Chapter 56: Ten Eyes Vs. Seven
A/N: I'm sure you can do the math about what eyes belong to who there. ;D
Also, I know, it's been over a year since my last update, but thank you to all the people who keep reading and especially reviewing, and for hundreds of views each week! It's because of you that I've always kept RtR in my heart and on my mind. Not a week has gone by when I didn't think of this story because of all the people who kept asking about it.
Having said that, if I start updating regularly again, please bear with me! It might take a moment to get back into the swing of it, things might feel a bit off, especially since the main reason for the long hiatus is because I wasn't sure how to write out what I have planned next, but I'll try to push through and do my best!
Happy New Year 2020~! Now, on to the story! Enjoy!
….
The trouble with a ten-eyed troll, as it turns out, is two-fold. As Bill explained it to the Pines accompanying him out into the forest, the first issue is that it is, indeed, a bit of a stereotypical troll. Not a troll like those troll-dolls that for some reason kept springing up repeatedly as popular toys every ten years since the 60s, as ugly and horrible as they were. No, real trolls weren't brightly-colored bundles of joy like some certain species of pixies, fairies, and sprites. Some fairies could be regal pricks and overall jerks, most pixies were joyous but mischievous, and unlike them, trolls of all species were always roughly the same: Vile, rude, ugly, and overall unpleasant to be around. They were defenders of territory, fiercely possessive, and highly unsociable. As much as no human being would want to be around a troll, no troll ever sought the presence of any other living being. The only reason a troll would ever engage with anyone was to barter for something it wanted, perhaps to stir up some trouble, or if it was…. Well, hungry.
Having said that, a ten-eyed troll that could see you coming from all directions was especially difficult to approach in every regard, and it would no doubt do everything it could to avoid the group of humans currently seeking it through the woods.
"So is there anywhere in particular we should look?" Dipper asked. "And how exactly does one catch this troll if it's so well-equipped to escape us?"
"For one, we keep an eye out," Bill responded. "We're a few eyes short compared to it, but with all of us together looking carefully in their usual hunting grounds we might be able to see one. There are only a small handful of them in and around Gravity Falls, about four or five last I checked, and they don't reproduce or occupy the same space very easily so there'd be a maximum of seven anywhere in a hundred-mile radius of here. They'll be difficult to find."
"This explains why I've never seen one in person," Ford commented. "I'm guessing my chances of spotting one on my own wouldn't be very good."
"For an old four-eyes like you with glasses and bad eye-sight? Your odds are abysmal," Bill confirmed. "I wouldn't be able to do much better myself these days though, being down to only one eye."
"We can help too, but it'll be hard without knowing what they look like," Dipper commented, not looking up as he wrote in his Journal. He almost tripped on a root as they walked along the forest floor, but quickly righted himself. "Whup, I'm okay!"
Bill hummed. "Here, let me see that Pine Tree." Dipper blinked, but easily handed over his Journal and pen. Bill began to sketch a common Ten-Eyed Troll along the right-hand side of the page Dipper had been working on, adding a couple of other depictions to describe particular features of them. When he was finished, he paused only for a moment to scribble some of his signature cyphers into the margins of the page before handing it back.
"Thanks!" Dipper accepted the book back and held it up for Mable and Ford to see too.
"They have seven eyes up front," Bill began to describe, "and three in back. Their skin is light-green, their fur stone-gray. When they want to camouflage, they can either use their naturally green skin to blend into the plant-life or they can lay their fur down flat against their body to hide against the rocks. It'll be hard to spot one, but at least on a hot summer day like today they're more likely to be hanging out on cool stone surfaces with their fur spread to let off heat, so you might be able to. Just look out for greenery or mossy-looking patches on stone surfaces." The Pines nodded and continued to look about as they wandered through the woods.
Bill paused suddenly, stopping in the middle of a small clearing in the trees, the Pines coming to a stand-still next to him as they trapsed through the foliage of the Gravity Falls forest. "Come to think of it, I guess I could take a look around though. Take a peek through a few birch trees maybe." He hummed, and closed his one remaining eye. Once he did, his other eye opened. Not behind his eye-patch, but through the natural eye of a birch tree somewhere in Gravity Falls. This particular one was by the lake, and Bill peered around. "You three keep an eye out around here and I'll see what I can spot elsewhere," he advised. The Pines nodded and the twins began to spread out, Ford also peering through the trees nearby but not leaving the clearing Bill was still waiting in.
Bill switched his view a number of times, only staying for a short amount of time in any given tree. He checked all sides of the lake, the cliff-bottom around the base of the waterfall on both sides, and a few other locations he recalled that were of interest. These trolls preferred damp environments, so bodies of water were the first place Bill looked. He didn't bother checking around town, knowing that it was unlikely for one to go anywhere near the smelly, noise-polluted population.
After just a few short minutes Bill was beginning to develop a headache, and knew that he'd soon have to give up his search in this manner. He was considering stopping before he drained himself beyond necessary and trying again later when he spotted it.
Bill smirked. "Bingo. So glad I planted so many birch trees all that time ago, it makes things much easier for me."
"You found one?!" Mable asked, excitement evident in her voice.
"Yup, near a cave not too far from here. Caves are a common hide-out for them, they like to sleep in them with their back against the wall and their one front-center eye open while they rest." Bill veered left and began to travel in what the Pines assumed was the correct direction.
"They sleep with one eye open?" Dipper asked, still writing in his Journal as they talked. "Creepy."
Bill nodded. "That isn't half of it. When they're awake, they never blink, 9 of their 10 eyes always staying open. Only the front-center one is closed since that one is only open while they sleep. Speaking of which, when we catch it, you know someone's going to have to gouge out its eyes right?" Bill smirked. "I vote Sixer does it, we all know he's the most experienced in that sort of thing." Dipper and Mable both flinched, and Ford frowned, but didn't say anything.
"Wait wait wait, I didn't know we were going to, like, take out its eyes!" Mable protested. "Won't it hurt, or kill it? Isn't that mean?"
Bill waved her off. "What other use did you think we had for this? We want the eyes for our security surveillance system. Besides, remember how earlier I told you they always walk around with their eyes constantly open? In a forest like this that leads to a lot of eyes getting stabbed with branches. These things lose eyes all the time, but unlike me, they have the ability to grow them back, and pretty quickly at that. They're used to losing eyes all the time, so while I'm sure it won't be happy with us, it'll get over it soon enough and it's used to that level of pain."
"Still sounds pretty gruesome," Dipper mumbled.
Bill rolled his eye. "Do you wanna defend the Shack or don't you? You're gonna have to make up your minds, and besides, it's not like these are exactly the most benevolent creatures. They're carnivores sure, but they enjoy the thrill of the hunt a bit too much, if you know what I'm saying. They've even been known to steal and eat human children when they wander off into the forest. They account for a decent portion of the kids that go missing in forests, never to be seen again."
"Well, I guess if you put it that way it isn't so bad…." Mable grumbled, still not entirely okay with the idea.
"Humans eat meat, raise and slaughter animals all the time to satisfy our needs. This isn't so different." Mable and Dipper were surprised to hear those words coming not from Bill, but from their own Grunkle Ford. But…. he did have a fair point. Still gruesome, but fair, and at least they wouldn't have to kill or do irreparable damage to it today.
Bill paused for a second time, this time stopping behind a tree and peering around the edge of it.
"What, is it here, can you see it?" Dipper asked quietly.
"Of course not," Bill responded. "I mean, it is here, likely, but not right around the corner here. We can't get too close without utilizing a plan first. The best option is probably to split up and surround it." There was a cliff wall to their right, and a cave entrance about two hundred meters in front of them, caverning into the base of the cliff-side. "IQ should circle around left to the other side of the cave and wait there. Pine Tree, Shooting Star and I will spread out on this side and drive it back towards you. From there you can catch it and take its eyes. Be warned that its fur is sharp as needles at the ends, so you'll want to avoid touching it without thick gloves on."
Ford nodded. "I'll move around then." He disappeared into the underbrush to their left, keeping a wide birth from the cave so as not to be seen by the troll.
"Good, we'll give him a moment to get into position, and hope that we all stay down-wind. Right now the air currents are rolling down the side of the cliff and out, so it won't catch our scent with its big nose, but if the wind dies down or changes direction it might smell us, so stay low to the ground and spread out so it has nowhere to run." Bill crouched low to the ground, Dipper and Mable following suit and moving off left in the same direction Ford had gone. "Count to thirty, then start moving in."
Dipper nodded and he and Mable disappeared behind a bush. Bill counted to thirty himself, then began to silently move forward. Ideally the children and he would get as close as possible before being spotted, which would leave as little space as possible between them for the troll to try and escape between. That would leave it no option but to run backwards, and right into whatever trap Ford had no doubt already laid out.
They quickly began closing in on the cave entrance, and Bill swore his heart was beating louder as if in an attempt to foil their plans. Leave it to a feeble human heart to do such a thing at the most inopportune times! At least his injuries from the day before had mostly healed already and he had little difficulty moving through the forest, besides the fact that he had to as quietly as possible move around the shrubbery which pushed back and resisted giving under his slight weight.
He could see the Pines twins now approaching the entrance to the cave, but wasn't able to spot the troll. Had it moved further back into the cave? That would be fine since, last he'd checked, that cave in particular didn't lead much of anywhere, and it would effectively be trapped. Had it already crossed paths with Ford and he was dealing with it currently? Or perhaps, was this cave not the troll's main residence and it had already moved out of the area before their party had even arrived at the cave, between the time that Bill spotted it and their arrival at the location? Yet, based on the pile of bones Bill could see to the side of the caves entrance, this must be the troll's home. There was its pile of scraps from dinner, which also served as a warning to other creatures to stay out of its territory, so where had the troll itself gone?
Bill continued to hide in the tree-line even as Dipper and Mable approached the cave, all of them looking around but not spotting anything. Bill sighed and came out from his crouching position. It must have already moved out of the area….
There was a quiet snap, like a twig breaking. Bill's brow furrowed. That sound, it hadn't been in front of him though, it sounded like it was….
Bill went stiff and, slowly, tilted his head back to peer upwards at the tree branches above him. Six eyes peered back down at him from the shadows of the branches, and a drop of saliva fell on Bill's cheek from above.
"Oh don't you dare-"
The tree shook as weight shifted in its branches and the heavy bulk of the muscular three-foot nine-inch troll plummeted down, right on top of Bill. He threw up a shield at the last second to absorb the majority of the blow and keep himself from being instantly crushed under the nearly two-hundred-pound weight. These creatures were short, stubby, and heavy, often being described as akin to boulders and rocks in human folk-lore.
Bill's shield took on the weight as it crashed down and resounded with a loud 'THUD', like a bag of wet sand dropped against concrete, followed immediately after by a 'crack' as Bill's shield gave way, shattering to pieces as the troll landed atop him and they both rolled to the ground.
Bill tried to move sideways as he rolled, the weight and impact forcing him toward the ground. He tried to scramble away but six fingers covered in rough prickly fur grabbed at his clothing, three on each hand of the troll. A low and hungry growl resounded behind him, and Bill's instinctual response was to growl back and roll off his stomach, now facing up at the creature while lying on his back.
He should have known, for a beast which loved the hunt as this one did, that at the same time they were hunting it, it might also have been hunting them. And of course, as clearly the smallest and easiest to drag away among them, it had gone for Bill first. It held fast even as Bill tried to squirm and kick away from it. Its jaw opened to reveal additional sharp jagged teeth, only adding to the already meat-thirsty vibe the saliva and two sharp bottom-jaw tusks gave off.
Bill stilled, realizing that there was no way he would be able to squirm his way out of its grasp, and instead waited until his most opportune moment. The troll moved downward in an attempt to bite at his jugular, a fast and effective way to kill prey utilized by many hunters in the animal kingdom. As soon as it had closed enough distance between them Bill snapped his head forward, head-butting it hard in the face and breaking its large witch's nose. It roared and Bill was dazed, seeing stars as his head swam, but he'd successfully bought himself enough time already.
The Pines had heard the commotion the instant the troll had collided with Bill's shield moments before. In the mostly quiet forest, a loud crashing noise like that had them running in its direction instantly. Dipper and Mable got there first, each one of them grabbing one of Bill's arms and dragging him off the ground and away from the troll as it still groaned from its now broken face. Ford arrived shortly after and tackled the troll before it could escape.
"You two take Bill towards the cave, I'll handle this," Ford instructed. The twins nodded and assisted Bill out of the area, his head still spinning enough that he was too dizzy to walk on his own.
"Are you okay Bill?" Mable asked, as concerned as she always was in times like this.
"Fine, Shooting Star, just a little winded and dizzy. A few scratches on my arms, and I might have to throw away this now torn-up shirt, but I'll heal in no time."
Mable nodded, seeing how Bill was quickly regaining his balance. He righted himself and stood on his own, Mable still hovering around him like a worried mother hen.
"I kind of saw what happened. Was it trying to eat you?" Dipper asked.
"I did say they occasionally eat children, didn't I? And it must be terribly upset that we've trespassed in its area. Trolls are so territorial; in retrospect I should have known it wouldn't run away without trying to defend its home. It's all for the best I suppose, it probably spotted us from rather far away. If it had chosen to run, I don't think we would have caught it."
Ford emerged from the forest, a bit of blood staining his jacket sleeves, holding a jar of formaldehyde with 7 eyes floating in it. "One was already missing and in the process of re-growing on the back of its head, probably from previous causes like running into branches as Bill mentioned before. I left it two others so it won't die out here, though I have half a mind to just get rid of it too…." Ford paused, looking back in the direction he'd just come from. He glanced at his grand niece and nephew to gauge their reactions, Mable's in particular. She looked conflicted, like she both did and didn't want it to die, so Ford simply shrugged. "Oh well, if it causes any problems in the future, we'll deal with it then. For now, how about we head back to the Shack and grab some lunch? We've been wandering around out here for hours and Stan will probably want help with the Shack anyway."
The children and Bill nodded along in agreeance and the party of four headed back in the direction of the Shack, Ford leading the way this time.
From a nearby tree the now temporarily two-eyed troll watched, grumbling in annoyance, but pleased once they had departed from its domain. It began to gather whatever it wanted from its cave, deciding it best to leave and find a new residence soon now that this one had been discovered. Much further away from all the human dwellings this time, probably.
A/N: I posted an image on DeviantArt under my username 3DPhantom, it's a Journal page I made myself about the Ten-Eyed Troll so maybe go check it out!
Thanks again to all of the fans who have stuck around all this time! Hopefully I'll post more soon! The power actually went out for over an hour while I was working on this chapter. It's like the world itself wanted me to keep writing because I was gonna work on college after finishing this, but can't without internet, haha.
And hopefully you all still remember, I know it's been a long time, but never forget! Reviews are Love, Reality is an Illusion, the Universe is a Hologram, Buy Gold, BYE~!