Gravity Falls, Oregon is mysterious place full of wonder and magic. Beast and monsters of all shapes and sizes roam the vast forest and mountain. Most of them prefer to keep to themselves, safe and hidden from humans. Of course Mason 'Dipper' Pines has run across many dangerous and powerful creatures during his monster hunting training with his great uncle Stanford. And naturally one of his adventures was the cause of his current predicament.
Out of curiosity Mason decided venture deep in to the woods by the mountain. Tall pine trees surrounded him, his rear flat on the frosted over ground, back pressed against a tree as he shivered from the cold and fear. A full moon hung high in the sky, not a single cloud is in the sight, and stars shimmered above. Visiting this area was a mistake. Especially at night. To think all him wanted was to explore this uncharted territory, only to be attacked by a bear and saved by an unknown creature.
Laying limp in front of him is the corpse of a dead black bear and standing behind the corpse is the creature that killed it. The creature inadvertently saved Mason's life by ending the bear's. The bear got one good attack on Mason before dying. His left leg laid out in front of him, blood seeped out of the large scratch and into the frosty earth. The black bear is above average in size, muzzle frozen in a permanent snarl, sharp claws uselessly laid out in front of it. Blood gushing down the deep gashes in its back formed a pool of blood underneath it. Mason knew how to fight monsters but animals is a completely different story. Part of him is grateful the creature killed the bear and the other part is beyond terrified that he is next. Mason has seen many supernatural things in his life but none like this, which is way this particular creature frightened him.
The creature in front of him is like no other, something entirely new that he has never encountered before. It took on an almost human like form and looks like a male, but Mason learned a long time ago that you can't judge a book by its cover. How was he supposed to know male Night Stalkers looked more feminine than female Night Stalkers? Needless to say he pissed off a lot of Night Stalkers that day. The creature looked roughly sixteen years old, the same age as him. He initially thought it had been a zombie but this creature has an ethereal glow to it. Strangely enough, the creature did not appear to be a ghost either. It lacked the translucent appearance all ghosts have. Cold fog rolled off its body, freezing the very forest surrounding them.
Raven black hair with sheer white tips hung down to the creature's shoulders, partially obscuring its face but not enough for Mason to not be able to stare into its eyes. His brown eyes met other worldly luminescent icy blue and neon green eyes. The two colors seemed to mix together giving the creature's eyes a galaxy like appearance. The multicolored eyes pierced his very soul filling Mason with a sense of dread, if he wasn't so frightened he would have thought they are beautiful.
His eyes trailed down to the creature's bare chest, a light pink blush spreading across his face. Thank God, it is wearing pants. Torn raggedy looking jeans to be exact. No form of shirt adorned the creature leaving its well sculpted body visible. It isn't overly muscular like Manly Dan. The creature's figure is more of that of an acrobat or runner. Mason could not help feeling slightly jealous. Despite all of his training he could never seem to achieve that appearance. It admittedly made the creature even more attractive.
Mason could make out the lines of a Lichtenberg scar running down the creature's left side and arm. The creature flexed its hand, Mason flinched as he got a better look at its deadly black claws. Red blood from the bear slowly dripped off the sharp tips of its nails. "So that's how it killed the bear." Mason thought, nervously gulping and directing his attention elsewhere. In the mountain side a large cave opening sat tauntingly behind the creature as if mocking him for not being able to access the secrets hidden within. "Stupid cave. If it weren't for you I would still be at home."
Stanford had zero notes on the cave and the creatures that inhabit the area. His great uncle seemed to hate traveling this deep into the woods, he even forbid Mason from coming here. Naturally Mason did not listen. He is sixteen, not twelve. If he wanted to run around naked in the forest than he could make that horrible decision. Suddenly the creature started creeping toward him, carefully navigating around the bear. Mason panicked, pressing his back against the tree so hard it hurt. There is nowhere to run. He had a feeling that if he did run the creature would catch up with him pretty quickly.
The creature crouched down in front of him, their faces a mere three feet apart. A hand slowly stretched towards his injured leg. Mason jerked away, hissing as a sharp pain erupted from the wound, tears pricked in the corner of his eyes. His brown bangs fell out of his face revealing his embarrassing birthmark. He went to scramble away only to find a clawed hand firmly pinning him against the pine tree. The deadly black nails laid gently atop his shoulder. His eyes widened, his head snapped towards the creature so fast it hurt his neck. The creature looked directly in his brown eyes and Mason looked into the creature's blue-green eyes. Mason searched the creature's eyes for ill intent, but couldn't find any. That made him feel a little better.
"I won't hurt you, Ursa." The creature's echoing voice is gentle and a little scratchy, maybe from screaming or disuse. Mason found it oddly calming. A sharp set of teeth caught his attention. Pointy white fangs sat in the creature's mouth. Whatever this creature is, it is dangerous. The creature's prominent canine teeth are large but not large enough for it to be a vampire. Well, there is another monster crossed off the list. Not a zombie, ghost, or vampire. Just what on earth is this creature? Mason studied every creature in the journals and he couldn't think of one that matched this creature's description.
Honestly, he isn't a fan of the nickname, but it did have a nice ring to it. At least it isn't Pine Tree or Dipper. Dipper is just a terrible nickname he got stuck with and could never get rid of because of his 'sister'. "Ursa." Mason curiously whispered, raising an eyebrow. Why did the creature call him 'Ursa' of all things? The creature appeared to sense his confusion. Slowly a black claw raised inches away from his face, pointing at his forehead. Realization slammed into Mason. His birthmark. The creature is referring to his birthmark. No one had ever called him 'Ursa' because of the stupid mark. The nickname now made a surprising amount of sense. The Big Dipper is a part of the constellation Ursa Major.
This new information worried him. The creature is intelligent enough to speak and be familiar with the constellations. What if it is a type of demon? As much as he hated to admit it, that is very unlikely. The creature had yet to even attempt to strike a deal with him and had not attacked him. Plus, he and Stanford chased all the demons out of Gravity Falls. Now that he thought about it, he could not refer to it as 'the creature' or 'it' forever. Maybe it has a name. "Wh-what's your n-name?" Mason stuttered, feeling the full force of the chilly fog the creature is letting off. The creature's brows pulled together as it considered how to answer. After what felt like years, the creature replied. "Phantom. You can call me Phantom." The creat- no, Phantom warily stated, eyeing Mason suspiciously. Phantom. The odd name fit him quite nicely. That is assuming Phantom is actually male. The pressure on his shoulder vanished. Mason watched as Phantom retracted his hand and let it hover over his injured leg. "You need help."