Things happened quickly after that. Helicopters approached in the distance. Elliot snorted in concern. He could tell more danger was on its way.
Grace knelt down in front of Pete. She knew there wasn’t much time before the floods of people would swarm Elliot and try to figure out what to do with a giant fire-breathing dragon. It was clear he could not stay there. And it was clear he had to move quickly.
She reached into her pocket, finding the compass Pete loved so much. She pressed it into the boy’s hand.
“Pete…” she said. “Take Elliot. Make sure he’s safe. And…” She stammered a little, trying to find the words. “And I want you to know that I…”
With a deep release of breath, she smiled. “Just know that we’re here for you.”
Pete felt tears forming at the corners of his eyes. He knew this was good-bye. “Where should we go?” he asked.
Grace pulled Pete close and hugged him.
“Go north,” she whispered.
Pete climbed onto the dragon’s soft fur, and Elliot began to beat his wings. As Natalie, Grace, Jack, and the rest of the crowd watched, the pair launched into the air. The bright sun sunk low on the horizon, streaking the sky with gold and red.
Pete looked out across the expanse of forest below and up into the limitless sky.
It was good to be back in the forest. Back with his friend.
And for the moment, that was all that mattered.
Elliot flew for a long while. Eventually, the dragon landed in the deep shadows of one of the innermost parts of the woods, touching ground at the base of the tree fort. But it was not the sanctuary it had once been; the wreckage of the destroyed tree house lay scattered across the forest floor.
Elliot sighed, and Pete wandered through the debris.
“We can’t stay here,” Pete said.
Elliot made a sympathetic cooing sound. He understood.
“People will come looking for you. They know you’re here,” Pete continued.
Elliot nodded solemnly. That was true. In an attempt to lighten the mood, he disappeared, reappearing a few feet from where he had been.
Pete laughed.
“I can’t disappear, though,” he said.
Elliot camouflaged himself again. Something came rustling across the ground, pushed by an invisible force, as if by magic.
It was the storybook Elliot Gets Lost.
Pete picked up the book, staring at it. He flipped it open, and there, on the first page, was a handwritten inscription. Something he’d long overlooked.
To Pete, it said. Love, Mommy and Daddy.
Pete stared at the inscription for a long time, then finally looked up. Elliot materialized, making a reassuring grunt. The dragon nodded his head at the boy as if prompting him to turn the pages.
The final page of the book showed an image of the little puppy reunited with his family. Pete remembered Jack reading that part of the story only the night before and how at peace he’d felt sitting there with Jack, Grace, and Natalie. He understood what Elliot was trying to tell him.
Tears filled Pete’s eyes. “But I don’t want to leave you,” he said.
The dragon smiled, and then he made the most reassuring noise a dragon could ever make—a deep, comforting purr. He knew it was going to be okay…for both of them.
The little boy threw his arms around the dragon, holding him tight, his tears wetting Elliot’s fur. They stood that way for a long time, as the last embers of daylight faded and the forest fell into darkness.
Pete looked up—far above, into the sky. The North Star twinkled in the darkness. It was time to go.
The sun had started to rise. It had been a long night of answering questions and filling out police reports. Now Grace drove her jeep down the road, heading back toward town. She glanced up, seeing the last trace of the North Star fading in the morning light. Jack sat in the passenger seat beside her, while in the backseat, Natalie had fallen sound asleep.
Jack took Grace’s hand and gave her a reassuring smile as they pulled up in front of the house. Suddenly, their eyes grew wide.
There, on the lawn, was Pete.
Grace leaped out of the jeep and ran to Pete as fast as she could, throwing her arms around the little boy. He hugged her back tightly.
A familiar sound filled the air: the reverberation of large beating wings. As they looked up, the echo faded away.
Hand in hand, Grace and Pete walked up to the front door, Jack and Natalie at their sides. They headed into the house—a new family.
As Pete turned to cast one more look out on the horizon, he smiled, remembering all that had been and looking forward to all that would be.
* * *
Some time later, the town of Millhaven was back to normal. Folks hurried up and down the main street. Kids rode their bikes to school. And just beyond the hustle and bustle of the forest mill, a new sight rose: freshly-planted trees, growing beautiful and tall and green.
It was as though there had never been any excitement of a secret dragon living in the forest at all. In fact, if you asked folks around town, most of them would say it was just a story.
But there was one little boy who knew that it was all true.
And he was off on another adventure.
The sun glinted off of Jack’s jeep as he, Grace, Pete, and Natalie drove north. Pete’s hair was now neatly trimmed, and he wore properly-fitting clothes. But the old forest-boy spark still gleamed in his eye. Ahead of them in the distance, snowcapped mountains loomed. That’s where they were headed.
Together, the family reached the base of the mountains and began the long trek upward. Up, up, up, well beyond any marked trail. Pete led the way, pushing forward until, finally, they reached the crest of a mountaintop valley.
And that’s where Pete waited. He scanned the tall, waving grass, searching. He knew he must be here…
Suddenly, a low, friendly growl purred behind him.
Pete turned. He whooped with joy.
It was Elliot!
Pete hugged his friend tearfully. They were reunited once more!
Grace beamed as she watched Pete and Elliot play together. The boy and dragon leaped and tumbled just like old times.
And then, Pete ran right off the precipice of the mountain plateau. Of course, Elliot swooped down to catch him. But what happened next made everyone’s eyes grow wide with wonder.
An entire flock of dragons suddenly soared up next to Elliot, flying alongside him.
Elliot had found his family after all, high in the mountains of the North!
Pete buried his face in Elliot’s fur, and the dragon smiled. Elliot was overwhelmed with happiness. Happiness at finding a family. Happiness at finding a home. But mostly, happiness at being together with his friend again.
Elliot would always be Pete’s dragon. And that made him happiest of all.
Pete's Dragon Junior Novel Page 8