"So... this is what the footprint?" asked Dipper at the crime scene.
"Yep. Huge isn't it?" said Craig.
"It's almost half the size of me!" said Hilda. "It must be giant!"
"A giant in the Creek?" said Craig. "I think someone would have noticed by now..."
"Looks like it's related to humans," said Dipper. "Wait, there's more!"
Dipper pointed to the giant mud stain on the trunk of a tree.
"Mud on the tree?" asked Hilda. "What's special about that?"
"Look!" said Dipper, looking closer at it. "There's hair on it! And it's green."
"I think it must have rubbed it's foot against the tree..." asked Hilda.
"Green hair?" asked Craig. "This is really weird. I'm so marking this down."
"Hilda? What do you propose?" asked Dipper.
Hilda had finished her sketches of what the creature could look like.
"I got a few ideas... what do you think?"
Dipper curiously looked at Hilda's sketches. One was tall and had long limbs, another had a more stout body but still with long legs, and the last one looked almost like a bush, but they all had green hair.
"How did you draw those so fast?" asked Craig.
"It's a knack of mine."
"So when did this exactly happen?" asked Dipper.
"I don't know exactly, but about a few hours ago, I was just finishing touching up my grass sled when-" Craig stopped himself. "Oh no! My grass sled! I totally left it out!"
"Maybe there might be some clues over there! Come on!" said Hilda.
"I spot an obligatory filler fan-service scene," said Dipper.
Just then, Dipper felt Craig's arm swing against his stomach, stopping him.
"Everyone get down!"
"Get down for what?" Asked Dipper. He looked to see that the entire Creek was covered in paint. "Where are we?"
"Oh no... we're in Rainbow Alley..."
"Sounds cute," said Hilda.
"Not in the Creek," said Craig nervously.
Just then, a pack of kids with paintball guns came running into the field, blasting paint balls all over the place.
"Who are these guys?!" called Dipper.
"The Paintballers! They're in the middle of a war right now!" said Craig. "Follow me!"
The two proceeded to crawl through the bushes, listening to the kids screaming and shooting paint balls at each other. They three eventually made it out of the area, tired out.
"Whew! I didn't get a single spot on me!" said Craig.
Dipper and Hilda weren't so lucky.
"I hope this isn't permanent..." said Dipper.
"Well, you weren't kidding when you said the Creek was an exciting place," said Hilda. "Wonder what else could happen."
"Whoa! What's this place?!" asked Dipper.
The three had came across a giant area of small plants that looked like...
"Poison Ivy Grove," said Craig. "Aw, man. We must have taken a wrong turn, and I don't have the suits..."
"Wow! How did all of this grow in this area?!" asked Hilda.
"No one knows," said Craig. "Just one of the great mysteries of the Creek. The real mystery here is how do we get around this?"
"Here, allow me," said a voice coming from inside the ivy.
Out from the ivy came a familiar face only wearing shorts.
"Oh hey! It's you!" said Craig.
"Woah, kid! I don't think you should be hanging in there-!"
"Oh don't worry. He lives here," said Craig. "I've met him before."
"I'm immune to poison ivy," said the boy. He rubbed a leaf on his cheek just to prove his point.
"Okay... that just happened," said Dipper.
"I like him already," said Hilda. "What your name?"
"They call me 'The Scratchless One'," said the boy.
"Well, that's pretty cool... and extremely concerning... you mind showing us a way around-" said Dipper.
"I can do better. Follow me," said the Scratchless One, pushing down the ivy with his hands. "I don't usually let people in my ivy, but Craig and I are on good terms. And I trust you guys aren't going to take any of ivy?"
Dipper and Hilda shook their heads obviously.
"And I thought Gravity Falls could get weird."
"You've dealt with gnomes, Manotaurs, talking golf balls, and even a dimension-travelling, demon triangle thing... and the kid with poison ivy immunity is weird?" asked Hilda.
"Poison ivy is literally a curse upon every forest."
"You've been attacked with poison ivy before. Haven't you?"
"You do not want to know..."
"So, that's why these guys are visiting the Creek," said Craig during his travel.
"Well I think you should know that everyone's stuff is going missing around this time too."
"Really?" asked Craig, surprised.
"Oh, yes. I've been listening to the other kids from the distance in my ivy. The Tea Timer's pots and cups, Bobby's candy, even the Trading Tree got robbed."
"Oh no. You think there might be thieves in the Creek?" asked Hilda. "Who would steal from a bunch of kids?"
"Ooh, that's not good."
"When did this all start happening?" asked Dipper.
"This morning actually. And I hear every time someone gets robbed, they find a huge footprint and a wad of hair from the culprit."
"Just like the one we saw from before!" said Craig.
"I haven't had anyone steal my ivy..."
"I think I know why," said Dipper.
"...but I hear he's going around striking every place of Creek from one side to another.
"And it won't be long before he strikes the Stump!" said Craig.
"Alright, we're here!" said the boy.
The three came across a trampoline in the middle of an open area.
"Um... where are we?" asked Dipper.
"Everyone take off your shoes," said Craig. "We're going on the trampoline!"
"Craig, I thought we were going to your stump," said Hilda.
"We are. Trust me," said Craig.
"We're using a trampoline to get out of here?" asked Dipper.
"Um... whatever you say Craig."
Everyone climbed onto the trampoline.
"So... what now?" asked Dipper.
"This! Good luck on your mystery by the way!"
The Scratchless One jumped on the trampoline, sending the three flying into the air over the Creek. They went so high, they could see all of Herkleston.
"This is crazy!" screamed Dipper.
"I know! Isn't it great?!" said Craig.
"I don't want to die!" screamed Hilda.
"Hang on!"
The three then began to fall. They landed straight into a tree's branch, which gently let the three down.
"Alright! We're here!" said Craig. "You can stop clinging onto each other now."
Dipper and Hilda were holding onto each other shivering in fear. Craig looked to the Stump to see that his sled had gone missing.
"Huh, weird," said Craig. "I could have sworn I last left it out here. Maybe it's in the stump?"
Craig looked inside his stump, but he couldn't find it anywhere.
"Oh no," said Craig. "Guys, I can't find my glass sled anywhere!"
"Um, Craig, I think we have bigger problems than that," said Dipper.
"You might want to take a look at this," said Hilda.
Craig climbed out to see Hilda and Dipper looking at the ground. Take a wild guess as to what they found...
"A footprint?! Oh man! I've been struck now! It must have taken my grass sled!"
"Must mean it's still roaming around here! We have to find it!" said Hilda.
"I never thought a creature would be roaming around a place like this," said Dipper.
"There's a lot of things you don't know about the Creek... but this is definitely not one of the things I know about," said Craig.
"Come on! We better investigate this!"
And so, the three went around the Creek to look for more clues on the whereabouts of this creature.
"So, um, what do you know about about this wandering creature?" asked Dipper to the group of girls.
"Someone invaded our territory and made a mess of our field! It's literally giving Melissa a panic attack over there."
"What if this things eats horses?... I don't want to die!"
"Okay, then," said Dipper. "Interesting. It's made sort of a path in this field."
Meanwhile with Hilda...
"And, Junk Lord, is it? You said this thing took what?"
"Nearly half of my stuff! My pillow, my funnels, my boxes, my jars! My pile doesn't even come close to what it was! It was probably those 10 thieves!"
"Right..." said Hilda. "Nice junk pile though."
"Thanks I guess..."
Back at the Stump, Dipper, Hilda, and Craig had gathered everything they found.
"Here! I've pinned down every location that this giant has been spotted!" said Craig, showing the two the map.
"Wow, impressive," said Dipper. "That was quick."
"It's a trick I have!" said Craig. "What did you guys find?"
"Well, the Horse girls said they weren't robbed thankfully, but it looks like it tried looking through there anyway," said Dipper.
"And you Hilda?"
"The Junk Lord had quite the opposite happen to him," said Hilda. "Wheels, funnels, bottles, boxes... basically a lot of rubbish..."
"Weird... why would he take those things? And it seems like this giant has been basically everywhere," observed Craig.
"Hmm... I'm noticing a pattern here," said Dipper. "Craig, what did you make your grass sled out of?"
"A bowl, a rolls of paper, and a few bottles. Why?"
"Hmm... this creature seems to be taking objects that are from more suburban areas. I mean, what guy would rob a kids' tea set or a kid's pack of candies?"
"I think I know what you're onto!" said Hilda.
"Same here!" said Craig.
"We're gonna set a trap!"