A/N: The ususal: Pete's Dragon doesn't belong to me obviously. Special thanks: A big thank you to Dramamaster829 for suggesting to me an idea to turn my recut Pete's Dragon trailer into a story. Rock on. So here's the first chapter so far. Enjoy!
(Oh, and to shamelessly plug my trailer: /watch?vgR1Yypm9GiM)
In These Hills
"Oh Petey! Petey, Petey, Petey!" A woman's harsh voice cut through the silence of the forest.
Pete, a young orphan, crawled through the mud and brush with the ease of a small animal eluding a predator. His bare feet were raw and bleeding. It didn't matter though. He needed to hide, and fast. A rotting hollow log caught his eye.
"Pete!" A man's gruff voice called. They were quickly approaching. Pete scurried to the log with time enough to conceal himself. He peered through a crack in the bark and glimpsed Willie Gogan staggering through the trees. He brandished a crowbar, which Pete was all too familiar with. On numerous occasions, he'd feel the lash of cold metal sear his back—usually for the most trivial reasons. The dishes didn't look clean enough, or they complained about the food he cooked.
"What is this?" Mama would say. "Why can't we get real food 'round here?"
"Then cook it yourself," Pete always felt like saying. One day the Gogan's incessant nagging finally got to him.
He was serving a fine looking meal of chicken and mashed potatoes, which Pete himself would've devoured if only he was allowed to. He scooped the food onto Grover Gogan's plate. With an upturned nose, he sniffed the contents and pushed the plate away.
"I ain't eating this," he said, crossing his arms.
Pete stopped. "Why not?"
"Because," Grover said with a piercing stare, "it looks like something that came out of a horse's ass."
His brother erupted with laughter. Grover grinned, flashing his rotten teeth. The words lit an internal flame within Pete. He reached for a bowl of hot gravy, and with one swift motion, poured it over Grover's head.
Needless to say, Grover did not take this lightly. He flew out of his chair, cursing and rubbing his eyes. Pete smiled in satisfaction. He hadn't experienced this much joy in years.
Merle Gogan, the father, rose and began to unfasten his belt, which Pete knew he'd be feeling on his backside if he didn't act fast. He bolted to the door and ran out of the house.
"BOY!!" Merle shouted, but Pete kept running.
"You two go after him," Merle snarled at his sons.
"But Pa!" Grover protested, wiping gravy off his face.
"Don't you 'but Pa' me! That orphan's worth more than this whole farm, and I can't afford to lose him. Now go!"
The two Gogans slowly ambled to the door.
"Now hold up a minute, Merle," Mama said. "I dunno what yer thinkin' just sendin' those two numbskulls after Pete, but it ain't gonna work." She walked over to a closet, produced a narrow iron club and tapped it in the palm of her hand. "We need as much help as we can get." She grinned and led Merle out of the house.
Having never been outside the Gogan farm, Pete hadn't the slightest idea where he was headed. He didn't care. Just as long as he was far enough away from the Gogans. For his safety, he decided not to take any roads.
It was nearly dusk when he was crossed a field and came to the edge of a forest. Even on a clear day it appeared foreboding. A faint cry in the distance caused him to listen. It was the Gogans. Despite the darkness, he decided to go through the woods.
Pete's bare feet hit the mud on the forest floor. Rain water has collected in various puddles, and Pete tried to land in them so he wouldn't leave his own footprints.
However, one particular puddle caught his eye. It was a footprint, but a rather large and unusual one. It had three toes and appeared about as long as Pete's arm. The surrounding area was littered with piles of what appeared to be animal bones. Perhaps it was from a large bear. Pete shook his head. He wasn't sure whether or not bears inhabited the region, but he decided not to stick around to find out.
The sun began to disappear behind the trees. Pete leaned against a moss ridden tree to catch his breath. It wasn't long before the Gogan's voices rose in the distance. How did they catch up so fast? Pete decided to hide.
From the inside of log, Pete held his breath and did not stir. Grover jumped on top of the log. Pete felt the weak wood begin to sink on top of him.
"Aw, c'mon Petey! You know I was only jokin' 'bout the food! Why don't you come out for your old pal Grover?"
Mama appeared from behind a tree, short of breath. "You boys," she yelled. "Spread out!"
Willie kicked a pile of brush. "Aw, Ma! Can't we just go back? It's getting' dark out here!"
"I'll tell ya why we ain't goin' back," she started. "Because I done paid fifty dollars for that orphan, plus legal. And he does all of your work. So if you don't wanna work the farm by yerself, then I suggest you find that little brat!"
Willie grumbled to himself and joined Grover, who was sitting on the rotten log Pete was concealed in. Grover spat into the brush.
"You know, Willie," he said. "Life was better before Ma brought that damn orphan."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah! Our food tasted better, work got done faster, and it was just me, you, Ma and Pa. I dunno why she bought the kid in the first place."
Willie turned to him; a devilish smile crossed his face. "Ya know, if we catch that kid now, think of what we could do to punish him." He picked up his crowbar. "Beat 'im like a cow!"
Grover jumped up. "Yeah! And when he cries out for mercy, we'll just laugh!" By now the two Gogans were standing on top of the log. Of course, the rotting wood couldn't hold both of them. The frightened Pete suddenly felt the log collapse on him. Grover toppled backwards and Willie landed face to face with Pete.
"OH! Oh, ho, ho! Lookey what I caught!" He hollered, pinning Pete to the ground and pressing his face into the mud. "Grover! Go tell Ma I got 'im!"
"Lift his head up!" Merle shouted. The Gogans crowded around Pete. Willie snatched him by the hair and spun him around to face Merle. "Well, well, well," he said through clenched teeth. "Did you think you'd be smart enough to outrun us?"
Pete said nothing.
"Well, boy?!"
"No," he replied.
"No, what?" Merle said, sending a slap across Pete's face.
"No, Sir," he managed to choke out.
"Now that's more like it."
Mama pulled a long rope from around her shoulders and tossed it to her sons. "Boys, tie him up and carry him back. We're losin' daylight."
Willie and Grover held Pete's hands behind his back and positioned the rope in place. A rustling from some nearby trees caught their attention.
"Did you hear somethin'?" Grover said in a low voice.
"Yeah," Willie said, picking up his crowbar. "I think someone's there." He walked slowly toward the noise. "Hey! Show yerself!" But nothing stirred. He spat towards the noise and turned back. "Rotten coward."
Suddenly, Willie screamed. The others turned to see him lifted off the ground, his arms flailing about.
"Help! Hellllp!" He shouted. It appeared as though he was being held up by an invisible rope.
The other Gogans didn't know what to make of the situation, let alone know what to do. He was too high up and out of their reach.
"Get me down!" He screamed in terror. "Something's crushing me!"
Grover, rope in hand, frantically raced over to Willie, but ran smack into what felt like a wall—except there was nothing there. A horrible cracking sounded from above. From the ground, Grover looked up in shock to see Willie's head twist all the way around.
"Willie!" He called. But his body was limp. It began to rise slowly and a deafening crunch filled the air. The others looked up to see blood pouring down from Willie's neck. Whatever was holding him, it had taken off his head. Willie's body dropped to the ground, landing in a pool of blood.
Mama cried out and ran to her son. "Willie! Willie! No!" As she clutched him, a stream of fire erupted from above, dousing her in flames.
Pete stared in disbelief at the horrific scene unfolding before his eyes. He saw Merle slowly backing away, as though trying not to be seen by this invisible force. Pete took a chance and ran. Two horrible screams caused him to look back. He saw Grover's lifeless body thrown against a tree, and Merle pinned to the ground. Pete's eyes widened. This strange invisible thing was no longer invisible. From its green skin, to the wings on its back, to the long snout and burning red eyes, Pete now saw the creature for what it really was: a fire-breathing dragon.