Hey, guys! Here's the sequel to my previous story that you all praised so highly! So, without further ado, I give you...
Boiling Point.
Chapter 1
It was a peaceful evening in Gravity Falls, Oregon, and the whole town was enjoying the last hours of sunlight in the day.
Well... almost the whole town.
A twelve-year-old boy by the name of Dipper Pines was in the forest.
Running for his life.
Again.
It had started to become a routine thing for him. Every time he got the idiotic notion to venture into the Gravity Falls Forest, he ended up finding something that automatically tried to kill him.
Not that this was anything out of the ordinary. This was Gravity Falls, after all. Barely a week went by before something magical happened, causing Dipper's life to be at stake just as often.
On the plus side, it had become so routine that Dipper had started to come prepared. He always had Volume 3, of course, and ever since it got infused with an extra magical layer of protection last week, it would seem like enough of a precaution to anyone else. But since Dipper was the most paranoid twelve-year-old for miles, he didn't stop there. He had borrowed his sister Mabel's grappling hook, and also received a threat that if it got damaged in any way, shape, or form, she would brain him with a caramel apple and sic her pet pig, Waddles, on him.
Which also reminded him to take all her apples when she wasn't looking.
Along with physical precautions, Dipper had stepped up his attire as well. Because he knew he'd be in the forest past nightfall, he had traded his vest for a dark blue zipdown fleece jacket, and he'd traded his shorts for dark gray pants. He'd also deliberately left his hat at home; he didn't need it anyway, and it would surely fall off.
And now, in the process of running for his life, he was glad beyond measure that he had brought those apples.
Behind him, a tree crashed down, then another, and then another. Dipper tripped over a stump and almost landed flat on his face, but he caught himself.
Thank you, Trixie! he thought. Another tree crashed behind him, and he kept moving.
This was where a wave of paranoia-induced instincts washed over Dipper. Despite the deafening noise in his ears, he heard the slightest sound and stopped in his tracks. How fortunate he did so; otherwise the giant tree falling in front of him would have crushed him flat.
He wheeled around and saw the thing that was pursuing him. It was a giant beast, about fifteen feet tall and just as wide. It was dark brown, probably because of the dirt covering its otherwise pink body. And when it roared, Dipper felt a blast of warmth- not from the thing's breath, though. It was part of the beast's aura, its being. And the strange part was that it was comfortable, almost magical.
Well, duh. Of course it was magical. He realized this because of two things. One, no animal in Gravity Falls was normal. And two, all around Dipper, flowers burst into bloom.
"What the-" Dipper's question was interrupted by another roar, and Dipper came to a third realization.
This thing was a giant pig.
Which meant...
Dipper pulled out Mabel's grappling hook and an apple. He stuck the hook through the apple, aimed it at a tree, and fired.
It hit the tree dead-center, and the pig dove toward it hungrily. It slammed into the tree right next to the hook, and Dipper noticed that the tree cracked dramatically. Almost to the point of falling over...
In a desperate attempt, Dipper pressed the trigger again, which reeled the hook back in. Or, in this case, the hook and a giant tree crashing down on an even larger pig.
The pig bellowed in pain, and with that, it disappeared in a shower of roses.
"Beautiful." Dipper picked up a rose and stuck it in his pocket.
He strolled back to the Mystery Shack without a care in the world. He was in no rush.
When he got inside, he immediately saw Wendy at the register.
"Hey, Dipper." she said boredly. "Workin' the late shift."
"Cool." He walked past the salloon doors, up the stairs, and into the guest bedroom. Mabel, Jake, Haley, Trixie, and Spud were already there.
"Hey, Dip." said Jake. "Where'd you go?"
Dipper sat down on the floor. "Oh, I killed a giant pig. Anyone up for pizza?"
That was for you, Kitty!