The door to the Shack swung open violently, almost cracking the wall as it hit. Mabel jumped at the noise, splashing water onto the floor. Stan's head turned towards the door, his faintly yellow eyes flashing with concern.
Wendy sprinted into the living room, holding Dipper in her arms. "Where's Ford?" She asked sharply.
"Wendy, what-?" Stan was clearly startled at her sudden entrance. "He's down in the lab. Why-?"
"Dipper!" Mabel screamed. "What happened to Dipper?" Her eyes were wide as she looked at her brother in shock.
Stan too noticed the dark shine of blood covering his nephew's back and shirt. "Oh my-"
Wendy didn't stop to answer their concerns. She pushed past Stan and Mabel and into the Gift Shop. She was relieved to see that vending machine door had been left open, and she descended the stairs to the lab. Jumping off the fourth step from the floor, she called for Ford. In her distress, her voice sounded like a howl.
"What? What is it?" Ford said, emerging from a corridor and spotting Wendy. "What are you doing down here?"
Wendy said nothing, but held Dipper out to him in a kind of plea.
Ford's face went white. "Dipper!" He grabbed the child from Wendy, lifting his blood-soaked shirt to see his wound. "He's been shot," Ford said. "But who-?" He shook his head, then spoke to Wendy. "Clear off that table there," he nodded at one of the desks covered in papers, "Then get some blankets and antiseptic from upstairs. Now!"
Wendy nodded sharply and did as she was told. When she came back down with the supplies, Ford instructed her to put the blanket on the table. He then laid Dipper down gently on top of it, trying to position him so that his whole body fit comfortably.
Ford acted fast. Before Wendy could ask what she should do next, his hands were washed, gloves were on, and he was removing Dipper's shirt.
Stan thundered down the stairs to the basement, shouting. "What's wrong with him? What do we need to do?"
"Quiet, Stanley!" Ford snapped. "Give me a minute,"
Stan looked ready to give a biting retort, but held his tongue. Dipper's safety was at stake.
"The bullet's still in there. It doesn't seem to have hit anything major, but we need to get it out and staunch his bleeding," Ford muttered as he examined Dipper's lower back. The darkest patch of blood was right above where his human torso started to shift into the deer, to the right of his spine.
"Bullet?" Stan cried. "Was he shot?"
"Quiet, Stanley!" Ford said again. "I need to concentrate." He poured antiseptic on one of the blankets Wendy had brought and pressed it to the wound. Dipper let out a dull cry of pain, but didn't seem to have the energy to fight. Quickly, Ford began gathering more equipment from around his lab.
"What can we do to help?" Wendy asked, her voice higher-pitched than normal.
"Just leave me be. I need to work," Ford said, placing a scalpel and surgical tweezers on the table next to Dipper.
"But we-" Stan started, but Ford cut him off.
"Out, Stanley! There's nothing you can do. You'll just distract me."
Stan scowled at his brother, but for once he didn't argue. He couldn't help looking back over his shoulder as Wendy took his arm and tugged him up the stairs.
Ford was bending low over Dipper, carefully removing the blanket from the wound and holding a tool Stan didn't recognize. He had to admit to himself that as frustrating as his brother could be, Stan wouldn't have trusted Dipper's care to anyone else in Gravity Falls.
Wendy, Mabel and Stan sat waiting in the living room. Mabel was shaking so much that she had splashed enough water out of her hamster ball to create a small puddle on the rug. Stan sat in his armchair, his fists balled on the armrests. Wendy was pacing on all fours, trying to calm herself as she told the others what had happened.
"I just heard a gunshot, which I guess might not be a big deal in the woods like that, but then I thought about how most of the town was part animal now and there's no way someone would be out hunting," She was speaking quickly, determined to expel the memories swirling in her mind. "So I started kinda jogging towards where it had come from. Then, I don't know, I guess I smelled it. It smelled like blood and fear and I could tell it was coming from Dipper, you know? So I started running, and then I saw this guy holding a gun, and Dipper was on the ground. The dude looked like he was about to kick Dipper, so I pounced." Wendy stopped pacing and stared into the distance, a thoughtful look on her face. "I don't totally remember it all, I was just so mad that he was hurting Dipper. But I scared the guy off and then brought Dipper back to the Shack."
Mabel looked at Wendy with wide, frightened eyes. "Who was it? Why would someone hurt Dipper?" She asked in a shaking voice.
Wendy shook her head. "I didn't recognize him. He looked human, though. Is there anyone in town who's still human?"
"I don't think so," Mabel said. "You sure it wasn't Tad Strange? He still kind of looks human."
"It definitely wasn't Tad," Wendy said firmly. "My head always goes fuzzy around him, like radio static. This guy…" Wendy concentrated, trying to remember. "He was wearing an eyepatch, I think, and a vest. He was dressed pretty fancy for a hunter. I don't remember much else, it all happened so fast."
Stan's fists tightened on the armrests. "I swear, I'm going to find that jerk and make him pay," he growled, his eyes glowing brighter with the threat.
"I just hope Dipper's okay…" Mabel said, her voice tight with tears.
Stan's look softened as he looked at his niece. "I… I'm sure he'll be fine, sweetie. Ford knows what he's doing."
Mabel nodded, but tears had started to drip from her face.
Stan glanced back to Wendy, who was standing on two feet again with her arms crossed anxiously. "I've got a question for you, Wendy," he said thoughtfully.
"What?" Wendy looked a little defensive. "I told you all I know."
"No, no, I mean…" Stan gave her a quizzical look. "You… you keep changing. A minute ago you were pure wolf and now you're standing upright, so… are you cured or something?"
"Oh," Wendy looked surprised. "I don't think I'm cured. I've been able to do that since I changed. You didn't notice?"
Stan grunted. "I guess I didn't think about it until now."
"It's not like I'm all the way human anyway," Wendy added dismissively. "No matter what I do I can't get rid of the tail or ears or the hair all over my face. I feel like a furry." She gave Mabel a sidelong glance, and the younger girl chuckled weakly.
"What's a furry?" Stan asked, confused.
"Nevermind, Grunkle Stan," Mabel said with a trace of a giggle. "It's not important."
Shrugging, Stan settled heavily back into his chair. His glance over towards the lab entrance was enough to wipe the momentary lightness from the girls' faces.