Episode 4: Meetings and Announcements.
Arc: "Devil's Deal"
Opening: Shiver – Gazette.

. . .

Vwosh!

Dipper stopped on his tracks and looked up. It sounded like an animal flying above him. All he had seen was a shadow passing above him.

It couldn't be the pterodactyl, as the shadow seemed bigger, and it was at least three times bigger than him. Dipper looked around, analyzing the forest. He grabbed book #3 from his vest's pocket and then attempted to search for any flying paranormal creature, only to be interrupted by another sound equal to the previous one. Vwosh! However, this one sounded nearer. Dipper leaned against a tree, as if trying to hide himself from the creature – even though he knew it wouldn't be very effective.

"Come on, come on…" He murmured impatiently as he tried to search an answer on the book in his hands. No creature in this book – except for the gryphon – seemed to fly. Some floated, but the creature had wings. He had seen it. It surely wasn't a gryphon, because they are way smaller than the shadow he had seen. Large wings, crimson-red eyes, sharp teeth and long, pointy tail, Dipper mentally listed every physical characteristic of the creature. Dipper closed the book and then sighed. He was doomed, for sure.

VWOSH!

Dipper barely had time to try to discover where the sound had come from when the tree he was leaning against was completely destroyed. He fell forward, hitting his head on the hard ground. Dipper suppressed a scream of pain and turned around, still lying on the ground. The creature could still be seen totally covered in shadows (somehow, that was possible) but it was, at least, 10 meters bigger than the pine trees covering the area around the forest. "Wow…" The brunette muttered, impressed and scared at the same time.

He tried to run, but he couldn't stand up. He could barely move! All of his muscles stiffened as the creature approached him. Dipper's heart hammered inside his chest, and he closed his eyes, ready to feel the pain. He shut his eyes stronger as he heard the creature's roar echoing through the forest, making birds on nearby pine trees fly away, startled. However, Dipper couldn't suppress his curiosity anymore. He opened his eyes quickly, and then realized the creature was gone! Even so, its roar still echoed through the forest of large pine trees.

"…What was that?" Dipper asked himself, still not believing that had happened.

Standing up slowly, he looked around, to make sure the creature wasn't around, and kept walking. While walking, the brunette couldn't stop thinking about the creature. What should he call it? Surely, Dipper couldn't call it a 'shadow' forever, because it definitely wasn't a shadow. Or was it? Dipper narrowed his eyes, as if trying to make his brain work harder to crack the code. Before giving it a name – if it doesn't already have one – I have to discover what creature it is. If it already has a species, then I'll have to find out more things about it. I already have some information. All I have to do is write it down, Dipper stopped suddenly. He had noticed a few weeks ago that, at the end of the book, there were blank pages. He smiled. And that should just about do it.

…

Dipper lied on his bed, sighing. He was beat, and didn't know for how long he had been writing down all the things he knew about the mysterious creature. He looked at the clock on his bedside: it was still 9:12 p.m. He had about 18 minutes to attempt to fall asleep; that wouldn't be easy since he was still shaken up due to the unexpected meeting with a mysterious monster in the forest. He had written down every characteristic he had seen about the creature. And he also made small drawings about its form. After all, it was still considered a shadow.

He glanced at the clock again: now it was 9:14 P.M. He sighed in boredom. Closing his eyes, he attempted to fall asleep. That was a failed attempt, as all that his mind could picture was the creature's piercing crimson eyes staring down at him. And now he felt like he could still hear its roar echoing through his ears. Dipper inhaled deeply; he was still feeling agitated. "Why can't I sleep, for the love of-" He was going to curse, but was interrupted.

"Hey, Pine Tree, how're you doing? The meeting will be in a few minutes. Are you ready yet?" That was definitely Bill. Dipper groaned and buried his face in his pillow. His life was just shit right now.

"No. I feel shaken up because some weird creature almost ate me alive and now I can't get any sleep." The brunette explained. Then he realized that all he needed to do was think of an answer and Bill would hear it. He mentally face-palmed, and then he physically face-palmed, because Bill had just seen his mental face-palm. "Damn." He cursed lowly.

"I think I can help ya', kid." Bill said. Dipper raised an eyebrow, before a floating cloth with a strange smell was pressed against his mouth. Chloroform. He struggled and wriggled for air for some seconds, but it didn't work. After half minute, everything went black. Dipper opened his eyes in a heartbeat; his breath was faster than normal. "See? Better." He looked up and saw the floating triangle staring down at him. The brunette narrowed his eyes.

"You drugged me!" He barked. "That's… wrong!" And illegal, Dipper thought. Suddenly something happened. His thought (about drugging others being illegal) echoed through the darkness. Then he remembered: that was the dreamscape. Bill was able hear his thoughts. But THAT was messed up.

"But it worked. You can thank me later." If Bill had a mouth, he'd be grinning right now.

"THANK YOU?!" Dipper asked, irritated.

"No problem, kiddo. Now let's find the others." Dipper groaned in frustration but decided to drop the subject. For now. He also wasn't going to talk about the creature he had seen in the forest. He wanted to discover what it was by himself. That would be a fun experience. And it would be funnier if he managed to tame the creature. Maybe having a pet monster wouldn't be so bad after all. But he'd have to hide if from his Grunkle Stan. Because he would try to use it as an attraction. Dipper was brought back to reality when he felt a tickling sensation. The world around him started to change.

Now they were on a forest. But it was grey. All colors were drained from the trees, ground and sky. That was definitely still the dreamscape. Just… creepier. "Why are we here?" Dipper asked suddenly. He was so distracted staring at the grey forest (scared) that he had almost forgotten why they were there. To meet other apprentices.

"This is a multiscape, kid." Bill explained. "A multiscape is like a dreamscape, but a shared one, so you can find and talk to other apprentices and their mentors." The triangle looked around, until he spotted a pink square somewhere not very far away. "Oh, there he is. I'm not surprised that he came earlier. Come, Pine Tree." Bill approached the floating square, and then Dipper noticed that next to him there was a black-haired boy standing and looking around (probably a little scared too). "Hey, Keeh."

"Oh, you're late, Bill." Keehnesi said, turning to meet the other dream-demon. He looked down at Dipper. "Ah, so that's your apprentice. Dipper Mason Pines, huh? You sound like a normal kid like everyone else." Dipper raised an eyebrow. He shouldn't be surprised that another dream-demon knew his name, because dream-demons can read minds. He still hated his name, however.

"Just for one minute. Stop being such a smart-ass." Bill rolled his eye.

Ignoring his mentor's arguing with Bill, the black-haired boy turned to Dipper. "Hi, I'm Asaph." He said, smiling. Dipper turned to him.

"I'm Dipper. Not Mason, not Pine Tree. Just call me Dipper, please." The brunette explained, somewhat exasperated. Asaph laughed lightly at his comment. He knew what it was being called by stupid nicknames. He'd already been called 'oil head' by Daniel and Danna once. That would've been funny if they hadn't decided to call him by that nickname for one whole year, and then it got boring. "Uh, by the way, have you ever been here before? That place creeps me out." Asaph shook his head negatively.

"No, it's my first time, too." He answered. Suddenly the two of them felt the ground shaking – as if an earthquake was happening (although it would be impossible). Bill and Keehnesi didn't seem so bothered as they continued with their bickering. Two children appeared in front of Asaph and Dipper in a thunder flash. Daniel and Danna. Asaph groaned as he and Dipper fell to the floor, startled. "Since when did this place become a theater for such a dramatic entrance?"

"Aww, didn't you like it? We've been planning this for weeks, dude! I mean, I have, all Daniel did was complain." Danna complained. "But, anyway… Oh, hey, you're the new kid?! Welcome to hell, dude!" She managed to say all that in one simple phrase, and Dipper raised an eyebrow as she patted him in the back. "My name is Danna, and that's my brother Daniel." She pointed to herself and her brother. "Oh, and he may be annoying sometimes, so be careful." She whispered on his ear. "So, what happens now?"

"Quit talking that loud, please. I'm not sorry at all to say that, but you're loud and annoying. Can't you lower your voice so you don't look like you have a megaphone instead of vocal cords?" Daniel narrowed his eyes; he was always criticizing his sister in hopes she would maybe listen to him and change, but she never did. Maybe this is why Danna called her brother annoying.

"Shut up." Danna turned to her mentor: the blue circle known as Beatrice. "Mentor Beatrice, when will the reunion start? I'm bored." She complains again.

"You complain about everything, Danna. I'll record your voice so one day you realize that you need to close your mouth for three decades." Daniel rolled his eyes. "But that's a good question. Where are Mister Bill and Mister Keehne- Oh…" The red-haired dream-demon could do nothing else but stare at the two mentors who were arguing with each other. Beatrice went to them and kicked Keehnesi in the head – well, supposedly his head.

"Did you need to do that?" Keehnesi asked as he rubbed the back of his head – wherever it was –, where Beatrice had kicked him. The blue circle rolled her eye.

"Yes, your apprentices are watching." Beatrice pointed to Asaph and Dipper. "Now quit acting like brats and START THIS DAMN REUNION!" She roared. Bill backed off, while Keehnesi didn't move. He just stared at her for some seconds before turning to the four kids.

"Alright, the four of you, listen. As some of you know, the dream-demons were created from time and space. We used to be the rulers of Earth until…" Danna groaned as Keehnesi started, for the hundredth time, one of those boring stories about the dream-demons' origin.

"That's so boring…" Daniel shot her a glare, but then thought he could get some advantage with this.

"Hey, Danna, if you are so bored, then how about a bet?" He whispered, smirking.

"Whatever. What kind of bet?" She asked, feeling interested.

"If you don't complain for one whole class, which is this one, I'll do whatever you ask for a day." Danna smirked at the proposal. Her brother extended his hand to her. "Deal?"

"Deal." She shook Daniel's hand.

"…And then the humans came and sent some of us to the Tartarus, as they thought we were evil and would hurt them. To survive, we consume the deprived souls of some useless humans and make deals with them…" Danna felt like her head would explode at any minute like an atomic bomb.

"I feel like I'm going to explode, but I can't complain! Guys, complain for me!" She orders. The others raise an eyebrow.

"Since when have we become your servants?" Daniel deadpanned.

"Since I became the alpha sibling. Now, please, make him shut up." Danna froze as she heard Keehnesi clear his throat. She slowly turned her head to meet him in the eye. "Uh, hi…" She said, forcing a smile. Now, all she wanted to do was run away.

"Well, as I was saying before being interrupted, today you'll start one of your main lessons for being a demon: you'll be discovering your animal forms." The pink dream-demon, Keehnesi, shape-shifted to his human form. He looked down at the four apprentices who were exchanging glances right now. Nervousness was consuming them. "That might sting a bit at first, but you'll get used to it. The animal forms do not collide with your personality, they have already been chosen since you were born and according to your signs. Just look at me." Everybody stared at the pink-haired man. Keehnesi closed his eyes (remembering that now he is a human he has two eyes) for a brief moment before opening them again. They were crimson red. And that was creepy.

His whole body was starting to change.

At first, his skin was slowly becoming fur. His nose and mouth had started to form a snout, and they all could see two small elevations on his head (or, more specifically, on his hair). Those elevations turned out to be ears. Dog ears. His nails were getting sharper, just like his teeth. Dipper blinked, he knew which animal Keehnesi was turning into. Finally, the demon's animal form was complete. And Dipper found out that he was right. Keehnesi was a wolf. "This is how you turn into your animal form."

"Cool!" Asaph muttered excitedly. Beatrice and Bill looked at each other, and they shape-shifted to humans as well. But their human forms didn't last long as they started to reveal their animal forms. Everybody's eyes widened. They were… wolves. "Is this some weird coincidence?" He asked out loud. Beatrice and Bill looked at each other in their wolf forms and sniggered.

"Not quite. I think it's normal… for siblings." The four kids froze.

"SIBLINGS?" They "practically" shouted.

"Isn't it obvious?" Bill asked, approaching them. "But let's focus on what really matters. Just do what I tell you." Keehnesi moved to his brother's side, but didn't say anything. "First, close your eyes and focus." The students complied. "Now, think of something that makes you relax, like a calm stream or a quiet forest." Dipper started to think of a calm forest with bunnies and raccoons, but suddenly he thought of the monster, roaring at him. All he thought about was when the monster disappeared all of sudden. He opened his eyes and gasped quietly. Sighing, he closed his eyes again, and tried to focus. He deleted the monster from his mind. The monster didn't exist. Not anymore. He thought of a calm lake. That calmed him down for some time. He felt his whole body tickle.

Maybe that's normal… He thought, trying to calm himself down. He felt himself getting smaller, and his clothes slipping out of his body. "Great! You can open your eyes, now." Dipper opened his eyes slowly, and tried to adjust his sight by blinking. He looked at his side. Asaph's animal form was great: a white tiger, with brown stripes, though Asaph had a kitten-appearance. The siblings, Daniel and Danna, were foxes. Orange fur, large tail, pointy nose and ears and black paws. Asaph knew that, even though Keehnesi said that the animal forms didn't match with the demon's personality, it matched their personalities very well – sly and tricky. Dipper wanted to look at himself, but that sounded impossible.

"What do I look like?" Asaph asked.

"Like a white tiger." Dipper answered. "Danna and Daniel are foxes." He said, staring at Daniel and Danna as the twins looked at themselves and each other. At least I remember their names, he thought. "But… what about me?" Asaph looked at Dipper for a moment, as if trying to recognize what kind of animal he was. Asaph didn't say anything, but suddenly a mirror appeared in front of him — someone must have summoned it, probably Asaph. Dipper just looked at himself, and saw the reason why Asaph didn't say anything to him. He was covered in light-brown fur and his clothes were now too small for him. Only his pine tree hat fit his head. He was…

…A wolf.

A/N: HALLO!

Sorry, sorry, sorry and sorry that I took so long! That chapter just took me 3 days to finish, but since I was lacking creativity, it took almost 2 weeks to think of something. Aaah, everybody got the first two questions wrong! Except for "nelqpten12". Congratulations, you got the first answer correct. Keehnesi, Bill and Beatrice are siblings, YAY! I'd given you a hint about that last chapter, did I not? With 'Family reunion', the title? Ok, I think I should put easier easter eggs.

NOW the cover matches the story! As for the explanation, remember what Keehnesi said? That the animal form doesn't match the personality? This is why Dipper is a wolf. But whatever... Now, more questions!

(1) What is the mysterious creature in the forest?

(2) What will happen now that the apprentices know their animal forms?

(3) Were you suspicious about the mentors being siblings?

That's all for today! I dunno when I'll post again, but I'll try my best to keep updating as fast as I can. Somehow, this chapter is bigger than usual. I guess I put all my imagination in here. Will Dipper be surprised or not? Anyway, keep reading! And please review!

Awakened Niwana, off.