticed that they were all excited, excited to see him.

"Oh goodness...he looks like he has been through a rough patch...how did he end up here?"

"Whoa...hold up, don't crowd around him." The lead animal handler quickly noticed how uncomfortable the corgi was. "I'll run some checks to make sure the little guy's okay."

"Well, with the search already over... Let's move on to the adoption phase. Contact that pet shop, they must still have his papers." They did, but only because they forgot to shred them, it was also during that call the studio learned that the corgi had been thrown on the streets. This led to a scoop that unearthed several more counts of abuse and malpractice against the shelter.

Lightning was successfully adopted by the studio officially a bit before the shelter had to close entirely. The waves of bad press and investigations ensured its doors would be shut permanently. Luckily the remaining dogs were relocated to other, reliable shelters. Some of them were even taken in by the studio to fill in some open spots for canine crew members.

"Finally we have a full in-house canine crew...and we did some good deeds in the process." Now they didn't have to rent suitable dogs on location anymore, it would save them some money and give those canines a new and better life. They were eager to work too, quickly making friends and getting settled into their new setting.

-

"How does it feel, Little Buddy? Being an official actor of the studio?" Thunderbolt asked.

Lightning was being groomed by staff, having his coat trimmed and styled like it used to be. Being honest with himself, the corgi had enjoyed being taken care of again. Thunder turned out to be right. None of the humans or canines held his past against him, just being glad that he was okay.

"Honestly, Thunder? I...sometimes I wonder if this is all just a dream that I will wake up from soon..." The corgi admitted.

"I understand...this was quite the shift all of a sudden for you. If you ever want to talk or just need company you can come to me, I will make time for you."

"Thanks, Thunder..."

The studio as a whole was pretty excited. With Lightning around and an expanded crew, they could rewrite the script, making it even bigger than they originally planned. The fans certainly wouldn't expect Lil' Lightning to make a sudden return.

Once the grooming was done, Lightning was taken to what would be his proper acting classes. He was clearly nervous, likely reliving all the sounds and threats from his previous owners. Thunderbolt stayed close by and the trainer was a nice and patient man, gently talking Lightning through the scenes, even giving him treats when getting the hang of it.

"How is he?" one of the staff members asked.

"Better than I expected. Lightning has great potential. It just needs to be brought out. Give him time and he might out-do ol' Thunderbolt." Of course this was a joke and Lightning had no intentions of taking over, not anymore. All the same, a wink came from the german shepherd. This support made him smile and his tail wag.

"I can definitely get him ready to do some minor scenes, but once we get back I'd recommend sending him to Pawcademy"

The planned production was put on hold so the season could be retooled and rewritten to varying degrees. This gave plenty of time for more acting lessons for Lightning, the more he attended, the more confidence Lightning regained. Thunderbolt was glad to see that his friend was getting better, learning from proper training.

The extra time also allowed Thunderbolt to finally get in contact with the Dalmatian family. The shepherd was so excited to meet them again that he forgot all about making sure they knew about what had happened and that Lightning was back.

-

"Whoa..." Lucky looked awed at the crew readying a set. Everything was set up so the crew were in full production. Both old and new members were working to get everything ready for a rehearsal. To the dalmatian pup this was like a wonderland to walk through and observe.

"Hey there scamp." Lucky turned with a big grin hearing the voice "Thunderbolt!" he beamed at the german shepherd.

"Been a while, huh?" the star actor asked, rubbing Lucky playfully between the ears.

"H-hey, cut it out." Lucky laughed.

Thunderbolt eased off and waited for the pup to catch his breath after laughing so much. "It's gonna be a while till we can properly start filming...wanna have a guided tour around the studio?" Lucky's eyes widened.

"You wanna show me around personally?!" The pup's excitement was infectious and Thunderbolt laughed "Who better?" Seeing that Lucky was so excited, there was no reason to waste any time. There was much to show during the tour, given that much had changed since his last trip to London.

The tour consisted of taking Lucky to each main location, stopping there, telling him a bit about the places and taking the time to answer any questions the pup might have . The younger canine was completely awed, watching the many staff members doing their job to get things set up. Thunderbolt offered for Lucky to stay for the live shooting, a question that absolutely thrilled the super fan.

About halfway through the tour, it was time for lunch. Thunderbolt asked if the pup wanted to share a meal that would be served by the staff. Upon agreeing, the german shepard led Lucky back to his trailer.

Just as they arrived at Thunderbolt's trailer Lucky stopped up suddenly as he saw Little Lightning being led into the trailer by a handler. Almost instantly, the look of excitement from the pup was instantly morphed into fear.

"Thunderbolt...w-why is he here?"

The actor at the confused and scared tone of Lucky suddenly realized he hadn't informed the dalmatians of what had recently happened.

"Easy, Lucky..." Thunderbolt said. "It's okay."

"How can it be okay? You remember what he tried to do to us. Why is he back?" Lucky asked, his voice still carrying fear but also a bit of anger.

Thunderbolt had taken a moment to ask Lightning if he could give him and the pup a moment to chat in private. Understanding the situation, the corgi stepped into the trailer again and left the others to talk. When returning to the spotted canine, the german shepherd took a deep breath to prepare himself. He knew that wouldn't be an easy thing to explain, let alone to someone still pretty young.

Thunderbolt considered how best to tell the pup in a way he could understand and got an idea.

"Hey Lucky? Do you remember the episode of my show about the wolf-dog?" The whelp looked a bit confused at the sudden subject change, not sure what relevance it had with the situation.

"Y-yeah. At the end it turned out the reason he acted so badly was because of his owner. The owner was a bad man that mistreated him, and the wolf-dog was just lashing out." The pup dutifully summarized the point of the episode.

The shepherd nodded. "Good memory lad...you see, I met with Lightning recently and it turned out his situation was much the same..."

"Huh? But wasn't he part of your studio?" Lucky asked, now more confused than angry.

Thunderbolt sighed "No...the studio rented him from his owners who were supposed to take good care of him, but they didn't, they mistreated him quite badly and misused the money the studio gave them that was supposed to be for Lightning on themselves." the actor lowered his head in shame. "We should have noticed something much sooner, but we only recently learned the truth after I talked with Lightning and he said something that made me look into his situation."

It was a lot for the young dalmatian to take in. But Lucky understood that Lightning wasn't the purely evil dog he had imagined him to be. The corgi was mistreated and driven to the point of lashing out, just like in that episode.

"So...where has he been until he met with you again? Did somebody adopt him from the shelter?" Lucky asked and saw the star actor cringe.

"No...he wasn't." Thunderbolt considered if it was too much to tell the pup, but decided it was better to be honest. "The shelter threw him on the street where he lived until we came back to London again."

Lucky never thought he would feel bad for someone like Lightning. For all that he had done he deserved a punishment, but what happened was far out of proportion. The corgi wasn't a very big dog and the streets of London could be very rough and unforgiving, he could have gotten really hurt or worse.

"So... If he's back, does that mean the studio took him in?" the dalmatian figured.

Thunderbolt nodded, smiling at the younger dog. "Yup. We adopted him and will take good care of him here. He is now getting what he needs: food, water, emotional counseling and more."

Though Lucky now looked better about the situation, Thunderbolt still sighed. "I should have told you guys. This all just happened so suddenly... Lightning turned up out of nowhere and when I saw him in that state, I couldn't just leave him out there. And when I learned how mistreated he had been for so long..."

"If he had been mistreated for that long...why didn't he say anything?" Lucky asked, it was a question that made Thunderbolt flinch. Neither knew Lightning was secretly listening in on the conversation through one of the open trailer windows.

"Because lad...he didn't think he was being mistreated...he thought the way he was treated was normal." Thunderbolt said dejectedly. "He was isolated and didn't see how other dog actors were treated except for me. It was why he got so jealous of me, he saw all the good treatment I got and misunderstood, thought I was getting better treatment because I was the star of the show."

Lucky didn't say anything for a whole minute, seemingly pondering all the new information given to him. When processing it all, Lucky couldn't bring himself to feel angry towards Lightning anymore. "...Is he going to be okay?"

"It will be a process. But with time and support, he'll hopefully be able to move on and put it all behind him," Thunderbolt explained.

From there, the two of them continued talking. Thunderbolt realized that talking about the situation eased some of the weight and guilt he felt. Lucky listened and cast no judgement when the german shepherd revealed his own faults in ignoring how tired the corgi was, or not noticing the other signs that were so obvious in hindsight.

"It's okay Thunderbolt! I mean...you're a hero, but heroes make mistakes too!" Lucky assured. It felt a bit odd to be reassuring the canine he looked up to, but he could tell that Thunderbolt really needed some encouragement.

"Thanks, Lucky..." Thunderbolt smiled.

From the moment they met, the Dalmatian family had been good friends with the actor and the studio in general. He made it a point to reach out to them if he ever returned to London. But he underestimated just how good it was to see his younger friend. Interacting with them always put him at ease and kept him grounded.

His last visit ended with a trip to their family farm. Getting away from all the rushing and hustle of the studio did him more good than expected, providing a chance to truly relax away from the press and fans.

"Will you be okay with Lightning being around when we eat? I can ask him to leave for a bit." Thunderbolt asked.

"No you don't have to do that, it will be fine I think..." Lucky said, though he would likely feel a bit strange being near the corgi.

When they entered the trailer the corgi laid as far away from the food bowls as possible, he eyed the pup with apprehension and guilt "I...I can leave if you want..." he looked away, unable to meet Lucky's eyes.

The pup looked to Thunderbolt and then to Lightning "No, it's okay..."

Lighting wasn't sure what to think of that reply, but stayed at a respectful distance and didn't interact with them further, seemingly too ashamed to do so.

-

After their lunch, the two left the trailer and resumed the tour. But Lucky was rather distracted while following the bigger dog. The subject of Lightning wouldn't fully leave his mind.

The pup thought back to another dog he had met, one who thought something rather strange to him was normal. It seemed that "normal" meant something different to everyone. That being said, he hadn't thought anyone would believe mistreatment could ever be normal.

He had thought seeing the corgi in person would have been scary, but Lightning had acted so meek and made himself as small and unthreatening as possible. He hardly said anything the entire time, averting his gaze when looked at.

"Was that really Lightning?" Lucky asked aloud. It would have been plausible to assume it had been another corgi that looked exactly like him, at least if not for the look of familiarity and guilt when he saw him.

"You know...I've almost been asking myself that same question," Thunderbolt admitted, stopping in his tracks. "If I hadn't personally pieced the evidence together I'm not sure I would have believed it myself..."

"I'm still in the process of making things right. But it just gets deeper the more I dig... On top of it all, he was blatantly used for money and nothing more," Thunderbolt explained further, letting his frustration show in front of the pup.

"At least our story got Lightning's former owners on a watch-list and it raised awareness that caught some other similar situations." At least there was that silver lining. Still...he didn't feel much like a hero knowing someone had been abused right under his nose and he didn't catch it, but it was good that other dogs in similar situations were removed from it and got the treatment they needed.

It was sobering that Lightning's treatment hadn't been an isolated incident. Though his treatment had certainly been on the harsher end of the scale compared to others.

Thunderbolt didn't know what it was that drove humans to act so horrible when money was involved, but perhaps he needed to be one to really understand.

Near the end of the tour they ran into Lightning again, this time the corgi seemed to want to say something to the pup. He had a guilty expression on his face before bowing towards Lucky.

"I understand why you might hate me...I won't blame you if you do...I just...want to say sorry...what I did was horrible...I don't deserve to be forgiven..."

Lucky considered the other canine's words. Even when Thunderbolt told him the truth, he still felt that Lightning was a bad apple, just one that had been dealt too much retribution for his crime, but after seeing and now hearing the guilt in the corgi's voice Lucky swiftly crossed out that possibility.

There was a silence that followed. Thunderbolt anxiously stood in between the smaller canines, wondering if the apology would be accepted.

The silence was finally broken when Lucky took a deep breath. "Thank you for apologizing...I'll...I'll consider forgiving you...so be good from now on okay?" Lightning nodded solemnly and respectfully withdrew.

"I must say...that was very mature of you, Lucky," Thunderbolt praised. Lucky looked back with a blush. He was honestly pretty nervous, not sure what reaction the corgi would have when hearing his answer. But that was quickly forgotten when being praised by his idol Thunderbolt.

-

The staff were still busy retconning and rewriting the scripts, making all kinds of tweaks and adjustments to fit Lightning into the story in a way that wouldn't be too much for his current acting level. Though very grateful for this and the many other things they had done for him, the corgi couldn't help but feel he didn't deserve it all. All of this time and effort could have just been a massive waste.

"Ready, Little Buddy?" Thunderbolt asked. Lightning jumped, being taken out of his deep thoughts. He cleared his throat and answered back to the waiting shepard.

"You can do this..." Lighting told himself. He and Thunderbolt were on the set, being talked through the script changes.

Of course they had to explain Lightning's disappearance. So the season would start with his reintroduction. But he would be on the side of the antagonists, seemingly betraying Thunderbolt.

Thunderbolt would be sent a mission to infiltrate their base but his heart isn't in it because of the betrayal. This gets him captured and he overhears how the evil agents tricked Lightning into joining their side and how they were intending to make him the fall guy in case their plans fail.

Despite being on the opposing side now, Thunderbolt intends to escape and try to warn his friend, but Lightning is the one to show up and save him. It's revealed that Lightning was pretending the whole time, the corgi had found himself with a one-time opportunity to infiltrate the evil agency and he took it with the aim to gather intel that would have been impossible to gather from the outside. He knows all about their trick and with the needed information gathered, the two of them confront the agents and make their escape.

The corgi's role had purposely been kept light, but impactful. It also did a good job of explaining his season-long absence in a believable way. He couldn't deny that the plot was inspired and quite captivating. All of it was put together to ultimately make him the hero instead of Thunderbolt, rescuing the series' hero from certain doom.

He would be truly in the spotlight. But...it just didn't feel right. Did he even deserve something this grand after all that he did..?

While the staff were still explaining the scenes, Lightning looked elsewhere. That's when he noticed something.

The Dalmatian family as a whole had been told they were welcome to come to the studio and watch them perform anytime they wanted. Today it was Patch who took up the offer. Just like Lucky, he was also a superfan of Thunderbolt. But Lightning felt especially guilty towards him, being the one he had locked up in the same cage as Thunderbolt, telling him that his childhood hero was nothing but a fake.

Just like he did before, Lightning apologized for his actions. Surprisingly, Patch was quicker to forgive. He was also glad to see that the corgi was okay. Despite it all, the pup had enjoyed Lightning on screen and had missed his presence despite everything that happened.

This made the actor feel better, but guilt and doubt still lingered at the edges of his mind, always making itself known the very moment he grew hopeful.

Lightning noticed that the dalmatian puppy was suddenly absent. This immediately made him concerned. He had gotten to know the pup a little better and knew Patch wouldn't want to miss a live rehearsal for the world. He had been sitting as close to the set as he could, keeping his eyes glued to the pair of acting canines just a minute ago, where had he gone?.

There was no way that he went back home. They were just about to shoot the actual scene. This was any super-fan's dream, not only seeing an episode before it aired on tv, but being there during its creation.

Seeing that the staff and Thunderbolt were still distracted, talking back and forth about the scenes, Lighting saw his chance to step away and search for Patch. Hopefully the dalmatian just went to get a snack or gotten lost on his way to the bathroom.

When there were no visual signs of Patch, Lightning resorted to the old fashioned way of tracking another canine. He began to search with his nose and picked up on the pup's trail. Following it led him out of the filming studio. The further he ventured, the more confused yet worried Lightning became. He was now in the more desolate parts of the studio, the parts mostly used for storage and deliveries. The trail brought him outside , across the parking lot and into a shed. This struck Lightning as odd. Clearly this shed wasn't a part of the studio. It was rusty and shabby looking. The door was slightly open and from the other side, he could hear two voices and then a sudden yelp.

"This one still has his tags, Ivan."

"Who cares? No one will recognize him, not when we remove it. For good measure we'll take him a few towns over and sell him there."

Lightning was shocked by what he heard. Daring to peek inside, he could see that the speaking men were wearing the studio staff uniforms. One of them was holding Patch roughly, keeping him dangled by the scruff and unable to fight back.

There was no way that he could stand idly by and let this happen, let alone to a puppy. Luckily when bought by the studio, he was given his old collar back, but a new tag. This one had

something special about it, some kind of emergency beacon linked to Thunderbolt's tag. It was easy enough to activate. But Lightning wondered if just waiting for others to come was the right thing to do. Noticing the old cages stacked in a corner, it became clear that Patch could be taken away at any moment.

He was afraid, knowing that there was little chance of a corgi beating two fully grown men. But seeing Patch struggle made him determined to do something, anything. Maybe he could stall them, just enough to keep them in the shed? He needed to buy time for the others to show up.

Just as they were about to put Patch in a cage Lightning jumped in and spooked them as much as he could with a bark. He had hoped he might get them to drop the pup in surprise, that way Patch could run away, but unfortunately the perp managed to hold onto him.

"Let him go!" Lightning barked.

"L-Lightning?" Patch asked, surprised.

"Hey! Get out of here!" One of the men shooed, but the corgi clearly wasn't just going to leave, it barked and tried to snap at them if he got an opening.

"Darn mutt!" The other tried to grab Lightning, but he dodged out of the way and tried to bite his fingers, but he managed to pull back just in time.

While the corgi was distracted the man holding Patch managed to lock the pup into a cage. Lightning bravely tried to prevent them from leaving through the door, if they got out the shed there was only a short distance to their parked van where they could escape.

Weaving as best he could, Lightning managed to avoid being grabbed and keep the two inside.

"Hey, put down the cage and help me get this mutt out the way! All that barking might get someone to investigate." Lightning hesitated as both men set their sights on him, but the pleading eyes and yelps from the caged pup was all he needed to stand his ground.

-

"And that's how we'll end the episode," the staff member explained.

"Sounds good to me. What do you think, Lightning?" Thunderbolt asked, turning around. But to his surprise, the corgi was missing. And so was Patch. "Light-"

Before he could finish calling out, his own tag was beeping and flashing. It was the unmistakable signal of the emergency protocol. Without giving a second thought, he raced off to find the source. It wasn't hard for him to put the pieces together, figuring that Lightning and Patch's disappearance had something to do with the signal.

The dog crew on set followed the actor as they felt how acutely dire the situation was.

Guided by the beacon in the shepherd's tag they arrived to find Lightning desperately dancing out the way of two men wearing what looked like either fake or old studio uniforms.

"You annoying little-! We should have taken you out that pound and left you in the middle of a forest instead!" One of the men swore.

Suddenly Lightning realized why the two men felt familiar...they had been his prior owners!

The sudden revelation was enough to distract the corgi long enough to give one of the men a chance to kick Lightning out the way, thankfully into a stack of cardboard boxes that cushioned the dog's impact a little.

The two men breathed a sigh of relief. "There we go..." Their relief was cut off by several growling dogs.

"Oh no..." The pair noticed the score of dogs led by Thunderbolt and slowly backed away "N-nice doggies?" The pair screamed in fear as the dogs jumped them.

-

The emergency beacon's activation alerted the human staff as well. Seeing where the signal was coming from, members of security were sent to the source. When they arrived, they found two men cowering on their knees, shielding their heads with their arms, pleading for mercy while surrounded by Thunderbolt and the other trained security dogs. The men's clothes were ripped in several places and a few marks were left on their exposed skin.

Getting the dogs to back off and letting the men up so they could cuff them, the security team also quickly realized who these two men were.

"Well well well...look who was bold enough to return to the scene of their crime..." one of the guards said mockingly. Whatever plot they had in mind was quite audacious, they were both on the studio's watchlist after all.

"Not only that, but they have Patch in a cage," another security member pointed out, letting the puppy out of the cage. The staff were familiar with the dalmatians, having gained a fondness for them. "Kidnapping a puppy, I can't think of anything lower than that..." the first guard scowled as he put them in cuffs.

The criminals protested and struggled, but it did them no good. The cuffs were firmly around their wrists and the guards taking them away were much stronger.

With the criminals secured Thunderbolt immediately checked on Lightning, worried since he hadn't come out on his own, thankfully it turned out the reason he hadn't come out of the pile of cardboard was because the boxes had folded in on themselves on the corgi's impact and had gotten the dog stuck.

The shepherd couldn't help but snicker a little at his buddy's situation.

"Yeah...ha ha...please get me out now..." Lightning blushed embarrassed.

The german shepard did just that, it being much easier on his end. Lightning came tumbling out of the box, shaking himself off.

The corgi seemed to be fine at first, but when he walked it was with a noticeable limp.

"Lightning, are you okay!?" Thunderbolt hurried up to him.

"A little limp is a small price to pay to avoid a pup getting dognapped." The small dog chuckled a little painfully

Lightning looked down "Guess that means my debut episode will have to be cancelled huh?" All that hard work now rendered useless because of him...

"Lightning, the show doesn't matter right now! You're hurt, that's far more important!" Thunderbolt jolted the corgi out of his thoughts.

Lightning's ears perked up when hearing this. But right after he looked rather disappointed. "Oh...I'm-"

"Now don't you dare apologize!" Thunderbolt interrupted.

Lightning shrunk away from the sudden harshness in the bigger canine's voice.

Thunderbolt looked apologetic "Sorry for yelling...but I'm far more worried about your wellbeing than the show right now."

The corgi still didn't want the shepard worrying about him. He wanted to act like things were just fine, but putting even just a bit of pressure on his paw sent pain through him, making him yelp and quickly lift it up again.

Thunderbolt rushed in but Lightning was quick to speak up. "I'm okay. You're right, Thunder... I was just really looking forward to being on set again."

"I know, Little Buddy. But we can reschedule. There's plenty of time after all," Thunderbolt assured.

"Reschedule?" Lighting asked, the word being nearly foreign on his tongue. It didn't sound quite right coming out of his mouth.

"Yeah of course...you think I haven't had times when I couldn't shoot scenes? We can shoot my solo scenes while you recover." Thunderbolt lowered himself to the ground beside Lightning.

"You shouldn't be walking on that foot. Do you think you can get on my back? I'll carry you to the infirmary."

"Thunder, you don't have to-"

"Lightning, please...I don't want you hurting if I can help," the shepard said in a gentle voice. For added measure he looked at Lightning with a pitiful, puppy-like expression. Blushing and grinning, the smaller dog finally gave in.

"O-okay..."

Patch came running in after Lighting got on the german shepherd's back. The spotted dog looked rather conflicted.

"You okay, Patch?" Thunderbolt asked, giving a concerned look to the smaller canine. He and Lightning had just been through a lot.

"Y-yeah...thank you Thunderbolt...and...and...thank you Lightning, if you hadn't been there...they would have driven away with me...I might never have seen anyone from my family again..."

"You're welcome, kid. Again, I'm sorry for what I did to you and the others. I hope this makes up for it a little..." Lightning said. Even though he had apologized earlier, the corgi still felt a lot of guilt towards the dalmatian family as a whole. There was just this urge to apologize whenever he could, to each and one of the spotted canines if he could.

"Is he going to be alright?" Patch asked. He had followed Thunderbolt all the way to the infirmary, being concerned about Lightning. After being rescued, it was clear to him that the corgi was a changed canine, doing all he could to keep the pup from being taken away.

"Of course," Thunderbolt assured. "We'll get him checked in and looked at. The medical team here is the best, they'll have him right as rain in no time."

Patch nodded, looking rather relieved as Lightning was taken in by a vet who had been notified ahead of time. He hoped the other canine's recovery would be quick.

The corgi in question had remained quiet the entire trip, even when reaching the infirmary. He was still in shock about what he did back there. Just after realizing what would happen to Patch, he just raced off without thinking. He was glad that Patch was okay, but he still felt like a failure for getting hurt in the first place.

After the vet looked him over, a canine nurse came to deliver the results. "Good news, Lightning. It's nothing more than a simple sprain. In a few days you'll be just fine."

That was a relief to hear and he told the news to Thunderbolt, being carried back to the trailer by staff.

"See, I told you things would be alright," Thunderbolt said with a smile. He helped Lightning up onto the couch, letting the smaller dog rest on the couch. With that taken care of, Thunderbolt took it upon himself to escort Patch home. It had been an eventful day for all of them and someone would have to explain what happened to Pongo and Perdita.

That left Lightning on his own, being left with just his thoughts. They were swirling in his mind and he dwelled on them, time was just flying by without notice. When Thunderbolt returned, he was rather surprised. It felt like his departure had been just a few minutes ago.

"I really am just a useless side-kick ain't I Thunder?" Lightning asked self-deprecatingly. If it had been Thunderbolt he wouldn't have gotten hurt, he would even have apprehended the crooks himself. What had he really done? Just distract them for a little bit and get hurt...

Thunderbolt knew it would take some time for Lightning to get into a better state of mind, but he wouldn't let him beat himself up like this.

"Lightning...getting hurt doesn't mean you failed...if anything you were the reason we managed to save Patch at all. You noticed his absence far earlier than anyone and searched for him, you alerted us to your position and held them off long enough for us to arrive."

The shepherd tried his best to make the corgi understand how valuable his contribution was, but Lightning seemingly couldn't quite accept it, still holding his head low.

"Lightning...there's something I wanted to tell you. It came from Patch just before we parted ways...he clearly had thought about it along the way," Thunderbolt explained.

"What is it?" the corgi asked, his tone having some curiosity. He was actually a little worried about what it might be.

"He wanted me to tell you that you were a real hero today," Thunderbolt revealed.

H-him? A hero? That was the last thing Lightning had ever thought he would be told.

Thunderbolt saw the look of surprise on his friend's face, chuckling and rubbing his paw in between the corgi's ears. "You did real good, buddy...get some rest."

That was easy enough to do. Lightning was very tired and the couch was certainly comfortable. When finding a good position to sleep, he was already drifting off. Thunderbolt was nearby, settling down to sleep as well, having curled up on a large pillow.

-

To his own surprise, Lightning had a peaceful sleep. It wasn't plagued or interrupted with nightmares of dalmatian pups surrounding him, endlessly accusing him of being a villain or monster. When waking up, the corgi felt a little better about himself. But he still didn't forgive himself for what he did.

Lightning hadn't been prepared for just how boring recovering would be. There wasn't much for him to do but just sit around the trailer. The idea of just lying around had been appealing at first but after the first few hours it became apparent that there wasn't much to do in the trailer.

Whenever he could, Thunderbolt would keep the other dog company, bringing in things to entertain his friend. And today he had something special with him, eagerly entering the trailer with an excited expression and wagging tail.

"Hey, Lightning! Check this out!" The german shepherd showed him the latest article, having an image of the corgi under the heading.

"Huh?" Lightning recognized the old photo of him, but why was it on the cover? Maybe the heading would tell him?

The corgi's eyes widened as he read it: HEROIC CORGI SAVES PUP FROM KIDNAPPERS: LEARN THE FULL STORY OF LIL' LIGHTNING, THE DOG ONCE THOUGHT VILLAIN.

Lightning's jaw fell reading the title.

"Pinch me...I think I'm dreaming..." the corgi muttered, his eyes sweeping the extra information that detailed the rescue.

"Don't worry bud...this is one dream you are not waking up from." Thunderbolt smiled teasingly at him.

Having his deed acknowledged in the paper made Lightning feel like he had taken his first real step towards making up for what he had done, but that didn't mean he would stop trying, if anything he was more motivated to try than ever before.

He wouldn't be able to make good on that until his paw healed though, and the wait was still uneventful as a whole. Thunderbolt was filming his solo scenes, but returned to his friend whenever he could, keeping him entertained.

Lightning was grateful for the care and company. He had almost forgotten how nice the german shepherd was. Being a part of the studio, a trailer of his own was being sorted out. But in the meantime, Thunderbolt was more than happy to share his own trailer.

Being the main star and face of the franchise, Thunderbolt's trailer was one of high luxury, easily capable of housing four canines without issue and its interior had been built with the comfort of dogs in mind.

As luxurious as the big space was, Thunderbolt admitted that "It gets lonely in here sometimes,"

Ever since meeting the dalmatian family and getting knocked out of his daze of fame he had realized how much he desired companionship.

Another thing Thunderbolt began doing was show Lightning other sides of himself, the ones he had hid behind his usual jovial façade he showed to fans, even his more vulnerable ones.

It allowed Lightning to realize the Thunderbolt in his head wasn't the same as the real one. For all of his fame and talents, the german shepherd wasn't perfect.

"It's okay to have flaws," Thunderbolt had said to him, words that stuck with the corgi. Thunder got frustrated, made mistakes, got lonely and so much more, just like he did.

Lightning had thought about this for some time. And when Thunderbolt returned after shooting another scene, Lightning suddenly spoke up. "You know...perhaps we don't need to find another trailer..."

This surprised the bigger dog, the suggestion coming right out of the blue.

"Well, you did say that you don't mind me in your trailer. There's more than enough space for the both of us. And I have actually really come to enjoy your company a lot, Thunder..." This was something that Lightning had been thinking about all day but still felt embarrassed when explaining his reasoning.

"You really mean it?!" Thunderbolt asked, excitement being clearly heard in his voice. His tail was wagging as he rushed up to the corgi, pulling him into a hug.

"S-sure thing, pal..." Lightning said, his voice a bit strained from being hugged so tightly. Luckily, the german shepherd avoided contact with his injured paw.

The two of them had come a long way since those tense days where they really hadn't understood each other at all.

Knowing each other so well, Thunderbolt knew the corgi's confession wasn't just some throw away one, he understood what it really meant beyond what was just said.

"I like you too buddy...my little hero." He teased him a little. Lightning blushed as he pouted, but then both their eyes met and both of them laughed.

Thunderbolt was really happy, this was how he had always wanted their relationship to be, he had ignorantly thought it had been like this prior to Lightning snapping, the shepherd promised himself to be a better friend this time and not ignore ill signs or write off Lightning being in a bad mood as unimportant.

-

It seemed to take forever, but Lightning's paw made a full recovery. After having it looked at for a final time, he was given the clear. The corgi was so glad to be able to walk, jump, and just get around without needing assistance. He was clearly in a good mood when returning from the infirmary, walking on all four paws without issue.

"Good to see you moving again, little buddy." Thunderbolt greeted, his tail wagging from the sight.

"I think it healed so fast thanks to you worrying so much," Lightning said, recalling how often Thunderbolt checked on him, urging him to rest and offering to get things that the corgi needed. "Thanks for putting up with me for so long," he thanked, his tone still being amused.

Lightning was aware of how rowdy he could get, especially when cooped up. But he also knew that it was okay to feel like that; it wasn't because there was something wrong with him.

"So when do we start filming?" he asked. They had just only returned to the trailer when he asked the question, taking the bigger dog by surprise.

"Whoa. Hold on, Little Buddy. No reason to rush things," Thunderbolt advised. He understood the desire, but he had a surprise for Lightning that he hoped he would like.

He opened the trailer and offered for Lightning to step inside first. Thinking his friend was just being polite, he entered first but quickly stopped when noticing the trailer's interior. It was changed; the lights were low, some candles had been lit, and a small table had been set up for the two of them.

The corgi looked around surprised then turned to the shepherd with an unamused flat look. "Oh...ha ha ha...nice little setup to make it look like you are taking me on a date or something..." Lighting was a bit surprised when Thunderbolt just smiled at him.

"Who said I wasn't going to ask you on a date?" Thunderbolt said in a very genuine tone with only a little bit of jest in it and Lightning blushed.

The bigger dog cleared his throat as if preparing for a speech "If there is one thing my show hopes to emphasize it is that a hero's actions isn't just something to marvel at and then forget, that heroes should be honored and indeed rewarded for their outstanding bravery and accomplishments."

That's when Lightning finally realized. Everything that had been set up...it was all for him. Even when coming to that conclusion, he still couldn't fully believe it.

"So, buddy." Thunderbolt beamed at him, "Today is your day," he said, making the meaning of it all clear.

Still a bit dazed, Lightning just let himself be led to the table, up close he could really see how nice the food on it was and that it wasn't just some scented props.

Thunderbolt chuckled to himself. "Uh, the food was really the only thing I knew you would want since I don't really know your preferences all that well. But I bet that I could also get you a nice lady that suits you to spend the day with if that's something you would want."

Lightning could recall when they walked by crowds of fans, the ladies always had their attention on Thunderbolt, leaving Lightning to stand back with a jealous look. It would have been easy to assume that his expression came from a lack of that same attention.

It was something that Lightning had kept a secret from the other canine, he had always had so many conflicting feelings about it. He sighed and looked away. "Thunder, I wasn't jealous because of the female attention. I never cared about how they would fawn over you... I was jealous because they always got your attention so easily while I couldn't..."

Before the corgi could really think it through, he had just admitted one of his biggest secrets and a big blush flared up once he realized what he had just done.

There was a silence that came over the trailer. Lightning was dreading what response he would get, but Thunderbolt was still processing the information that had totally blindsided him. When the pieces finally put themselves together, the shepherd was blushing just as hard. "Well...I suppose that makes finding you a partner for today a lot easier...if you still hold such feelings for me and want me that is...?"

Lightning was completely shocked. As if it was even a question?

"Of course I do!" Lightning perked up, his tail wagging back and forth rapidly.

Thunderbolt first looked relieved then just as happy. He had a secret of his own, he had always been fond of the smaller canine and knowing that Lightning felt attraction towards him brought a warm and fuzzy feeling in his chest.

He was about to say something when he noticed that Lightning was sniveling. And looking closer he could see that the corgi was crying. His heart sank, thinking that his words came across the wrong way, upsetting his friend.

Lightning couldn't contain himself, he was so happy that he was crying. It wasn't just that Thunderbolt didn't find him repulsive. Instead the shepherd was totally into him, the feelings they had for each other were the same...

"Little buddy...are you okay?" Thunderbolt carefully got closer and held the corgi, hoping to make amends.

"I...never...I have never been happier!" The shepherd was immensely relieved hearing that it had just been a brief misunderstanding.

"Lightning...I...I'm so glad you came back buddy...glad we cleared up all that misunderstanding...glad you are here now...please let's never separate like that ever again." Thunderbolt said as he held his precious buddy. Dammit...now he was tearing up too...

"Yeah...and if we do...let's promise to find each other again." Lighting responded, sniffing a bit, but otherwise he had finally gotten ahold of himself again.

"I still can't believe everything you have done for me Thunder..."

"Hey...you deserved a second chance and you showed everyone that you really were a hero, you just needed a bit of help bringing it out." Thunderbolt assured.

The shepherd's words finally got Lightning to stop questioning all of this. Clearly, Thunderbolt did all of this because he cared about him. If that wasn't the case, the other dog wouldn't have done something like this, let alone gone to such lengths.

The pair began to eat the dinner that had been intended to be for Lightning and his partner. With the low lighting, candles, and even the soft music playing in the background, the atmosphere quickly turned romantic.

Midway through the meal Thunderbolt cleared his throat and decided that since Lightning had told him his embarrassing secret that he should come clean too. "You know... I had always thought you were just kinda jealous of me for all the female companionship that was always around me. I was kind of a jerk for assuming that."

He admitted how thoughtless he had been back then, making fun of clueless he had been "...It hadn't crossed my mind that you were jealous of the girls that got my attention..."

"And I never thought the heroic heartthrob Thunderbolt would ever be into guys. No wonder you often walked over those girls despite them throwing themselves in front of you," Lightning chuckled. He supposed it was rather easy, given the other canine's size.

The two continued eating. While Lightning was just enjoying the rest of his meal, Thunderbolt was pondering something. A question that was brewing the moment he asked about Lightning's past jealousy. He had no idea the corgi wanted him that badly. It was clear that they had romantic interests in each other, but was there anything beyond that?

"So Lightning..." Thunderbolt asked a bit nervously. He had waited for the both of them to finish eating. Lighting looked up at the other canine, having taken a drink from a small fancy looking bowl. "Are you just romantically into me or are you...you know...into me?"

The corgi's eyes widened a bit as he blushed.

"Because if you are..." Thunderbolt continued, his tone now being confident and sultry. "...I wouldn't mind 'rewarding' you for your heroic deed."

Lightning gulped, a bit intimidated due to their size difference, but also felt an excitement flare up deep inside him. It would be a lie to say he hadn't thought of the big strong shepherd when alone and 'taking care of himself'.

Maybe it was the environment or the look that he was being given. Either way, Lightning was agreeable. "Well...if you're offering," he responded simply. He stepped away from the table and eagerly approached the german shepherd, having a briskness in his pace.

"We don't have to rush into things. We got all day, buddy." Thunderbolt assured, leaving the table and scratching between Lightning's ears.

"O-okay..." the corgi said, calming down a bit.

"But I am guessing you want this to end up in our newest shared bed?" The teasing had the corgi blush so much he looked ready to faint.

"I will take that as a "yes"" The german shepherd teased a bit more.

With their dinner finished, Thunderbolt led him to the end of the trailer. Lightning was used to sleeping on the couch but what he found was a brand new bed that was large enough to fit them both. The look on the shepherd's face made it clear that he had been awaiting the corgi's reaction.

Lightning was rather speechless but that was okay. Thunderbolt nudged the corgi into the large and comfortable bed. The bigger canine rolled him onto his back. Thunderbolt got into the bed as well, lying gently on top of them.

To start out the two of them began to cuddle. Lightning felt his heart racing, running his paws along the bigger dog's body, feeling his smooth coat and the muscles that were just underneath. Their bodies were so close and their heat could be felt as well, being almost like a weighted blanket on top of him.

This was the most intimacy the corgi had ever experienced. It was almost overwhelming, being so close to his longtime crush, being able to finally touch him in a sensual way.

Thunderbolt let Lightning hold him as long as he needed to, the corgi clearly needed it a lot, he held him tight as if he would disappear if he let go.

Lightning was clearly enjoying himself, but it became evident when Thunderbolt felt something poking his lower belly. It was a feeling that confused him at first before he looked down at the blushing corgi, putting the pieces together.

"S-sorry...I d-didn't mean to..." Lightning looked ready to die of embarrassment.

"Hey, it's okay..." The shepherd inched his way out of the corgi's hold and down his body until he was face to face with Lightning's emerging erection.

The corgi blushed as Thunderbolt looked at it with a mix of awe and desire. Though Lightning was a smaller breed, he still had a healthy length, the size being rather generous given his stature. Just from how it twitched, he could tell that his little buddy was rather pent up, likely having only his paw and perhaps something soft he could hump to give him satisfaction up till now, he doubted his abusive former owners had given him many other options to take care of himself and being left on the streets for so long certainly didn't help either.

"Getting a little excited, buddy?" Thunderbolt asked. His voice was husky, the deep tone carrying a sexiness that he only used with a partner. While asking that question, he lowered his head down towards Lightning's erection.

"Y-yeah..." the corgi admitted, feeling his lust flaring up. Even before being tossed out, it was hard for him to recall the last time he had a proper partner. Using his paw and finding soft items to mount only did so much for him. Just the idea of having something more than that made the smaller dog tremble.

Thunderbolt chuckled from hearing Lightning's strained tone of voice. "Then let me take care of you..." he offered. He moved down even lower, his muzzle hovering over the other canine's balls. Simply and smoothly, his tongue made the first slow lick over the orbs, tracing over the smooth fur that covered them. Doing this already produced a moan from the corgi.

He didn't want to overwhelm his friend so Thunderbolt started out with those light and slow licks. It brought the other dog pleasure but also gave him a good feel of Lightning's package. Lapping at the furry sack did more than enough to get Lightning fully erect, the rest of his length easing out and the knot popping free from the sheath.

This wasn't what Lightning had thought would happen at all. He didn't really know much about intimacy with a partner, but when he was on the streets it was always the bigger dog who was serviced and mounted, at least as far as he could remember.

"T-Thunder...I thought...I thought as the smaller dog I had to be the one servicing you." Lightning huffed.

Hearing that was another reminder that there were things that Lightning misunderstood because he had gone from one bad environment to another. His owners should have provided him with partners or toys to take care of his needs. And when it came to mating, those who were the biggest and strongest always got the first say. But neither of those were the proper way to do this.

"Lightning... Buddy, I want to make you feel good. This is your reward. Sex isn't some competition or all about showing dominance. Well...it doesn't always have to be..." Thunderbolt said, wanting to clear up the misunderstanding.

"So...w-we can make each other feel good?" Lightning asked in realization. He liked that idea a lot more than being left to fend for himself or being worried about running into bigger dogs prowling the alleys that would dominate him due to their sheer size.

"You got it, buddy..." Thunderbolt nodded, being glad that his friend understood. "But for today let's just focus on you, okay?" Lightning didn't protest this, agreeing almost immediately. And in turn the german shepherd was just as quick to bend his head down again, resuming his previous actions.

Thunderbolt gave another lick but this one was different from before, making a single long drag of his tongue. He ran along the balls and traced upwards, running over the spread sheath and along the fully exposed erection. His tongue ran from the knot and all the way to the tip, tasting a bit of precum that was already leaking from it.

The german shepherd shivered a little at the soft moan Lightning made as he licked him, he had been with a lot of ladies, but none of them had made him this excited before, his own erection hadn't been touched at all and was already almost fully erect.

Lightning was already moaning even though they just started. It was the best he had ever felt. This level of attention was something he had never experienced before. Thunderbolt was still licking him gently, now keeping his tongue on the shaft directly. He used the moving muscle to explore the corgi's cock, really feeling how big it was. The shepherd was impressed with the smaller dog's size and all the more excited to give more pleasure to it.

"How was that?" Thunderbolt asked after giving another slow lick from knot to tip.

"Ooah...it's amazing..." Lightning moaned, feeling his shaft twitching against the long and warm tongue that kept sweeping over his inches.

Every lick had been done softly and slowly on purpose; steady getting the corgi used to the feeling. Thunderbolt could feel that Lightning's had adjusted and wouldn't be as sensitive from now on. That was perfect for what the german shepherd had in mind next.

He eased up from Lightning's package, outstretching his paw to carefully take hold of Lightning's erection. It was angled upwards so he could properly access it.

"T-Thunder?" the corgi asked nervously. Thunderbolt was easing himself back down, lining up his lips with the smaller canine's tip.

"Trust me buddy...this will feel really good." Making good on his word, Thunderbolt finally pushed his muzzle down on the erection, slowly taking all of it inside of his maw. Lightning moaned as he felt his length being caressed from all sides, surrounded by a wetness and warmth.

Lightning's moans had gotten even louder. Having a soft mouth suddenly engulfing his shaft was more than he expected. Thunderbolt was still easing his head down slowly, allowing his little buddy to feel every inch sinking past his lips.

At the same time, his tongue was working to lick at the length that was already inside of his mouth.

"Y-you were right," Lightning said, just managing to get the words out. "This does feel really good..."

In time, Thunderbolt had taken the whole thing inside of his mouth. Once that goal was achieved, the bigger dog began to move his head up and down. He kept his tongue pressed to the underside while his lips were smoothly wrapped around the pulsing erection.

The german shepherd had been with enough male partners to pick up a few things, showing his skill on the smaller canine that was still moaning out, his voice filling the trailer. Luckily the trailer itself was somewhat soundproof.

Feeling Thunderbolt's head bobbing up and down his cock, Lightning's heart was beating faster than before. The natural urge to thrust his hips came, flaring up every time the shepherd's muzzle came down. But he kept his wits about him and held back out of concern for his partner.

He had been stuck with the use of his own paw for such a long time. Lightning was absolutely melting from the soft lips and warm tongue that caressed his length. Just like the licking, the motions and suckles to his erections were all so controlled and brought so much pleasure to him. Having assumed that Thunderbolt was only into girls, Lightning was rather unprepared for how skilled the shepherd was, working his mouth in a way that could only come from experience.

Hearing all the moans and tasting all the pre that Lightning was giving him, Thunderbolt looked up and winked when their eyes met. The german shepherd was gaining a newfound satisfaction in knowing that he could make his little buddy feel so good. Compared to his many female partners, he only fooled around with a few males. He was worried that his skills with the ladies wouldn't translate as well towards other males, but was relieved to hear and see how much Lightning was enjoying himself.

From Thunderbolt's actions, the pleasure felt had built more and more. Every little thing pushed the corgi closer and closer to his limits. And given how long he had been without a proper partner, Lightning could feel that he wouldn't be lasting much longer.

"T-Thunder...I...I can't hold back much longer...this feels way too good!"

The german shepherd heard and nodded. He didn't mind at all, keeping up the steady pace of his blowjob. His only concern was his friend getting the release he clearly needed. So he worked his mouth faster, tasting even more precum on his tongue, feeling the pulses of Lightning's shaft getting even harder.

Lightning's moans were even louder, he tilted his head back as he was hit by waves of pleasure. It was all too much for the corgi and he gave into his instincts, humping into the shepherd's muzzle. Doing this in time with Thunderbolt's motions managed to push his length in deeper.

The bigger dog was knocked off his rhythm a bit by the corgi's sudden thrusting. But he adapted and increased the pace to match. While having his muzzle rutted, Thunderbolt moved his tongue as much as he could and suckled on the shaft a bit harder. From the slurred moans and generous spurts of precum he understood quite clearly how good it felt for the corgi.

The sounds and signs of growing pleasure only encouraged Thunderbolt to do even better, giving it all he had. Lightning had already announced how close he was and the sudden onslaught of licks was too much for him to take. Thunderbolt pushing his head down came at the same time as Lightning's upward thrust, but the last thing the corgi did before reaching his limit. Thunderbolt felt the hard throbs, followed by his buddy's essence being released into his mouth.

When Thunderbolt could feel the throbs and spurts over his tongue, he stopped moving his head and began to drink down the warm seed, his tail wagging from knowing that Lightning's needs were being tended to.

Lightning was all but howling from the intense feeling of bliss that came over him. All of those pent up feelings were being relieved as he came hard into the warm mouth. Thunderbolt kept his warm maw wrapped around his cock, taking everything he had to give. Lightning continued squirming and moaning out until his climax finally faded.

With a deep sigh and a wide smile, Lightning looked down at Thunderbolt. "Oh...you have no idea how much I needed that..."

More than the mere release of sexual nature, the corgi had also found relief from much of the pent-up stress that he hadn't found proper release from.

Thunderbolt slowly pulled his head off of Lightning's erection, making sure that the trickling flow of seed had been fully gulped down. "Good to hear, little buddy...that was quite an intense climax."

Lightning just wordlessy nodded, still panting from the lingering feelings.

"So...you wanna do anything else?" the german shepherd asked, being a bit surprised at the smirk he got in return.

"Oh...I'm not finished," Lightning said. His tone was different than before, being more sultry and teasing. "Not by a long-shot. But let me play with you a little while I recuperate."

Just after voicing his desires, Thunderbolt was surprised to find himself already on his back. He didn't know the corgi could be so strong. It was both surprising and arousing. The shepherd was reminded of his own full erection from Lighting already being between his hindlegs.

Lightning was certainly eager, but hiding his sexuality for so long meant that he lacked any experience in pleasuring other males. That didn't discourage him, rather there was an excitement in doing this kind of thing for the first time, figuring out things as he went along.

While in between the shepherd's legs he was able to really get a good look at his length. It's size shouldn't have surprised him. Of course a canine like Thunder was packing something impressive down there.

Thinking back to what had been done to him, Lightning also started out by easing lower until his muzzle hovered over the bigger dog's balls. Without a second thought he was making the first licks over the sensitive area. The licks were experimental, mostly to get a good feel for Thunder's package. He was mindful to keep his tongue's motions smooth and careful, not wanting to hurt the other canine.

Lightning focused on licking Thunderbolt's balls, using the sounds that the shepherd made to gauge how well he did and experimentally adjusted to find what worked best.

He kept this up until he felt ready to move on. So far, the corgi had kept his focus only on the shepherd's orbs. Seeing the shaft twitching, being bigger than his own, made him feel a bit intimidated. But if he just took things slowly it would all go smoothly...

He reached out with his paws, intending to take hold of it with his paws. But the task was more difficult than predicted. His paws touched to the length but couldn't find a proper grip. Lightning was still careful, drifting both paws along the shaft, trying to actually take hold of it. While doing that, he noticed that the bigger dog was shivering and gasping, a reaction coming every time his paws were tracing along the inches. Realizing that this was bringing pleasure, the corgi decided to continue doing this, now purposely running both paws up and down from tip to knot.

This both pleasured his friend and also let the corgi get a good feel of the bigger canine's size. It was big but if he took his time, he could likely handle all of it. Taking a deep breath, he used his stroking paws to angle the tip towards his muzzle.

He started out again with simple licks, swiping the wet muscle along the upper half and tip. It was done slowly, the tongue making light contact. Lightning didn't know what to expect but the taste wasn't unpleasant. In time there came a drip of precum that he curiously lapped at, getting the unique flavor on his tongue for the first time.

"What's the matter Thunder...cat got your tongue?" Lightning teased the bigger dog who hadn't been able to get a word out because the corgi kept making him grunt or moan.

While clearly inexperienced Lightning had really shown him just how creative he was by turning his failed attempt at holding his length steady into a new way to pleasure him.

"G-guess, you could say that," the brown dog managed to say before moaning again.

Though clearly lacking the finesse of experience, that didn't diminish the pleasure felt from both the tongue swiping the tip and the paws stroking along the rest of the length at the same time.

Lightning wasn't even aware of much pleasure he brought to his old friend. This was all so new and experimental to him. But he was glad that Thunderbolt was having a good time.

"I always knew you loved belly rubs, but I guess reaching even lower really gets you going, huh?" Lightning teased further.

The corgi wasn't audacious enough to try and perform the same oral feat as Thunderbolt had, least of all due to him being smaller and Thunder being bigger than him, it would likely only be after he got a lot more experience under his belt that he would try that out, but he did have an idea that he felt Thunder hadn't thought off.

It was a little secret of his: While his previous owners hadn't provided a proper masturbatory aid, there was something available. It had only been once, but Lightning had been desperate enough to use a soft Thunderbolt plushie to take care of his needs. Humping against its soft fur and doing so brought him quite a bit of pleasure. Ever since then, he did wonder if real fur would feel just as good if not even better.

Well, now he had the chance to find out. He let go of Thunderbolt's length, instead climbing on top and hugging his erection. In this position, the shepherd's erection was pressed against the soft fur of Lightning's belly. He simply rocked his body, rubbing his smooth pelt against the twitching erection.

"W-whoa!" Thunder shuddered. The slightly rough feeling of paw pads teasing his length already felt good. But the sudden warmth and softness of the corgi's pelt brought a completely different feeling. It felt even better when Lightning began to grind his body back and forth, sailing that smooth fur along his inches.

Lightning couldn't help but smile, glad to know that his idea was working. His actions were simple but seemed to bring plenty of pleasure. Thunder was still moaning out and his body was squirming a bit as well.

Sure, the corgi might have been inexperienced but he was really creative in a way that Thunderbolt hadn't ever expected. This had become quite the learning experience for the german shepherd as well as the corgi.

"L-Lightning...it feels so good...I don't think I'm going to be able to hold back much longer...not if you keep going at this pace..."

"Just hold on a little longer..." Lightning encouraged. "There's one last thing I want to try..." The corgi pulled back and put his head down, sinking the tip of Thunder's cock into his muzzle. He swirled his tongue around it while gently suckling as well.

Thunderbolt all but saw stars from the intense feeling that came from this. He melted almost immediately, being left a whimpering and squirming mess.

After doing this for some time, Lightning eased his head from the leaking tip. "Almost there?" he asked but got no reply, save for a soft moan that came from Thunderbolt. He was clearly lost in the pleasure, his body twitching and his shaft throbbing intensely.

"Alright. Let me just..." Lightning got back into his previous position, holding the bigger dog's length close as he rubbed his body against it.

"Ah! H-here it comes, Lightning!" Thunder announced. His body pulsed with orgasmic pleasure. While Lightning still rubbed his body against the shaft, he felt it pulsing and shooting against his pelt.

Thunder actually howled as he came hard. Though the german shepard had devices and other canines available to tend to his lustful needs, he had been too concerned with his friend's recovery to use them, leaving him quite pent up as well.

"Wow...that was quite a heroic load you released there Thunder..." A lot of it had spilled onto Lightning's pelt and while it felt a bit arousing with how warm it was, he knew it would end up clumping his pelt together in sticky patches if he didn't get it out. Next time he would be sure to get out the way or leave the tip free and let Thunderbolt release unto himself.

"When you catch your breath, would you mind helping clean up the mess you made of my fur?" The corgi teased the bigger dog as he began licking away the shepherd's cum.

"Gladly," Thunder complied. When he came down from his sexual high, he approached Lightning, who had gotten on his back.

The german shepard had a much easier time lapping his broad tongue over the soft belly and getting his seed off. Lightning sighed from the touch, it being similar to a belly rub but much more sensual.

As he licked the mess from his friend's body, Thunderbolt noticed the corgi beginning to grow hard again and blushed, it hadn't been that long, did his buddy really have that short of a refractory period? Usually it would take him a few minutes more to regain his libido, but Lightning was ready to go yet again already.

"Like what you see?" The corgi teased Thunderbolt as he caught him staring at his emerging erection.

"Very much so. Hehe. Suddenly the name Li'l Lightning doesn't fit so well," Thunderbolt praised. He had already done his fair share of licking. And he was spent, having unloaded just a minute before.

"How about we end the night on something special?" Thunder asked.

"Oh, what did you have in mind?" Lightning asked, looking rather curious.

Thunderbolt answered with action rather than words. Turning around and lifting his tail. That alone made the other dog's intentions clear. "If you're up for it, of course."

Lightning was left stunned with a big blush on his face. He certainly hadn't expected the german shepherd to offer his tailhole to him. He thought this sight would be something only reserved for his own fantasies or dreams.

"R-Really?" Lightning's tone was uncertain yet carried a lot of excitement.

"Sure thing, buddy. This is your day after all. I want you to feel as appreciated as possible."

Thunderbolt lowered his larger body so Lightning could actually reach him. The corgi was a bit unsteady as he got on top of Thunderbolt from behind. His motions were a bit rushed, making his growing eagerness clear.

"W-whoa relax, buddy. No need to rush...we got all the time we need." The advice did make Lightning calm down. He took a deep breath and his movements became more deliberate.

Feeling his friend get into proper position made Thunderbolt shudder. Lightning was holding firmly to the bigger canine's backside, resting his slick length directly against his shepherd's tailhole, taint, and balls.

The corgi took a deep breath, he knew he was getting way too excited, but how couldn't he? He was in an erotic scenario that he hadn't even dreamt was possible! Having already mounted the bigger canine, the only thing left to do was insert himself. Lightning began to rock his hips, trying to find the right space. His tip prodded around but missed the mark each time, making the corgi whine in embarrassment. With excitement having such a hold on him, it was hard for him to get it right.

"There's no need to rush, Lightning. Just take it slow," Thunderbolt soothed. Taking his friend's advice, Lightning stopped and took a deep breath again. The situation got him all riled up and that led to him being eager. After calming down a bit, he took a moment to move slowly and carefully, aiming his tip around until he managed to find the soft hole just underneath his friend's tail.

"R-ready?" Lightning asked, his body trembling from excitement yet again.

"Ready when you are, Little Buddy," Thunderbolt said, looking back and winking at the corgi.

Lightning nodded and proceeded. As much as his lust encouraged him to thrust in hard, the corgi controlled himself. Instead he gently the tip inside of Thunderbolt, moving his hips slowly to ease more of his shaft inside of the tight entrance.

Given his inexperience Lightning was a little worried he might embarrass himself and slide out, but after he got his tip inside the rest of the penetration went a lot easier.

Thunderbolt let out a long soft moan as the corgi slowly kept pushing more and more into him. It had been a long time since he had anyone or anything under his tail, he had sort of given up on it after none of his males partners had been able to make it feel as good as other forms of sex, but now with Lightning it felt completely different than how he remembered it, his entire body was alight with pleasure.

Hearing Thunderbolt's sounds of pleasure and feeling his body shiver from being penetrated was quite empowering for Lightning. He was a bit hesitant still due to his preconception that size was supposed to play a big part in determining the roles. But that was quickly ebbing away as he began pulling himself out slowly and carefully before pushing back in. This got the bigger dog to all but melt underneath him.

If anything, the size difference made things easier for the both of them. Lightning was able to sink himself down to the knot, having nearly all of himself buried inside of the shepherd. From this, a moan of pleasure came from them both.

Thunderbolt was already panting softly from the penetration. He could feel Lightning's length dripping precum inside of him, making his insides slicker and easier for the smaller canine to move back and forth. He just basked in the feelings, the rises of pleasure and shivers that raced down his spine.

They were making good progress so far; Lightning made the first harder thrust and heard Thunderbolt yelp. It was surprising but turned out to be a sound of pleasure. When realizing this, Lightning couldn't help but moan deeply as well, having his length being squeezed by the tighter depths. While rutting at a steady pace, he hit what was assumed to be the prostate and that brought down a series of even stronger squeezes down on his erection.

Thunderbolt hadn't thought having someone top him could feel so good, but Lightning had him lost in an utter haze of pleasure where he couldn't form a coherent thought if he tried. His own cock emerged quite vigorously in between himself and the bedding and throbbed intensely and leaked precum as Lightning hit his sweet spot.

The german shepherd gasped and moaned in surrender to the pleasure he was given as Lightning began stimulating his prostate when he realized there was a spot that felt really hit for Thunderbolt when he touched it.

"Y-you're a natural, Little Buddy...please don't stop..." Thunderbolt moaned, asking for more.

Being emboldened by the praise, Lightning developed a stronger hold on Thunderbolt's backside. Upon getting into a proper rutting position, his hips started rocking back and forth with more speed and power.

Their moans filled the trailer and it was a good thing the interior was soundproof. Lightning felt his length sailing against the soft and wet wells over and over again. With every thrust they squeezed down on him with a firmness that milked more of his pent up fluids.

"And you feel so good, Thunder..." the smaller canine moaned, getting more into the sex the longer it drew out between the two of them.

The world around the two canines bled away in the intense pleasure they were experiencing and all they could feel was each other, there was a sort of serene harmony between them as their bodies intertwined. With every thrust, Thunderbolt would respond with a moan and squeeze that would make the corgi want to thrust even harder into the perfect feeling tailhole.

With the increasingly harder style of thrusting and their size difference, it was only due to how Thunderbolt kept clenching his hole that Lightning's knot was kept from slipping inside.

While Lightning was almost completely lost in the pleasure, the german shepherd still had a bit of his wits about him still, he now understood just how much his buddy really needed this.

"J-j-just let go buddy...I'm big and sturdy...go as hard as you'd like." Thunderbolt encouraged.

With permission given, Lightning stopped holding back at all, increasing his pace. He went as hard and fast as he could; this made his thrusts a bit sloppier and unfocused, but Thunderbolt didn't mind at all. The sudden increase in pleasure nearly made him climax, especially from having his prostate stimulated over and over again.

The two of them were groaning and grunting with more vigor, voicing their growing pleasure. Lightning was clinging to the bigger breed with more force, keeping his body steady to rut as hard as he could. From an outsider's perspective it would have been rather amusing seeing the small canine humping with so much force into the bigger one, but Lightning was only concerned about how good it felt, his shaft throbbing harder than before. Just from the feeling, he could tell this climax was going to be a big one.

"Ah!! I can't hold back anymore..!" Lightning announced, slamming his entire length with each thrust, pressing his knot to the german shepherd's rim. He was so close to his climax, and gave everything he had with the final thrust, managing to shove his knot inside, locking the bulb into the soft hole.

Lightning howled out as he reached his second climax that day. Given how much more intense this bout of sex had been it wasn't surprising that Lightning's orgasm was stronger than the first. Thunderbolt was still squeezed down on him, hugging his knot in a way that got him shooting his ropes of seed with more power than before. From how good it felt, he was still humping inside, still grinding over the other canine's prostate.

That was enough to push Thunderbolt over his limits as well. This time the shepherd had enough sense to reach down and angle his tip to shoot his seed away from the bed underneath them, instead splattering onto the flooring. He could feel the warm seed filling him up, all of it pooling inside thanks to the knot firmly stuck inside of him. And Lightning still humping made his own climax stronger than usual, making Thunderbolt shake and pant while shooting his own load.

"D-did you just cum, Thunder?" Lighting asked when coming down from his climax.

"Y-yeah...I've never managed to get off like that before," Thunderbolt said dreamily. "...That felt amazing..."

They managed to catch their breath after a few minutes. Lightning was still holding onto his friend's backside, chuckling awkwardly. "It's gonna take a while for my knot to deflate...until then we're stuck like this...sorry."

Thunderbolt didn't mind, taking the time to just enjoy his afterglow.

"Alright... I should be relaxed enough for you to pull out, buddy." the shepherd said after he had fully calmed down a few minutes later.

"A-are you sure?" Lightning asked. His knot did deflate a bit but was still enough to keep the hole plugged. But he trusted Thunderbolt and gently tugged back, doing it three times before his length was pulled free. "Huh. I guess there are advantages to being smaller."

Thankfully, the bed was liquid proof. The intention was to stop the bedding from being soaked in drool but it certainly stopped the aftermath of their sex just as well. Thunderbolt let Lightning lie down while he cleaned up the mess on the smooth flooring. It didn't take long and when done he returned to the bed, cuddling up to his little buddy.

Lightning couldn't help but sigh from comfort when the shepherd's paws wrapped around him. But there was something more than that... "T-Thunder...I have this warm fuzzy feeling in my chest."

"That feeling is called love, buddy." Thunderbolt chuckled.

"Love? I must have forgotten how that felt," Lightning tried to recall the last time he felt love towards something. He could recall the day he became an actor but that joy was quickly sullied by his former owners...

But with Thunderbolt, there was a simple joy just from being near him. They didn't have to do much, just sitting around and talking was enough to make his tail wag. "Love...thanks for reminding me how it feels."

Thunderbolt held the corgi closer and more with added gentleness after hearing that. "I won't let you forget what it feels like." His words were a promise made to the other canine, one he intended to keep.

-

After recovering from his injury and getting the proper training he was meant to have, Lightning was able to do his shoot; having both solo moments and being able to act on set alongside Thunderbolt. It was...exhilarating, better than he remembered. Maybe it was because this time he was surrounded and supported by those who cared about him.

When he made a mistake, they were patient and allowed him to try again. Thunderbolt encouraged him and made some mistakes of his own, showing he wasn't perfect either. During the production there were often some members of the dalmation family around, excitedly seeing how the scenes were recorded. They had all interacted with Lightning a bit to get a better feel of him and he seemed to pay attention when they talked about things they liked.

In time they finished the needed scenes and the only thing left to do was wait for the episodes to air.

Many viewed the newest season's premier, including the Dalmatian family. They were gathered around the TV, watching Lightning's grand return to the Thunderbolt TV show. When the episode was over, they had to admit that Lightning's performance was almost as good as Thunderbolt's.

But when it came to the corgi off-stage, they were split on whether Lightning had changed into a better person or not, those who were still in doubt had decided to just tolerate his presence.

A few weeks after the first episode's airing, the family was surprised when a rather large supply of gifts arrived. They were all labeled, coming from Lightning. This made the more skeptical pups think he was just trying to buy back their forgiveness. But upon opening the gifts, they realized that each one was different and even tailored to the pup it was meant for. This meant that Lightning had been paying special attention when talking to each of them. He wanted to apologize to each pup individually and managed to get to know them enough in the three weeks it took to shoot the scenes that he found something fitting for each of their likings.

From this, even the more adamant detractors couldn't keep hating him after that, not after he had saved Patch and taken the time to know their tastes and what they liked despite some of them barely tolerating his presence.

Lightning had been antsy since then, hoping the gifts he sent were well received. Ironically, when a letter from the Dalmatian family came, the heroic actor couldn't bring himself to open it, paralyzed with anxiety. Thunderbolt was at his side and encouraged him. With that and a bit of time, Lightning mustered the courage to open the envelope, revealing its contents.

He didn't know what to expect. It was a sheet of paper, being folded up to fit inside the envelope. When unfolding it, the paper turned out to be rather long. Lighting expected to see many words for him to read but instead were just three.

"We forgive you." That was all it said. The paper's length came from each pup of the family leaving their pawprint under the text, each and every one of them.

It was a very simple message, but it made Lightning break down instantly. He had been scared that they would never forgive him. Of all those he wronged, the corgi had worked the hardest to earn the family's forgiveness. All the while there was a small voice in his head, saying that he didn't deserve it. Sometimes he listened but didn't give up, having hope that his doubts could be wrong.

But they did forgive him...they were a lot more kindhearted than him, he wasn't sure he would have forgiven himself in their place.

The german shepherd held his buddy as he cried. He knew how hard Lightning had worked and how much he hoped they wouldn't hate him. He let Lightning get all of his tears out. It was good for him. And when Lightning recovered, it looked like he could finally move on now.

-

"Hey, it's okay buddy. We're not going to be apart forever... I'll wait for you. I promise," Thunderbolt assured. The season had been filmed and was well received from fans both new and old. With that done, there was a chance to really give Lightning the acting lessons he had missed out on. He would be sent to the premier school for canine actors: Pawcademy. It would be just for a few months. Meanwhile, Thunderbolt would return to America and their headquarters.

The staff were packing everything up and the flights were already booked. Both the shepherd and canine were due for different flights and took the chance to say goodbye for now.

"Just promise...you won't like...replace me, okay?" He chuckled a bit when saying that but Thunderbolt knew there was real fear behind the request.

"Of course buddy, I promise." Thunderbolt swore.

They soon had to part ways. After saying goodbye again, they got onto their separate flights. Lightning was of course sad to leave his friend so soon but he was also happy and excited. He was an actor again and was going to an esteemed school that would bring out his potential. Instead of moping the entire time, he would put all of his efforts into it and really impress Thunderbolt when they met again...

-

"So yeah...that's how I met Lightning again." Thunderbolt finished his tale to Steele, Balto, Roscoe and DeSoto. Knowing the story from the shepherd himself they were looking forward to meeting the corgi.

What had happened when the shepherd had returned to the States was a whirlwind of events. The studio had gotten a new writer that could actually communicate with dogs and he had met another canine down on his luck. Steele, the malamute famous for his role as main antagonist in the first Balto movie, wasn't recasted for the sequel due to rewriting of the script. In fact the studio seemed ready to cast him aside altogether.

Given what he had been through, Thunderbolt stepped in to help the malamute. From this they grew rather close and even filmed a rebooted spinoff of the Thunderbolt series together.

And their meeting got him to meet others: Roscoe, DeSoto, and even Balto himself.

His home trailer was made even bigger than the temporary one in London, being big enough to house all of them. But there was a bit more space for someone special....

The day came and Thunderbolt waited eagerly at the airport. Despite all that happened, all the filming and time spent with his friends, Thunderbolt had always kept track of the days. Time had seemed to fly past but the last few days were agonizingly slow...

People were walking out of the terminal and Thunderbolt scanned the crowd, looking for his Little Buddy. He was starting to get worried when there was no sign of him but some men approached, carrying a cage. And inside was an annoyed looking Lightning.

When confirming who they were, the staff let Lightning out, allowing the corgi to stretch. "Don't even ask..." Lightning said, cutting the snickering shepherd off.

After getting the feeling back in his legs, he all but tackled the bigger canine, hugging him close. "Oh, it's so good to see you again, Thunder!" Thunderbolt returned the hug and the staff let them have their reunion.

On the drive to the studio, Thunderbolt explained all that his friend wasn't there to see. Lightning was interested until mention of them sharing the shepherd's trailer. His ears lowered and his expression sank considerably. Thunderbolt was still talking and hadn't noticed at first, excited to let his buddy meet his new friends.

The corgi's heart sank further when he met the canines, how was he supposed to compete with all those amazing dogs? They were all notable movie actors while he was just a secondary actor in a TV series...

Lightning didn't want to be replaced, but how could he possibly hold Thunderbolt's attention when they were all around?

"Oh...so you're Lightning? Thunderbolt has never stopped talking about you or how much he missed you, glad to finally meet you in person." Steele teases the corgi a little.

"R-really? Did he miss me that much?" Lightning felt a bit of hope.

"He sure did." Roscoe huffed.

"Yeah...he was an anxious bundle of nerves these last few days waiting for you." DeSoto confirmed.

"Now that you're here, we can all finally relax," Roscoe added. He told how Thunderbolt's anxiety was rubbing off on all of them.

"S-sorry..." Lightning chuckled a bit. "I sure didn't mean to make you all anxious waiting for me to come back." Aside from Thunder, the corgi hadn't expected anyone to be waiting for him.

The only one missing was Balto, but he made his presence known as Rasputin escorted him to the meeting spot.

"I cannot believe you got lost again." The kelpie said a bit amused.

"It's not my fault they keep moving stuff about that I use to find my way around." The wolfdog whined a bit. The studio was a big place and he needed those landmarks, otherwise he would indeed get lost.

"Aren't you supposed to be a leading sled dog?" Steele teased, being glad to see the wolfdog.

"You're one to talk, Mr. Big Bad."

"Not badder than us," Roscoe and DeSoto bragged, puffing out their chests.

The others were playfully bickering back and forth while Lightning approached Thunderbolt.

He was glad to see his friend/partner again. It became apparent why the academy was so esteemed. The corgi had to go through many classes to not only get the training he was meant to have, but go beyond and push his limits. It wasn't easy but he didn't give up and came out as a much better actor than before, hopefully he was now able to stand on equal ground with Thunderbolt.

When hearing his friend's experience, Thunderbolt felt bad for hanging around with other dogs while Lightning was working so hard. But a lick to his cheek assured him that Lightning wasn't upset anymore.

"I'm sorry I got so emotional...I mean...you shouldn't have to put your life on hold just because I am away...I was just nervous..." Lightning apologized.

"Hey it's okay to feel like that. I understand why you felt like that, but I swear I never intended to upset you." The shepherd assured.

"I know." Lightning was happy he felt confident in that statement. "Now, are you going to properly introduce them to me?"

As the corgi got to know the other canines he found them to be just as quirky as him and Thunderbolt and more importantly, they had all been down-on-their-luck misfits like him before Thunder took them under his wing. When Lightning learned this, he was no longer as jealous and realized that he could relate to all of them in some way and that led to them becoming friends rather quickly.

Of course, Thunder had to explain how close he and Steele had gotten. "The two of us are...romantically inclined. But I've never stopped loving you either, Lightning."

Before parting, their relationship had been put on hold. Being away for so long with little to no communication had strained things. Thunderbolt expected Lightning to be upset when learning this. But the corgi had learned many things while at the academy and not just about acting. One of the things he had learned was of a trio of dogs who were all in love with each other.

Lightning did find Steele attractive, being the near opposite of Thunder. Being rugged and suave. The malamute did tease him often, sometimes sounding rather serious.

"We can work this out," Lightning said. "You, me, and him." Loving Thunderbolt so much meant that he couldn't ask the shepherd to leave Steele, not if they made each other happy.

Upon hearing this, they found Steele and discussed things further. The malamute had absolutely no qualms and even found the idea of sharing Thunderbolt rather fun.

Everyone was so nice to him despite knowing his past and they were more than happy to make him a part of their little group. They all got to know each other really well and he was quickly included in their collective fun times.

Compared to the rest of them he was still quite inexperienced, and didn't know their sexual tastes either. But given how apt a lot of them were, he wouldn't stay like that for long. Their first night all together was beyond anything Lightning could have imagined. He, Thunder, and Steele were rather passionate that night and were still holding each other in the morning...

"Morning, Little Buddy..." Thunderbolt said quietly. Steele was still asleep and so were the rest of the dogs.

"Good morning to you too," Lightning responded.

The shepherd smiled. "I think you really impressed Roscoe and DeSoto with how quickly you adapted and learned. And trust me, those two do not impress easily." Thunderbolt teased the corgi a little.

Lightning blushed, "W-well...maybe I got some talent for sex too." he smirked confidently.

Thunderbolt chuckled. "Steele got quite the surprise as well. He shouldn't have underestimated your size." The malamute had been the first to collapse and was still in a deep sleep.

"Should we get up?" Thunder asked, suggesting they go get some breakfast together.

"No," Lightning decided, a smile spreading across his muzzle. "Let's just lie here for a bit longer."

Pushing himself back into Steele got the snoozing malamute to him to put his paws around him and pull him close. Lightning blushed a bit as he had not expected that reaction.

"He seems to already like you a lot." Thunderbolt took the chance to tease his buddy a little more.

The german shepherd got closer and soon Lightning was snuggled up in between the malamute and Thunderbolt.

"Rasputin should be making his rounds soon...I'll ask him to bring our breakfast..." Thunderbolt snoozed off.

Lightning chuckled a bit. "Brave of you. Daring to owe him of all dogs a favor." The kelpie was likely the closest of the crew to the actors and it likely wouldn't be long before he was officially a part of their group.

With a sigh the corgi closed his eyes and just enjoyed the moment. He finally felt a sense of belonging and peace of mind. He knew that from now on he would be a part of Thunderbolt's life. And it was a new beginning for himself as well.

If he could, he would have snuck a glance at the framed message from the dalmatians "I promise...I'll not waste this second chance...I'll be good from now on." He still remembered the promise Lucky had made him do.

For a moment he considered; what if he had given into his fear and kept away from the studio?

No redemption...No forgiveness... No belonging...and...Patch...they would have gotten him. Maybe...maybe he did deserve this...a little bit at least...

His whole life had been a series of highs and lows. The joy of being hired as an actor for a popular show, only to suffer secret abuse. Being dumped on the streets after he lashed out, but given kindness by a stranger. And being reunited with Thunderbolt...

There were hard parts and painful ones too but when really asking himself, Lightning was certain that he made the right choice that day. He was grateful despite it all and found peace with his tragic past, moving past it and finally looking towards the future alongside Thunderbolt and the others.

He wondered excitedly what sort of plays he would participate in soon alongside them as he snoozed off alongside the shepherd.