Rai

Rai is another dog on the *Bolt* set and a pet of Penny's.

## Appearance:

Rai is a German Shepherd just like his co-star. He has mainly white fur with a black back and perked ears. He has a golden-brown mask covering his eyes with black "tips" to them. He has dark brown eyes. He as a long mainly black tail which has a golden-brown section right before the white tip. He has golden-brown freckles dotting his chest and hind legs and black ones on his front paws and neck. He wears a dark blue collar with a circular tag saying his name. On the show, he has a lightning bolt on his right side to match the one on Bolt's left. His tag also has his name in all capital letters with a lightning bolt behind him. However, his marking is just paint and he no longer has it once he leaves the show.

## Personality:

At first, Rai was a very serious and hardworking stuff. Like Bolt, he was incredibly protective of Penny, he hated anyone coming near his girl and would die to protect her. He's brave and daring, and practically fearless. Of course, he does have his fears, he is a dog, after all, but he acts like he doesn't. He's rather confident but can be slightly reckless. He always thinks things through to make sure the outcome protects Penny and Bolt, or at least he used to. Now, although he's still in the mindset of thinking everything through, he lets himself be more dog-like. He's fairly adventurous, but he's always on alert and scouts an area before letting his guard down. He hates feeling exposed. He's a fiercely loyal dog and only lies when absolutely necessary. Like Bolt, he can be a bit theatrical and used a lot of hero one-liners. Even after retiring from acting, he much prefers to sit by the door and make sure there's no danger. He's not much for playing chase or fetch, but he'll never argue against pets from someone he trusts, especially if they're behind his ear or the back of his neck. He really only talks when necessary, but once he's "free," he talks a lot more.

## Trivia:

-His name means "thunder" in Japanese

-His "birthday" is March 21st, 2020

-Just like Bolt, he had no idea everything was fake.

-His fur pattern is what's referred to as a panda German Shepherd. I didn't realize they were rare until *after*I created Rai, and I didn't want to completely redesign him, so I guess we're just going with rare dog with pretty colors and the same breed as the lead = good pup for the show

-As I was rewatching Bolt, I thought to myself "what if there was another dog the whole time that worked with Bolt?"

-The reason he didn't run away with Bolt despite both of them being in the trailer is because as he was running after his teammate/best friend and the cats, the security guard caught him by his collar just by luck and yanked him back. The collar snapped as Rai desperately tried to run after the cats, there were a few more security guards just outside the trailer who grabbed him. They weren't able to grab Bolt, however. Rai was shoved back into a cage, barking like a madman and going crazy. Penny was told he was with Bolt, but she stumbled upon the cage he was in on her way to print out the "MISSING DOG" fliers. She took him out and he went crazy with relief, licking her all over and looking for Bolt. She held him close and cried, grateful that she at least had one of her dogs. Rai found out he was an actor and was devastated. Instead of being worried for his person, he was now worried for his best friend.

-He wasn't trapped in the fire like Bolt was, he was instead with Penny's mother, searching everywhere for his girl. He heard Bolt's bark before everyone else did and tugged on someone for them to be quiet and listen. As they went in to search, he led the people to his owner and brother

-Even out of acting, he's hesitant to trust anyone near his girl. When Mittens, Thunder, and Rhino came in, it took a while for him to adjust and trust them. He soon gets protective over them as well, even though the hamster drives him absolutely insane

-While he had powers in the show, they weren't as advanced as Bolt's, considering Bolt was the real star. He does know "zoom-zoom" and "stare" but he didn't have a super-bark. He had strength and jump boost as well as something Bolt didn't have, but I can't figure out what to give him yet lol. His stare was also different than Bolt's. While the White Shepherd had heat vision, Rai had ice vision. (credits go to Morgan for this idea~!)

-He has his own Mr. Carrot, except his is a stuffed black and white bunny that Penny named Hopper.

-He and Bolt consider each other brothers, and they love each other dearly.

-He and Thunder are actually from the same litter. This means he is Gem's half-brother and well as the uncle to Kaia, Whirlwind, Windi, Cyclone, Cirrus, Twister, Misty. He's not super close to Gem, and while at first he tried to stay as far away from the puppies as possible, fearful of hurting them, they eventually won him over and are now one of his weaknesses. Not that he'd ever admit it, even if it is obvious. He's a tough dog, he doesn't have weaknesses, duh. The pups are his kryptonite and the tough dog just melts around them. They're his world and he would do anything for them. If mama says no and papa doesn't want to go against her, Uncle Rai will surely say yes.

-Since Penny's mother felt awful for everything that happened, he gets to stay with Penny as well as Bolt and the new additions. She keeps two puppies and she's a great owner

-He and his sister do eventually form a bond, even though they struggle to at first.

-Although he loves his family, Rai has two weaknesses: Penny and Thunder's pups, especially the latter now that he knows Penny is an actress.

-Although everything that happened on the *Bolt* set was fictional, Rai *does* suffer from PTSD because of it. Every loud noise could be a gunshot, every rustle of the bushes could be someone after his family, every building isn't protected and could collapse at any moment. Rai is a canine who needs to protect, its been his only mission since forever, so the fact that it was all a lie hurt him in ways that can't be described. His life may have been turned on its head, but the impact of the show was real and the trauma is everlasting.

-He is aromantic/asexual, meaning he does not experience romantic or sexual desires. He will not be having a mate and is perfectly content with the family he has now.

-Rai actually prefers sleeping outside the house, right in front of the door, during the warmer months due to his protective nature. During the colder months, he'll have to be dragged inside so he doesn't freeze, but he will lay in front of the door.

-I imagine his voice to be like Dean Winchester from Supernatural, despite their rather differing personalities.

-He's not a fan of children, if he's honest. Penny when she was younger, yeah, sure, she's his girl, but other children in general? No thanks, he'll sneak off to the corner. He's also wary on pups as well, and as mentioned twice before, the only pups he really likes are his sister's.

-Loves chicken so much