Chapter 11

Dipper waited.

And waited.

He was worried about what Mabel might have to say about it. Especially since she was pacing the attic while frowning. Mabel never frowned.

He was also worried because the others were in the attic as well. The last thing he wanted was judgement with an audience.

"So let me get this straight," she muttered finally. She turned to him and held up her hand as if to say, really? "You got turned into a werecat?!"

"Well, I-" he started to say, then stopped. "Yes."

She narrowed her eyes at him, leaned in, and said something he couldn't hear, even with the improved hearing.

"What?" he asked.

Suddenly she thrust her hands into the air. "Cool!"

He wasn't sure he'd heard her right. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, think about it, Dipper!" Mabel was suddenly grinning from ear to ear. Imagine that. "How often does a normal person get the chance to become a werecat?"

"Well, almost never, I guess," Dipper admitted. "But still! What was so bad about being human?"

"My thoughts exactly," Jake said, smiling.

Mabel raised an eyebrow. "Why? What could be so bad about being a dragon?"

Jake sighed. "Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell you this part. I kind of, well, protect every magical creature in New York City."

"So you're a superhero?" Dipper asked.

Jake shrugged. "Of sorts. What I never understood was why I'm called the American Dragon when I stay in the NYC all the time."

Mabel's pupils dilated. "Whoa! You're called the American Dragon? You have a title and everything!"

Jake shook his head insistently. "That's about all I have. Social life? Just two friends who figured it out on their own. Everyone else thinks I'm a freak. Free time? Down the tubes with every dragon emergency. And don't get me started on my love life. That's a whole 'nother story."

Dipper pondered that. It seemed like a legitimate situation. If he were in Jake's place, he would definitely be upset with the turnout.

"But a dragon and a werecat are two really different things," Spud said. "Do you know how it happened, Dipper?"

Dipper took off his hat and twisted it in his hands, like he did every time he was nervous. "I do, actually." He turned to his sister. "Mabel, I never told you this part. It was when I journeyed into the forest to look for those crystals." And he explained what had happened in the forest that day.

When he was finished, Mabel said, "Well, thank you for telling me that the first time around!"

Dipper spread his arms innocently. "I didn't think it was important!"

"Dipper, you of all people should know that everything in that forest is magical!" Mabel sat down on the bed next to him. "You could have gotten hurt. I couldn't ever forgive myself if that happened."

Dipper smiled. "Awkward sibling hug?"

Mabel smirked to the side of her mouth. "Awkward sibling hug."

They hugged, then both said, "Pat, pat" as they did so.

When it was over, Dipper stood up. "Ok," he said nervously. "I think I know who to talk to."

Dipper led them to the cave that he had begun to get familiar with.

"So," Jake asked casually, "where are we going, exactly?"

Mabel shrugged. "I don't even know." She turned to Dipper. "Who are we going to see?"

Dipper smiled and closed his eyes. "So many questions. Jeez! Just wait. Oh, and Jake and Haley," he said, turning to them, "lay off the dragon powers."

"Why?" Trixie asked. "Does he not like dragons, or something?"

"No," Dipper replied. "But I just want to make sure their dragon senses are set to casual. This guy might scare you at first."

"Dipper, you need to get outside more," Mabel noted.

"Every time I go outside, I'm almost killed!"

"Good point," Jake agreed.

"Ok, we're here." Dipper took the lead and turned around to face them. "Don't freak out when you see him, all right?"

They nodded in agreement, and he turned around and walked into the darkness of the cave. Suddenly the cave opened up and he was almost blinded by the light inside.

"Dipper!"

When his eyes adjusted, he saw that the light was coming from giant lights spread out among the ceiling. Around the cave were an assortment of cool things that would have kept Dipper busy for hours. There was a Pitt dispenser, a vending machine, about twice as many games than the Gravity Falls arcade, a handful of beanbag chairs, and a giant chocolate fountain.

And in the middle of all of it was the giant dark brown several-headed bear that Dipper had gotten to know.

"Hey!" Dipper approached the bear. "Multi-Bear! How's it hangin'?"

Mabel and the others came into the cave and stood next to him. When she laid eyes on the bear, she looked like she was about to scream, but Dipper slapped his hand over her mouth.

"No!" Dipper yelled. "This is who I was talking about!"

Slowly he pulled his hand away, and she didn't scream. She finally said, "This is your friend?"

"Guys," he said, gesturing to the bear, "this is Multi-Bear. Multi-Bear," he said to the bear, gesturing to the others, "this is my sister Mabel, my cousins Jake and Haley, and their friends Trixie and Spud."

"Nice to meet you," Haley said uncertainly.

The bear lumbered forward slowly and sniffed the six of them. The others seemed scared at first, but eventually accepted it.

He backed up and said, "Interesting. One werecat, two dragons, and three humans. An extraordinary group of children."

"We need your help, Multi-Bear," Dipper said. "I know how I got turned into this, but I don't know how long it will last. I thought you might know."

"Well, you came to the right place!" he announced. "Have a seat."

They did, and the Multi-Bear sat on a nearby rock.

"To begin," the bear started, "it won't be permanent. Nor will you become a full-on cat. I can only think of two more transformations before it becomes dormant."

"Dormant?" Dipper gulped. "Like, stay where it is? Or become human completely?"

"The former."

Dipper facepalmed himself. "Great. Of course."

Spud stepped forward. "Um, excuse me? Mr. Multi-Bear, sir? You said there were two more transformations, right? What are they?"

The bear put a paw to his chin thoughtfully. "Well, the first would be the tail, I believe." He bent down and examined Dipper. "But it seems as though Master Pines has already acquired said tail."

"What?!" Dipper looked over his shoulder, only to find that the bear was correct- a chocolate brown tail was coming out of a hole in his shorts. "Oh. Lovely."

"Whoa," Mabel said in awe. "Awesome!"

Dipper sighed. "What's the last transformation, Multi-Bear?"

"Those would be the claws," he predicted. "Retractable, of course."

"Ok, ok," Dipper allowed. "That is going to be cool. Anything else?"

"Not that I can predict for now," he finalized. "Just..." He paused. "Expect the unexpected, won't you?"

He winked, and before Dipper could respond, the bear retreated back to the depths of his cave.