Something Wild --- A "Pete's Dragon" Fanfiction

Chapter 1

Dark green forest stretched for miles before a lone car driving down a long, empty road. The trees swayed gently in the breeze, towering pines that seemed to kiss the sky with their leaves. Above, the sky was colored of orange and pink, as the sun sank lower to the horizon, peering over the tree line.

It was truly a breathtaking sight.

But Kevin seemed to be the only one enjoying it, other than his parents. In the seat beside him, his little brother, Pete, had all his attention devoted to an oversized storybook that he held in his lap.

"This...is...the...story...of..."

Kevin pulled his gaze away from the window just for a moment to watch his sibling. Pete had just started learning how to read, and so it was occasionally difficult for him to pronounce the words in the story. He'll get there, Kevin thought to himself. Eventually.

"'...a lit...little puh...puppy," Pete continued. "His nnname is...Elll...'"

Kevin leaned his head over, trying to see which word Pete was attempting, ready to pitch in if necessary. But their mother beat him to it. "Elliot," she said encouragingly.

"Elliot," Pete repeated, gazing at the words intensely with extreme focus. Then his eyes widened as it snapped into place. "His name is Elliot!"

"That's right!" Kevin said, beaming at his brother. Pete grinned with pride, then kept on reading. "He...is...going...on...an...add...veen....turr...eee..."

Pete frowned a little - this was a new word for him. He tried sounding it out to himself silently, but with no success. Pointing at the word, he looked toward his brother for help. "What's that?"

"An adventure?" Kevin asked, and their mother turned around to look at them. "You don't know what an adventure is, Pete?"

Pete shook his head.

"Well, it's kind of what we're on right now," Kevin said helpfully. "Out here, in the middle of the woods..."

"And not another soul in sight for hundreds of miles, with only the stars to guide us!" their dad added in from the driver's seat.

"Is it scary?" Pete asked quietly.

"Well, that's the other thing about adventures: you've gotta be brave. Are you brave?"

Pete noticeably hesitated - he hadn't thought to wonder about whether or not he was brave.

Kevin and their mother jumped in to his rescue.

"I think that you're brave," Kevin piped in reassuringly, and their mother nodded her head in accordance. "I think so, too," she said, giving Pete a loving smile. "I think you're the bravest boy I've ever met. Both of you," she added, beaming at Kevin in turn.

The sun had set by then, the blue sky turning to indigo as the last of the light faded away. "It's getting dark," Pete's mother said. "Let's finish reading later."

"OK," Pete answered, and Kevin helped get his book into his backpack once he had closed it. But the zipper would not close for some reason. Pete gave it a tug, then Kevin, but with no luck. The zipper still refused to budge. "We need help, Mom," Kevin said plaintively.

Their mother reached for the backpack. "Here, let me see..."

What happened next, neither Pete or Kevin would ever really remember. A deer suddenly bounded into the road in front of the car, and their father slammed on the brakes in order to not hit the animal. The tires screeched loudly as they skidded across the asphalt, and the world tipped as the car spun out of control. Kevin and Pete saw nothing but a blur outside, and they slammed into the sides of the car and banged their heads, hard. Then, everything went dark...