Sorry this is a little late. Work got a little crazy. So to compensate, this chapter's a little longer than the previous!
As always, drop a review and let me know what you thought!
Chapter Three: Northwest Cabin Mystery
Gravity Falls had been decimated. The end was here, and there was nothing anyone could do.
Dipper lost Mabel when the buildings fell, and now his only priority was making sure she was still alive. Though with the constant chaos raging around him, that was proving to be incredibly difficult.
The concepts of time and reason had no meaning anymore. Above him, the epicenter of the atmosphere had been ripped open in the shape of a star, revealing a swirling mesh of cosmic horror. Around that, every aspect of the once bright blue, sun filled sky was killed, usurped by a dominant blood red hue and an overarching pitch black. Giant bubbles that induced madness floated through the wind, flames raged across the streets and forests, filling the air with unbearable humidity. Every landmark building Dipper recognized and loved, now completely unrecognizable. Stone, brick and wood strewn everywhere, leaving nothing standing, and at the middle of it all...was Bill Cipher.
Such a simple name, Bill. Such a simple shape, a triangle. However, that's where the simplicity ended. He is a terrifying, powerful, cruel being persistent on enslaving the Earth, causing as much mayhem as possible. Currently, he was doing very well at accomplishing that goal, having morphed into an enormous, towering version of his normal self, using a simple gesture of his hand to level the entire town, shooting lasers from his eye to turn its citizens into frozen statues.
As far as Dipper was aware, everyone he knew and loved had already been turned or killed. Only he and Mabel remained.
"YOU CAN'T RUN FROM ME FOREVER, PINE TREE!" Bill shouted, his deep, demonic voice reverberating for miles and miles, "HA HA HA! LOOKS LIKE YOU AND YOUR SISTER ARE THE ONLY ONES LEFT!"
Dipper hid behind a tall, jagged piece of debris, trying to keep himself from hyperventilating. He'd never been more afraid in his life. Even with all of the crazy things he'd seen, all of the wild adventures he'd been on...none of this felt real. It was the worst nightmare he could imagine.
He flinched and bit back a scream when a wide blue pillar darted over his head and exploded in front of him. Bill had shot another laser to snuff him out.
"Alright, fine. How about I cut you a deal? Surrender now, and I'll let both of you live. You'll be my personal servants, of course, but it seems like a better alternative."
Dipper barely heard the insane offer. His own heartbeat and breathing were deafening. Fear of Bill had now been overwhelmed by the fear of losing Mabel. She had to be okay. If she wasn't okay...no, he couldn't even ponder that. He wouldn't be left alone to face this monster. Mabel would never let him go alone.
"No?" Bill waited a few more seconds, then growled, "You're really going to drag this out, huh? Come on, what chance do you really have?! You think you can stop this?!" In a moment of outburst, Bill shot another series of lasers, disintegrating the entirety of the forest facing Dipper. Two bubbles of madness were thrown against a landfill of rubble, bringing them to life and creating stone golems, with sunken eyes, noses and mouths, with roaring voices.
"I won't stop until this dimension is mine!" Bill boomed, "Every insignificant human will bow to me when I'm through! Nothing can change that! Stanley and his band of fools couldn't stop me! Ford couldn't stop me! So what chance do you have?!"
Dipper ignored Bill's rambling and crawled under a crumpled car to avoid the stone golems. He blinked, moving his head side to side in an attempt to find any hint of Mabel. Bill or the golems would hear him call for her, so he kept quiet. It was unlikely she'd answer his cries anyway.
Once the mindless creatures sauntered past the car, Dipper scrambled away from his safe spot and exposed himself, sprinting toward the last place he saw Mabel. The library.
"Mabel!" He hissed carefully, glancing up to make sure Bill didn't hear him. Luckily, the giant triangle was facing the other direction, using his fingers to sweep the landscape, more than likely trying to squash the two of them.
"Mabel!" He tried again, this time getting something in return. A low groan coming from underneath him, below the slabs of charred wood.
His face lit up with hope, hands pulling and tearing away at the pile, desperately trying to reach his sister. Using all of his remaining strength, he shoved his right arm down as far as he could, feeling the faintest touch of fingers meeting his own.
From there, it came down to will. Dipper, despite being a preteen, and a scrawny one at that, managed to pull Mabel out with one limb.
She coughed, "D-Dipper? Is that you?"
He sighed with relief. She was alive.
"Yeah, it's me." He forced her arm around his shoulders and lifted her to a stand, "We've gotta get to the shack, Mabel. It's our only hope."
"O-Okay," He loosened his hold on her a second, but Mabel immediately whimpered in pain. "My leg...it hurts. I can't walk on my own."
"Alright, we'll just keep going like this." He looked over his shoulder, seeing that Bill was catching on, "But we've gotta hurry!"
The looming, all-seeing eye behind him narrowed, "There you are!"
"Try to run, Mabel! He sees us!"
"I'm going as fast as I can!"
But even if they ran a hundred miles an hour, Bill would still outpace them with a single step. He was simply too powerful.
Their last hope was to reach the Shack. If the protection Ford used really worked, then Bill couldn't touch them. They would be safe, and from there, they could figure something out.
"That's right you little sacks of flesh! Run! RUN!"
Dipper saw the shadow before it landed on them, giving him just enough time to grab Mabel and dive away from Bill's hand.
He covered Mabel's body with his as the ground quaked, wind surging from the quickness at which Bill yanked his hand back for another try. The demon began cackling and wiggling his fingers, treating the worst day of Dipper's life like a fun game.
"If you're going to resist, at least make this fun for me! You can do better than this! You're the last humans remaining in Gravity Falls! Show me what you've got!"
The hand came down once again, this time, accurately. The last thing Dipper saw was the rest of the world fading from existence...darkness overtaking everything.
Then, he woke up. Completely out of breath and sweating. He wasn't even aware that he'd been in a nightmare. That felt just as real as any experience he'd ever had.
Despite Weirdmageddon going differently, namely better for him and his friends, what he saw still felt like a memory. Or rather, an alternate scenario. What could've happened.
After a few moments of reacclimating himself, he managed to catch his breath and look to his left, seeing Mabel sound asleep, her back turned to him, their room still dark.
He wiped the sweat off his forehead. It wasn't the first time he'd had nightmares of those days, but that one was on another level of intense. It made him want to walk around the forest, or even the town and just take it in. Being reminded of the other outcome really made him appreciate the simple things.
Figuring he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, he got up and put his shoes on, deciding to sit outside and clear his head. Maybe he could think of a plan on getting a bunch of silver for Pacifica's werewolf problem.
Sneaking downstairs, Dipper quietly slipped out of the Shack and into the misty morning air, breathing it in deep through his nose. He hadn't woken up too early. The tiniest hints of sunlight could be seen in splotches through the tree gaps, peeking above the distant horizon. He wondered if Pacifica woke up early like this.
Dipper squinted, then furrowed his eyebrows. He thought for a second that he saw someone standing at the edge of the forest, but he put it off as his eyes playing tricks on him. He'd just woken up, after all.
"Stupid cruddy eyes," He muttered, rubbing them vigorously with his forearm. But when he finished and blinked, the shape was still there. If anything, clearer than before.
Despite every layer of his brain screaming at him not to do it, his body propelled him forward, making him run to the person. After about five seconds, whoever it was began fleeing, using the tree trunks to hide their trail.
By the time Dipper reached the spot the person stood in, his brain caught up with his instincts, telling him that this was insane. He wasn't catching this person, and even if he managed, he was alone and unaware of their threat level. For all he knew, it could be a kidnapper or something.
"Should probably let this one go, Dipper. Yep. Don't follow the creepy stranger. Wouldn't be the dumbest thing you've ever done." He turned around, his ankle brushing against something cold and metallic.
"Huh?"
Next to his shoes, sat a shiny, flat metal rod, most of it hidden in the grass. In the back of his head, he knew that it wasn't a coincidence this thing sat in the very spot the creep did, but curiosity got the better of him. Quickly, he knelt down and picked the item up, his eyes getting wide at the realization that it wasn't just a rod or a piece of metal, it was a sword, just a little longer than his arm. Tied around the hilt with a thin string, a small note read-
The blade is ninety percent iron, but the tip is pure silver. Should come in handy.
That was all. No signature. The writing was in print, not cursive, but it was neat, like an adult wrote it. Dipper couldn't place the style with anyone he knew. But...this person seemed to know him enough to want to help him. Here he was trying to figure out how to make a weapon from silver, and one just shows up out of nowhere at the perfect time.
Carefully, he walked backwards out of the woods, carrying the sword with both hands.
A slow day ensued the weird morning Dipper had. For the first time since arriving, the Mystery Shack wasn't packed. Outside of a few regulars, no travelers or tourists visited, which was more than welcome. The gang had been hoping for a break.
Since opening, Dipper, Mabel, Wendy, Melody, and Soos had spent the past few hours sitting by the counter, catching up and talking about what had been going on in town. They were even curious about Piedmont, their parents, and how school went, which the twins weren't exactly thrilled to talk about, but the others seemed interested enough.
Then of course, Mabel decided to up the ante, convincing everyone to play a game she came up with involving candy bars and blindfolds. The object was to guess what brand she was feeding you, and if you got it wrong, you had to do a dare of her choice. It started out innocent enough but got dangerous fast once Mabel abused her dare-giving power, which ended up with Wendy getting attacked by beavers and Dipper drinking toilet water.
That was pretty much the last straw. Dipper had to get the taste out of his mouth, so they ended up going to the store and discovering that Pitt-Cola released a new flavor. Soos bought a twelve pack for each of them, but ended up falling in love with the flavor and drinking most of it himself.
"Soos! Soos! Soos!"
Presently, everyone pumped their fists, cheering him on as he chugged his millionth can.
Wendy's eyes were saucers, "Dude, he's gonna set a record!"
Dipper nodded in disbelief, "We really should've recorded this."
"Come on, Soos!" Mabel encouraged.
Finally, Soos downed the last sip of the can and slammed it on the counter, putting on a tough face and raising his fist in the air. Everyone broke out into whoops and claps.
"I have conquered Pitt-Cola!" Soos declared, "From this day forward, I will be known as King Soos! This is only the beginning, my friends! There's more soda to drink! More brands to explore! More-" He stopped, slamming his hand into his mouth to hold the vomit. "Oh...not good, dude."
Soos dashed for the bathroom, leaving behind a blur and the loud rumble of his stomach.
"Well, that happened," Wendy said.
Mabel turned to Dipper, "So does the record still count if he throws up?"
"I don't know. Probably not. I'd have to look up the rules to find out."
Wendy, now bored, pulled out her cell phone. Her face lit up when she saw the contents of the screen, "Nice. Tambry and the guys are throwing a rager at the lake. Melody, you got the rest of the day covered?"
"I think I can handle it." She gave Wendy a thumbs up, "Do your thing."
"Thanks." The redhead started to leave, but turned around mid-step, addressing Dipper and Mabel, "Hey, you guys are teenagers now. Wanna come?"
Dipper wasn't sure what a rager was, but the idea of hanging out with Wendy and her friends as an actual teen intrigued him. He felt...so mature.
He puffed out his chest, about to accept the invitation, until he caught sight of the clock. It was four in the afternoon. He'd completely forgotten about going to Pacifica's! She'd probably been waiting for him all day!
"Oh, uh, I would, but I just realized I've got somewhere to be. Sorry, Wendy."
"Hey, no biggie. Mabel?"
Mabel looked at Dipper suspiciously, "I think I'll stay here. I promised Candy and Grenda I'd hang out with them today."
Wendy nodded, "Alright. Later, guys."
When the door closed behind her, Dipper figured it was his chance to quietly leave. All he had to do was grab his vest, which held Journal One in the inner pocket, and that silver-tipped sword.
But before he could sneak up the stairs, Mabel blocked his path, hands on her hips. "So, you've got somewhere to be, huh? Why wasn't I informed of this?"
Dipper looked anywhere but her, "Because I already knew about your plans with Candy and Grenda. Duh."
"I made that stuff up," Mabel countered, "What's really going on? Are you trying to solve some dangerous mystery without me?"
"No! That's not it at all! I've just got somewhere to be, really! The...uh...the mall!" Dipper inwardly cringed as soon as he said it.
"The mall?"
"Yeah. Lately, I've realized that my fashion could use some spiffing, so I'm going to the mall. By myself. It's not weird."
Mabel's skeptical stare drooped, "You don't have to lie. Just say you want to go on adventures by yourself."
Now Dipper felt horrible. He could tell by Mabel's face that he'd genuinely hurt her feelings. But...he couldn't just let her come with him to Pacifica's, could he?
He had no idea why he even wanted to exclude her in the first place. She could be an extra hand in solving the mystery, after all. Mabel does have a strange way of stumbling onto the right clues at the right time. Besides, her and Pacifica's rivalry basically ended after the golf tournament and Lilliputtians incident, so why was he so hesitant?
He sighed, not really caring about whatever gut feeling was coming over him. It was Mabel. He couldn't just abandon his sister. "Okay, I'll tell you what's going on. But don't overreact, Mabel. You've gotta promise me."
Mabel perked up, crossing her heart.
"So last night, Pacifica came by the Shack and asked me for help. Lately, her family's been getting attacked by werewolves on the full moon, so I told her I would help get rid of them." It all came out as a single sentence, in one breath. "That's where I've gotta be."
Slowly, Mabel's lips stretched into a wide, mischievous smile, like the one she gave him in the diner when she caught him staring.
"Pacifica, huh? I see. You wanted some alone time with your new crush. Is that it?"
Dipper frowned. This. This is why he didn't want to tell her.
"Mabel, for the last time, I do not have a crush on her!"
Melody overheard the conversation, "Crush on who, Dipper?"
The boy turned bright red, "Uh, n-nobody, Melody! I didn't say that!"
The woman giggled and returned to work, leaving Dipper a flustered mess. Mabel was about to say something, but he held up a finger. "Don't even start."
"But you don't even know what I was going to say!"
"You were going to say 'See, Dipper, you're getting all flustered! You wouldn't be acting like that if it wasn't true!' Weren't you?"
"Wow. You know me well, bro-bro."
"Yeah. But seriously, I told her I would stop by today to have a look at her house. She said the werewolves leave scratch marks. I want to see if I can find any other clues."
Dipper walked past his sister and up the stairs to the attic, with her following close behind, pleading.
"Please let me come! I won't tease you or mess anything up!"
"Why do you want to go so bad?" He absentmindedly argued, putting on his vest, "You could actually hang out with Candy and Grenda, you know? And you'll just leave Waddles by himself?" Dipper tried to guilt her by pointing at the pig, putting on his best judgmental face. Waddles just grunted.
It didn't work. "Hey, I may not be as dorky as you, but I love a good adventure! I've been cooped up in the Shack just like you have!"
"Mabel-"
"Besides, now that Pacifica's changed, we can actually bond! It'll be like having a rich sister!"
Dipper stared at her for a second. There was no winning this. She'd already made up her mind, and even if he tried to escape, she would probably tape herself to the top of the golf cart or something.
"Okay, fine. But no teasing! Especially around Pacifica!"
Mabel made a zipping gesture to her mouth, "My lips are sealed!"
Her lips weren't sealed.
After retrieving the sword from under his bed and getting on the golf cart, Mabel asked a hundred questions.
"Where'd you get that sword?"
"Where does Pacifica live now?"
"Does she still have those peacocks?"
"Do werewolves walk on two legs or four?"
"How do you know it's werewolves in the first place?"
Dipper took in a deep breath, "Found it in the woods, we're about to find out, I don't know, they walk on both, and it was pretty obvious with the way she described the situation."
That seemed to satisfy Mabel, "Oh, okay." The girl began swinging her feet back and forth while taking in the scenery.
Dipper kept one hand on the wheel and looked at the makeshift map in his other. He knew the ink on his arm wouldn't last, so he copied Pacifica's address onto a sheet of paper, then used a map he bought from town to place the location, sketching a direct path from the Shack to the new Northwest manor.
While the cart wasn't the fastest thing in the world, the drive should've only taken fifteen minutes. So far, he'd been driving twenty. He was starting to think he may end up getting lost.
"Ugh, I don't get it. According to this, it should be on my left. Did I make a wrong turn or something?"
After a few moments, Mabel tapped him on the shoulder. She was pointing beside him, "Is that it?"
Dipper slowed the cart to a near stop at the peak of a small escalation in the road, giving him a perfect view of both the town, and the wide open field next to it. At the center of that open field, at the very lowest dip in the landscape, sat a large, gated house surrounded by a forest. Judging from the size of it, that had to be the new Northwest abode.
It wasn't nearly as big as the old place, and Dipper found it kind of ironic that before, the Northwests lived on a tall clifftop, but now lived in what could only be described as a valley dip.
"Talk about a one-eighty."
Mabel nodded in agreement, "I know. But the house is still five times the size of the Shack. I guess they're still loaded to some degree."
"Knowing Pacifica's dad, he's probably already made back some money through shady investments."
Dipper changed course, taking the very next left and making his way to the field. It only took a few more minutes to cross the distance and find a long driveway leading to the home. Now getting a closer look at it, he realized that Mabel was right. Even with a downgrade, this place could still swallow most of the buildings in Gravity Falls and not even be full. Like the manor, it had a long shape and was made mostly of dark colored wood, taking the form of a cozy log cabin. Surrounding it, were an array of things. Neatly trimmed bushes and trees lined perfectly, a fountain directly out front in the stone courtyard, a dozen peacocks on patrol in the grass, a horse stable near the back, and of course, an intimidating wrought iron fence bordering the area, coming together in a gate with the words Northwest Cabin at the top.
Dipper raised an eyebrow, "Northwest Cabin. Doesn't really have the same ring as Manor, does it?"
Mabel was hardly paying attention to the sign. Her sparkling eyes were aimed directly at the colorful birds grazing in the front yard.
"Dipper, look."
"What, the peacocks? Yeah, they have some. Not as many as before, though."
"I want one."
"What?"
"I want one! They look so cute! I have to pet one!"
"Uh...maybe later. Let's get inside the place first." Dipper hopped off the cart and walked up to the gate, finding the buzzer Pacifica mentioned on the right side. A small, square box with an even smaller red button at the bottom.
He pressed it and held his finger there, "Hello? Is anyone there?"
Not even a second later, a voice replied, "Yes?"
That definitely didn't sound like Pacifica. It was a man, an old one at that, with a very formal, regal voice. Was it the butler? "Uh, hi. My name's Dipper."
No response.
"Uh...I'm supposed to meet with Pacifica today about an issue involving mysterious attacks that happen once a month."
Still nothing.
"More than likely on the full moon," He tried to elaborate, "She said the perpetrators left scratches on the house. I'm here to investigate."
After another five seconds of silence, Dipper considered leaving. But luckily, the gate began opening on its own, creaking until it reached a ninety-degree angle. The butler didn't give them permission to enter, or say anything for that matter, so Dipper just left the buzzer and got back on the cart.
"That was weird."
On the way in, they passed a few peacocks. Mabel leaned far enough to brush one on the head with her hand. She looked at it like she would never wash it again.
"I touched one. I'm getting good luck for at least ten years!"
"I don't think peacocks are lucky charms."
"Well, they should be."
Just as Dipper parked the cart at the front steps, Pacifica came out of the door and greeted him with a raised eyebrow.
"So, Mr. Paranormal, you finally decided to show up?"
Dipper turned the engine off, "Sorry I'm late. I got a little caught up watching a world record, thank you very much."
Mabel jumped out of the vehicle, beaming at the blonde, "Hey, Pacifica! I like your peacocks!"
As if on cue, the same peacock that Mabel swiped on the head followed her to the house, now nudging her on the back with its beak.
Pacifica smirked with amusement, "They seem to like you too. Give them some sunflower seeds and they'll probably never leave your side."
While Mabel played with her new friend, Dipper leaned against the wooden railing, studying Pacifica. Today, she ditched the jacket and decorative belt, opting instead to just keep a dark purple shirt, black leggings, and those fluffy boots. The heat must've forced even her to go casual.
"She begged me to come. Sorry."
"It's not a big deal. The entire town knows about my parents' downfall anyway. What's two more?"
Dipper smirked, "Well, for the record, this place is still pretty cool. I really like the whole mountain cabin vibe you've got going here."
Pacifica smiled, running her finger along a wooden pillar, "Yeah, I like it. I never realized how empty the Manor felt until we moved here. With this place you can actually count the number of rooms and not lose track."
He laughed, "Yeah. So, you want to show me those scratch marks?"
Pacifica came down the steps, "First things first, I've gotta let my dad know you guys are here."
Dipper began following her, gesturing for Mabel to wrap it up with the peacock and keep up. "He's not in the house sitting by a fire and smoking a pipe?"
Pacifica snickered, "Believe it or not, he's outside most of the time. When we bought the land, it came with a bunch of trees, so my dad decided to have them cut down and sell them for lumber to make some of his money back. He calls it 'venturing into a new, grittier business.' Pfft, so lame."
The trio rounded the corner of the house to find Preston Northwest sitting in what could only be described as a tall, well-structured chair, that reminded Dipper of those lifeguard seats at the pool. The patriarch had a megaphone in his hand, yelling, "Don't forget the one to the left! Get as close to the stump as you can!"
"Dad!"
"A little busy right now, dear! Lots to chop today!"
Down the field and at the edge of the forest, Dipper made out a group of men working on chopping down a row of trees. One of them was much larger than the others, but they all had red hair.
He narrowed his eyes, "Is that Wendy's dad?"
The flat land gave leeway to quick echoes. Dipper could hear one of the boys say, "Is that good, Dad?"
"NO!" Manly Dan roared, "I'll show you how a real man chops down a tree!" He threw his axe aside and began pummeling the poor plant with his fists, denting the bark with each powerful blow. It wasn't long until enough of the tree's foundation had been chipped away that it lost balance on itself and toppled over, leaving Dan with a victorious grin.
"Take notes, boys! Never settle for the easy route!"
"Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad!" The boys chanted.
Dipper just shook his head at the nonsense and turned to Pacifica, who was now frowning at her father. "But Dad, this is important! It's about the attacks!"
At that, Preston's attention immediately shifted, "You've found a solution?"
She gestured to the twins, "You remember Dipper and Mabel, don't you?"
Mr. Northwest regarded the pair like a pedestrian regards a puddle in their way. "Ah yes, the Pines children. Why are they here, Pacifica?"
"They're going to help us stop what's been happening the past few months! Dipper already knows what's been attacking us!"
"Do you, boy?"
He asked the question, not really believing his daughter, but more so in a condescending way. Dipper guessed Pacifica's father wasn't too fond of him after the party last summer. Not to mention, he probably blamed some of the stuff that happened with Bill on him by proxy, simply because weird stuff seems to follow him around.
"I do," Dipper said, "You've got a werewolf problem."
Preston laughed, "Don't be ridiculous."
"After all that you've seen, you're really going to question that? This is Gravity Falls, for crying out loud!"
The man's mocking smile faded, "Say that is true. What are you going to do about it? Capture it and then let it out into our home?"
Dipper smiled humorlessly at the reference, "Not what I had in mind. The full moon isn't until next week, so today I'm just observing. But when the time comes, I have all the tools necessary to deal with them. You can count on that."
Preston shrugged, clearly uninterested. He faced the forest again. "Whatever gets the job done."
"Hey, Mr. Northwest."
Preston looked at him again, "Yes, boy?"
"I'm doing this as a favor to your daughter. Not you."
The once powerful patriarch glared down at him. An intimidating gaze that should've made Dipper tremble, but he stood his ground, never blinking and holding the tension. The old Pacifica was a result of this guy's method of raising a child. Suddenly, he wanted to do more than just glare at him, he wanted to use that silver tipped sword to chop off one of his chair legs and make him fall.
Finally, Preston scoffed, "Then you won't mind doing it free of charge, since it's a favor."
Dipper didn't say another word to him, and that was the end of it. He whipped around, a scowl still on his face. He didn't even know where he was walking, but he felt like moving.
Pacifica and Mabel fell in line, the former looking at him like he was crazy, "Whoa. I've never seen anyone talk to my dad like that. Besides me, I guess."
"He's a jerk. No offense."
"None taken. Where are you going?"
"He likes to pace when he's angry," Mabel interjected, "It's a Dipperism. You'll get used to it."
He stopped, a little embarrassed because he ended up walking beyond the parked cart, almost to the fountain. "Yeah...I do that sometimes. Where's the scratch marks?"
"Follow me."
Pacifica led them to the other side of the cabin. Under the window, the perfect architecture of the house had been scarred by four long, deep gashes, far bigger than what a regular animal could produce.
Dipper, with wide eyes, knelt down and traced his entire hand inside one gash. The image he had of a werewolf before coming here didn't exactly scare him, but now being here, seeing what one left behind, he was feeling a little rattled. Just one attack from the creature's paw would rip him apart effortlessly.
"Was this from last month?"
"Yeah. That's the one that got in. We had the window replaced."
Mabel gawked at her, "Wait, one of these things got inside?!"
Pacifica shivered, "Yeah. It...started to come after me, but I guess it knew the sun was about to rise, so it ran away."
Dipper stood up, "Do you remember which way it went?"
Seeming uncertain, she pointed in a broad direction behind the house, towards the forest. "That way, why?"
"Maybe we can find their den and confront the human behind the beast."
Mabel pumped her fist, "Yes! Into the woods, soldiers!"
Pacifica looked horrified, "You want to go where they live?! Are you insane?!"
"Trust me. This'll be way easier if we can find their human forms. Maybe we can even reason with them and try to contain them so they don't transform. I mean, even Grunkle Ford said that was the best way to beat them."
"But how do you know they live in the woods?" Pacifica argued, "What if they like...live in society? Using disguises or whatever."
"That's possible. But it's worth a shot." He cocked his head, "You know what they say, best way to stop a fight is to not get in one in the first place."
"But..." Pacifica groaned, "That makes no sense! We could still get in a fight! You really think us, three thirteen-year-olds, stand a chance against a group of cavemen living in a forest?"
"No. At least not without..." Dipper trailed off, quickly jogging and snatching up the sword from the cart's floorboard, "...this."
"Is that real?"
"Yep. It's a gift. Just got it this morning."
Mabel pouted, "It's unfair. Dipper's the only one with a weapon. I didn't even get to bring my grappling hook."
Pacifica blinked, eyes switching from sibling to sibling. "You guys are so crazy."
Mabel nodded proudly, "Yep! But you're coming with us, right?"
She put on a show of acting like it was a chore to decide, but Dipper could tell deep down, she was excited. "I'm sort of obligated. As a Northwest, I can't just let home invaders get away with their crimes, werethings or not."
He smirked, "So it's a trio."
"The Mystery Trio." Mabel said.
Both Dipper and Pacifica deadpanned at her.
"What? We can't be the Mystery Twins if we've got a third person."
The teens took the cart across the field and down to the forest, using the short grass to their advantage. Mabel volunteered to ride on the back and give Pacifica the shotgun seat.
Dipper knew what was going on. Mabel wasn't just trying to be nice; she was doing whatever she could to non-verbally push him closer to Pacifica.
It was like his body had a mind of its own. A mind actively bent on betraying him. Every five or ten seconds, he would steal small glances at the girl to his right, each time catching a glimpse of a specific thing. First, it was her blonde hair swaying behind her shoulders from the wind. Second, it was the way her eyeshadow glinted in the sunlight. Third, it was noticing how nice a dark purple looked in comparison to her skin.
He tightened his hands against the steering wheel. Focus, Dipper. If you give in, you let Mabel have her way. You don't have feelings for Pacifica. She's just a friend. A pretty friend. The only reason I keep looking at her is because she's pretty. It's only natural! I can't help it!
He nearly jumped out of his skin when Pacifica tapped him on the shoulder, "I think they went this way."
In front of them, the tree line approached quickly, nothing but darkness inside. Dipper took in a deep breath. It was time to get serious. No more slip ups.
He pulled up twenty feet from the forest, parked the cart, and turned the keys, shoving them in his pocket. He carefully picked up the sword from the floorboard and placed one foot on the grass.
Putting on his best deep, brave voice, he said, "Alright guys, let's go."
The girls followed him and began a non-stop walk for fifteen minutes, completely silent. Save for Mabel, who kept humming the Duck-Tective theme song.
The forest's terrain wasn't as brutal as he expected. The land was mostly flat if not a little bumpy, and mostly open with several trails, enough space between trees to walk comfortably. Of course, every now and then, a branch would be in Dipper's way, so he used the sword to slice them, feeling cool every time he did.
Mabel was doing fine, lost in her own little world, so Dipper didn't have to check up on her. Pacifica however, wasn't used to the outdoors, especially for prolonged periods of time. He expected her to be making noises of disgust every moment and picking spider webs from her hair, but so far, she hadn't made a peep.
He looked at her sneakily from behind his shoulder, finding her looking up at the treetops, hands swaying back and forth casually, kicking the occasional rock. She looked more alert than disgusted, like she was ready for anything that popped out at her.
Dipper had to comment, "To be honest, I didn't think you'd last this long."
Pacifica turned to him, on guard, "What are you talking about?"
"I just figured you'd be disgusted out here. Pacifica Northwest and the outdoors don't seem like a compatible match."
"Please. After working at a place literally called Greasy's for the past ten months, I think I can handle a little dirt."
Dipper didn't say another word, but he did smile. He was impressed. Pacifica really had changed. Maybe she would be good to take on more mysteries in the future.
Eventually, after another two minutes of silence, Mabel's humming turned into a familiar rap.
"My name is Mabel, it rhymes with table! It also rhymes with glabel! It also rhymes with...Shmabel! It also rhymes with...Dipper, why aren't you doing the beatbox?"
"Cut it out, Mabel. We don't have time for stupid games."
Mabel came closer to him and leaned towards his ear. He couldn't see her face, but he could sense the devious smile, "Am I embarrassing you in front of your crush? Are you trying to look tough in front of her?"
Dipper stopped dead in his tracks, ears beginning to burn. He whipped around to face her, a crazed look on his face, "You said no teasing!"
Mabel shrugged smugly, "I can't help but stating the truth. I'm just real like that."
He shook with fury, long tired of his sister's antics. "If you don't stop your little matchmaking game right now, I swear-" A fluttering of tree branches snapped his attention away, his instincts screaming that danger was approaching. In a near instant, he jumped over to Pacifica and shielded her from the unknown monster, sword raised in the air, "-PACIFICA, GET BEHIND ME!"
A few seconds passed, then the culprit appeared. A squirrel crawled on the long branch above them, watching them with puffy cheeks.
Mabel burst out laughing, and Pacifica giggled, leaving Dipper with the desire to crawl inside a hole and disappear for good.
"Go ahead, Dipper!" Mabel joked, "Get the monster!"
"Yep. Laugh it up."
Pacifica's giggling stopped. She nudged Dipper, "Hey, I think I found their hideout."
"Oh yeah, guys, seriously, rub it in."
She nudged him harder, "No seriously, I think I found something."
Dipper straightened and watched Pacifica walk ahead of them, up an elevation in the land and into a clearing. A clearing? They hadn't come across a clearing since they entered the woods.
The twins climbed the small elevation and came up to where Pacifica was, standing in front of a strange burrow. Some animal, or group of animals created a large mound in the clearing, with a hole at the bottom just big enough for a small human to fit inside.
Or...a thirteen year old.
Dipper handed Mabel the sword, "I'm going in."
His sister stopped him, "Woah, woah, woah. If that's really the werewolves' hiding place...shouldn't we wait outside until one comes out? You could get hurt crawling in there by yourself."
"She's right, Dipper," Pacifica agreed, "Who knows how far down that hole goes."
"I won't go far. I just want to see what it looks like." He held out his hand, "Did either of you bring a phone?"
"Why?"
"I didn't bring my flashlight. A phone screen is the next best thing."
Mabel dug hers out of her pocket, "Here. Be careful, Dipper. I'm serious."
"Always am." Biting back his fear, he got on his knees and poked his head into the hole. Pressing a button on the side of the phone, a small screen lit up, giving him barely enough light to see in front of him, but it was better than not seeing at all.
Dipper waved the device around slowly, seeing nothing but dirt and grass in the tunnel. No trails or footprints, no secret hatch, and no sign of werewolves.
But this wasn't built for no reason. Something did this, and if this really was the way Pacifica saw those things go last month, then they had to be here. It made sense. Hiding underground to stay away from suspicion, but close enough to prey on their victims. In the back of his mind, he wondered how long they'd been here. If the attacks started a few months ago, it couldn't be for very long. Unless...they'd always been here, but the Northwests somehow managed to anger them.
It was interesting. Now that he thought about it, nobody else was getting attacked by the creatures. Only the Northwests. If there were other incidents, he would know. Word spreads quickly through a small town.
As he crawled, the eerie quiet of the tunnel began messing with his nerves. At least before, he had the ambient sounds of the forest and those two by his side. Now, danger could come at any step. A werewolf could be waiting beyond the cell phone's light, waiting to strike. At any second, those giant claws could penetrate his skin and drag him down out of reach.
Dipper gulped, and looked behind him. He'd gone farther than intended. The light coming through the hole he entered could be covered by his hand if he wanted. He needed to just call it and go back.
"I'm not seeing anything, guys!" He yelled, "I'm coming back!"
Before a response could even come though, the dirt beneath him gave away, and his hand fell through, followed by the rest of his body.
Dipper lost his balance and slid farther down the tunnel, the light behind him fading quickly. The last thing he heard were the screams of Mabel and Pacifica calling his name.
-x-
I know it may seem out of character for Manly Dan to be helping a Northwest since he's a lumberjack, but I never got the impression that he or Wendy cared about that, or even knew the story. Besides, it's only meant for a quick joke, and within this fic, it's been a year.
Anyway, the next one should be out sooner than this. Stay tuned!