Prologue

In the two weeks that had passed since the handfasting of Dipper Pines and Wendy Corduroy, the daily lives of the Pines twins and their friends and family had slowly settled into a new sense of normalcy. Nothing was ever going to be the same as it was before the fateful night when Wendy was kidnapped into the Green Realm, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

To be supportive of their great niece and nephew's new "lifestyle choices," (as Stan described Dipper's godhood and Mabel's becoming a champion and priestess of Arden), the Grunkles decided to stay in Gravity Falls instead of continuing to sail around the world. They didn't want to kick Soos and Melody out of the Mystery Shack, however, so they talked Puck into going back and finding the Stan O' War, which he'd just left floating off the coast of South Africa when he transported them back to Gravity Falls. They asked him to place it in the lake, and they repurposed it as a houseboat. They did, however, still spend a good deal of time at the Mystery Shack.

When school reconvened in Gravity Falls, Grenda, Pacifica and Wendy all headed back like normal. Bork spent his days in Grenda's room, creating unique new clothes for her. Wendy thought there was no point in her returning to school, but Beithe and Dan wouldn't hear of it. They insisted that Wendy at least complete her high school education.

Being as Dipper looked like a mythological creature, he wouldn't have been able to attend public school, even if he wanted to. He knew that it was possible to cast a glamour on himself, because otherwise Puck couldn't take on his Bacon Ostrich or Tad Strange personas. However, he had not figured out how yet, and of course, his mentor went inexplicably and conveniently missing as soon as he had deposited the Stan O' War in the lake.

Instead, Dipper spent his days drawing designs for a small cabin, and beginning to clear a patch of land on the edge of the Grunkles' property. Wendy and Beithe had come along with him to choose the location, so that Beithe could verify that none of the trees had spirits currently residing in them, and show Wendy how to do it for herself. Dan refused to have anything to do with the cabin, because he said he "knew what they would get up to in there" once they moved in, and he didn't approve. Meanwhile, Dipper was still sleeping on the couch at the Corduroy house, in hopes of avoiding another encounter with Manly Dan and the hatchet twins.

Although Mabel would have liked to attend school with her friends in Gravity Falls, Arden insisted that her training as champion and Protector of the Gravnemeta was more important. Ford begged to differ, and was able to talk Arden into a compromise: instead of training with Mabel for a full eight hours every day as she had been (pushing Mabel past the brink of exhaustion), Arden would train Mabel for six hours, and then Ford would homeschool her for two hours. Ford had wanted to homeschool Dipper as well, but Dipper refused, point blank, saying he was more concerned with building a cabin and starting a life with Wendy, and that school would have to wait.

Fenris had become Mabel's shadow. He went everywhere with her, pretending to be a silly puppy to make her laugh. He'd curl up against her at night while she cried, and she'd talk to him—tell him things like he was her diary. He did his best to make her feel better, but he knew she needed more. Simply comforting her was not going to be enough. He needed to take a more active role in seeing to her well-being and happiness. He just wasn't sure what that would be.

Things began to settle down, and life moved on, quiet and uneventful. But this is Gravity Falls. It doesn't stay quiet and uneventful for long.

And it didn't.

Chapter One

Shafts of early morning sunlight broke through the forest canopy, dappling the frigid ground, and causing the bed of frost covered pine needles to sparkle like they'd been coated in white glitter. Sparkles and glitter were the kinds of things that normally caught Mabel Pines' attention, but not today. Her breath came out in ragged puffs of steam as she ran, her watering eyes facing directly in front of her. She was late for her training session with Arden, and she knew she was in for a scolding, and extra push-ups. Unless she wanted to add extra sit-ups to that, she couldn't afford to stop and appreciate the beauty of her surroundings.

The gangly, black puppy following closely at Mabel's heels watched her with concern. As she slept last night, her chest had rattled every time she breathed, and as he had lain against her, he noticed that her body was putting off more heat than normal. Fenris didn't know a whole lot about the human body, seeing as he had never possessed one, but he thought she was, as mortals say, sick. He had wanted her to stay in bed and rest, so before her alarm clock had a chance to buzz, he had used his nose to nudge the switch to the off position. He felt guilty for having done that now, because Mabel woke up in a panic half an hour later, muttering about how angry Arden was going to be with her.

Arduinna, Goddess of the Sacred Wild, known also as Arden, was Mabel's mentor, trainer, and patron goddess. When Mabel had first met her, she appeared human, and Mabel thought she had made a new friend. While Mabel still liked Arden the goddess, she missed Arden the human. Arden the goddess was—not mean, or cruel, exactly. She was harsh, and rigid. She had chosen Mabel to be her champion and help her protect the Gravnemeta, the nexus point between realms, because Mabel was extremely loyal to her friends and family, and would do anything in her power to keep them from harm. Arden expected discipline and obedience from her champion, and Mabel did not want to disappoint her.

Mabel finally broke through the trees at the edge of the Gravnemeta, and bent over, hands on her knees, coughing and gasping for breath. A sudden movement to her left caused her to turn her head and look, just as she was taken down in a flying tackle from Arden. Mabel lay on the ground, wheezing, the wind knocked out of her, while Arden stood up and dusted herself off. Fenris ran over to make sure Mabel was okay, nudging her with his nose. Satisfied, he turned and growled at Arden, his ears pinned back, and lips curled up in a snarl.

What the Hel, Arden!? Are you tryingto injure her?

As a goddess, Arden possessed the capability of hearing Fenris speak in her head. However, she chose to ignore him. She did not like that the Norse god of destruction, the great wolf Fenrir, had taken such a keen interest in herpriestess and champion. Instead she addressed Mabel.

"Your guard was down, my dear," she chided the younger girl, reaching down and helping her to her feet. "You must remember, when entering the Gravnemeta, to always be alert, and ready for a fight. Anything could break through the nexus, at any time, and could easily dispatch of you if you are not prepared."

"Sorry, Arden," said Mabel, hanging her head, strands of her long, cocoa colored hair that had come loose from her ponytail falling in her face. "I'm feeling a little off today—but I won't let that affect my training again."

Fenris stood next to Mabel and leaned against her legs, wishing he could go full Fenrir on Arden and send the uppity Green Realm bitch a message that she wouldn't be able to ignore. That would be quite upsetting for Mabel, however, since she still thought Fenris was just a very smart dog.

Arden noted the sun's position in the sky. "You are also twenty-three minutes late for your training. You know what that means."

Mabel nodded. "50 extra push-ups," she said with a sigh. She peeled off the light windbreaker she'd donned for her run, and kicked off her shoes. Arden had at least agreed to let her wear thick wool socks, to help prevent frostbite. As the cold air hit her already sweat-soaked skin, Mabel began to shiver violently, her teeth chattering. Still, she got down on the ground and began her push-ups without complaint, even though her whole body was quaking.

Arden, it's my fault she was late. Plus, look at her. She's not well. Please don't force her to train while she's ill.

Fenris didn't like having to ask politely, but he couldn't stand seeing Mabel like this. It was one thing for Mabel to come home from training covered in bruises, but pushing her to train while ill was not only cruel, it was dangerous. Mabel had become very serious about discipline under Arden's tutelage. She was training to protect the Gravnemeta, because in doing so, she was ensuring the safety of her friends and family—a task she took so seriously, that she would push herself to the point of collapse before giving up. It was up to Arden to rein her in.

Arden's eyes flicked down to Fenris, and then back to Mabel's pale, sweaty visage. She sighed.

"Mabel, stop."

Mabel pushed herself up to a seated position. "What's wrong, Arden? Was my form bad?"

"Your form was fine," said Arden, with a small smile. "You do, however, appear to be quite sick. You are not at your best, and I need you at your best to train you properly."

"Oh," said Mabel. "Sorry?"

Arden laughed gently. "Do not apologize for being ill, Mabel. You cannot control something like that. Here." Arden knelt and placed her palm flat on Mabel's forehead.

Mabel mumbled "What…?" and then shuddered violently. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she went limp. Arden caught her, and lowered her slowly to the ground.

Fenris nudged Mabel's face, whining. What did you do?

"You do not need to concern yourself with what I do to mychampion, you heathen mongrel," spat Arden. "I know what you are trying to do."

Fenris turned from Mabel, and snarled at Arden. Really, you stuck-up reindeer? What exactly is it that you think I'm doing?

Arden's lip curled in derision, and she opened her mouth to speak, but instead she gasped, and held a hand to her stomach.

Got gas?Fenris asked wryly.

Arden whirled around, her eyes scanning the Gravnemeta for aberrations in the air. There it was, a ripple.

"Fenris, something is coming through from the Beast Realm," she said quickly. "Take Mabel back to the Mystery Shack, now."

Fenris craned his neck to see what she was looking at. The air pressure began to change, and the ripple in the air widened into a hole.

"Fenris, it is a basilisk! Get her out of here NOW!"

Shit.

Fenris gently placed his mouth around Mabel's limp wrist, and concentrated on her bedroom in the Mystery Shack. He hadn't tried to blip, as he called it, in this realm yet. He hoped he wouldn't accidently transport Mabel to another continent.

As Fenris closed his eyes, he heard Arden's feral scream, accompanied by a loud hiss. He felt the familiar lightheadedness caused by blipping, and when he opened his eyes, Mabel was lying on her bedroom floor next to him.

Fenris pressed his nose to her forehead. She was cool to the touch, but not clammy, and her breathing was no longer congested. Apparently, Arden had purged her body of the illness. Fenris wasn't sure why that would have caused her to pass out, however. He did not possess the magic to heal, but to destroy.

He heaved a sigh, grabbed the edge of Mabel's blanket from the corner of the bed, and pulled it over her, nosing the sides closer to her body like he was tucking her in. Then he curled up on the floor next to her head, and watched over her, waiting for her to wake up.

/

Wendy's bedsprings squeaked as she shifted her weight, trying to get into a comfortable position to do her trigonometry homework. Dan Corduroy popped his head in the open doorway, a frown on his face.

"Relax, Manly Dan. I'm not besmirching your daughter's honor…or whatever," said Dipper, rolling his eyes. He was standing in the corner of Wendy's bedroom, playing with a yo-yo.

Dan grunted, and withdrew.

Wendy sighed. "The sooner we can get this cabin built, the better," she muttered.

"You're telling me," said Dipper, attempting to 'walk the dog' with his yo-yo. "Every time Dan sees me anywhere near you, I could swear he's trying to kill me with his eyes."

"I talked to mom about it," said Wendy, scribbling out some numbers in her notebook, and copying new ones from the textbook. "She says he needs time to adjust to the situation, and then he'll mellow out."

Dipper snorted. "Mellow out? I don't see that happening, Wendy. Your dad has absolutely zerochill."

Wendy glanced up at Dipper and grinned. "I wonder if it's possible to have negative chill?" Some strands of her soft, red hair fell in her face, tickling her nose, which she scrunched up and rubbed, before she tucked the hair back behind her ear.

"Gods, you're beautiful," murmured Dipper. He walked over next to Wendy, and bent over to kiss the top of her head.

She smiled up at him, and reached out, pulling him down to her for a heated kiss.

Dipper groaned softly, and pulled away. He looked up and jumped back from Wendy like she was on fire. Manly Dan stood in the doorway, glowering at him.

"I, uh… I'm going to go for a walk," he mumbled.

As he passed Manly Dan on the way out the door, Dan literally growled at him.

Dipper smirked as he walked toward the front of the house, muttering to himself. "Negative chill is pretty accurate."

/

Mabel slowly awoke, confused, hungry, and stiff. She sat up, and realized she'd been asleep on her bedroom floor. Fenris, who had been lying next to her, leapt to his feet, his tail wagging excitedly.

"Hey, Fen," she said, rubbing her eyes. "What—why am I on the floor? The last thing I remember was training…"

Fenris wished he was able to communicate with Mabel the way he communicated with her brother. Instead, he whuffed softly, and jumped up, placing his front paws on her shoulders, and sniffed her face. She giggled and pushed him off her, rubbing her nose.

Mabel turned to look at her alarm clock, and her eyes widened.

"Holy cheeses, it's 6:00 pm?" She jumped up off the floor, and immediately stumbled, her hand to her head. "Woah, dizzy."

Fenris whined, and nudged her leg, so that she stepped back against her bed.

"It's okay buddy, I'm fine. I just stood up too quickly," she said gently, bending over to pet the whining puppy. "You really are the smartest animal I've ever met—smarter than Waddles, even. But don't tell him I said that."

Fenris sneezed, and shook his head. I wish there was some way I could make you hear me.

Mabel sighed. "Come on Fen, let's go downstairs and see if anyone has any clue what happened to me. I'm assuming it's some nonsense to do with gods or whatever."

The steps creaked as Mabel and Fenris descended them. She poked her head into the living room, where Grunkle Stan was watching tv, as he often did, because he was too cheap to pay for satellite television on the Stan O' Home.

"Oh, hey Mabel. I didn't hear you come in," said Stan cheerfully. "You wanna watch Ducktective with me? It's a rerun, but it's better than anything else on right now."

Mabel was tempted, but she was more interested in finding out how she ended up on her bedroom floor, a blanket tucked snuggly around her, when the last thing she remembered was doing push-ups at the Gravnemeta.

"Not tonight, Grunkle Stan. I need to talk to Grunkle Ford. Do you know where he is?" she asked.

"I don't know, probably doing some nerd thing," said Stan, with a wave of his hand.

"Very helpful, thanks," said Mabel, rolling her eyes.

Fenris wagged his tail and sneezed. He liked the old man. Apart from Mabel, Stan Pines was his favorite human.

"Oh, hey, before you go, I almost forgot—I picked this up for your mongrel when I was out today," said Stan, pulling a crumpled plastic package of beef jerky from his pocket, and tossing it to Mabel.

Fenris whuffed at Stan appreciatively, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth in a doggy grin. This was another reason Stan was his second favorite human. He was gruff on the outside, but a big softy at heart—much like Fenris, actually.

"Come on, Fen," said Mabel, as she ripped the package of jerky open, and tossed him a piece. "Let's go find Ford."

/

Dipper sat on a fallen log, staring at the plot of land that was, sometime (hopefully in the near future), going to be adorned by a modest cabin—his and Wendy's home. He knew what it was going to look like, and he and Wendy had even talked about how they were going to decorate the inside. However, actually making the cabin a reality was proving to be a more daunting task than Dipper had anticipated.

He'd tried magic, of course. As an elder god, he was technically capable of making damn near anything. However, as a newelder god, he had no idea what he was doing. His mentor was no help at all—Dipper had no idea where Puck had gotten off to. Tad Strange wasn't home, and Arden had told Dipper that when she talked to her brother in the Green Realm, neither Puck, nor Bacon, had been seen there either.

Dipper frowned and conjured a set of Licoln Logs. He narrowed his eyes, as he tried to will them into forming a miniature version of the cabin he wanted to build. They lazily rolled around on the ground, and then, to Dipper's surprise, formed letters and spelled out a very rude phrase. He clenched his jaw and kept focusing on the cabin, bound and determined that he would figure this bit of magic out without Puck's guidance. Dipper didn't realize how strong his focus was, until someone touched the back of his neck, and leapt up with a screech that would have sounded at home coming from the audience of a Sev'ral Timez concert.

"Whoa there boy-o!" laughed Wendy. "It's just me!"

Dipper breathed deeply, and holding the back of his hand to his forehead, collapsed dramatically onto a red, velvet fainting couch that he made appear out of nowhere.

"I do declare," drawled Dipper in a high-pitched Southern accent, "you gave me quite a fright, darlin'!"

Wendy arched an eyebrow and smirked. "I'm not so sure about the accent, but the couch? I like. Is there room for two on that thing?"

Dipper, who had still been reclining dramatically with his eyes closed, sat straight up and nodded.

"That's what I was hoping," said Wendy with a saucy grin. "TACKLE-HUG!"

Wendy flew into Dipper hard enough that the force knocked the couch over, and they ended up lying next to the overturned couch on the cold forest floor. Wendy had Dipper pinned, but he didn't mind.

"Eh, the ground is just as good—" he began, but he was cut off by Wendy's warm mouth pressed against his.

As Dipper returned her kiss with fervor, he felt his pulse quicken, and a tingling heat flowed from his core into all his extremities. Wendy twined her fingers in his hair, and tugged gently, causing him to arch his back and groan into her mouth. She wasn't playing fair, but he suspected she knew it.

"Wen—dy," Dipper managed to pant, as she pulled away from his mouth and moved onto his neck, lightly nibbling the sensitive flesh. She pulled back at her name, and stared down at him so hungrily that he almost couldn't remember why he'd stopped her. Her long, silky hair fell like a curtain around her face, tickling Dipper and giving him goosebumps as it brushed softly against his chest.

"What is it, husband?" Wendy murmured low.

Dipper's rational mind was receding quickly, as he melted under her emerald gaze. He took deep breath, and blurted out the one thing that he knew would bring their romantic interlude to a screeching halt.

"GOAT-TREE BABIES!"

Wendy immediately heaved a sigh, and slumped down onto Dipper, her cheek pressed against his chest.

"Goat-tree babies," she unenthusiastically mumbled, her voice muffled against Dipper's skin.

Dipper chuckled, and ruffled Wendy's hair playfully. "So, uh, how's that contraceptive spell coming along?"

She rolled off him and sat up, hugging her knees. Dipper smiled mildly at her, still lying in the dirt, with his hands clasped behind his head.

"Dude, my mom wasn't kidding around when she said it's difficult to master," said Wendy. She fiddled absently with the hem of her green flannel shirt. "I thought she was exaggerating, but she totally wasn't."

"What's so hard about it?" asked Dipper. Then he snorted and grinned. "Heh. Hard."

Wendy smirked and rolled her eyes. "It's just that it's multi-layered, meaning I have to be focusing on a bunch of different stuff at once… but before I can add any of the layers, I have to be able to clear my mind completely. I've never meditated before. Making my brain shut up is not easy."

Dipper was quiet for a moment, lost in thought.

"Something on your mind?" asked Wendy, after a minute of relaxed silence.

"I was just wondering if maybe meditation would help me with my magic," said Dipper, as he sat up. "You said the contraceptive spell is multi-layered—I bet I need to be able to do multi-layered magic for more complex stuff like casting a glamour on myself to look human, or to, say, build a cabin?"

"Hey, if you wanna practice mediation with me and my mom, you're more than welcome. In fact," said Wendy, pulling her cellphone from her pocket, and glancing at the time, "it's almost time for my evening mediation practice anyway." She stood up and dusted off her backside, then held out a hand to Dipper. "Come on, champ. Let's go 'empty our minds.' The sooner I learn how to do that, the closer I'll be to mastering the contraceptive spell."

Dipper grabbed her hand and stood, then immediately began walking back in the direction of the Corduroy cabin. He still held Wendy's hand, and pulled her along behind him.

"Well, when you put it that way…" Dipper trailed off, and turned his head to grin back at Wendy. "Meditation is my new favorite activity."

/

Mabel and Fenris heard Ford before they saw him. His muffled voice emanated from the Mystery Shack gift shop, which was closed for the evening.

"Is Grunkle Ford…shouting at someone?" asked Mabel. She stood behind the door to the gift shop, reluctant to put herself in the middle of what sounded like a tense situation. Instead of entering the room, she pushed the door open only a crack, to hear what was being said. Fenris pricked his ears forward to aid in his eavesdropping.

"—have to take it easy on her! She's a thirteen-year-old girl, for crying out loud!" spat Ford.

"A thirteen-year-old girl who was instrumental in saving this realm from destruction once already, while she was only twelve," replied Arden calmly. "I am not 'being hard on her,' Stanford. I am preparing her for battle."

Ford scoffed. "When I went upstairs to check on her earlier, to see why she hadn't come to start her lessons, she was passed out in the middle of her floor. Passed out!She's constantly covered in bruises. Can't you at least give her some sort of padding or armor for training?"

"Actually," said Arden matter-of-factly, "she was passed out on her floor because she was ill this morning, and I healed her, then sent her back to the safety of her bedroom with that flea-bitten cur, because there was an attack on the Gravnemeta, and the healing had rendered her unconscious."

"Well—I—oh," sputtered Ford. "What kind of attack?"

Arden sounded slightly amused at Ford's change in tone. "A single basilisk came through from the beast realm."

Mabel had heard enough. She barged through the gift shop door, closely followed by Fenris.

"Are you kidding me?!" cried Mabel. "Something actually attacks the Gravnemeta, and I'm unconscious for it?!"

Fenris paid no attention to Mabel's ire, however, as he trotted up to Arden, lifted a leg, and pissed all over her feet.

That's for calling me a flea-bitten cur, you tick-infested odiferous hag-seed.

"Fenris, no!" cried Mabel.

At the same time, Arden screeched and aimed a well-placed kick at Fenris' ribs, sending the dog reeling across the room with a yelp.

"Arden!" Mabel gasped in disbelief. Her eyes filled with tears, as she ran to check on Fenris, who was cowering in the corner.

"Now really, Arden," chided Ford. "That was quite unnecessary."

Arden glared at the puppy in the corner, being fawned over by her protégé. "I assure you, it was actually quite necessary. Mabel?"

Mabel turned to face Arden, Fenris cradled in her arms. She stared at her mentor with cold eyes.

"What?" she asked tersely.

"From now on, the dog is not to accompany you to our training sessions. I cannot abide ill-mannered beasts." Arden paused, and looked from Mabel to Ford, and back again. The two humans looked astonished and crestfallen at Arden's behavior. She frowned. "I know you now think I'm some kind of monster. I am not." She pointed an accusatory finger at Fenris. "He, however, is."

With that, Arden turned on her heel and made to leave. She paused for a moment at the door, as Fenris spoke to her.

You really don't want to make an enemy of me, antler lady. If Mabel gets hurt in your care, I'll do a lot worse than piss on your feet.

Arden tossed her head derisively, pushed open the door, and was gone.

/

Dipper woke up with a start, as something thumped onto his chest.

"Who's there…Wendy?" he mumbled stupidly, rubbing his sleep-crusted eyes.

Guess again, goat pants.

"Fenris?"

Ohhhh he got it right!said Fenris, giving Dipper a big, sloppy lick up the length of his face.

"Dude, gross," said Dipper, as he wiped puppy saliva off his cheek. He sat up slightly, and Fenris curled into a ball on his lap. Dipper sighed, and scratched behind Fenris' ears. He squinted at the clock and groaned.

"It's two in the morning, man," complained Dipper. "Why are you blipping over in the middle of the night?"

Do I really need an ulterior motive to visit my best friend, who I haven't seen in over a week because he's married and doesn't have time for me or his sister anymore?

"Ugh, thanks very much for the guilt trip," sighed Dipper. "But yeah, at two in the morning I kind of expect there to be an ulterior motive."

Would it be weird if I said it's the only time I'm comfortable leaving Mabel by herself?

"Yes."

Oh. Well, then wait a minute while I think of another reason.

"Dude, what is your deal with my sister?" asked Dipper. "Why are you suddenly attached at the hip?"

You haven't spent much time with Mabel at all since you got back from the Green Realm, so I wouldn't expect you to have picked up on this, but your sister is lonely and miserable.

"Yeah right!" scoffed Dipper. "She's got Arden and Soos and Melody and the Stans…last time I talked to her she was fine!"

Of course she made you think she was fine you numbskull! She doesn't want to detract from your newlywed bliss. But I'll tell you something nobody knows but me: she's cried herself to sleep almost every night since your handfasting.

"Wh—what?" stammered Dipper, gobsmacked. He'd always been able to easily pick up on his twin's emotional state. "Why?"

A lot of reasons, said Fenris. Mainly though I think she's overwhelmed by all the changes that have happened in the last month, she misses her brother, and she wants to help protect the Gravenemta, but Arden is being a complete bitch and running her ragged. Not to mention beating the crap out of her on a regular basis. Don't you remember talking to Soos the day of your wedding, and he mentioned that Mabel is always covered in bruises?

"I—oh, man," said Dipper, facepalming. "I completely forgot. I'm officially the worst brother in the world."

Heh, you haven't met my brother.Fenris sneezed and continued. Look, you need to talk to Arden about not training Mabel quite so hard, and maybe letting her wear armor. She won't listen to a word I say. Not to mention I'm now banned from Mabel's training sessions.

"Why, what'd you do, pee in Arden's shoes?" joked Dipper.

Well…close enough.

"Wait, what?"

Nothing. Look, promise me you'll talk to Arden. Tomo—well, technically, today. Later this morning. Mabel is trying her hardest to live up to Arden's standards, but Arden's standards are impossible. Just get Arden to back off on the drill sergeant routine a bit.

Dipper sighed and stroked the spot between Fenris' eyes with a finger.

"I'll talk to her, buddy. I promise."

Good, that's what I like to hear. Now, not that you don't give delightful scritches, but I'm gonna blip off and go cuddle your sister. She's softer than you, and she doesn't smell like goat.

Before Dipper could respond, there was a soft pop, and Fenris was gone. Dipper laid back down, and turned on his side, thinking about what he was going to say to his sister's mentor. Maybe he'd talk to Beithe about it in the morning.

As Dipper drifted back to sleep in the Corduroy cabin, a few miles away in the Mystery Shack attic, Mabel rolled over, and when her hand landed on Fenris, she instinctively pulled him close and held him like a teddy bear. Fenris sighed, closed his eyes, and was lulled into slumber listening to the steady beat of Mabel's heart.