A pain choked bleat ripped through the air when the fawns frame got swallowed by blue flames.  Golden eyes closed themselves, as his body twitched and trembled in the demon's power, making Mabel's heart shatter. All her worries about herself and what Bill might come up with now were forgotten in fear for her brother. “Stop it!” She screamed, tears mixing with the bloody gash on her cheek. “Please stop!” But Mabel's begging was only a sweet melody in the Demon's ear. “Oh don´t worry little girl, it'll be over… soon.” He mocked while is eye beamed a dangerous red, as he watched the twitching deer before him.

Anger and fear wavered over the captured town while they were forced to watch the twins suffer without being able to do anything. “Stop it!” Wendy growled, snatching the axe from her belt, throwing it at the demon only to watch it pass harmlessly through him. “No- that tickled!” Bill snickered, before he let his single eye ball pass right through his body to eye the growling redhead below. “Really red- did you think that I would fall for the same trick a second time? You better not underestimate me.” Wendy could feel a lump building up in her throat when she recognized the dangerous gleam in the demon's eye. “What?” But the question was rather to herself than the demon, before the memory hit her like a brick wall. “The hunter…”  She whispered, eyes turning wide fear and anger. “That was you! You shot him! You shot Dipper!” Wendy´s scream washed over the forest, raising whispers between the people around her while she stared at the demon in rage. “Sure I did. I bet your little friend would have told you that much if he still had been able to speak.” He sneered, obviously enjoying the pained look on the girl's face. Stan could feel the shivers running down his spine, pure anger was piercing under his skin with hundreds of needles, while he clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white under the pressure. “Bill you filthy piece of-“ An ear piercing animalistic scream made Stan's hateful words fade from his lips, while his eyes darted to his nephews figure in shock. The gold radiating from the little fawn seemed to increase until it burned their eyes to look at him. But his dreadful bleating didn't stop but only increased in volume and – gravity? “Dipper!” Mabel shouted, she needed to shield her eyes from the light to be able to get a look beneath the golden and blue flames surrounding her brother, while the sky seemed to darken once more. But what she saw made her blood run cold.

His small body was convulsing while his bones were snapping with a skin crawling sound that mixed itself with a painful howl. Then his body began to grow. His lanky body got consumed by flesh and muscles that radiated with power. The tiny excuse for his antlers (the only thing Dipper was at last fond of after his transformation) started to grow like tree branches in a quick motion along with his head and neck. Mabel was too stunned at what was happening before her very eyes to count the tips of her brothers mighty weapons, even so it didn't escape her that they looked much more pointed and slightly sharper than she ever had seen on other deer´s. It nearly seemed like they were swords and daggers crowning Dipper's head in a golden color that glowed in the bright blue flames surrounding him. Dipper had grown to a buck more than thrice her size, Mabel was forced to watch the white dots melting into his chocolate brown fur with a last faint golden glow, one after another until the “Big Dipper” was gone.  

The last sign of her brother had vanished along with him.

“No…” Mabel whispered, fear tightening her throat, the blue flames surrounding the buck’s form slowly died down with one last cruel chuckle from the demon.   “Now the curtain rises for the final act.” He cheered, while voices of fear and anger were building up behind him as the city recovered from the shock of what had happened, unlike Mabel they seemed pretty much aware what was about to happen. “Mabel get away from there!” Wendy shouted, still standing beside the Northwest´s while Pacifica was too scared to find her voice, her eyes never left Dipper's body. “Run dude!” But the little girl didn't react to Soos nor Wendy´s shouts, like she couldn’t even hear them.  Her mind had gone blank when the last spot had vanished from Dipper’s fur, just like he had back in the mindscape. She felt something inside her shatter, while the warm feeling fled from her fingertips into her heart trying to cover the sudden empty space inside her, leaving her cold, vulnerable and… alone.

“MABEL!” But the scream came too late when something hit her. The sheer force left her fly back until she collided with a nearby three. Mabel winced and was left gasping for breath when she saw Dipper moving toward her again, eyes blazed with golden light. He hurt her. <Run!> Dipper had hurt her. <That´s why you have to get away from him smarty-pants!>. But Mabel didn't leave, ignored the angst along together with the pain, when a small smirk melted itself with the hurt expression in her face.   “Well it seems that I'm no longer the alpha twin- huh?” She tried to say, but her ribs hurt from her chuckles, and joke died on her lips when Dipper´s ears didn't even flicker towards her.

His empty eyes made her heart sink in her chest, her words were barely more than a soft plead. “Dipper…. please, I know you're still in there somewhere.” <You have to be…> She whimpered. But the buck in front of her only gave a away an angry snort as he lowered his head to point the sharp golden antlers at her again, when the demons eerie voice cut in the hopeless scene.     “Oh how amusing.” He sneered with a fond expression. “Your brother just cracked your ribs and you still think you can bring him back? That's funny.” Bill chuckled, rounding deer and girl with a smirk. “I knew you were a fool, believing in miracles like the rest of the family.”  The demon's words wavered in the air while his gaze bored itself into the twins Grunkle from the corner of his eye, before he turned to face the man himself. “All of you are just too afraid to see that you have failed. Too afraid to see the truth, am I not right here- Stan?”   “You little-“ But the useless threat from the man was cut short form the demons laughter. “But even you can't deny it this time.”  He growled, voice turning cold while he let his hand down to pet the possessed deer on the head that was still lowered to attack Mabel any minute now. He looked down to Mabel with a mixture of arrogant pity. “Your brother is gone.”

He waited for a reaction, for new hilarious tears to be pressed out of the meat sack’s ridiculous body when the girl´s lips began to quiver in a soft whisper. “No…” The demon smirked, and floated back up to enjoy the scene from the first row. His nice stubborn hope crawled underneath his skin while he saw the buck’s muscles tense, ready to strike again. “Mabel?” He called her. Stan´s own voice was raspy in fear while he hated being stuck in this useless river. But of course she just ignored him, looking at her brothers eyes still searching for the soul that- <No don´t think about it now.> He growled, shaking his head before he tried to get through her again. “Mabel please you need to-“ “NO!” Mabel screamed again, facing the demon above them as if she hadn't even heard stan, instead  just yet reacted to Bill's threat. “You're lying” She explained, before looking at Dipper again, broken.

“He can´t be…”

But the defeated whisper of the little girl below only let Bill´s eye shine in joy, while he let a tissue appear out of nowhere to dry away nonexistent tears. “Aww! I might be crying by now if I had anything human in me.” The demon sniffed, the smile still lingering in his tone when he took a deep breath of the fear and despair he could taste in the air. The old pines stuck in the water tried to hide his shivering fingers in closed fists with knuckles as white as paper. Stan couldn't feel his heartbeat anymore, his heartbeat had melted into a mere rushing sound, which made him deaf to everything else.  Somewhere back in his mind he could still hear himself shouting for Mabel to flee from the creature Bill had turned her brother into. Stan had known that they had lost him the moment the boy attacked his sister for real this time- because even if the tiny body of the fawn couldn’t have really done any damage, this one very well could. And if Dipper was anywhere inside his mind he would have at least tried to stop himself from Bill´s orders. But he didn´t. Stan shuddered as the cold wind snaked itself under his damp clothes, while his glassy gaze moved over the shore side of the river where Bill held the citizens of Gravity Falls captive.   He could see the youngest Northwest in tears, not even trying to hide them as she watched what monster her crush had become (- yeah he knew about it, honestly he might be old but not deaf and blind enough to miss something like that!). Old Man McGucket seemed to be trying to dig himself out with his pick only to have it bounce back to him like it had hit rubber while his eyes lay on Bill with fearful knowledge that made Stan shudder, while most of the citizens clung to each other, calling for the twins in tears while shivering in pure fear. Wendy and Soos were still frightening and screaming along with him (he was screaming wasn't he?). But all of them were suddenly holding their breath when the buck- Dipper that is, finally seemed to react to his sister's words.  

“Dipper please, snap out of it.” She begged, searching for her brothers eyes again, while she pressed herself closer against the truck of the tree. “You have to fight him.”  But the buck only stood a few feet away from her by now, she could feel his hot breath, crawling under her skin while his golden eyes stared at her bruised face. And for only a short moment, a little spark of hope let her heart flutter again. “Dipper?” But the very moment she said her brother's name the buck made one last jump. Mabel gasped and closed her eyes, back pressed to the tree, knowing that Dipper might very well end her life now. But again the deer´s antlers collided with the tree without causing any harm. Mabel carefully opened her eyes again, to see herself imprisoned between the golden sharp antlers of the buck. Two more inward spikes were sunk deep into the wood too close to her head for comfort, while the bucks hot breath brushed her cheek, making a shiver run down her spine. Mabel swallowed and carefully tried to wiggle herself out from underneath the sharp golden cage, the buck snapped at her- with golden teeth, too many that is, and sharper than that of any other deer.

Her eyes grew wide when she finally freed herself to look back at Dipper, who already started to struggle to free himself again. She growled at the demon above, holding her bruised side. “What did you do to him?” She accused in anger. “What? Are you not happy with the new pet I created? I thought I´ll change the rules – just a little to make things more… interesting.”  The demon mocked in a sinister voice, adding a sarcastic snicker to his tone. “And I'm sure it worked.”

“Mabel watch out!”

Her head snapped from the threatening glint in Ciphers eye to the warning tone of her Grunkle just to see the buck storming up to her at a rapid speed, head lowered, antlers directed at her. Mabel gasped and jumped out of the way shortly before an impact could have happened. She flung herself into the dirt holding her breath while she could feel the earth shivering beside from the power of her brothers steps. Little stones and splinters were piercing her skin, while her broken side hurt with a throbbing ache that made a nauseous feeling crawl up her throat. But Dipper left her no time to catch her breath; as soon as the buck noticed that he missed his target again he turned around, his golden blazed eyes looking at her in a menacing way.

She barely managed to pick herself up in time before a piercing pain stabbed her arm, missing her shoulder just by an inch. Everything happened within seconds, she remembered hot breath on her skin and golden eyes that held nothing in them that even resembled her brother, and a cruel joyful laugh in the background when the force of Dipper’s hit send her flying before she hit the ground again.

“MABEL!” The fearful voices of her friends and family got quieted by the fog that was clouding more and more of her mind. Black dots were dancing in front of her eyes. Her breathing hurt and her arm was on fire. Mabel cringed and gripped the spot Dipper had hit her to find her beloved sweater ripped while warm liquid was oozing in the fabric.   The pain made her wish for fainting, but Mabel knew that she couldn´t give up now. If she was about to give up now everything would be lost. Herself… and Dipper. Her brother's life; his very soul depends on her. No. They were siblings, twins even, meant to be there for each other, meant to protect each other. She would not give up. Not before she got her brother back.

She swallowed, and carefully picked herself up from the ground again, holding the bloody patch on her arm with care, she could hear gasps and shouts from the people behind her when they saw the state of her body,  but Mabel just focused and glared at the demon above her. Bill looked down at her, simply waiting, and even if the stupid golden triangle didn´t have a mouth in this form, Mabel could feel the bored, satisfied grin that would have stretched itself wide over his face seeing her stubborn attempt to change her fate. But it seemed that she wasn't alone in that useless matter.

“Try to hide in the thicket Mabel! Dipper is too big to follow you there!”  Wendy screamed when she saw Dipper scratch the earth with his front hoof, preparing for the next attack. Mabel swallowed, but nodded and made a run for the nearest bush before Bill's voice interrupted her. “Oh no- we're not playing hide and seek here.”  But Mabel didn´t look back at the demon’s threatening voice, she was just a few steps away from the safe bushes so that she didn´t see how Ciphers eye was coloured a dangerous red before the forest before her suddenly burst into flames. “Whoa!” Mabel only just managed to stop before the fast spreading fire, she could feel the hot blue and red flames licking her skin before she took a step back, breathing heavily when she saw her chances burning down to nothing.

“No!” She gasped, when she saw the Wall of fire building up along the shore of the river, leaving her nowhere to hide. “Chirper you  fucking a-“ Stan´s breath was cut out as Wendy´s shouts echoed in the clearing.   “Mabel RUN!” Her eyes flickered to the redhead for a second before she saw Dipper heading up to her again, and so she did what she was told and run to the only thing that promised shelter in some way- Maybe Dipper wouldn't follow her into the water, maybe she could weaken Bill enough when she touched the surface again to cut the strings he had on her brother. It was worth a try-if she was able to reach the water in time.

She could feel her breath burning in her throat when she ran down the side of the river along with the water itself which was gaining speed rapidly. Mabel searched for another shore spot in the water while Dipper seemed to struggle catching up with her on the wet stony shore of the river. His hooves weren't simply made for a ground like this which gave her at least a little advance.  But that little sparkle of hope simply ended with Bills angry voice.  

“Enough of this! I have places to be and universes to destroy.” The demon growled in annoyance with a flash of his eye, but Mabel didn't dare to look back to him, seeing a spot of the river were the steam wasn't that strong just a few meters ahead, when suddenly the earth beneath her feet came to life. A root slithered beneath her feet before it wrapped itself around her ankles making her fall face down to the stony shore with a cry. Mabel blinked and pushed herself up in a sitting posture, trying to free herself from the stubborn roots that held her feet firmly in place.

She heard Stan and the rest of the city shouting her name, her Grunkles eyes were filled with fear and panic, he demanded for McGucket´s pick, ready to cut off both of his feet if necessary  to help her, while the grim look on his face told him that he would be too late anyway. Mabel swallowed, losing her grip on the roots as Bill hovered up to her. His single eye looked down at her with a cold and arrogant gleam that matched his tone, when he began to speak again. “As entertaining as it was, it's time to end this little game.” He sneered looking down to his furry puppet who walked up to the girl with heavy steps, his eyes filled with his own golden power, while his ear twisted to his masters final word. “Now.”

Havoc was breaking down a few meters away where Cipher had frozen the citizens in place, all of them knew that there was no way Mabel would be able to rescue herself this time, but stubborn as the citizens of Gravity Fall were, they didn´t stop fighting, shouting for her to run, but the tears in their eyes betrayed their hopes.

Mabel couldn’t hear any of them; hot fear was crawling down her skin, dulling the pain in her side and arm while her mind got clouded with panic and despair until everything simply went quiet. Her ears seemed to be stuffed with cotton, she couldn't feel her injuries any more leaving her numb and just as hollow as the golden eyes of her brother who was stepping closer with every second. She swallowed and felt something smooth and warm running down her throat that made her eyes grew wide. She still remembered the iron like taste on her tongue even if her lips were more used to the smooth sweet taste of cotton candy and jelly koalas. Blood. Mabel's head began to spin, when she looked  her brother in the golden possessed eyes. “Dipper…”  She rasped, her throat was burning from running away from him. She stopped to struggle against the chains on her feet, but the roots tangled themselves around her warm skin with every passing second. She knew she'd lose.

She wouldn't stand a chance against them. But there was one thing she could still try, one thing she was too stubborn to believe that it might be gone.  

“Dipper please…” Her voice nearly got drowned out by the powerful stream beside her, while Mabel's eyes began to search for that of her brothers, she tried to look behind the gold, tried to remember  the color of his eyes- which she knew were the same as hers when she spoke up to him again, ignoring the danger that lay within every step that he came closer. “You still need to be there somewhere…” She begged, with a tone barely more than a whisper. “I just know you are.” But the buck didn't stop in his tracks or stir at Mabel's voice, his nostrils were puffing in wild anger while he slowly lowered his head to Mabel's eyes.  The little girl bit her lip and instinctively moved a little bit backwards at the threatening tips of Dippers antlers.   “Dipper, you don't want to do that, just- I'm your sister.” She desperately tried to get his attention, seeing her own bruised figure reflected in the golden shimmer of his eyes.   “What would you even do without me?” Mabel tried to mock, but the smirk died on her face when the next breath she took strung in her side forcing new tears burning in her brown eyes. “Just please… come back to me.” She whispered.   The Buck only huffed; golden saliva was dripping out of his mouth that, which Mabel now knew, was filled with sharp golden teeth.  This… creature Bill made of him wasn't anything like Dipper, all trust the little confused fawn had held for her was gone. In his place stood now this beast, that was threatening to end her life like his master command him to. Anger was slowly rising in her chest. Changed and brainwashed as he was- it- he still is her brother. This was Dipper after all. He wasn't allowed to hurt her like that. Mabel swallowed when the deer´s mind didn't react on her soft plea, she looked up to him, tears now streaming freely down her cheeks to sink into the fabric of her sweater, while her eyes gleamed in hurt and anger. “You´re my brother damn it!” She panted in a raspy scream, that finally get one of the buck's ears turned to her, but at the emptiness of his eyes the faith in her voice vanished as fast as it had come. You're supposed to protect me, to look after me- as am I…” A lump was forming in her burning throat, she forced herself to look up to him again, to ignore his blurry features from her tears, or the fact that he was dangerously close by now.   “I- I should have noticed that that big head of yours was blowing up with worries. I should have helped- listed to you so that you would never think of yourself being responsible for this curse...” Mabel sniffed; she knew it was true- all of them had been too busy with themselves to see Dipper was drowning in his guilt. “But I didn´t…” “Dipper-” She breathed, closing her eyes while a lonely hot tear was running down her cheek, before she looked up to her brothers golden eyes one last time. “-I´m sorry.”

Then he hit her.

Screams echoed through the wood when the buck’s power forced Mabel's body through the air until it collided with the rivers stormy surface. Mabel gasped for air when the cold water touched her skin, the pain in her body was lost in adrenalin rushing in her veins when she noticed the strong stream of the Fluvius Cantatis pulling her down.

“Mabel!”

Stan shouted, panic was shutting down his lungs to a bare raspy voice while he was forced to watch his niece flying through the air, he nearly took a relieved breath when she hit the water instead of the stony ground before Wendy´s voice broke beside him. “No- she can't-“ The redhead gulped, eyes glued to the river. “She can´t swim like that.” She whispered in a fear stricken voice.   “W-what!” But the moment Mabel struggled to the surface again, gasping for air, before another wave pushed her down again, seem to lead Stan to the same conclusion. Her feet were bound together, her left shoulder was injured and the stream was too strong. “No…” Cold fear was gripping his heart when the realization hit him. <Mabel…>   She was going to drown. <No!>

The citizens of Gravity Falls were shouting Mabel's name, tears were falling freely into the rivers stream, when Bill left them here to watch the small girl die.   “MABEL!” Stan´s voice was nothing but a hoarse whisper, tears were running down his cheeks, just to be caught in his wrinkles when he desperately screamed for her again, when her head broke through the surface one last time.

“NO!”

“Mabel where exactly did you meet him?” Her eyes grew wide at his question, before flickering from side to side in attempt to remember something. Mabel´s breath got raspy with every word she spoke, like she tried to convince herself that she was speaking the truth. “I – I dreamed, I knew it was a dream but at the same it was not- it was like back in your mind- I mean, back in the mindscape with Bill, only that it was Dipper’s mind and-“ But she finally paused for a moment when she saw the grim and rather worried look on his face. He didn´t believe her. He thought she just dreamed all those thing, that Dipper wasn´t there, he still thought that he was- that they already lost him. Her grip on his hand hardened, when she looked up to him with demanding eyes.   “Grunkle Stan… he was there! It was Dipper! I´m not imagining things…” She tried to convince him, while fear bubbled up in her again. What if her mind really was just messing with her, what if she only saw what she wanted to see? That her dreams tried to fulfill what reality couldn´t? But then again, she could clearly remember the look on his face- to much just “Dipper” to imagine. The concern and the way the “rescued” her from Bill screamed her brother´s name in big bright letters. It needed to be him. `No, it was him, and he´s in danger!` She remembered him standing there while Bill dominated the scene, fear written all over her brothers features before darkness had consumed her. “Bill was there and Dipper he´s… he´s falling apart. His place was full of holes and he- I- I don´t know how long he can take it.” Her breath hitched now, a mixture of relief and the fear that they still might fail swirled in her stomach, making hot needles, puncturing her skin. Stan carefully laid his other hand on her shoulder, trying to give her something to hold on to, while his worried but still disbelieving gaze burned her heart at the exact place where the little piece of hope tried to hang on. “Mabel-“ But she only shook her head, wiggling herself out of his grip in protest! Hot tears were hiding in her eyes,  making them shine to give them a feverish gleam. Stan bit his lips, shocked by Mabel´s behavior and rather helpless about what he could possibly say. He wanted to believe her, he wished he could, but he also knew what the mind was making up in situations like that. Stan swallowed, when he felt her tugging at his hand again, looking up at him with big bleating eyes, while the first tears of the day marked the girls cheek´s in angry red stripes.   “Please Grunkle Stan… You need to believe me!” Her breath hitched, her desperate voice held back a little bit of anger at the way he looked at her, pitying her before her voice got lost, shrinking to nothing more than a low whisper while her eyes sunk to the floor.   “I- I saw him… it was Dipper. It was him…. it must be.” She whispered, before she shook her head, trying to focus herself back on what was important right now, but the fear for her brother was still audible in her words. “We need to safe him, he´s still frightening Bill but if we don´t hurry-” She swallowed, his gaze followed hers back to the stairs, where the fawn finally made it´s way downstairs on shivering legs. Should there really be left something of his nephew in the animal’s brain? The old man shuddered at the thought to be imprisoned in a body that wasn´t you own, unable to move or do anything at all, while a mind that´s supposed to be yours is directing every step you take.   He swallowed when goosebumps formed themselves on his neck, before he looked back down to her to met Mabel´s eyes again. “We need to get him back...” She insisted, with a whisper. “Please.” Stan bit his lips at the desperate tone of her voice, before he settled an unsteady but hopeful believable smile on his face, brushing his fingers through her hair.   “Don´t worry Mabel, we will.” At least it wouldn´t hurt to try right? If there was only the slightest bit of a chance they needed to take it. For Dipper. This was Gravity Falls after all… nothing here was impossible.

It didn´t take long to convince Wendy and Soos to believe her. The two clerks of the Shack had knocked on the door in hesitation before a bright smiling Mabel opened it to guide them inside. The duo looked at each other in confusion, the lack of a good night´s sleep was visible on both of their faces when they followed the little girl inside. The redhead shared a questioning look with Stan as Mabel began to explain her "meet an greet" with- whatever might be left of Dipper, but the old man only shrugged with a small grin and left the room to make some phone calls.

Wendy’s eyes searched for the fawn, while Soos was questioning Mabel why she didn´t use her superpowers like "last time"- yeah... she would rather not ask them about it. Dipper however seemed to be rather cautions around them today, he eyed even Mabel with weary look when she placed his breakfast in front of him. Wendy saw his ears flickering nervously back and forth between them an the door the little deer was standing in front. She swallowed, of course his instincts would finally drive him outside... away from them to someone more like his own kind. The little creature probably felt like being at the wrong place without anyone like his own. Maybe that’s why he was hooking himself on waddles heels as best as he could, but since the pig liked human company Dipper was mostly left by the doors on his own. Wendy sight- they really need to chance that, or Dipper might take the first chance to flee into the wood´s. He needed someone better than a swine, someone more like him who didn´t care about the humans- `Wait!` Her eyes got wide with a grin. "I´ll be right back!" She disappeared in the kitchen to make her way into the backyard, leaving a confused Mabel behind. "What?” She questioned, tilting her head to the side, but Soos only shrugged. "Don´t know." He muttered, before Wendy reappeared with- “Gompers?” Mabel blinked at the goat that looked around in the living room courious, already sniffing at Dippers plate of food before Mabel put it out of it's reach. "Hey! That’s for Dipper!" "Mabel wait!  Look..." Wendy pointed out to the little fawn which ears peaked up the moment Grompers had entered the room. Carefully he left his place at the door, sniffing the goats scent with a soft bleat before he pressed his forehead into the animals side brushing it while his tail waggled happily. Grompers looked up from the pile of food, giving the fawn a sniff licking over his left eye before he dugged his muzzle back into the food. Dipper blinked at the goats strange behavior but simply suggested to do the very same, carefully munching at Grompers side. Wendy let out a releaved breath, smiling at the animals eating piecefully together before her gaze flickered back to Soos and Mabel. The handyman had the same smile on his face while Mabel looked somewhat off... "Hey Mabel... you're okay?" Her question caused a blaffeld looked to appear on the girls face. "Yeah of course. Why wouldn’t I be?" She asked in return but her eyes were still glued to the little fawn interacting happily with the goat with no sight of fear he showed around humans... around her. But Wendy wasn’t fooled by her the strange look on her features spoke for itself. "You aren't jealous of Grompers are you? " Wendy smiked when a blush appeared on the girls cheeks. "What!? Of course not!" She grumbled. 'More like afraid...' the annoing voice im her head whispered. Mabel swallowed and tried to simply ignore it wehn Stan crashed back into the scene. "Whose jealous on whom?" He questioned before his eyes fell to the goat in his living room. "What? Who the hell let him in?" He accused, before Mabel answered him with a shrug. "He's here to give Dipper some company!" "Yeah, just look at how cut they are!" The handyman chooed when Dipper lay down beside Grompers who looked at the little fawn not knowing what the strange smelling creature was up too. Stan only groaned, brushing his hand over his face, before straightening his glasses again. "Just great, first the pig, then Dipper and now the goat too." He muttered, looking down at his furry nephew with a frown. "We better keep going now, before I can open a petting zoo."

The leaves of the trees vibrated with the noise that filled the forest,  like they shivered from the mix of human speech and the chanted warning of the birds who seemed to feel that something was going to happen in their wood. Mabel however wore a bright and proud smile on her lips, while she tied her brother’s leash to a tree near the stream. “I´m sorry Dip-dop, but we better not find out what the water could possibly do to you. So you´re staying here with Gompers until we safe your sorry but- alright?” But the little fawn was hardly listening to her, ever since they stepped onto the soft moss filled path of the forest Dipper was ignoring them, even Gompers who was loyally by his side. His ears were flickering in every possible reaction while he tugged at the leash whit all the little power he had, bleating now and then as if he was calling for someone. Mabel swallowed, she knew that whoever Dipper was waiting for, it wasn´t her… maybe his deer baby instincts told him to call for his mother? A soft sight escaped the girls lips, she could hardly imagine her mum “bleating” back to him- an even if so, it would be useless anyway because her brother wouldn’t recognize her. He was waiting for someone else, an other family…  which Mabel knew she wasn´t part of. She bit her lips, looking down at the fawn which observed the humans near the river not paying attention to her words or worry. It freaked her out that her brother still was somewhere behind all those fluffy fur and dark brown eyes- but at the same time she still hoped that he could hear her somehow- that he was still there, even if he was captured in this fuzzy movable prison. Mabel let out a soft breath, reaching for her brothers head to take it in moth her hands, forcing the little animal to look up to her, while she could see her own wet reflected in his dark ones. “Look at them Dipper, there all here to safe you.”  She smiled, turning the head of the young fawn into the direction of the cursed river. A plie of shoes was growing on the green beside the flowing water while some of the citizens were already wading through the shore side of the crystal clear steam. Even now the quaint acting steam was showing it´s dangerous magical potential, even with nearly the whole town in the water it stayed it´s clear self, like it was impossible to swirl up any mud at all. It seemed harmless on the shore spot they choose for their plan, but only a few meters ahead the river gurgled in a dangerous humming tone. The rain of the last days together with the still melting snow of the mountains had risen it´s high and fasten the steam into a dangerous level. Mabel knew out of experience that the steam was rather deep and dangerous as it was, they really need to be careful today and stay put were the water only reached their knees.  Her eyes grew dark as she watched the shining blue water, it was like it was singing but not in it´s usual charming and attracting way but more like a dark even foreboding song that should warn them not to come near.     But it´s not like the people of Gravity Falls noticed, it seemed like they were more curious of them changing back into monsters to rescue her brother than to worry about the water. It took them the whole day to get all of them together, the rays of the sun already began to darken into a deep orange, but at the and all of them were here. To be honest- the mayor assembling them did help a lot- even the Northwest´s were there, arguing with their daughter who was already standing in the water, who however managed to get them here. Mabel smiled, when she looked back into the dark brown eyes of her brother, who had tried to wiggle himself out of her grip until her eyes caught his again. She carefully brushed her fingertips over his cheek, hiding her hand in his soft fur. Her voice cracked and shivered a little beside her attempt to stay strong. “It took a while but we finally got them together so- just fight it a little longer… stay with me Dipper.” Her breath hitched by now, but the small deer didn´t so much as blink at the strange waver in the humans voice. But Mabel didn´t care, she took the opportunity and hugged him, holding the squirming deer close to her, whispering in it´s ear in the hope that her brother could still hear her in his disappearing mind. “Please… “ She begged, still holding him close to her so that he finally give up his attempts o flee, holding still while his ear flickered to catch her voice. “I love you bro-bro, whatever- I´ll… I´ll always be there.” The promise came along with a small tear that run down her cheek before the fawn instinctively licked it away. Mabel giggled but what came out of her was rather a snob than a laugh. She would never let him go when her Grunkle wouldn’t have called for her.

“Mabel?” The hesitation in Stan´s voice was audible, but he sighed in relief when Mabel finally turned around. “I´m- I´m coming!” She shouted, putting herself up from the ground to run back to the others already waiting for her before she turned around to her brother one last time.   “Wait for me.” She whispered, while Dipper turned his head to the side, one ear flickering up in confusion before he let out a small bleat.

Mabel smiled at him and pulled of her sandals while she was running to her Grunkle, leaving them on her way. Stan had watched the interaction between the twins with a burning throat, he coughed slightly to get rid of the lump in his throat but failed miserably when is nice gave him a questioning look. “Is everyone here?” Mabel asked while scanning the area again, while some of the people looked at them waiting, others were chatting with their feet in the steam like they were standing on the weekly mart of Gravity Falls. “Yep.” Stan answered, sharing her look, before his smile fell when his eyes chough the still arguing Northwest´s – not it the water but on land. He grumbled, already rolling up the sleeves of his suit while speaking. “Except for those two arrogant snob´s- but I´ll get them in there even if-“ But Wendy disturbed him, punishing her fist into her free hand with a smug smile. “Don´t worry Mr. Pines, I´ll take care of them.” Mabel and Stan blinked at the redhead before they looked at each other with a shrug, before they made their way into their water themselves. But even in the water they were able to listen in the conversation between the Northwest´s and Pacifica. “But you promised-“ “I don´t care Pacifica. There is now way that someone our league will play in the water with- with them.” Mr. Northwest scoffed, disgust written all over his face, while her mum seemed to shiver by the thought of getting even her little toe in the steam. “You´re right dear. God knows what we´ll catch in this germ factory- it´s like-“ She shuddered, having problem to even spell the word out. “No even worse than a public toilet.”  Pacifica blinked at this comparison, looking at her already wet feet before she shook her head, ignoring the fact that her skin suddenly began to itch. “It´s not, you promised you´ll help!”  She argued, but only got a cold calculating look from her father. “That was before we knew it include taking a public bath with the rest of the useless town. And now get out of there Pacifica, immediately.” He ordered but the blonde girl refused, crossing her arms above her chest to look into another direction. “No!” “Get. Out. Now!” “No I wont.” She answered, looking back up to her parents with all the anger she had tried to hide since their big party and the ghost that cursed her family and her. “Pacifca you-“ But his speech was stopped when suddenly Wendy stood right beside the Northwest couple. “Hey!” She greeted, a knowing smile already on her lips when the rich family stared at her dumbfounded. “You know- I think it´s time to keep a cool head.” And before any of them had the time to react she pushed them into the river so that Pacifica needed to jump out of the way, but still got covered in water form the splash the Northwest couple caused when they fell into the water. Wendy smirked at the hidden smile of the blonde and jumped into the river right after them, before she gave the Pines a thumb up.

Mabel smiled and waved back to her, before she looked up to Stan, waiting for something to happen. “What now? Do we need to summon him again?” Stan shrugged and tugged out a piece of paper form his pocket. “That was what I´m about to do- I already prepared-“

But he suddenly stopped, eyes going wide when the wind grew stronger, the trees seemed to tremble, branches groaning and cracking in the wind.  The already dark pink sunlight turned into a more bloodlike red, which Mabel remembered form her dream.

They didn´t need to call for Bill. He already found them.

A lighting bust out of the cloudless sky, leaving behind a scotched spot in the grass, while the thunder vibrated in their bones, making Dipper try to follow Gompers who fled in the wood, tugging at his leash while the noise let the people cringe form the pain in their ears, leaving them deaf for a few seconds before the sound returned in a waring peeping tone.   The demon hovered over the burned spot of grass. His single eye grown dark red while he seemed to struggle to stay on this plane of existence. Mabel watched with a satisfied grin as it was now Bills turn to flicker back and forth into reality, while blue lighting was cracking all over his body.

“YOU!”

The demons eye flickered over the whole town in the river, anger displayed itself in his shrinking pupil, when his gaze finally settled on what was left of the Pines family.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?”

He demanded while electricity seemed to fill his voice making it sound like a broken record. Mabel swallowed the fear that dogged into her skin with hundreds of little hot needles, crossing her arm before she forced a knowing smile on her lips. “What is it triangle head? Is the power of this little steam maybe stronger that your deal?” The demon blinked, before his eye grew wide. “H-How?” He questioned, while a blue sparkle emitted form his body making him flinch and flicker as Mabel´s smile only grew wider. “Easy Billy- you told us so yourself.” But Mabel´s smirk only annoyed the demon even more. “Foolish human, I would never do such a thing!” He argued, hovering warning over them but at the same time stayed out of the water´s reach. “Oh sure you wouldn´t.” Mabel shrugged, but again looking up to him with a knowing smile. “It must be my imagination that you said that we “tugged on your power with our silly idea to jump in the cursed water”, last time we met.” Mabel mocked, satisfied to see the demon speechless for once.   “Well, well, well… fine you got me there shooting star. But you´re forget one thing, I was part of this curse too- and you know what? I´m not up for swimming today- to bad isn´t it?” The demon shrugged, laying back mind air to observe his nonexistent fingernails, but another flicker made him flinch all coolness gone within a second. There was no way he could fool those humans with his body like that, the annoying grin of the little girl below told him he was right with that thought. “You´re sure- you don´t look like you can hold on for much longer cheesy head.” “You-!” But the death thread got stuck in his throat when the older Pines dare to interference his speech. „The girl is right. Give it up Cipher, none of us is going to move.“ Stan shouted up to the demon, while the whole town stood behind them, some afraid while other´s seemed to notice that they were gathering the upper hand. Mabel beamed with pride when she looked at all the people standing behind them, it was like nothing could stop them now. Not even this brick covered yellow demon. “Yeah! You turn my brother back now, or the power of the river will tear you apart!” She treaded with a demanding tone in her voice, fear of the demon long forgotten. Mabel couldn’t know that this was a grave mistake. You better not underestimate a demon, even less an angry one. Bill´s eye flickered a dangerous red when he let out a inhuman growl, turning to the little girl below. “You want your brother little shooting star?” He questioned a mad chuckle hiding in his words, when he looked back to the struggling fawn from the corner of his eye.

“I´ll give him to you!”

“W-What?” But before Mabel could blink the demon rose his hand and she could feel his power crawling under her skin when suddenly her feet left the muddy ground of the river when Bill leveled her high in the air only to drop her unceremonial on the dry ground. The flickering of his form stopped as soon as she was out of the water, he could still feel the damn river consuming a part of his power but it was enough left to end this. Now.

“Mabel!” Stan shouted but Bill only shook his head, turning back to the citizens with a cruel gleam in his eye. “Ah ah ah~ You wanted to stay in the water- so you´ll stay now.”  She smirked, snapping his fingers to watch the water around their knees becoming doughty like glue making it impossible for them to move. Stan growled and cursed at the demon in language not meant for children, but he didn´t care, his eyes fixed themselves on his nice on the ground, while Bill decided to simply ignore the shouting people in his back, turning around to look at the little girl being at his mercy.

“There you go shooting star – you better welcome him with open arms and don´t try to struggle too much- he´s your brother after all… he has all right to-  end you!”  Bills mad laughter made her blood run cold. “W-What?” She gasped, but then searched for the small tree she had tied the fawn onto only to see his features radiating a blue-golden glow, the leash vanishing into thing hair. The little deer had closed his eyes shut, twitched and confused on itself like it seemed to struggle against the demons power. But with a smug grin and a snap of the demons finger´s the deer stood still.

Stan was holding his breath, hearing the people in his back shouting in anger and fear, while his world seemed to crumble when his nephew opened his eyes again. “No!” But Mabel only stared at the golden pupil less eyes of her brother; his name was barely a whisper on her lips, while her heart seemed to stop beating this very moment. “Dipper…”

Bills mad chuckles filled the air, when he hovered down to pat the immovable fawn on his head. “Good boy- now it´s time to have some fun.” He smirked, looking back to Mabel while he directed the deer’s empty golden eyes to her as well.

Dipper visibly flinched when Stan´s broken voice reached his furry ears, before he nodded hesitantly, moving his gaze to his Grunkle´s feet. Stan himself just watched the fawns gestures with a blank expression, his mind tried to understand what he already know but didn’t want to accept at the same time. Every fiber of his body screamed for denial, while his heart already ached underneath the pain of knowing the truth. That was the problem wasn’t it? He knew Dipper wasn’t imagining things this time, he knew it wasn’t due to the kid´s paranoia that he come up to him with that matter especially. The truth was that Dippers time was coming to an end…

´Damn it!´

The owner of the Mystery Shack grit his teeth, while his heart hurt with every single beat. He could feel hot panic running over his skin when he recognized that his breaths were fast and shallow. ´No- now’s not the time to go all panicked Stan, not in front of the kid at least.´ He tried to calm himself down with a long breath before his eyes moved back to dippers furry state. The deer hadn’t moved an inch, but his trembling figure told him that he needed to make a move now, because even when he was suffering his loss Dipper was far more worse then him. Stan was biting the inside of his cheek while slowly lowering to Dippers level, but once his hand was about to reach out for Dipper, the deer snapped back to focus. His eyes were glued to his fingertips, his body ready to jump if Stan would made a wrong move. The old man let out a long sigh, leaving his hand were it was. “I know kid, I would probably be afraid of me too, comes with being an old grumpy guy.” He muttered with a defeated breath. Dippers ear twitched towards him, his mind still clear enough to understand his Grunkle´s words through his fear. Stan´s own gaze moved to the floor so he couldn’t see how Dippers ears moved back as he took a step forward. Stan´s attention snapped back to the former boy before him when fur suddenly brushed against his hand. He could feel how his own eyes begin to burn when he met his nephews gaze, who rested his head in his hand in a trusting gesture. “Dipper…” Stan´s broken voiced echoed empty in the closed gift shop. Apologies were waiting on his tongue, but not a single one ever left his lips. He wasn’t about to try to ease his guilt this time, because even when he still thought that his was his fault since he was the one who should’ve been watching the kid, all his apologizes wouldn’t do any good for Dipper. If anything they would suggest that he was about to give his family up.

He swallowed, carefully brushing his fingers against Dippers furry cheek, while he tried to inject some determination into his raspy voice. “We’ll bring you back kid… I promise.”

He would never forget the way the small boy looked up to him, with big sad eyes that looked up to him with the faintest glow of hope, while a missing sparkle called him a liar. It seems like the kid didn’t have the guts to break his Grunkle´s heart, knowing a truth Stan wasn’t yet able to admit while he forced a small smile underneath his wet muzzle and nodded in hesitation, leaving Stan with his last hope.

The silence that stretched between them was bust with a loud cracking noise from the living room a few rooms ahead, followed by Mabel´s cheerful voice “It´s nothing, I’m alright!”. Stan chuckled, and carefully raised to his full hight again with a dry laughter while his eyes still glistened with tears that weren’t allowed to flow, as he tried to lighten the mood. “Well we better go look at this ‘nothing’.” He grumbled, but before he was able to leave the Shop, Dipper tugged at the edge of his sleeve. He turned around to face the small fawn beside him who looked up to him with a questions look. Stan only rose an eyebrow when Dipper gestured in the direction of the noise with a soft bleat, before he looked back up to him with begging eyes.

The lump that had lingered to grow in his throat suddenly expanded to leave him breathless when he recognized what Dipper was asking from him, probably the real reason the boy had come to him in the first place.

He was asking him to watch over Mabel… when he would not be able to anymore.

Stan tried to swallow, and took his glasses off to run his fingers through his hair and dry his burning eyes his without Dipper noticing. But the burning stare of the deer was still the same once he put his glasses back on. Stan sight, and carefully ruffled the deer´s head,  like he would have done to the boy’s hair before he nodded with a reassuring smile that never reached his eyes.  

“Don’t worry Dipper, I´ll take care of her…” He swallowed when his voice broke under the dulling stare of his nephew. “I promise…”

He watched a small breath escaping Dippers lips, it seems like a weight suddenly was of the boy’s shoulders, before he left to look for Mabel with a smile, that Stan recognize that the boy was a lot more brave and grown up than they had taken him credit for.

His own, features darkened when he saw the boy leaving. “I´ll take care of both of you Dipper… no matter what.”

Stan sighed and looked out of the window again, the darkness was fading more and more now. And when a shy bleat echoed through the house he knew that it was now time to fulfill his promise.

Something ruffled through her hair, making her stir in her sleep. She dragged herself deeper in her pillow and enjoyed the warmth of her bed, ready to go back to play with unicorns and cute winged kittens in her dreamland until a soft bleat ripped her out again. Mabel blinked when dark spots were dancing before her eyes until her vision was free enough to give away a small fawn chewing peacefully on one of her locks.

“Dipper…”

Cold needles were pinching underneath her skin, as her brother’s name escaped her lips in a shy breath. The deer’s ears picked up her noises so that the little creature lifted its head to look at her, still mind chewing on her hairs. Mabel took a sharp breath when their eyes finally met.

For a second the former twins just stared at each other. Mabel prayed in silent pain for her brothers intelligence to return into the soft brown eyes of the deer. But when the fawn only tilted his head in confusion Mabel could feel her heart shatter in her chest.

Dipper really was gone…

Her breath hitched, a hint of new tears began to burn in her eyes when she reached out for her brother- just to stop when she saw the fawn twitch, dropping her hair to focus himself on her fingers. Dipper´s shiny black nose twitched sniffing her scent, just to step a little closer towards her. He was acting just like the deer yesterday. The lump in Mabel’s throat began to grow when the fawn finally touched her hand, letting her fingers brush through the warm fur. She couldn’t help but smile when he leaned into her touch, his tail wagging happily as he enjoyed the feeling of being pet. Mabel tried to swallow but failed, as her fingers dug into his fur, brushing her brother’s cheek while her words were barely more than a whisper. “We’ll get you back Dipper, I promise.” She choked when the fawn only looked at her with blank curios eyes unable to understand the noises of the strange creature before him.  A small flame of determination returned inside her and got Mabel to shake her head the usual smile returning to her lips, weak but there. She wasn’t about to give up now. Dipper wouldn´t , so neither would she.   “Okay Mr. Fluffybutt- time to get you down there to figure out what to do.”

He was about to bring Dippers bowls into the living room when he crossed the stairs and saw Mabel coming down, carrying the fawn underneath its front legs. Her eyes were glued to the staircase carefully making one step after another, while the small deer took a lazy look around. That was until it´s eyes met Stan the he began to struggle in Mabel’s arms, throwing her balance of with noisy bleats. His sister’s knees got wobbly, while she tried to hold on to the slippery animal in her arms.   “Dipper What-? Stop it, you will make us faAAAA-“ But just as her foot slipped over the edge of step, two strong arms wrapped themselves around them. “Don’t worry, I got you.” Mabel blinked when the hot rush of panic slowly left her system, while Dipper still struggled in her arms, making her ears ring with his high pitched bleats, while Stan was holding them so close to his body that she could feel his own heartbeat beside her’s as fast and loud as her own.  She was hiding her fingers in her Grunkle´s collar to brush her cheek against Stan’s chest, as she registered that all of them seemed to need this kind of steady contact right now, while Bill’s deal had stolen the ground underneath their feet. Even Dipper´s struggles had died down a little as he looked unsure from Stan to Mabel and back, before bleating softly in her ear because he really wanted to be nowhere near the tall, strange smelling creature that was holding both of them right now. Mabel watched Stan´s gaze moving to her brother´s shiny dark eyes, to see his old wrinkly face reflected in them, she saw his features harden at Dippers sight, but the surprise and hope she at felt looking at him for the first time this morning where missing in Stan’s eyes. The only thing that filled them seemed to be grief and loss, that nearly made her puke all over him, while a small voice in her head tried to remind her of the very view situations she had Stan seen like that. Alone, staring in the air with the exact same expression before a sigh breathed them away in a flash of his glasses, leaving this emotions as an illusion in her mind. Mabel swallowed, instinctively hugging her deer-ly brother closer to her body, but before she could question Stan about it, his rusty voice blew the thought out of her system as he carefully settled both of them down.

“You should let me carry him sweetie. As light as he is now, I can’t have you getting hurt because of his fears.”  He grumbled, as he watched his former nephew flee from him, as soon as his hooves touched the ground. “Or- maybe not.” He sight, putting himself back up for his spine to crack in an unglorious manner.  Mabel looked up to him, still waiting for anything he was about to say about Dipper´s state of mind- or rather his not state of mind. But instead Stan´s features darkened a little, hurt flashing hidden in his eyes, while his gaze was still glued of the doorframe of the living room Dipper had fled into. “Seems like he´s afraid of me.” Stan noted in a dry voice, chuckling a little while his eyes wandered down on himself. “Well I can´t hold it against him.”  The hidden sadness in her Grunkles tone made Mabel curl her lip in protest. “Nah-  don’t worry Grunkle Stan.  Deer or not, it’s still Dipper you know- he was never the cuddly one. I’m sure he’ll come to you again, if it´s about food.”  A small smile made it to his dry lips, so he let his fingers curl through Mabel’s hair in a thankful manner. “Already prepared for that. His food is in the living room, I can prepare you something if you like to.” “Don’t worry Grunkle Stan, some “Fruit Loops”, will do just fine today.” Stan eyed her with a knowing look. “You sure? You know, I still got left some of the really “good” stuff-“  He saw a glimpse of eyes growing wide before Mabel vanished into the kitchen, before he could even finish his sentence. “But leave something for your old Grunkle would ‘ya!” He huffed. “I’ll need to fix something in the Gift Shop, but I already called Soos and Wendy for a war council, be sure to get something in your brother’s stomach too until then. “ He didn’t quite understand the cereal drowned answer he got, but it was enough for Stan to leave them alone, closing the door behind him before he faced a very well known vending machine. It was time to get some answers, this or the other way around.

“So… all we can do now is wait for Pacifica-pain-in-the-ass-Northwest?”  Wendy snorted. “I mean look at him, I don’t think we’ll have all day to- Soos! God dammit would you stop that! He´s not a dog.” She snapped at the handyman who was actually throwing carrot and apple pieces through the living room for Dipper to fetch them. “Why? He is having fun doing it, and we finally got him to eat something. Right little dude?” He grinned when the deer wagged its tail as he patted its head. Wendy only sighed, at the stupid attitude of those two boys, before she turned back to Mabel and cleared her throat. “What I’m trying to say is, that we should get those last signatures ourselves, even if we need a little violence to do so.” She watched Mabel frown, her eyes were still glued to Soos and Dipper playing before she turned her gaze to the redhead. “I don’t know. Pacifica promised it, and… I don’t think she’s a bad person. I even believe that she has a small crush on Dipper.” She giggled, well knowing how her brother would react if he could hear her telling this to none other than Wendy, but the fawn’s ears didn’t so much as twitch, his nose already searching for the next piece of apple in Soos hands. “And besides…” She swallowed, her tongue suddenly heavy in her mouth. “I´m… I´m not sure what it’s good for anymore…”

She whispered, too afraid of her own voice saying something like that out loud. Wendy couldn’t help but gape at her and even Soos who only had listened with a half ear to the girls looked at her with a questioning look.  Mabel felt their eyes upon her, nervously kneading the tips of her Sweater beneath her fingers, before her gaze wandered to Dipper, who was nudging Soos fist in order to get to the treats. He looked up to her with a demanding bleat, like he wanted her help to get them. But since it only made her lip waver even more the fawn tiled it´s head, moving closer to her to brush his forehead against her head.  Mabel sighed, at started to pet his fur before she began to speak since all eyes were still on her. “Dipper is…” She swallowed, and chewed on the inside of her cheek before she dared to finish her sentence. “He´s gone… And Bill- he said that we have time until then, right? But now that Dipper isn’t here anymore I’m just- not sure that it is going to work…” She choked, her eyes were burning again. “Bullshit!” Wendy´s voice echoed through the Shack, so that Mabel looked back up to her again.   “That’s bullshit and you know that!”  Wendy’s eyes wavered from Mabel back to Dipper, she remembered the hot pain that had strapped through her chest when she first saw the little fawn this morning.  The small deer had been hiding from her and Soos, it was only for Mabel’s reassuring words that he had come back out again. The dark brown eyes that had nothing to do with Dippers intelligent ones had sent shivers down her spine, and she watched his cold nose twitching before he finally allowed her near enough to touch him. She would not say that doubt had never crossed her mind, but it left her system as soon as she had seen how he was acting around Mabel, she would never had guessed that just that girl couldn’t see what was so very obvious. But Mabel only blinked at her, so Wendy finished her thoughts with a sight. “Don´t you see that he´s acting different especially around you Mabel? I mean, okay he was fine with me and Soos after a while, but it’s clear that he still trusts you the most. Heck he´s even following you around all the time- so don’t tell me that he doesn’t know that you’re his family.” “She´s right dude.” Soos confirmed Wendy’s thoughts with a nod. “He might be a lot more deery right now, but he´s still a little bit of Dipper inside.”  Mabel looked back and forth between them, before her eyes settled back on Dipper, who´s head was resting in her lap while his eyes were getting heavier with every second, fighting against sleep just like the cute baby he looked like. “He´s still afraid of Stan…” She murmured.   “Of course he is. Most animals are afraid of tall grumpy men Mabel, he’ll warm up to him, don’t worry. “ Wendy assured her, but her gaze was still fixed on her brother while she ruffled him to sleep. “Maybe… maybe you’re right and he still somewhat remembers us but-“ She was biting her lip, looking back up to them with the usual smile missing on her soft face. “he´s not remembering himself…”  She sighed, pointing to the journal on the dinosaur skull beside her. “I showed him the journal, read those stupid nerdy pages out loud, but Dipper only tried to eat the pages.”  She huffed, pointing to the freshly chewed marks on the cover. “Dipper would never ever do something like that! He loves this old musty thing.”

Wendy and Soos shared a look. Even if Dipper was still there… Mabel got a point, their time was running out. The redhead sighed, shaking her head, before she let her hand rest on Mabel´s shoulder. “I know it’s hard kid, but that´s why we must get this signatures as fast as possible.”  She watched Mabel swallowed, before she nodded slowly. “We’re waiting two more hours, if Pacifica didn’t call then-“ Her face suddenly hardened in determination, while she looked at her sleeping brother with a protective growl.   “We’ll get them by ourselves.”

Nope. Null. Niente. Nothing.

“Damn it!” Stan cursed, ruffing through his hairs with an annoyed groan, leaving them sprayed in all directions without his fez.  He closed the last journal with a grunt, looking back up to the picture of Dipper and Mabel, only to see his own reflection looking back at him with a accusing frown. “Really sixer, you were obsessed this this stupid triangle head and still there is nothing in your stupid nerd books that’s going to help.” He swallowed while his gaze drifted back to the gold rimmed six fingered hand.   “I can´t lose the boy, Dipper…” Stan murmured, placing his own hand over the six fingers of the journal. “Please… not him too.”

No.

He wasn’t about to give up now. Stan frowned, picking the dark light back on to go through the hidden secrets of the journals once again. But even before he had the chance to open the first page an ear piercing scream echoed through the Shack, making the blood in his veins freeze. ´No!´ “MABEL!”   He jumped up, running back to the elevator and cursed at it´s slow movement as it crawled back up. His heart was bumping in his throat, he could feel it skip a beat here and there, but it didn’t matter now. Even a heart attack wasn’t about the hold him back now, as soon as the elevator opened it’s doors he jumped out behind the vending machine, damn secret all forgotten as he took the small steps up to the living room.

Screams were welcoming him, but while they summoned panic in his own ears his eyes told him what a soft, warmhearted fool he was around those kids. Because while he was still scanning the area for a threatening creature that attacked his family he saw Wendy- the tomboyish girl “Whoo-ing” out of all things, giving  Soos a fist bump who was throwing a bleating fawn in the air (okay- he might tell the kid to stop that) while Mabel was dancing, jumping and screaming in the middle of it all, only to get herself even more tangled in the telephone cord, before she handed said thing to her Grunkle in her happy sing song voice. “She did it Grunkle Stan! We’re gonna save him! We’ll save Dipper! Yeeaaaaaay!”

She hopped away, tugging at the phone in his hands, only to fall over the line on the floor, still rolling in giggles and laughs of relief. Stan blinked and raised an eyebrow before he answered the call. “Uh- Hello?” He heard her sigh, glad to have a normal human being at the phone for once. But even Stan could her the small satisfied smile in the rich´s brat tone.  

The deer took over more and more why he had a hard time staying focused most of the time. And truth to be told, he was scared. It felt like slowly drowning in a lake of darkness and the deeper he sunk, the more light from the surface got swallowed in the shadows around him. His gaze moved to his sister who was already waiting for him at the entrance, her never fading smile still steady on her lips, but it couldn’t quite reach her eyes this time. Because the desperate glimmer of worry mixed with her stubborn hope gave her away. Mabel knew what was coming, but was yet to afraid to let it get through her, so she still clung on the little bit hope that was left for him, pressing the doorbell once again.

The ringing tone in his ears made him flinch, but Mabel hand was already on his back, drawing reassuring circles in his fur while they waited for the Northwest´s to open the door.

But the wooden wall before them stayed close. The only sound that was heard was rustling nasal tone from the intercom. “We´re sorry, but the Northwests will not receive visitors today.” The cold answer, probably from the old butler made Dipper’s heart sink, along with his ears, which brushed his fluffy cheeks. Mabel registered his defeated gesture for a second before she rammed her hand into the side of her hips, growling into the glassy black eye of the camera. "Yes they will! They own it to Dipper, so let us in!" "Again I´m sorry young Miss but I need to request you and your cuddly toy to leave this mansion, or I´m forced to unleash the hounds." "Meeeahh!" <Hounds!> Dipper squeaked in a frightened tone. He grabbed his sister’s sleeve with his snout, tugging at it in order to make her leave. <Mabel let´s go. Just forget it! We find another way.> But of course Mabel didn´t gave in to him, instead she shook her head in stubbornness. "No Dipper. We won´t give up now. We- I need to talk with them." <Great!> Dipper huffed, silently pounding beside her. <One time you actually get what I´m trying to say you won´t listen to me!> The rustling noise of the speaker coughed his attention again, when his ears picked up the new voice. "It´s okay James..." The door opened to reveal the youngest family member in the doorway, looking down at Mabel in an annoying manner. "...I´ll deal with them." She finished, inspecting her fingernails. "What do you want Pines?" The blonde watched how the smile on the former mermaid melted away and even Pacifica knew that this was a rare sight to be seen on Mabel.

"I need your help." Mabel murmured in a low voice. "Why should I-" But Pacifica was cut off again, by the big brown eyes of the girl before her. "Please, it´s for Dipper." Mabel´s lower lip wavered when the blonde hesitated for a second before she gave in with an annoyed breath. "Fine..., come in then." <Before anyone could see me out here with you>, followed her sentence in an unspoken whisper. But even before she was able to close the door again, an animalistic sound echoed through the giant halls of Northwest Manor. Pacifica spun around to come face to butt with a white tail risen high in the air while the deer´s front was sprawled down on the freshly polished floor. She watched in silent surprise how the fawn´s attempt to stand up failed again and again, to end with him tangled in his own limps, while his bleats swallowed Mabel’s suppressed laughter. Pacifica blinked- did the deer actually glared at Mabel? The questioning look it gave her caught underneath his foreleg definitely looked like it. Another blead finally made Mabel put herself together so that she approached the small animal with a smile. "Okidoki Bambi, let´s untangle your furry mess." She grinned taking Dippers foreleg in the right position before she lifted his bottom from the ground. But before Mabel had the chance to repeat her gesture on the deer´s front Dippers shivering hind legs began to slide apart again, so that he fell with a dull noise back on the floor. He gritted his teeth when his bone´s arched again so that he didn´t complain when Mabel lifted him up underneath his forelegs, carrying him close to her so that he didn´t need to struggle with the slippery floor again. "Mabel?" Pacifica’s voice let her turn around with Dipper in her arms, but once the rich´s girls eyes met his Dipper avoided her gaze as best as he could while Pacifica looked back and forth between Mabel and the fawn. "Why is there a deer in our house?"

Mabel could feel Dipper flinch underneath her fingertips; she looked from her brother back to Pacifica with a sight. "It´s not a deer Pacifica..." The blond shot her a questioning look, rinsing one eyebrow slowly. "Huh? Care to tell me what you´re trying to imply here-"

"This is Dipper."

These simple words made her world stop for a second, sentences of disbelieve and mistrust were already forming on her tongue but the simple fact that the small deer actually flinched when Mabel spelled her brother’s name, along with the fact that the fawn clearly seemed to her avoided her gaze with his very human eyes made her hesitate while Mabel looked up to the rich girl with a shy smile. "Told you that we need your help." She murmured into her brother’s- no the fawns fur. But Pacifica’s eyes were still glued on the deer and for the first time she noticed the strange formation of its dot´s at least the once which weren’t hidden in gauze and bandages, that seemed to cover his whole body. Why was he injured? Who would hurt a small helpless animal like that? <Who would dare to hurt Dipper?> The deep silence that hung in the air made the deer hesitantly looking up to her again, with eyes she was jet to stubborn to recognize so that her own gaze quickly fell to the floor as she spoke. "Into the backyard then..." She whispered and moved ahead for Mabel and the deer to follow.

"Wait- What? Are you seriously telling me that he´s like that because of us?" She snorted, giving the deer a look who was nose- or rather muzzle deep into the pink and yellow roses, while his jaw moved in an pleasured way. "Is he stupid? Why would he even do that?!" Mabel only rolled her eyes, while she followed Pacifica’s gaze. “Duh- Because he´s Dipper, stupid.” She let out a breath and shook her head with a small smile. “He thought that he´s responsible for what happened to us. He was afraid that something bad might happen to us because of what we had turned into, like the one time you nearly turned your Mum to stone, remember?” The color that drained from Pacifica´s face was enough to answer Mabel´s question. Of course she remembered that… her parent´s wanted to extract the teeth of the golden snakes that covered her face like her hair once had, because no Northwest could risk to poison someone with anything, much less her hair. She tried to tell them that they were part of her, that she had them under control and if they hurt the snakes they would hurt her too. But of course her parents weren´t listening again, especially her mother, who from the beginning on had pitied her for her loss of femininity with those ugly things on her head. And then something in her had snapped, the heat that had bottled up inside her finally found a way out and exploded right from her eyes which had been fixed on her mother´s figure. Luckily she wasn´t able to control these powers yet, so only a small amount hit the plastic like frame of her mother so that the stone began to crawl slowly over her body. The needed help, so she searched for someone who might be able to stop the curse she had laid about her mother herself, and of course the only one who came to her mind had been… <Dipper…> Pacifica shallowed while she watched the fawns tail swishing in delight while the white bandages that covered his small body burned in her eyes. It had taken the cervitaure the whole day searching in the now- even more dangerous forest, but he managed to find a cure. He saved her mum from her mistake. And even if he observed everything with only a shy smile the inside of him must have known the dangers and fears that had lingered underneath their scales, fur, stone and feathers. He might have guessed that she dreamed about turning the whole city to stone, leaving her alone with only her mirror image before- The blonde swallowed hard, enjoying the feeling of her soft air against her very human skin.         Now it was Dipper who needed their help. To undo the deal, the pleased surprise to be fully human again. Because why all of them had only been half of a monster, Dipper was now loosing himself in his furry coat of self-loading. But the price they need to pay for Dipper to return was high. Especially for a Northwest, the simply weren´t used to make deals like that, her family wasn´t used to do something for another one with nothing to gain out of it, but for simple kindness and humanity. But- she wasn´t like the rest of her family, was she?

Pacifica took a deep breath, before she looked up to Mabel again. “I- can I speak to him?” Mabel blinked in surprise, like she had said the stupidest thing ever, before he nodded slowly. “I guess so. Even if he can´t talk back probably he´s still there… sometimes. But- where did he go?” She squeaked in suppressed panic while her eyes searched the rose bushes Dipper had chosen for a second lunch, only to find her brother gone, before a stifled snort asked for her attention again. She followed Pacifica’s eyes only to find a smile widen on her own lips as well, even when her insides clenched themselves at the sight of her brother. At least Dipper was still in the garden, or rather in the rose bed, rolling in the damp earth like a dog or a cat would do on its favorite spot. Only that it was Dipper doing it, obviously whit his instincts out of control again. But Mabel´s silent laughter died down at Pacifica´s next words. “I don´t think my parents or our gardener will be pleased about this mess.” But Mabel could clearly hear the satisfied grin beneath her words, before she turned to face her again. “Is he doing things like that often? It´s so- unlike him to lose it like that.” The second she saw Mabel flinch at her words, she wanted nothing more like to punch herself for the stupid question she just asked. Of course it was… why else would Mabel ask for her help. But the brown haired girl answered her anyway, the sad smile didn´t mixed up well with her bracelets which glittered in the sun.       “Yes it is…” He announced with a small nod. “It´s getting worse,…fast.” She whispered, more to herself than to her friend by her side. But with a delighted bleat form her deer brother rolling in the muddy earth, Mabel´s mind came back to focus again, as well as her smile when she called for him. “Hey Dipdop, you better stop that now, or do you want Stan to chance your bandages yet again?” She questioned, while Pacifica watched in fascination how his name along with Mabel´s voice seemed to ring some bells in the fawns head, so that he stopped to blink at them in confusion. “Come over here Dipper, Pacifica wants to talk to you.” Another blink. An ear that twitched to them. And then finally Dippers eyes gained their focus again, when he looked down at the ground, than to his dirty fur and Pacifica knew that he would be bright red now as he pictured together what he had just been doing before he totted over to them. Mabel only rolled her eyes, the reassuring smile never left her lips as she brushed trough his fur to clean it form the dirt, before she whispered something in his twitching ear. Pacifica didn´t quite understand what the discussion was about, but the embarrassed bleat Dipper let out, together with Mabel´s big smile when she stepped aside to give them some space along with the word “lovebirds” she might have heard was enough for her own face to flush bright red when she was finally alone with Dipper. Or rather the deer that looked up to her with Dipper’s eyes, before his flustered gaze moved back to the ground. Again she could feel her insides begin to boil as she observed the multiple bandages his small fame was caught in. Because small he was. Nothing more than a fawn, a baby dear, barely reaching her hip with his head form where he stood.

“Dipper…”

She swallowed, wondering in silence how fast the lump in her throat had grown, making his name raspy and dry on her lips, when she kneeled down to him. But when the fawn still avoided looking up at her she brushed the side of his furry cheek with her hand, raspy voice forgotten. “Dipper, look at me-“She moved his head, directing his eyes to hers. “-you stubborn idiot.” But the annoyance glance the fawn now shot her made her heart jump in her chest. He was still there. Pacifica sight, shaking her head while she let her finger run through his fur. “Really- after all what had happed you´ve still been the option that making a deal with Bill was a good idea?” She questioned, while Dipper’s gaze wavered to the side, and even without him saying anything she knew what he was thinking. <I know- I should have known better.> She only shook her head, while her fingers drifted through her own golden hairs again, but her hesitation only lasted a few seconds. “Well seems like it´s our job to safe you now- the great Mystery hunter of Gravity Falls.” She smiled and watched how the eyes of were going wide in awe. “Meah?” The shy bleat,that was nothing like Dippers former voice send shivers down her spine. But again- somehow she knew what he meant. “Of course I´m sure Dipper. I´m a Northwest at least, and where’re always confident in what we do.” She retorted in fake arrogance, but of course it was Dipper she was talking to- so the small deer didn´t let her go that easily. His cold wet nose nudged her hand, which still held a strand of her golden hair. “Meeaaah?” He questioned, worry hidden in his dark brown eyes. Again she brushed over his face, before her hand rested on the fawn’s cheek. A shy but determinate smile hovered on her lips. “Don´t worry Dipper, I`ll be alright, since it´ll be you watching over me, right?” She could feel a light blush rising to her cheeks, while Dipper’s eyes began to widen again, before she finally was catching herself again, only to stand up with a distance caught. Face still bright red, as she looked down to him again. “Because you promised right? You promised the town to turn us back to normal- and since I´ll make that deal for you, I bet on you for holding your part of it too deer boy.” Dipper blinked confused at her sudden outburst, before something like a smirk appeared on the deer´s face with a confident nod. “See now we understand each other.” But the cold, business tone vanished as soon as it had risen, before Dipper got to get back to Mabel. “Don´t worry Dipper…” She whispered with a shy smile, but obviously loud enough to catch his attention again, when Dipper turned around to her to nod is head in a thankfull manner. Mabel hugged her tight, again, thanking her a thousand times before the two of them finally left through the now opened gate, while Pacificas eye's followed the strange pair of twins with a hollow feeling inside her while hot determination burned in her throat. “Don’t worry…” <You´ll get all the signatures you need.> “I´ll take care of it, from now on.” She promised.

Despite their successive encounter with Pacifica Mabel had gone silent during the walk to the forest back to the Shack. He shot her a worried glance while he padded by her side. His leg still arched and the damn stiches had already begun to itch, but he was glad that he was at least able to walk by himself again. But while he felt some sort of relieve that Pacifica promised to help him it was Mabel he was actually worried about. Usually she would be relieved and happy, telling him a hundred times that she was right, just like she had told him, but now she was walking beside him, her usual smile missing. A small sight escaped his lips, while his ears moved down in annoyance. Normally it was now his part to lighten the mood, talking to her to elicit her spirit back again. Making a dump joke for her to laugh again, but now he couldn´t do any of those things. He was useless, as her brother as well as her twin. <Or as a human at all…> Dipper grumbled, while he thought about nudging her with his nose, despite his embarrassment of being touched, but even before he could come near her a familiar scent tingled in his nose. His ears moved by themselves as he raised his nose to order the smell. <They must be near…> A smile crept underneath his dark nose, with that he tugged at his sister´s sleeve to get her attention. Mabel looked down at him with surprise before he jumped a few steps away from her, deeper in the dark forest.  “Dipper?” But when she called for him, her brother just turned and left for her to follow. Mabel had trouble to keep up with him, even injured his body was much more skilled to handle the natural barriers of the forest, so she could only follow him. Fear tugged at her heart, ready to plunge it in the pit back sea of panic that was growing inside her. She called out for him multiple times but Dipper never did so much as to slow down a little. It nearly seemed like he was leading her somewhere. <Or he´s simply running away from you Mabel, maybe for good this time.> Mabel bit her lips and followed him even deeper into the forest. <Please Dipper, what are you up to?> When they reached the beginning of a wide green clearing her brother finally stopped, for her to catch up beside him. Mabel looked around at the green field in wonder, before her confused eyes met Dippers. "What is it? Why did you bring me-" A snap on the other side of the forest edge, made her tense. What if these hunter´s that had hurt Dipper where still out there. Was that the reason he started to run on firsthand? Mabel instinctively got closer to him to hug her deerly brother in a protective way while her eyes never left the dark spot between the trees. Dipper himself just let out a relived breath at the sound. Good, they were still here. He grinned and freed himself from Mabel´s grip and tried to ease her nerves with a small smile, but Mabel failed to figure out what all this was about. <Okay...> Dipper thought by himself, turning away from Mabel to face the dark shadows in the forest. <...I need to show them that it´s safe to come out. Maybe some sort of noise will help.> He figured, suddenly nervous of some sort. He took a deep breath before he let out two soft bleats. He winced as his own voice was echoed back to them. <Please, just don´t let it sound like it just got strangled or something.> Well the only way for him to figure it out was to wait, beside him, Mabel didn´t move a muscle, simply observing her brothers strange behavior together with his bleats while her worry was rising even more. <Please,...please come out.> Dipper begged but the sibling didn´t had to wait long before a small twitch, made Dippers ears risen to  the sound. Mabel strained beside him and reached for his fur in a silent whisper. "Dipper, I don´t-"

But when she finally saw what was emerging out of the forest her voice got lost while her eyes grew wide. A fawn, very similar to the one beside her stepped out of the shadows. Dipper didn´t even try to hide the smile that crept underneath his nose as he watched the sparkle return into her sister’s eyes. Even if he himself felt rather strange in the presence of another deer, so that a lump tried to crawl up in his throat at the similarities between him and the wild animal, while at the same time his muscles seemed to relax in the presence of the small flock. Because once the fawn had left it´s hideout not only one but a couples of deer’s followed him into the clearing along with fawns, older or even younger than Dipper himself. They slowly approached the strange pair of twins with a healthy mixture of curiosity and unease.

His ears twitched along with theirs when Mabel let out a small breath. "Whoa..." She smiled in admiration. "Did you just call them?" She questioned, only to answer herself in an hushed overwhelmed tone. "I really need to write that one down" Luckily she didn´t see him rolling his eyes beside her, of course Mabel would think of this stupid "Deerctionary" now of all times. But the attention of both of them was called back to the deer’s when one of the does carefully took a step towards Mabel, coming closer and closer to the little girl. Dipper stepped aside, for the doe to get close enough to Mabel to sniff on her sparkling umbrella sweater she had chosen to wear today. The grown up deer seemed to be very interested in the colorful sparkle, enough to nibble on her shirt in shy curiosity, while Mabel needed to suppress a gleeful squeal. She took a deep breath and slowly rose her hand for the doe to touch it. The animal took one caution step back before her nose slowly came back down again, closer and closer before fur covered skin finally met human fingers. Mabel´s eyes widen in joy, as the doe even allowed her to pet it´s head while liking the rest of her jelly dominated breakfast from her fingers. Mabel giggled softly before she called out for her brother in a hushed voice.

"Dipper? Dipper look...!"

But her called was left unanswered, so that her eyes swept beside the doe´s figure to meet her brother´s gaze only to find him gone.

Or at least that´s what Mabel had thought when she first observed the little flock of deer’s and fawns with Dipper nowhere to be found. Before a cold realization stuck like an ice cold dragger in her heart. Dipper was there for sure- he only failed to recognize him, she simply couldn´t tell which of the small deer´s was him. Her eyes search for the familiar patterns on his flank, for the gauze and bandages he was covered in, while her breath stuck painfully in her chest. The mingled colors of brown, black and white made her head spun. With the fawns huddled together like that it was hard to tell where one of them begun and the other one ended. They were all to close around something that had caught their interest, to identify anything, with all of them nudging and licking curious at the small one in the middle of- "Dipper?" She let out a relived breath, followed by a chuckle when he finally looked at her, annoyance written in bright letters on his furry face, as the younger fawn gripped one of his ears to chew on it, along with one which nibbled on his bandages, beside two others who sniffed and licked him here and there only for him to bleat in protest when one of them began to lick a delicious tasting spot on his face. But when he finally met Mabel´s eyes a small smile crept underneath his nose, at her joyful laughter. At least the embarrassment was worth it. So both of them stayed a little longer and enjoyed the deer’s company, but the bitter taste of loosing her brother while he was right there took a lot of cuddling, licking and bleating for Mabel to ignore.

Of course even this day came eventually to an end. They had come through with Pacifica on their side, and even Stan who had told him that they smelled like a whole petting zoo still called out for a family movie night, with extra snacks for Dipper. So the sun had sunk, with a night full of laughter and bleating noises. Stan had even hugged both of them after he had carried Dipper upstairs before her brother finally became silent again, avoiding to look her in the eye.

And with that Mabel suddenly knew what had felt wrong tonight, not to say the whole day. Dipper had tried to cheer her up, Stan had too and somehow the small things she had tried to ignore today where slipping into place. The way he acted this morning when their Grunkle had tried to change his bandages, even the way he looked to Stan or even herself had been different from time to time. She had blamed it on the sun, the shadows and his fur that the human sparkle in Dippers eyes had come and gone, sometimes leafing them dark and soft- just like those of the other deer´s today. While Dipper was still able to communicate of some sort he had been silent for a long part of today, not willing to catch her attention- or simply not… able to?   The way Pacifica looked down at him, not with her ignorance but real pity in her eyes, along with the fact that she nearly had to carrie him away from the other deer when they finally had left the clearing. And Stan… he had acted like he was about to- say good bye...

“No!”

Mabel´s shaking knees gave in underneath her, so that she sunk to the floor with a horrified expression, first sights of tears burning in the corner of her eyes. Dipper only took a step closer to her, to lay his head on her shoulders, while his own body shivered in fear. But for now he tried to suppress the dark thoughts of losing himself in his frog filled mind so often today, he tried to ignore that it was harder to “come back” every time, because for now, he just wanted to be with her, to be there for Mabel, as long as he could.

Mabel only shook her head, tears falling freely down her cheeks wile a last stubborn expression was written on her face. They were not too late yet, they were so close to fulfilling Bill´s deal, there was no way they could give up now. No way. She tugged on his furry shoulders to look him in the eye, to tell him that everything will be alright, but the look on her brother’s face called out her lies and make her world shatter in barely a second.

The small fawn that was inhabited by her brother´s soul looked back to her with his warm brown eyes. Eyes that were so different from her brother´s while the little spark in them clenched to the last trace of humanity with a force that made him grit his teeth, marked the point until Mabel finally understood. She knew why Dipper was never about to leave her side today. She knew why he seemed to space out more often and why he even jumped at her tender touch at some point. She knew why Stan tried to make them a perfect evening and Dipper… being there for her.

“No.”

Mabel knew… that he would be gone by morning. Because the only breathing thing by her side, would be nothing more than a little deer. But Dipper would not be there anymore.

“No…”

And Mabel cried. “Dipper…” She hugged him close to her, while the small fawn followed the clear stream of her crystal tears in curiosity and licked her face in a small attempt to make the hurt go by, to make everything okay again. Because while he was slowly forgetting why she was so important to him, as his eyes turned dim, he still felt that it was the right thineg to do. He let out a small supporting bleat, which brushed sofetly against her skin, before his world drowned into darkness, to leave her alone.  

Dipper was resting on Mabel´s lap in the back seat. The girls shivering hand was running through his fur while she watched his shallow breathing, calling out for Stan to hurry up, to drive faster while Wendy beside him was questioning why they were leaving the down. But when he finally arrived before their destination both of the girls gave him a stunned look. “A vet?” They questioned in union, making him flinch beneath their stares, before he gave them a stern look.     “What? We can´t blame puberty on this fur coat! So get him inside!”

The small vet gave them a confused look through his thick glasses, before he agreed to do the best he can to rescue the wild animal they brought inside his surgery. Even if it was hard to separate the little girl who was clinging to the small fawn like life itself, crying in his fur, calling his name before she begged him to help. Stan saw the doctor swallow, the unsure look that crossed his face while he glanced down at the half dead animal on his surgery table made the lump in his throat cut off his air, before he took Dipper with him to the surgery room and left them waiting.

The three hours it took the old veterinary to reappear had felt like days to them. Wendy was quiet all that time, she had fetched one of the colored wood blocks out of the kiddy area from the anteroom, and was carving figures out of it with her pocket knife, covering the floor with shavings and splinters of wood. Mabel had been crying during most of the time, before the last of her strength had left her to fall asleep on his lap, while he tried not to think about what might be happening inside the surgery door or how he was about to explain all that to their parents. Instead he kept his mind busy with memorizing the different names and pictures of cat breeds that were printed on the poster before him, while he peeled the boy´s blood from his fingers. Darn it, he didn’t even like cats.

All of them jumped out of their seats when the door finally opened. The doc looked at them with oversized eyes in place of his glasses, his eyebrow slowly rose up to his white hairline when he saw the splinter covered floor, the red rimmed eyes of the child and the twitching eye of the man that wore nothing but his bathrobe.

The man took a deep sigh, these people really seemed to care, a lot. He swallowed, brushing some sweat of his face before he finally nodded.

“He´s alive.” 

Stan knew the man probably did the best he could, but it was clear that Dipper’s health was still at risk and the vet wasn´t happy when they told him that they wanted to care for the fawn at home. But he gave in to Mabel´s pleads, and he sent them home with a pile of medications and even more instructions. The old man swallowed, his gaze roamed up to the clock before it moved back to Dipper, slowly following the tube that was attached to his body and hooked him on the slow dripping infusion, which was hanging above him on the single antler he once had glued to a rabbit head, making a “unicorn rabbit” for attraction. It would at least take two more hours before he would be able to take out the needle like the doc had told him, he registered with a frown, before his eyes moved back to the strange couple on the floor, where Mabel still was hugging her brother like the stuffed teddy he looked like.  

Stan sighed, his back cracked the very moment he picked himself up from the chair. It was bad enough that one of the kids needed to sleep on the floor, but Mabel needed a good night´s rest after such a stressful day. He lowered himself down to the sleeping twins, the sense of disinfectants and dried blood hit him and stung in his nose, while he lowered next to them on the floor. The white bandage around Dippers torso showed a dirty brown spot on the side where the doc had fixed him up. It had needed eight stitches to close the gaping hole in the boys- deer’s- fawn’s- `whatever! ´ shoulder. He still couldn´t get the picture of the little fawn out of his head. Lifeless on the vet´s surgery table, with eyes half lidded but empty, his shoulder shaved free from fur so that the nasty mark of the stitches was even more visible. It was a good thing that he had stepped in first, when the doctor had called them in. Because after he had heard Wendy gag behind him, he had ordered the two girls to stay behind while he was having a talk with the doctor. Of course Mabel had been protesting outside, but her white face when he finally stepped out with Dipper still lifeless in his arms told him that it was the right decision to spare the girl more nightmares. Mabel had been through enough already, and Dipper… Well was much as he wanted the boy to wake up as soon as possible, he feared that very moment.    

“Ah well... wait and see. But for now it´s time for you to sleep with the bedbugs rather than with your brothers fleas.” He grumbled while he tried to lift Mabel up from the bedding on the floor. But the girl didn´t let go so easily. “Come on sweetie…” But Mabel still just cuddled closer to her brother, the more he tried to separate those two, the tighter she gripped. But at some point her tiny fingers finally gave in. “See that´s better.” Stan sighed, lifting Mabel up in his arms, but the girl still stirred in her Grunkle´s grasp, her happy face moved in distressed manners while Stan took her out of the room, but before he even made it to the stairs Mabel´s silent whisper made him stop. “Dipper…” Stan could feel how his heart sunk in his chest. He swallowed the forming lump in his throat before he looked back to the small sleeping deer on the parlor floor. He bit his lips and shook his head, before he looked back to Mabel in his arms. “You can go fussing over him tomorrow.” He sighed, carrying her up the stairs whit one last glance back to his nephew. “Don´t worry Mabel. I´ll watch him.”     

The first thing that made it through Dippers fogged mind was pain. His ears flicked back at the unwelcomed feeling, while his nose twitched in silent annoyance. `Outch, ow, everything hurts` He groaned, but when he made the first attempt to open his eyes and pick himself up, a searing pain shot though his shoulder, making his world spin. The deer boy gritted his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut again; he tried to remember what the hell had happened to him that his body was in such a bad shape, but his mind was still all fogged and fuzzy, like a thick woolen blanket was protecting him form the world outside as well as his own thoughts until a soft echo of Wendy’s voice resounded in memory in his head.   “He got shot!” `Shot?` The word suddenly filled his head with pictures of the dark wood, a barking hound and the cold pang of a gunshot, mixing itself with the metallic smell of blood, while Bills features were hovering above him while his laughter was shaking the ground. `Bill! ´ The thought of the human shaped demon with the heavy gun pointed at him was enough for the adrenalin pushing itself back into his veins, making his body jump with a startled bleat to escape the deathly treat. His shoulder arched in protest when he doubled over his still shaking legs, making him fall face first on the floor, well not quiet- because something stopped his head from the contact with the hard wooden floor. Dipper squeaked in surprise when the shadows finally vanished from his view, so that he was able to see the floor that just was a few inches away from his black deer nose, surrounded by a bright white ring that had broken his fall. `But how-?` He blinked, but the circular white wall was still there isolating him form the world outside. Was he- captured? “Meaa!” `No!´ Dipper shouted with a bleat, scrambling himself back up from the floor, ignoring the piecing pain in his shoulder and his tired muscles. Finally the parlor of the Shack came back into his few, or at least the small round part that the white walls allowed him to see. `What is this?!´ He shook his head and fur with all the furry and powers his little deer body had in store but the world around him stayed the little window, surrounded by nothing but pure white. He could feel his body and the floor beneath his hoofed, but both of it stayed hidden behind the wall when he tried to scratch it off. His back hoof reached out for it, but slipped of the smooth surface of whatever was molded around his neck. “Meah, meah! Meeeaaah!” ‘ No, no, no, no! Get this off!’  He shrieked, scratching again and again when a memory of Mabel´s cat after it´s veterinary surgery  came back into his mid, he remembered the stupid fur ball doing exact the same motions, going havoc because of the- `A cone?!` He blinked, shaking his head back and forth but the white wall moved with him. `A pet cone? Seriously´ He grumbled, trying to get this stupid plastic thing of.   But man, that thing was stubborn. `Come on… get off.´ He scratched again, rubbing his head against the side of the dinosaur skull before he lowered his upper dear half, pressing his head and neck to the floor, moving backwards to free himself out of his unmovable prison.   “Meeea ea aah!” `Get off, get off, get off!´ Dipper grumbled in protest while he rubbed backwards over the floor, he could feel his body screaming for him to stop, but his mind was already loading itself with panic again, so that he even overheard the food steps coming near him.   “MEEEAAH!”  `GET IT OFF!´ He bleated in panic, poking his entire four hoofs up to the neckline of the cone and pushed until he rolled back onto his deer butt, shivering at the pain in his shoulder caused by his sudden movements finally  looking up to find Mabel and Stan in the doorway.

Dipper blinked, the panic leaking out of his system when he spotted his sisters watery eyes. Mabel´s breath hitched in her throat, Dipper observed a big tear rolling down her rosy cheek until her raspy voice reached his ears. “Dipper…” She was by his side in an instant, unleashed the cone around his neck only to cling to it herself. Mabel´s sobs in his soft fur cleared his mind, the heavy tears tickled in his warm coat while he could feel her heart beating fast beside his own and her soft whisper made his ears flicker. “I´m so glad you´re awake now…” Dipper blinked, he could feel the lump growing in his throat, he swallowed, watching the salty tear streaming down her skin and before Dipper could even think about what he was doing, he licked the crystal tear away with a soft bleat. “Meah…” `Mabel…´   She twitched, softly shoving him away from her to take a look at him. Fear was making her voice shiver in her uncertain question. “D-Dipper? Are you still in there bro-bro?” His ears folded themselves back on his head in a worried motion, before he brought himself to nod with a soft bleat. “Maee.”  `I am´ He swallowed. `…for now.´ But Dippers bleating answer was enough for Mabel to breath out in relief. She hugged him once again, so that her soft sweater was brushing his chocolate brown fur. “What were you thinking? When Wendy came back with you- the blood Dipper was soaked wet with that stuff just like in those cheap old horror movies.” Dipper could feel himself shiver under her words and a bitter taste crawled up his throat, with his wound burning on his shoulder he really didn´t need Mabel to picture out his appearance that way. She shuddered while his sister kept talking. “It was horrible! Grunkle Stan even needed to take you to the vet.” “Meaah!” `The vet?´ His eye twitched back to his Grunkle who still stood in the doorway watching the two kids and only shrugged at his calculating glare. “What? Someone needed to stitch you up.” He grumbled, lowering himself to the strange twin pair on the floor. “But anyway kid- What happened? No offense, little guy but these antlers of yours are barley big enough to hang a sock on it, so why did the hunter´s see you as a target?” The furry coat on his face was covering his suddenly pale cheeks, he even forgot that his vocal cords weren´t adapted to human speech any more.   “Mea! Me meah! Meah meeaaa ah- meah meea ae a. Meaa meah- Meaaah mea mah.”   `Bill. It was Bill! He disguised himself as a hunter- or he took over his body or something. He shot me- He tried to kill me! ´

The wood and his noises welcomed him like an old friend. Even when his ears and head flickered and jumped at every noise- he could still breathe much more free than back inside the house. Dipper let out a sigh. It was clear that this wasn´t a good thing. The little fawn swallowed with a shake of his head. He had no time for overthinking this matter now, not that it would be of any use anyway, so back to business; searching for the sweater. `But how?` Dipper frowned. He had no Idea where he had run to yesterday, once he came to his senses again, he was already in the middle of the woods, neither the Shack nor the sweater in sight. If it wasn´t for his knowledge of these woods and the strong sense of Stan’s aftershave that always hung in the- `That’s it!` Dipper’s ears peaked up at the idea. `If I can sense Stan then I might as well be able to track down my own smell.`   Dipper raised his muzzle in the air, trying to identify the different smells surrounding him. Wood, grass, flowers, earth and the mushy smell of old leaves that covered the ground. He huffed, maybe he needed to be near to the ground, just like the blood hounds the police used for their work. So Dipper leaned down, sniffing on the ground while he walked further through the forest, his tail flickering back and forth in concentration.

The small fawn didn´t see the confused glanced of the two squirrels that even stopped fighting over their nut at the sight of the strange fawn that sniffed the ground like trained German Shepherd. But that deep in his own search Dipper also missed that there were other figures already on his trail, stalking through the woods with heavy guns ready to shoot, while a golden shadow watched them with increasing excitement.

The two creatures  were moving through the woods, one in an all green camouflage outfit, the gun clenched in his arms, while the other only wore a green jeans mixed with a nearly too bright red flannel shirt. He was not just bigger but also broader than his jumpy little friend, with his red hair he could be one of the Corduroy s, wearing a little dump smile while he shared his food with the overweight dog at his side. The blonde skinny man before him, was sneaking through the forest, jumping at every new sound. His nerves were tense, his fingers firmly placed on the trigger of his heavy gun. He had heard about the strange, unholy creatures these woods harbored. A branch cracked beneath his feet, making him stop, hearing into the silence when suddenly a damp breath whispered beside his hear made him jump. "Nate?" The trigger got lose and the shot echoed through the woods. The smaller hunter bit his lips, heat was creasing his cheeks before he turned around to his friend. "WHAT? What do you want Mark?!" He questioned in an angry voice, but the redhead just blinked, before he looked down to the dog who looked up to them with a begging glint in his eyes. Mark answered him with a shrug, rubbing the back of his head in thought. "Our food is gone, maybe we should head back to the Diner and-" "No!" Nate cut him off with a growl. "I won´t leave this place until one of those creatures is lying dead beneath my feet!" The smaller hunter protested loudly. He didn´t see the smirk in the eye of the strange triangle shaped tree hole. `Just what I wanted to hear.` Bill hummed, watching the two hunters with growing joy and excitement. The "Nate" meat ball was poking his overweight friend in the belly with the barrel of the gun, scowling. "So you stop babbling about food or else-"   Again a rustling noise made Nate´s finger slip and the gun went loose. The missile hit the ground not even near the rabbit that was looking at them, startled before it blinked, running back into the thicket, passing Bill’s tree.  The Demon’s features darkened before the dangerous sparkle came back to life. `If you want something done- then you´ll have to do it yourself.`  

The triangle smirked, before it dissolved into yellow dust, wandering up to the man to form nebulous once again behind the hunter’s back, smirking down at him before he passed the fleshy meat, gaining control of the human body. Nate twitched for a second, eyes closed, before he opened his eyes. Yellow, golden and shining. A slightly too bright smile was curved beneath the blond hair. "Let the hunt begin."

Dipper let out a heavy sigh, lifting his head form the ground to look at the rising sun. He must have been out here for an hour or two already, Mabel and Stan must be awake by now and he still had no idea where his sister’s handmade sweater could be. `Face it Dipper, you´re a deer not a hound.` He grumbled, taking a look at his surrounding when he spotted the clearing before him, green,  lush and so promising delicious that it made his stomach murmur. Dipper bit his lips, before he shrugged carefully approaching the green spot between the trees. He could also eat breakfast out here and search a little more before he hurried back home. Because what harm could a little break do, right?

“Right, my deer- just a little closer.”

The cracking voice of Nate made his fried shiver by his side. It sounded off, wrong somehow and that he targeted the fawn before him also made the bigger hunter itchy, while the dog was already at Nate´s side, food long forgotten by the sight of actual living prey. Mike however felt off by the strange hunt. “That´s just a fawn dude. I thought you were looking for some magical creatures- shouldn’t we-“But Nate cut him off with a growl, eyes glittering dangerously in the golden sunlight. “Shut the fuck up!” But the surprised and confused glance of the other meat bag beside him made the demon frown, he rolled his eyes, before he looked back through the sight, watching his target come closer while he spoke up again, making the human beside him shiver. “You never know if one of these creatures is a treat, until it turns on you.” He smiled, enjoying the fear radiating form Mike, he could sense his heart rate spiking up while he spoke. “But it- it´s just a fawn.” “That´s what it want you to think. It might just be an illusion. You´ll never know if one of these creatures is by your side, until it rips the flesh off your face!” Bill smirked, breathing in the fear and enjoyed the sound of the weapon that the heavy man beside him just made ready to shoot. `You´ll never know…`

For Dipper, it was suddenly harder to move than before. The clearing was as inviting as deterrent. He was halfway there, the warm sunlight was already stroking his fur, but his ears were moving in alarm, twitching in every direction while he left the protective shadow of the woods.

Everything in his deer body told him that something was wrong, that he should be anywhere but here. The clearing was calm, too calm he just knew it. But Dipper swallowed, shaking his head in annoyance. `I must stop believing this stupid body.` He told himself, taking another step into the light. `Nothing is dangerous about this. Not this meadow, nor Mabel or Stan.` Dipper let out a relieved breath, before he took the last step out of the woods, he calmed his still shivering body down. He wasn´t a deer. He wasn´t in danger.

“Meah.”- `You´re safe.`

“And again, you´re wrong Pine Tree.”

Everything happened too fast from that point. Dipper hadn´t even finished his self-reassuring breath when suddenly a young hunter was standing before him. But it wasn´t just the heavy gun in his hands that caught the fawn’s breath, or the hunters standing before him, ready to shoot, or the dog that flashed his sharp white teeth at him, but the younger hunter´s face. The smile that waited for him, above the black endless eye of the barrel of the gun. A smile, stretched too wide with teeth too sharp, that reflected the golden yellow glint of his eyes where only one should have been.

Dipper could feel his body going rigid, the flight or fight mode gluing him to the ground below, like a deer in the headlights under the hunter´s murderous grin.

`Bill.`

But the realization came too late. The demon’s finger twitched at the trigger, his fangs glittered dangerously with a final smile.

“Run my little prey, run.”

A shot, pain, blood and nothing but cruel laughter. 

The sharp eco of a gunshot made the wood around her tremble. The painful bleat mixed in between made the birds flee and made her nearly drop her axe. `What the-?` Wendy frowned, hunters weren’t unusual in these woods, but the fact that it wasn´t even hunting season at all, made her suspicious. She sighed, shaking her head in annoyance while she got back to work, she needed to hurry if she wanted to be ready for more signature-hunting after her work for her dad. The red head huffed, smashing the sharp tool through the next pile of wood, but the bitter taste wouldn’t leave her lips, when the strong barking of a hound confirmed her suspicious.   `Those people will never learn!´ The female Corduroy bit her lips, and tried to ignore what was happening behind her back. She would have been the first one to kick these dump asses, but with Dipper’s fate in the back of her mind, she needed to work. Wendy swallowed the image of Dipper full deer-y was still giving her the creeps and his reaction to them yesterday had made it clear that they needed to hurry. Becauseif they don´t, there wouldn’t be much of Dipper left for them to save.

Dipper’s vision was fading. His deer instincts left his side this time -knowing full well who was behind him- it was sheer panic that made his body move. Yet. Blood was running down his shoulder, everything beneath his elbow was numb, blocked out by the burning hole that the missile had carved in his flesh. He didn´t know how, but it seemed like his leg was still moving. But the fact that he began to tip more often couldn’t be a good sign.   Dipper could feel his body shutting down while the trees were rushing past him. Life was leaking out of him with every drop of blood that was to be swallowed by his fur. He was running out of time.

`No!`

Dipper screamed, but nothing but a shrill bleat left his lips. “MEEEAHH!” - `HELP!` Again his call was useless, they won´t hear him, they couldn’t. Because his human speech had been stolen from him by the night. He was a fawn. An animal. No one would help him like that. A small branch made him stumble again, his vision was black for a second so he tripped in the dark, his deer mind kept him going while the human part of him still couldn’t accept his fate.   `Please, this can´t be…` He swallowed, but the blood that he suddenly tasted on his lips made him nauseous all over again. His ears twitched, the barking came closer. But the hound was just herald of his death. `Bill` Dipper closed his eyes, forcing his short legs to run even faster while branches and bushes were ruffling his fur cutting his skin beneath. The smell of blood seems to suffocate him, taking away the last of his hopes together with his already fading mind. The world around him became darker with every second, his field of vision shrinking up to a small patch surrounded by black nothingness.

Barking again. They were coming closer. `No!` Dipper tried to scream, but his breath cut off as he stumbled over a dried out rest of a stream. They were going to kill him. He was going to die. `Technically you´re already dead.` The voice in his head spoke to him, tried to lighten up the mood to find some dark humor in this situation, but Dipper knew he was right. His eyes started to burn, the last of his vision turned black when one final tip made him fall. He smashed the soft ground just when he reached the hillside of the wood, so his body twisted and rolled down, before landing against the sharp stones at the foot of a steep cliff.

He had reached a dead end. Dipper knew it the moment he struggled himself to get back on his feet. A film of blood was running down his temple, red was glowing before his eyes, his front leg had stopped moving completely now. He was as good as dead.

“MEEAA EEAAH!” – `Mabel, Stan! HELP!”  

But cruel laughter was all he got as an answer to his desperate bleat. White teeth where smiling down while his voice was leaking with pure joy.

“They can´t hear you my deer. No one can.”

Dipper’s breath hitched in his throat, his ears were lying flat on his head by now while he just starred up into the black threatening barrel of the gun, before the hound jumped at him. Tugging his teeth in Dipper’s body. New pain, new blood, new wounds. That was until Bill ordered him back with a force no human would ever be able to hold over an animal. “That’s enough.” Dipper winced when the cold voice of the Demon resounded in his ears again. “Leave him for me.” He could see Cipher’s golden aura radiating from the blond hunter. Neither the hound nor the bigger hunter by his side seemed to register the pulsing wave of fear radiating from him, or the too sharp teeth under the too wide grin. Mike was looking between the fawn and his friend with growing curiosity. The dog on the other hand wasn´t able to focus on anything other than the shivering prey before him, the barking beast was just held back by its collar by nothing but Bill’s pinky. It was his way to toy with him. He was holding him back just for Dipper to see what was coming, to watch the barking and growling hound before him, that hung with his front legs in the air in power against Bill’s grip, his fangs flashing in anger.

The small deer pressed himself against the rock at his back, the sharp edge of the stone was cutting into his ribcage. Dipper turned around, the cliff seemed to be as unconquerable as before, but the former boy had no other option. So Dipper began to climb, he tried to push himself up, struggling with only three legs but his deer hooves just weren´t made for climbing like that. When a small pebble beneath him slipped it made Dipper fall back down, right at Bill’s feet.

The Demon raised an eyebrow, the flicker of annoyance rushed over his borrowed face showed that the hunt was already over. "Well time for the best part of it!" Bill smirked, lowering the gun so that his small Pine Tree was looking straight into the black deathly void. Bill watched how the fawn tried to push himself back on his feet, only to stumble back on the bloody ground like before. A cruel smile stretched the demon’s lips, while he stroked the trigger with a purr. "Come on Pine Tree, let me end your pain."

Dipper looked back up from his puddle of blood, his heavy eyes went wide for a second before they finally closed themselves as the second shot went loose. “Time to say goodbye.” His world became dark.

The dumb barking hound was giving her a headache, Wendy growled, wiping the sweat from her temple when suddenly voices from behind her made her body go rigid. A small shadow was rushing past her, about hundred meters away, but even from here she could clearly see that the animal must be hurt. The redhead frowned. `They can´t even kill something right away.` She growled watching a faster shadow moving behind the animal, just held back by a small leash, while two hunters followed on its trail. But one word, mixed between hitched breaths made her blood run cold. “Are you sure that´s not really just a fawn man?” The other hunter didn´t answer but Wendy had already heard enough, the shock nearly let the axe slip from her hand.   ´A fawn? God no… they can´t mean-´   Wendy’s heart dropped as she remembered the piercing bleat from before. `No!` Color drained for her face, as she stumbled through the woods, following the distant voices while hear breath hitched in her throat. `Please don´t let it be him… please!` Wendy swallowed as she jumped over a fallen tree, she couldn’t even remember if she ever had been sacred like this in her entire live. And when the two men finally spoke up again, her heart clenched in her chest. “There! There it is! Go unleash the hound!” The blonde hunter shouted. A second later, barking resounded in the woods, making her shiver while a startled bleat guided her direction. But not just hers. The hunters were on their prey’s trail again, so that her run became a race she couldn’t win. Wendy’s legs burned already, the axe got heavier in her hand with every step she took until she finally saw him.

The little animal had reached a dead end against crag, she watched the fawn’s wobbly legs, trying to climb up the sharp rocks. The little deer tried his hardest not to fall, but one of his front hooves was covered in blood and seemed barely unusable, but he tried anyway, until one of his hooves finally tipped, making him fall down with an panicked shriek.  Wendy was about to step forward to him when something else got ahead of her. The hound. A monster of a dog, with light brown fur, snarled at the small deer, whose eyes had gone wide at the sight, before the hound sunk his sharp wide teeth into the fawn’s warm flash. The deer screamed, but Wendy was frozen in place. Her heart jumped in her chest, attempting to escape her rib cage in sheer panic. Pictures of another carnivore, big and red furred, were flashing before her eyes.   The big red wolf enjoyed the hunt, enjoyed the smell of fear and panic in its prey’s blood, until it dug its teeth into the flesh. She could smell, nearly taste the blood of-

A cruel order from the smaller hunter cut off her inner voice. He called the dog back, ordered him to stay by his side, blood dripping from his snout while he watched the fawn trying to escape again. The laughter from the blond hunter made her hair stand up, she could hear his treating voice without knowing what he was saying, he lowered the gun into their prey. Wendy´s gaze slipped over the panicked and bleeding fawn, whose chest was waving in heavy breaths, when one of the hunters began to speak again. The echoing voice made her blood run cold while his words trembled inside her.

“Time to say goodbye.”

His finger moved on the trigger. But that was her call. She jumped out of her hiding spot with a ready shout. “Don´t you dare!” Wendy´s grip on her axe tightened when she finally stepped before the deer, throwing her axe in the direction of the hunter, just as the man pulled the trigger. The bullet rushed beside her head with a sharp noise, creating a hole in the grave rock. While her axe stuck in a tree right beside the shooter’s head, who looked at her in surprise, before his face moved to a much more annoyed expression. “This is not your matter Red, so you better leave now.” He grumbled, pointing the gun at her. “Go search for another cuddly toy and leave the deer to us.” But Wendy didn’t say a word, or even look at them, she just took a few steps forward, tugging her axe back out of the tree, to face the smooth and sharp metal in her hand. “You know guys, this could go one way or another. First option: You leave now, and I´ll give you a head start to drive as far as you can before I tell the police that you´re hunting without permission. The second option would be that we all stay here to discuss this properly… but I promise you, next time this little sharp thing won’t miss its target.” “What! You little-“ The heavy hunter begun before the second man stopped him. The blond hunter looked at her for a while, so that Wendy could feel the cold radiating unnaturally from his body, before a dangerous smirk made her shiver again. “Fine.”  He smiled, taking a step back- to his friend’s surprise. He held his hands in an inviting manner, but his grin and his too sweet voice betrayed him. “You can have what´s left of him.” He smirked, looking back to the half dead deer by his feet. “But I´ll promise, you can’t save him.” Bill announced with a smile. “Not now, not ever.”  

The question itself let Dipper shrink further into his pillow, a behavior that just pushed Stan´s concerns even further. The old man raised an eyebrow, his voice was stern and demanding this time. "Dipper." He pressed. With that the fresh green taste left his lips as soon as he swallowed, Dipper’s throat felt dry again while his gaze was fixed on the parlor floor. "Gideon." He whispered, his fur was erecting while he answered. "It- it was Gideon. He said that it would be my fault that he lost his position in town or something like that."

"I KNEW IT!"

Stan shouted but flinched at his own volume, luckily the attic stayed silent and Mabel was still sound asleep. But even with a lower voice the anger hidden in his words was still audible. "I promise, when I get my hands on that little blood sucking pipsqueak-" Dipper’s whisper however cut his Grunkles breath. "I wish you wouldn’t." His words were barely audible, his eyes faced the ground, avoiding his grunkle’s upset face. "What?" The loud question made Dipper’s sensitive ears ring, he winced instinctively, his ears laid down while he still avoided his Grunkle’s gaze. "It´s just- he´s still a vampire and you aren´t as "hard" to beat as before." The former Gargoyle huffed and crossed his arms in front himself while he grumbled in a dark, threatening voice. "I can still deal with a want-to-be bat like him." Dipper nodded awkwardly. "I know but-" The small fawn never finished his sentence, Stan´s voice cut him off. "No ‘but’s this time!" He announced, kneeling down in front of Dipper to lay a hand on his back so that his nephew had no other choice than to look up into his Grunkle´s eyes. "He´s not gonna hurt you again Dipper. Understand kid? He´s not doing that again." A dark fire burned in Stan`s eyes, that transferred some of his warmth and confidence to him. "Okay." He nodded with one ear peaking up again when Stan stood up and straighten his back. "Fine, now go to sleep, so that I finally can finish my TV show." "Okay, okay!" Dipper rolled his eyes but carefully placed his head on the pillow, instinctively curling up to himself. Stan couldn’t help but think that he looked like an overgrown kitten, when his nephew called out for him again. "And... Grunkle Stan?" The old man blinked, looking down at him again. "Huh?" Dipper gave him a small smile, eyes already halfway closed and his words slurred with sleep, but Stan got the message anyway.

"Thank you."

The lump that had been waiting in is throat grew again, while he shook his head, plopping down in his seat to watch Dipper sleep. Stan sighed, hiding his face in one hand while his elbow rested on the armrest. "It´s fine kid..."

But somehow he had a hard time believing his own words.

The sun had already risen, but Dipper was still sound asleep. The TV was showing some news station, but Stan was already in the kitchen, sipping his coffee. Mabel choked on her cereal when he told her WHO was responsible for Dipper’s wounds. Short to be said, Gideon could call himself lucky if it was Stan and not Mabel who would take revenge for Dipper, cause the small pig-nosed brat would definitely not survive an encounter with her.

Of course, the small fawn didn´t know any of this, sleeping on his pillow until a finger poked his side in interest. Dipper blinked, still half asleep until Wendy Corduroy’s voice echoed through the Shack. "Why the heck is a deer sleeping in here?" But before anyone in the kitchen could answer her call Dipper himself gave her an annoyed look, his red cheeks were well hidden underneath his fur. "Well sorry for that." He mocked in a dry tone.

"Woah!"

Wendy jumped back, tripped over the carpet and fell on her back with a loud thump. Dipper only raised an eyebrow at her behavior, he could nearly hear the mechanics in her brain rattle as she finally connected the dots. "D-Dipper?" Her question wasn´t much more than a rasp, the stunned expression still covered her face. The deer in front of her just sighed, laying his ears back on his head. "I would love to deny that, but I fear you’re right." Wendy swallowed, her eyes flew over his soft coat, his four legs, the black nose and the white tail that flickered in distress. "I- man, I´m sorry! I didn´t know! I mean, I should have guessed it but- Woah! Just Woah!" She gasped positioning herself crossed legged in front of him. "Yea I know." Dipper nodded, looking down at himself with a bitter expression on his face. "The... ‘progress’ surprised me as well." Wendy bit the inside of her mouth in hesitation, before she asked in a shy voice. "But that´s not it right? I mean you-" But Dipper just nodded, the lump in his throat began to grow as he spoke. "No it´s not. I´m still going to change, even when Mabel-"

"Dipper!"

A mop of brown hair and a pink sweater jumped at him with a squeal. Dipper´s eyes went wide, while he stuttered his sister’s name. "M-Mabel?" The joyful girl grinned before she tilted her head to look at him properly. "You’re awake! How are you? How´s your leg? Do you want something to eat? Grunkle Stan and I prepared you something. You know, I´ll just go and-" "Mabel stop. I’m fine, really." Dipper laughed and shook his head, but his careless words made something in Mabel’s cheerful behavior slip, and she threw herself at his neck again, hugging him as close as she could so that Dipper couldn’t see the wet shine in her eyes. "You better be!" She breathed, before she let go again, her eyes observed his leg and the little bandage around it when her face darkened. "I swear, this uglyhead will regret what he did to you." The unusual anger in Mabel`s voice was enough to make him shake his head. "Just let him be Mabel. He probably has his own problems, still being a vampire in a now ‘normal’ town." Mabel’s eyes went wide, she was about to argue when Wendy interrupted.   "But-!" "Um- dudes no offense, but could someone fill me in please?" Mabel just gave Dipper a stern, but curious look, crossing her arms in front of her chest, to fill Wendy in with a dry voice. "Gideon attacked Dipper yesterday." Mabel proclaimed. At least she got the anger, she had expected from Dipper from the redhead before her.   "The freak did WHAT?" Wendy`s eyes grew wide, her hands curled into fists. Mabel nodded affirming, tugging Dipper’s hurt leg from underneath his belly a bit to show it to Wendy. "Yeah he hurt him. See?" "Ouch, Mabel!" He yanked his leg out of her gasp and gave her an angry look that Mabel countered with one of her own. "Don´t ‘ouch’ me Mister! It was Gideon, and why are you defending him now?"  She wanted to know, but Dipper’s glance just left her eyes, his ears dropped down while be bit his lip carefully. "I´m not. It´s just..." He sighed, shaking his head slightly. "I can understand him somehow. He can´t go back to normal like everyone else." Dipper whispered, but Wendy just laid her hands on her hips, doubt was clear in her voice. "Pff- come on Dipper, we all know that this is all totally his own fault." "Wendy´s right bro-bro and there is still no need for him to hurt you like that! Besides... you’re going to be fine once we’ve collected all the signatures, right?" Mabel reminded him, lifting the weight a little from his shoulders so that he nodded. Breathing felt a little easier now at least. "Yeah... thanks guys." He said, looking up at them with a small smile that Mabel reflected with a bigger one, when she picked herself up. "No problem my deer. And now wait, I´ll get you your breakfast!" But Dippers eyes went wide when he thought about eating in front of Wendy like that. Luckily as soon as Mabel came out of the kitchen again, his Grunkles voice grumbled through the Shack. "Hey Corduroy! I don´t pay you for chatting with the kids. Come and get here now!" Wendy winced before she get up, rolling her eyes with a sigh. "With a paycheck that small you should be glad that I´m even coming down here anyway!" She cursed before she left for the kitchen just as Mabel laid the bowl of grass down in front of Dipper. The fawn sighed, but began eating anyway, knowing that his sister was grinning like an idiot when the first daisy vanished between his lips.

Stan and Wendy headed into the Shop, their Grunkle told them that they needed to prepare something so before they could go to get more signatures.

At last, that left the two of them with some twin-time to spend. And of course, nurse Mabel was treating his wound and the pain she felt in her own soul with the best medicine a twelve year old girl could come up with. Sweets. Tons of jelly koalas, chocolate bars, chips, some left over Smile Dip and a pack of sweet and sour puffed rice. They were munching in front of the TV just like all this deer stuff never happened. Dipper’s stomach grumbled in protest but his still-human mind enjoyed the different tastes on his lips, so that he just ignored the sounds, asking Mabel to open another chocolate bar for him. The floor was covered with full and empty candy papers, bags were opened and inside their stomachs chocolate and a sweet koala were celebrating their marriage, until Wendy and Stan came back into the parlor.

Both of them stopped in the door fame, before Wendy shrugged and picked up a chocolate bar for herself. Stan however raised an eyebrow at the furry ears that peaked out of one bag, while Dipper’s face was completely hidden in the land of sweets. Stan sighed, of course eating THAT stuff wasn´t a problem for the kid. His gaze drifted to Mabel by his side, whose hands were also deeply hidden in a pack of sweets, she looked up to him, when he finally cleared his throat. "Strange, I never heard of deer eating sweets." His niece grinned, pointing to her brother, who was still deep hidden in candy land, with a sticky finger. "This one does. Right bro-bro?" Dipper’s nickname finally made it through him. The fawn’s head poked out of the bag, the fur around his nose and the black shiny muzzle itself was dotted with colorful puffed rice that crumbled off at his grin. Her brother’s appearance made Mabel laugh out loud and even Wendy suppressed a giggle while Stan sighed, shaking his head at the manner the Pines family solved problems. Dipper’s sensitive ears peaked up as his voice became a little stricter. "Do whatever you want kid, but don´t blame it on me when you get sick after all that nasty stuff." Mabel just rolled her eyes, sweet talking. "Aww come on Grunkle Stan! It´s not that much!" "Yep." Dipper nodded, licking the puffed rice of his nose. "You should have seen our sugar rush last Halloween!" He grinned while Stan pinched the bridge of his nose, before he waved his concerns away. "Whatever, we should head out now." "We?" Dipper questioned, turning to Wendy with one ear peaking up. "You´re coming with us?" Wendy gave him a laugh, shaking her head so that he observed her red locks jumping up and down. "Dude, did you really think we’d let you go all alone after yesterday? Now come on, we´re already late." She announced, heading for the door before Mabel`s scream interrupted them. "Wait! I forgot something! Wait here. No one move. Just a second!" She stuttered, running for the stairs to vanish in the attic. Dipper raised an ear, looking up to his Grunkle who just shrugged. "Don´t look at me kid, I have no idea!" But a clatter upstairs was already foreboding Mabel`s return and Dipper’s world went dark. Something warm and soft had swallowed him, he looked around but the damn thing was moving with him. His words were muffed underneath the fluffy something. "What the- Mabel?" But instead of an answer something gripped his front leg, making him bleat in protest, he felt a stern tug around his head and neck, and the world came back into focus. Dipper blinked, looking down at himself to find his furry coat covered in one of Mabel handmade sweaters, with his head and one of his front feet sticking out of it. "Um Mabel, what is this supposed to be?" He questioned, making Mabel’s grin even boarder while she tugged his second leg inside the sleeve so that the itching thing finally "fit" his body, reaching down his back right before his "Big Dipper" dots. Mabel took a step back and looked at her work satisfied. "I made it for you last night! This way everyone would recognize you immediately!" "Huh?" He looked down at the words knitted in the front "I´m Dipper. If I´m lost, take me back to Mabel" was knitted in bright, colorful letters. “What?” Dippers eye´s went wide he blinked looking back to Mabel and suddenly the pink sweater with “I´m Mabel” in bright yellow letters made so much more sense. The fawn’s ears dropped and his gaze darkened. “Mabel you can´t be serious, that´s-" But an angry glance from his Grunkle and Wendy made him stop midsentence. Dipper gulped down his embarrassment and looked back into the glittering eyes of his sister with a sigh. "Well at least I have some clothing on now." He smiled, making Mabel jump up and down in joy. "Yeay! So you like it? Does it fit properly? Is it too warm? Can you move around in it?" Dipper nodded, slowly picking himself up from the floor. "I- I think so..." He took a few steps, this... thing, around him felt just wrong and he nearly tipped over the sleeve once but he couldn’t admit it to either of them, that his deer mind preferred walking- without clothes. So he tried to give Mabel a thankful smile. "It´s fine, but how can I pull it back off or on?" Mabel gave him a grin, poking his shoulder with a knowing smile. "Let that be my problem Dipping-dots. I´ll help my little brother clothing himself." Dipper’s ears dropped at this. "Great. Thanks Mabel." His voice was full with sarcasm but of course Mabel just overheard it. She hugged him with one arm while her other hand pointed into the air. "Now let´s go! Mission: Save Butt-head!" She shouted, making Dipper bleat in embarrassment. "Mabel!" 

“Told you so kid!” Stan teased with an annoyed grin that covered the hidden concern for his nephew, while he glanced back at the small deer that walked beside a worried Mabel who patted her brother’s back in small circles. Even with all this fur on his face, one could see the green tint on Dipper’s cheeks. "Give it up kid. No more sweets for you till this is all over." Dipper just grumbled at his Grunkle’s comment until his stomach bubbled in loud agreement while Mabel still fought for the "sweet rights" of her brother. "That´s not fair Grunkle Stan! I´m sure that´s against the rules of deer-discr-discreepment!" Stan rose an eyebrow, looking down at Mabel. "You mean discrimination." But Mabel only waved it off. "That’s what I said." She pouted while Dipper strode beside her, trying to hide a burp as his stomach forced him to chew the mix of different sweets once again. It was like mixing different bright colors together all at once, the result became a muddy grey. That exactly described the sour taste inside his mouth. He tried to chew the mass a few times before he swallowed the disgusting lump down again, he really hoped this would be the last time his previous meal would return. Dipper sighed, before he nudged Mabel, who was still discussing the sweets term with their Grunkle, a soft smile formed on his muzzle, "It´s okay Mabel. I think Grunkle Stan is right. I´ll stay with fruits and... flowers for now." Pity formed itself in Mabel’s big brown eyes, the thought of a sugar free hour alone made her heart skip a beat. "You sure Dipper?" But her brother only nodded, a slight blush hidden underneath all his fur. "Yeah... you know, some of these flowers don´t taste too bad at all." He knew that he said something wrong the moment his sister’s eyes began to grow with sparkles. "Really? Flowers? That´s great Dipper! I´ll go get some for you every meal. I can even make you an edible flower chain to go- OH!" Mabel’s eyes became wide, her gaze drifted into a distance that Dipper knew as the land of "GUB"- or rather glitter, unicorns and boys. Whatever was fitting for him- it won´t be good. "What?" He questioned in hesitation, already knowing that he might not want to hear her answer. "A crown." Mabel nearly whispered in awe. "Huh?" The fawn blinked. But Mabel snatched for his neck, hugging her brother close to her while her other hand drew the picture in the air. "Dipper, the prince of the forest-" "No." "-crowned with his majestic crown of flowers." Dipper just laid his ears back, wiggling out of his sister’s grasp. "Nooot happing Mabel." He singsonged. But his twin gave him a pleading look which imitated puppy eyes perfectly, but luckily he was already immune- well sort of. "Aw come on Dippingdots! The other deer would be so jealous of you!" She cheered. "More like they would make fun of me..." Dipper grumbled in protest until Mabel poked him in the side, making him bleat in surprise. "Hey!" "Meeaah!"

But before the bleating and frightening of the twins could go out of control the rusty voice of their Grunkle called up for them again. "If you two could stop that now? We’re here." The old man announced, turning around to the kids only to watch Dippers body becoming rigid when the small deer registered where their first stop would be. His voice was a cracking stuttering sound, while he took shivering step back. "Y-You can´t be serious!" Mabel looked from her obviously frightened brother back to her Grunkle tilting her head in question. "The Gleefuls? Really Grunkle Stan? Is that a good idea?" Stan only shrugged. "As good as any other house." "But-" Dipper gulped and stepped a little further behind his twin while Stan eyed him with a sigh, kneeling down to him to look him in the eye. "Look kid. We need to get the Gleeful`s signs anyway. The sooner it´s over, the better." Wendy took a step next to Stan and nodded in approval. "Your Grunkle is right Dipper, and we´re all here to watch your back." "I know..." The fawn bit his lips and glanced down to his black hooves, the gash in his hind leg strung, but Dipper gulped down the forming lump in his throat and nodded slowly. "Okay then." Stan smiled and laid his hand on his deer nephew’s shoulder. "Good decision." Wendy nodded, giving him a thumbs-up before she and Stan made their way to the Gleeful`s front door, leaving Mabel and Dipper to follow. The joyful girl gave her furry twin a concerned look when she saw that his gaze was still glued to the ground. "You sure you´re okay with this bro-bro?" The fawn beside her twitched in surprise until he lifted his eyes to meet his sister’s gaze before he let go a heavy breath. "Yeah Mabel, don´t worry. Besides... Stan´s right, it´s not like he could do anything while all of you are near." But Mabel`s eyes only darkened at her brother’s comment. "He better." She spat. "If he´s going to try anything funny I´ll make him regret it!" Mabel growled, punching her fist into her hand, Dipper hid a smirk underneath his black nose. "Of course Mabel." He grinned, but at least the weight lifted itself form his heart for a moment. But once the massive figure of Bud Gleeful opened the door with a too bright smile on his lips, the bloody gash on his hind leg began to burn again. "Ah the Pines! Wendy and- a Deer in a sweater?" He frowned, shaking his head before he blocked the door fame with his massive shape.   "Sorry Stan, but clothes or not, no animals inside." "WHAT?" Stan shouted, stepping up to the man, fixing him to close to comfort. "Listen Gleeful, that’s my nephew you´re talking about!" The massive man blinked, looking down at the small fawn again, scratching an eyebrow before he shrugged. "Huh? If you say so..." Bud stepped aside, still earning angry looks form Wendy and Mabel who pushed the furry back of her brother inside, not noticed the look Mr. Gleeful gave Dipper’s white fluffy twitching tail. He leaned closer to Stan, still eying Dipper with a whisper. "You´re sure he´s house-trained?" Dipper’s sensitive ears twitched but the bleat that escaped his lips in protest wasn´t that helpful at all. But Stan´s fist only got closer to Bud Gleeful`s chin in seconds with a not-so-silent treatment. "You better watch your tongue scrap dealer or we´re going to talk about your son´s behavior lately!" Bud swallowed, holding up his hands in a defeated gesture. "Fine with me Stan. Now come and sit down to tell me the reason for your visit." He smiled, but Stan gave him one last dark look before he followed the man’s gesture to take a seat in the living room.

Dipper could feel the hair on his back standing on end as the door closed behind Bud Gleeful`s back. He recognized the strange glance the man threw at him, while his ears rung from the sound of the vacuum that resounded through the whole house. Mabel and the others began to explain his situation to them. The ringing sound stopped once Bud called for his wife to listen as well, because they both needed to agree to the deal. But the silence of the house just made his condition worse. His heart rate doubled itself, while his gaze twitched from one window to another. Dipper’s ears were moving in all possible directions to catch a sound from outside, but the windows were closed, all of them, so was the door. He was locked in.

The fact that his breathing increased and hitched only made the lump in his throat grow even more. The voices of his family and the Gleefuls passed him like a ghostly whisper. Panic stuffed his ears with cotton, Dipper could feel his heart pounding against his chest in an unsteady rhythm. He needed to get out. Now. Without the others noticing, the fawn made his way to the door on shivering legs. His wet black nose reflected itself in the golden door handle before he took the knop in his mouth, but the damn thing wouldn’t turn. Dipper’s heart rate spiked up again, his hooves scratched against the wooden door with a desperate bleat that finally got Mabel`s attention. She was by his side in a second, surprised to find her brother alone at the door, bleating desperately instead of calling out for someone. His sister kneeled down beside him, to call his name but none of this got the deer´s attention. "Meeeah!" Mabel frowned as he bleated again, the blank and frightened stare Dipper gave the door let a shiver run down her spine. She tried to swallow but once she laid a hand on his shoulder Dipper jumped, his eyes were wide and she could see his chest waving heavily. "Dipper?" Mabel`s voice called out for him carefully. She watched in awe as her brother’s eyes gained focus again, her own frightened picture was reflected in his warm brown gaze and made Mabel swallow. Dipper only blinked in irritation, before his eyes drifted back to the door again. "I- Can you open the door for me Mabel?" He questioned in a low but urged voice. "Why?" She pressed but Dipper gulped. Mabel could see how his gaze glued itself to the floor, so she immediately knew that he was lying to her once he spoke up again. "I just- I want to wait outside. The thought of Gideon is still giving me the creeps. And besides I had hardly anything but sweets this morning, I may find something out there." Mabel bit her lip, the question why he was lying was on her tongue, but she only nodded, opening the door with a soft smile but her hand on the door handle shivered. "Okay bro-bro, but you stay in the backyard before the window, where I can see you." Dipper rolled his eyes but Mabel could clearly see that his gaze was already focused on the world outside. She kneeled down beside him again and made him focus on her on last time. "You´ll wait for me- right Dipper?" She asked picking his sweater into the right position. Her brother smiled up to her nodding before he turned around and jumped down the porch, his tail flickered in joy when he looked up to her again. "Of course I will Mabel! Stop worrying!" The little girl nodded, reflecting his smile, her eyes following him in the backyard of the house. But the desperate bleating and the blank look of his eyes made her hollow inside. ‘Something is still wrong with him.’ Whispered a tiny voice in her ear and Mabel nodded. She knew. She knew that Dipper was still hiding something from her. But she didn´t knew what.

Or wasn´t she just willing to see it?

With all the explanations done it was surprisingly easy to get the signature of Gideon´s parents. Maybe because they wanted to help their son. Well his dad especially, cause once he told his wife to sign she didn´t question it at all, just muttering something underneath her breath before she got back to work and the vacuum began to hum again. All the time she made sure that Dipper was still outside waiting for them. At first he just had been looking at her, going in circles before his eyes were glued to the grass below him, she even snickered when her brother finally let go and followed his instincts. At first he stumbled over his own feet and her sweater, before Dipper got the hang of it. His front legs were spread to steady his body while he was grazing with his muzzle on the ground, his butt, and especially his white tail poking up, twitching now and then rather in delight or disgust. He was grazing. Just like a real deer. But the image made her heart flutter and crumble all at once. The sour taste in her mouth kept her from enjoying seeing Dipper like that. Even if his body was that of a deer now this seemed just to be… wrong, somehow. Mabel was relieved when Stan finally shook Bud Gleeful´s hand, while he shot one last warning glance up the stair case in the direction of Gideon´s room, before they finally left the house. The female twin took a huge breath of the fresh air, the sight of her brother still there made the smile coming back to her lips again, so she made some happy jumps towards him, calling out his Name. “Dipper! We´re ready! We got them! Dipper?!” Mabel slowed down and stopped to afraid to move. Dipper had risen his head, he was staring at her, not moving a muzzle. Mabel knew this gaze. She had seen it on so many other deer and animals in general, and she knew what was about to happen if she even moved a pinky now. “Hey kid, what`s wrong?” Stan called out for her, coming up to them, but that was enough to trigger the reaction Mabel had been afraid of. Dipper fled. “NO! Dipper!” “Wait!” “Snap out of it dude.” But all their calls to him were for nothing. He was gone…

“No…” Mabel whispered again, she was about to follow him before the strong hand of her Grunkle on her shoulder made her stop. “Don´t Mabel. He´ll just get more panicked and you wouldn’t find him anyway. He´ll snap out of it…” Stan swallowed, his voice was raspy and even if he wanted to tell her that everything was alright his worried gaze told her that he was lying. Mabel looked up to him, tugging at her Grunkle´s suit with watery eyes that finally caught Stan´s. Her voice was nothing but a fearful whisper and the old man knew that he couldn´t ignore it. Not this time.   “Grunkle Stan… what´s happening to him?” He looked down to her, his own eyes beginning to burn when she repeated her question, even more desperate. “What´s happing? ” It was clear that she already knew the answer. But obviously Mabel didn´t like the truth. Not at all. “Dipper…”

The safety of the forest surrounded him like a warming scarf against the cold deep panic that infused his veins. Trees were dissolving during his run. The strange creatures and sounds were long gone but the voice inside him still told him to run. And so he did, he fled. His heart was jumping against his chest, leaves and thin branches ruffled and scratched his fur, his mind was finally calming down before suddenly something had caught him. The beast was reaching for him with sharp thin claws tugging at his fur to make him bleat and cry in fearful protest. Dipper struggled and jumped in order to free himself a ripping sound made his ears twist before he was shallowed by darkness, his front legs were caught up in something until he was finally free again. The small fawn didn’t look back. So he didn´t see the handmade colorful sweater lonely hanging from the tree branch that he had been caught up in. Dipper left it behind. A patch of color, alone in the wood ready to be swallowed by the rising darkness.

It was already dawn when a knocking at the door finally made Stan jump out of his chair, he made his way to the front door, looking up the stairs out of the corner of his eyes but there was no sound to be heard from the attic. The old man sighed, his chest felt heavy but he just shook it off, opening the door with eager to finally find his nephew standing behind it. Dipper looked up to him a short bust distressed second before his eyes fixed themselves on a knot-hole on the porch, he could see the kid´s lips shiver while he spoke. “I-I´ve lost her sweater.” He whispered, while Stan bit his lips, clearing the door to let Dipper inside.   Dipper bit his lips, while he carefully stepped in. “Meah…” He bleated, his eyes widening at the sound before he swallowed to trying again.   “I´m sorry.” Stan let out the breath he had been holding, when Dipper was able to repeat himself in human words instead of deer like noises. “It´s okay kid. I´m glad you´re back.” His Grunkle grumbled, ruffing his hair, but Dipper looked up at him again, fear still hidden in his brown eyes. “It`s getting meahh…” Even though the bleat cut him off, it was hard for Stan not no know what he meant. Dipper could see him swallow, before Stan carefully nodded. “That was about to come.” He agreed with a frown, carefully laying his hand on Dippers furry shoulder. “We´ll figure something out until we’ve got the complete signatures, there´s not many missing now anyway. So before you wet your furry pants because of some overactive deer nose, you better go up there talking to your sister, while you still can.” Dipper twitched at this comment, ears pressing down against his head when he looked up to Stan in question. “Meah?” The small fawn asked. A dry chuckle nearly escaped his Grunkle´s lips before he was able to remind himself again that this situation was anything but funny.  Stan followed Dipper’s gaze up the stairs, a knowing look buried in his old face. “She knows.” The two nearly whispered but concerned words were all it took for Dipper to know.  The fawn bit his lips and swallowed before he nodded, making his way to the stair to carefully climb the first step.   Stan watched with a dark line between his eyebrows as his nephew awkwardly climbed up the stairs, a soft “Good luck” escaped his lips before Dipper vanished into the attic.

Dipper’s throat was dry as soon as he reached the room they shared during summer.  The loud clattering sound of his hooves on the wooden floor had already announced his appearance in the attic, but Mabel didn´t move. She was lying on the covers of her bed, burning holes in the celling with her glare while he stepped up to her. With her sweater and all secrets gone by now he felt somewhat naked in front of her. He was her (“little”) brother but still, he was supposed to protect her. He had wanted to make everything alright again. But he failed. And all he gained for her was pain and the knowledge that he didn´t tell her the truth. Well- that might be not absolutely correct. He had tried- but Mabel didn´t want to listen at that time. Maybe because somewhere deep inside he had already known. She had known that she would not only have him in his deer body by her side, but that she might actually lose him, Dipper. Just like he had lost her sweater. Because how would anyone return Dipper when the very same was nowhere in sight.

The fawn let out a soft sigh, he could feel his ears brushing his furry cheeks to lay back on his head when Mabel finally moved. His twin carefully sat up, eyes glued to his own, but her face didn´t give away any other emotion. Mabel was simply staring at him. Really gaping, for the very first time since he became like this. It was like she was examine and checking every inch of his body, recording his appearance and every chance that came with it until he finally broke her gaze. Dipper swallowed, his cheeks were burning beneath his brown fur and he could still feel her eyes on him when she finally spoke up. “We said no more secrets.” She whispered, but even if her voice was low and calm he could still hear the anger hidden between her words. Dipper himself only bit his lips. “It wasn´t that much of a secret.” He responded, but Mabel just frowned, jumped from her bed to get closer to him. “Maybe. But you knew that I didn´t know.” A nod as response. “I didn´t know that your behavior might chance, that you´ll lose the ability to speak, to communicate at all, that you might not be able to recognize Stan, Soos, Wendy- or even me at some point.” Dipper winced at every word, the panic and fear came back inside him with burning sensation. He wanted her to stop. “Meah-“ But his voice broke at the unwelcoming bleat.   Mabel´s own eyes went wide at the sound that finally made her stern voice shiver and break. “I´ll lose you Dipper…” She whispered, a lonely tear was streaming down her cheek before a stream followed her guide. She was in tears now. Mabel, the overjoyed, always good cheerful and positive Mabel was crying, while she repeated the words in a whisper. “If we don´t get this deal undone, I´ll lose you.” Dipper bit his lips his own eyes began to burn during her speech.   “You´ll be still there but gone at the same time.” Mabel´s words were low, Dipper couldn’t see if she was talking with herself or with him. It was like she needed to speak it out, before she was able to belief that it was the truth. “You´re about to leave me alone...”

He desperately wanted to prove her wrong, to cheer her up and tell her that everything would be alright. But he couldn’t. Dipper couldn´t say “No” or that they would find a solution, cause he knew that she was telling the truth, so all that came out was a whispered apologize. “I´m sorry.”  He tried to swallow the lump in his throat, looking up to her again. “I should have told you sooner I just- I didn´t want to scare you Mabel, I didn´t want- this.” He nudged her cheek with his wet nose. Mabel only blinked, stroking his soft baby fur in thought. “No wonder you were always so scared about you chances.” “Meeeah.” Dipper agreed, but both of them winced at his bleat, before he cleared his throat and concentrated to be able to speak with her probably again. “I´m sorry Mabel- I just wanted to protect you.” He told her, surprised that a small tired smile made it up to his sister’s lips. “Yeah- you better stop that. It always ends up in a “deersasterous” mess.” She joked, but her voice was still raspy and her face wet form tears. But Dipper immediately knew that she tried to cheer him up, Mabel tried to lighten the mood as always. But Dipper was still not done, guilt still naged at him like the nasty little monster it was. “I lost you´re sweater.” He whispered, but Mabel only looked at him for a while, before she finally hugged him tight, while she tried to ignore the startled bleat and the rigid state of her brother at first. “Forget it Dip-dop. I got you back, that´s all what matters-” But again, her voice broke in betrayal. “I thought that- that you might not come back.” She sobbed while dripping tears soaked his fur. “You didn´t recognize me. You were afraid of me.” Mabel shook her head and Dipper could feel her body shivering beneath his own. “You ran away…” She whispered and Dipper bit his lips. “I know. “ “You can´t promise me that this won´t happen again, can you?” She questioned, leaning back to look him in his eyes. The glittering tears in his sister’s usually so-happy eyes made his heart ache in his chest, and his mouth nearly too dry to speak when he tried to stretch his muzzle into a careful smile. “I don´t know Mabel- but I´ll try.” He announced and he meant it, Mabel recognized. Because if there was one thing that Dipper was more afraid of than to lose himself, it was to lose her, his twin.   Mabel sighed, reflecting the smile of her brother. “We`ll if that´s the best you can come up with deer boy- I´ll take it.” She grinned, opening her arms for him. “Awkward sibling hug?” She questioned and Dipper took the offer, laying his head on her shoulder to hug her as best as he could. “Awkward sibling hug.” Mabel grinned, her brother’s fur tickled her cheek when she was about to pat his back. “Pat, Pa-” But the young girl stopped mind sentence when she felt her brothers body going rigid beneath her. He wasn´t able to “pat” back. Their ritual was useless.

Broken.

She bit her lips, pushing herself up slowly to rest against the headboard of her bed. Mabel hesitated to touch his soft fur, she wanted to avoid waking him, but she allowed herself to pet through his plushy pelt. Her heart podded painfully in her chest as her gaze wandered along the new body of her brother, her breath hitched when her eyes met the dots on his flank. Every sign of her brother was gone… The little fawn beside her had no traces of humanity left, but the white dots in his chocolate brown fur still showed the constellation of the “Big Dipper” which melted perfectly into his soft coat. It was him.

Mabel had a hard time swallowing the lump in her throat, her fingers curled through his hair, she hiccupped a hidden tear when a movement suddenly got her attention. Dipper was chewing on the end of her nightshirt in his sleep. She took a deep breath, all her cuteness alarms were shrilling, telling her to hug this sweet little animal as close as possible and to never let go ever again. But the fear in her gut shouted above it, so that one single question dominated her mind. `Are we to late?` Her hands trembled through his baby fur. He looked so fragile, so young, laying there on her bed.   So… small. Mabel frowned, tilting her head to the side to observe him once again. In fact he was smaller now.

Mabel´s eyes started to burn, the edge of her nightgown was already soaked with Dipper´s drool, but for now she didn´t care much about that. She watched his black nose twitching in his dream, his eyelashes fluttered, but Mabel was afraid of what she might see in her brother’s eyes.

She really had been thinking that it would be cute and sweet to have her fawn-tastic brother by her side. And hot chocolate with marshmallows on top, he was absolutely adorable!   But him being like that… forever? That was a damn long time. Besides, she still remembered when that dinosaur took Waddles, her worry and his helplessness. Her heart jumped in her throat when she thought about Dipper in that way. But what if Bill´s contract didn’t work? What if one of the towns people wouldn’t sign it? What if this freaky demon was toying with them again? What if Dipper would stay that way?     `No. he can´t.` She was reaching out to let her fingers curl through his fur again, searching for the comforting warmth of her brother with her trembling hands. “I-I don´t know what I´m supposed to do without you Dipper…”  

But the raspy whisper of his name was enough to make the young fawn stir in his sleep.  The warm sunlight tickled his nose and something was stroking his fur; he instinctively leaned closer to the touch. The little deer yawed, blinking the sleep out of his eyes until he saw Mabel´s face in front of him, making him remember that he had slept in her bed last night. “Morning Mabel.” He slurred, still sleep drunken. Trying to unfold his legs and arms to stretch his tired body, he asked his sister the question, but knew the answer right away. “Do you see any new chaaAAAHH!!”  

Dipper jumped, his unsteady legs trembled on Mabel´s bed. He had no arms, no human torso at all. Where his arms should be, were now his front legs. But his front legs felt like his arms. His front legs were now his arms, or his arms his front legs?   He tried to move his shoulder but instead one of his fore legs stirred. Four legs. No arms. No human upper body. No deertaur but-

“No! No, no, no, no, no!” Dipper jumped out of Mable´s bed, the rush of adrenalin in his veins made him forget the uneasy feeling of walking on all fours. He heard his sister calling for him, but Dipper didn´t listen; his fur was standing up on his back when he finally stumbled in front of the mirror, he came to an abrupt halt when he saw the little creature that looked back.

“A-A deer.”   Dipper gasped, his ears were peaking up in surprise and he watched the fawn in the mirror mimic his movements. This was him.   “I became a full deer. A full deer, in just one night!” He could feel his heart sinking in his chest, the blood rushed loudly in his ears so that his thoughts became nebulous in his panicked state. “No- this… this can´t be happing.” Dipper wanted to hide his face in his hands, but all his body came up with where his ears pinching close to his head while his tail hid between his legs in discomfort.   “Please, it can´t be!” Dipper was shivering from head to toe, or rather hoof, when Mabel´s worried filled voice resounded in the attic again. She was by her brother’s side in an instead, talking to him in a calm voice, but Dipper seemed to be totally out of it. “Dipper please, calm down. I´m sure we´ll turn you back.” But Dipper wasn´t listening, so she closed the last distance between them, calling out for him again. “Dipper!?” But once her fingers reached out to touch his furry flank to gain his attention, Dipper´s deer body jumped in panic. With a frightened bleat, his instincts shoved him into fight or flight mode, and since he was prey, there was just one option was left. Flight. “Dipper!” Mabel called out for him again, her heart ached in her chest while she watched her brother flee... from her. Dipper’s mind raced to the stumbling beat of his heart, his deer-controlled mind scanned his surroundings within seconds. All doors closed, no way to escape, so hide. Hide. Mabel´s eyes began to burn when she watched Dipper’s furry butt disappearing underneath the bed. She was fast to follow him before a soft whisper in her head told her to stop. She had always been good with animals, her inner voice told her to stop in order to avoid scaring the little deer any further. But this wasn´t just any animal. This was her brother god damn it! It was Dipper. Mabel swallowed, taking one step after another before she got down on her knees to get a glimpse underneath her brother’s bed and his new found hiding spot.

The cave like hideout was dark and dusty. Papers, books, a lonely sock and something that looked like it might have been part of a sandwich were keeping company with a herd of dust bunnies down there. And in the darkest corner of this dusty place, pressed to the wall behind him was her brother. “Dipper…” She called out for him again, but he just shivered even more, eyes pressed shut he tried to shrink even further into the darkness, making her eyes burn because of her brother’s fear and mistrust. Mabel´s voice was near tears now, nothing but a silent whisper that finally got his attention. “Please Dipper, snap out of it bro-bro.” Dipper blinked, his ears were peaking up at the sound of his sister´s voice. “Mabel?” But while he mouthed her name the black spot of his panicked mind reminded him that it had been her all along, that he just had fled form his sister who had called out for him all that time. He had been afraid of Mabel, the very girl that even knitted tiny sweaters for mosquitos so that they stayed warm while they sucked her blood. Dipper swallowed, the dust from under his bed burned in his airways making his voice raspy. “I-I´m sorry Mabel. I just panicked. My instincts were kicking in and I-“ But Dipper was unable to finish his sentence, he still avoided his sisters gaze, watching the dust bunnies dance with each other under the breath of his muzzle. Her brother’s scared voice made her frown, his words were a hoarse whisper swallowed by her darkness of his dusty hiding spot. “I´m a deer.” He breathed. “A fawn.” Mabel corrected, but Dipper ignored her, the snappy comment she had hoped for didn´t happen, instead his next words made her heart arch in her chest. “It´s over, I´ll stay like this forever. With the changes happening this fast, we´ll never make it before…” But he swallowed the rest of his sentence, shaking his head with a raspy breath. “It´s too late.”

But Mabel´s voice interrupted his lost voice, her eyes still burned but her fighting spirit was back.   “No it´s not.” She tried to crawl closer under the slight gap, eyeing her brother with a stern look, that still glittered with the hint of banned tears. “We´re so close to break Bills deal. I´m sorry that you must pass through all of this for us, but you can´t give up now Dipper. You´ll see we´ll make it!” She watched Dipper hesitate, before he carefully lifted his head with one ear peaked up to her. “How can you be so sure about that Mabel?” He asked, his words filled with doubt, a doubt his sister tried to shoo away with one of her smiles. “Cause we always do. We´re the mystery twins after all. We can do anything. Now come out of there, you can´t hide underneath the bed all day.” Dipper bit his lips, trying to coordinate all four of his legs in order to crawl out of his little cave, just to be picked up underneath his shoulders by Mabel who pulled him out of his hiding spot. She held him close to her, hugging her brother as tight as she could. Dipper just blinked, his body became rigid for a moment before he gave in, leaning into Mabel`s touch as best as he could, nuzzling her cheek with his own. “It´s okay Dipper.” But now it was Mabel who´s body shivered underneath his touch. Dipper’s ears lay back when his sister’s distressed voice resounded in the attic. “We´re gonna be okay...”

The sight of the first houses of the town made Dipper shrink even further into his fur. “I still think that it’s a bad idea Mabel.” He grumbled. Mabel just looked back at him, rolling her eyes  at her brother´s frequent objections. “Come on Dipper, we all agreed on this.” She stopped to wait for him who was walking behind her on clumsy hooves. Even though Dipper was used to walking on all fours, his missing upper body seemed to be a problem for him, especially the fact that had a hard time catching his fall without any hands or arms. The stairs were simply a catastrophe and the first thing that happened when they had left the shack was Dipper tipping over a branch meeting the dirt face first before the rest of his body followed in a tumble. The little tips of a shredded tissue Mabel had used in order to staunch his nosebleed were still sticking out of his nostrils. He gave her an annoyed look, ears flat on the back of his head.   “I did not.” Dipper announced. “It´s not fair that you decided this over my head.”  He stamped up with one of his hooves to emphasize his words. Mabel frowned, folding her arms before her chest, raising an eyebrow and her voice. “Dipper you can´t stay home all alone.” But of course her brother disagreed on that. “I can.” He assured taking a step towards her, a gesture that Mabel copied so that the two of them were arguing face to face. “You can´t” “Can” “Can´t!” Mabel declared distancing herself from her brother. Even if it was hard for her to argue with Dipper while he looked that freaking cute, but in this case she just knew that she was right, and she reminded him of this morning’s incident. “You can´t even turn a door handle Dipper, you´ve been freaking out when grunkle Stan accidentally locked you in the kitchen this morning.” But Dipper just looked away, his deer lips pressed together as best as he could, she knew Dipper would have stuck his hands into his pockets by now if he just would be able to. “That wasn´t my fault...” He winced, making Mabel sigh to herself. “Maybe. But you can be useful out here too. With your sweet fluffy butt, and my natural cuteness we´ll gather these signatures within seconds! Just think about it as a new chance for Summer-ween.”   “Yeah, just that this isn´t a freaking costume Mabel! Besides, I don´t think I want to find out how other people are reacting to me.” Stan and Soos’ response to his new appearance had been more than enough for him. 

Grunkle Stan had passed by while Mabel tried to help him down the damn stairs, but the twins stopped when they saw Stan watching them. Dipper’s new deer body went rigid in the seconds of awkward silence that ticked away before  Stan moved up the stairs, carefully picking him up beneath his front legs (his arms, damn it!) to carry him downstairs, putting him back down on the floor. “There you go kid.” Dipper hesitantly lifted his ears at the sound of his grunkle’s rusty voice, but Stan avoided his gaze. His own eyes drifted away as he stammered an awkward answer. “Thank you.”  But Stan just nodded, looking anywhere but his nephew. `Great-` Dipper swallowed. `…-more silence.’ He took a deep breath just as Stan finally spoke up again. “So, you´re a deer now.” “A fawn.” Mabel corrected with a tired smile. “A fawn, right, right.” Stan’s eyes darkened when he saw Dipper flinch at his comment, he forced a smile to his lips. “Well, that means we better hurry, or soon I’ll be able to open a petting zoo in the shack.” Stan smirked, but Dipper only swallowed, facing the ground before his hooved feet, it felt so strange being that near to the floor while everything else was so big now. He knew Mabel didn´t say it loud because it was a difficult time for him, but it was a fact that Mabel was now one head taller than him; and Grunkle Stan, the man seemed like a giant to him now. But even from down here he could see Stan´s hidden worries in his features, while Mabel´s face was still red from nearly crying. His heart ached as both of them tried to cheer him up. “I´m sorry.” He whispered, making Stan´s brows raise up to his grey hair line. “What for?” But Dipper stayed silent, so that it was Stan himself who responsed to his own question, eying his nephew skeptically.   “You deciding to help your friends in family at your own expense? Oh please Dipper, I thought we got over this point. It might have been a bad decision to make this deal, but well- at last your intentions were good. That´s all that matters sometimes…” He grumbled with a darkening voice, making the end of his sentence deepen in his rusty throat. “…even if things get a little bit out of control.” Stan sighed, shaking his head before he laid a hand on Dipper’s furry head, ruffling his fur where his hair should have been. “So stop apologizing all day! As long as your sister is watching your furry back so you don’t chew on my armchair again, we´re fine.” His grunkle smirked when he punched his furry shoulder. “And now cheer up kid. You´ll see, we’ll break the deal as fast as you can say `The Magnificent Mr. Mystery`.” Stan laughed before he left them to prepare breakfast. But the bitter taste in Dipper’s mouth stayed glued on his tongue, because not even Stan´s fake smile could make him forget his grunkle’s shell shocked expression and the darkness that suddenly hovered in the old man´s eyes when he first caught sight of him. Whatever Stan told them, this was certainly not okay for him.  

But of course that hadn´t made him or Mabel any less of an annoyance. Once Stan was ready with breakfast he put Dipper’s plate down in front of him, making the young deer blink in surprise before he realized what it meant. It was for his new eating habits, now that his arms were missing he needed to eat from the ground, with his muzzle, right from the bowl like any other animal. His gaze wavered to Waddles when Stan placed the pig’s bowl of left overs in front of him, it took only a second before he delved his snout into the bowl, making food splash all over his cheeks. Dipper’s own stomach dropped. No way would he eat from the floor, ever. He made an excuse that he wasn´t hungry, but of course neither Stan nor Mabel had believed him, forcing him to eat, Mabel had even suggested to feed him, making Dipper flee before she was able to affix this horribly colorful bib around his neck that she had snatched out of nowhere.

But the idea to flee from them into the grassy green backyard wasn´t a good idea either. The fresh green smell of the still damp grass made his stomach grumble in a demanding manner. Dipper tried to swallow the upcoming hunger down his throat, looking down at himself with a sigh. Seeing his front hooves where his arms should be still felt strange, it hadn’t even been a day and yet he already missed his hands. The only tool that was left now was his mouth, because what the hell would he be able to do with this dumb little hooves? But there were simply things Dipper didn´t want to do with his muzzle, tongue, or teeth. Just- No. Even eating was one of those things for now. It simply was humiliating, not because they might laugh at him, but because it made him feel even less human than he was by now. It made him afraid and even more aware of what he might become, an animal. A deer, without his human thoughts or any memories of his life. Just a blank animalistic nothing.

Dipper swallowed, folding his legs beneath him before settling down in a sunny spot in the grass; his mind drifted away while he watched the bees and butterflies dancing on the flowers around him, he wished he could see their colors. The rustling sound of wind that sung in the trees together with the birds’ melodies made his troubled mind calm down in the natural surroundings. So much so, he didn´t even notice the approaching figure until two hands suddenly touched him to ruffle his furry belly; all he was able to produce was a startled bleat. But Soos only cooed at the sweet call of the small fawn in the grass before him, scratching the little deer’s belly before he called out for the rest of the Pines family inside the shack. "Aww, did you get Dipper a little furry friend?" He giggled, unable to hear Dipper´s pleading answer between his bleats and laughter. "Meeeahh-No-Soos it´s meeaah!" Soos didn´t recognize his voice, but tickled even harder making tears appear in the corner of Dipper’s eyes, when Soos finally hid the spot that made his hind leg twitch in the rhythm of Soos’ scratching. That only made Dipper bleat again, in a mixture of enjoyment, instinct, and out of tournament while Soos was laughing and looking down at the fully animal with a smile.   "Oh you´re a nosy one, huh little dude?" The handyman laughed before Mabel´s questioning voice got his attention as she appeared with Stan on the porch decoyed by Dippers manic bleats. "Dipper? What´s going on- Soos?" Mabel blinked, looking down at the scene before her, Soos giving her a grin, waving with his free hand while the other one was still petting her brother’s belly. "Oh hey guys!" He greeted. "Meeaah!" Stan cleared his throat under the loud bleat of his nephew, his eyes wandered back to his assistant. "Um- Soos what are you doing there?" The boy gave him a smile, looking down at the small fawn again to answer Stan´s question. "Me? I´m making friends with Dipper’s new deery friend of course." "Meeeaabel!" Dipper protested, but Soos only scratched further, Stan and Mabel gave each other a look before they burst out into echoing laughter.

Yeah, and that was his first meeting with Soos. No wonder he wasn´t looking forward to meeting the townsfolk. `Nope, not looking forward to it at all.` Dipper sighed while they passed the first houses, there was no way out of this now anyway. “So, where is our first stop?” Mabel snatched her page of the contract out for her pocket with a grin, holding it in front of her so that Dipper was able to get a glimpse on it too. “The first on is… Tyler! That´s cool! I´m sure he won’t be much of a problem.” Dipper laid his ears back, grumbling a silent “I hope so”, but nodded carefully. They heard the tiny voice of the biker before they even made it up to the doorbell. “I know you preferred the other spot, but we agreed to chance once in a week Magda, so live with it.” Mabel blinked, giving Dipper a questioning look, which he answered with a shrug (as best as he could) before they followed Tyler´s voice into his backyard.  They stopped once they saw who the man was talking to, his garden gnomes. The strange little man and woman wore colorful cloth and one of them looked really similar to Smebulock, but Tyler was talking to one of the female sculptures hiding a knowing grin underneath her beard.     “Besides, you´re closer to Leroy here and- no don’t give me that look I know that there is something up between you two, because-“ “Um, Mr.- Mr. Tyler Sir?” Mabel interrupted his speech with the garden gnome lady, cause neither she nor Dipper wanted to know why this man thought that these little men had a love affair with each other.  But once the little bicker looked at them, Dipper’s fur stood up on his back ,making him hide behind his sister, his ears brushing his furry cheeks. Mabel however, stepped up to the man, clearing her voice before she began to explain their situation. "As you may know my deer brother here made a deal with a cruel crazed up Demon, namely Bill, in order to turn the whole town back to human. But Bill tricked this foolish body beside me- of course, and now we need your help to save him. You just need to sing this contract here saying you’re okay with changing back into a monster. Please?!" Dippers jaw dropped at Mabel´s speech, he blinked hissing into her ear with wide eyes. "That`s what you´re telling them? Seriously!" "What? It´s working." Mabel grinned, while Dipper tried to protest again. "But Mabel-" Tyler´s voice however cut him off, the man was peeking behind Mabel´s back, giving him a curious look. "So that´s your brother?" "Yup." Mabel grinned, stepping aside to give the man a better look at the little fawn beside her. "Tyler meet Deerper." Her brother gave her a look but before he was able to argue two small hand´s got a hold onto his fur covered face. Dipper gulped, until he looked up into the man´s face, just to be confronted with two big sparkling eyes. "Sooo fluffy!" The biker squeaked, petting Dippers fur, whose mood switched from fear to annoyance, giving Mabel a look when he heard her giggle in the background before she cleared her throat again. "So you’re up for kicking Bill Cipher´s butt?" She asked, holding the contract and pen up for him to sign. Tyler hesitated for a moment, until he snatched the pen from her hand, looking one last time into Dipper’s big deer eyes before he signed the contract with a determined whisper.

"Get ‘em."

They had collected the signatures of the pizza guy, Toby from the “Gravity Falls Gossiper”, Tambry and Tate McGucket, until Dipper yawned beside her. “Who´s next?”  He questioned, so that Mable gave him a worried look. “You okay bro-bro?”  She watched her brother frown, his muzzle twitched in annoyance. “Yeah Mabel, just tired don´t worry. So who´s next?” Mabel pointed in front of them, hearing Dipper groan in response when they entered the “home” of old man McGucket. The smell of rusty metal around them made Dipper´s stomach grumble in protest, while his fur erected on his back, when they walked through bits and pieces of McGucket’s so called "work" but the old man was nowhere in sight. "Old man McGucket! Hello? Mabel called out for him. "You here?" She questioned again, looking into a hollow metal bin, making her voice echo and Dipper rolling his eyes. "Sure Mabel, you´ll find him in there." Mabel lifted her head back out of the bin with a glare. "Oh stop arguing Dippingdots and help me!" "Maybe he is just gone..." Dipper murmured, but still called out for the strange guy. "Old man McGucket, it´s Mabel and Dipper." He searched behind a rusty machine that looked like a mix between a tractor and an old pick up. "Hello?" Dipper questioned into the apparently empty yard when suddenly a wet breath touched his furry ear, making it flicker. "Hello my fawn-tatsic meal." The rusty voice made him jump, facing the toothless grin of the crazy old man. "What-?" But McGucket broke his question while he licked his lips.   "Hey raccoon wife! Prepare the grill, we´ll have baked barbeque tonight." He laughed, trying to catch Dipper, but the deer was faster and jumped away from him with a startled bleat that finally got Mabel´s attention. The girl came up behind McGucket’s cabin, with a grin. "Ah! There you are!" She watched the two chasing around the place, Dipper jumped every second step but still unused to his armless body he tipped here and there so that McGucket still was fast on his heels. "Mabel he want to eat meeeaahh!" He screamed hiding behind her mop of brown hair. "Aww come on he´s just playing with you Dipper, right oldy?" McGucket grinned, holding up two dirty bottles of liquid. "What do you think’s better, ketchup or mustard?" "Eeep." But Mabel ignored her brother’s shriek and old McGucket’s comment, coming directly to the point. "We wanted to ask you to sign this, in order to turn Dipper here back." She said, holding up the contract for the old man to see. He snatched some broken reading glasses out of nowhere in order to read the different names on the golden paper. "There is just a little itzy bitzy tiny hook on it, itsturningyoubackintoamonster." Mabel babbled, melding the words together. "Oh banjopolish, I´d do anything if this delicious meal would stand still for a moment." Dipper’s ears twisted back in an angry response. "God damn it old man, I´m not a meal! I´m Dipper. DIPPER, remember? The guy that brought back part of your memories." McGucket seemed to think about it before he shrugged, shaking his head to answer the deer´s question. "Nope, you can´t be him. This guy was a boy, not a deerlischous goulash." "Mabel!" Dipper pleaded, making her sigh before she stepped between them. "Okay that´s enough. You stop whining, and you stop trying to eat my brother."  She announced while the old inventor frowned in disappointment. "Not even a little tiny bite?" "Well..." But Dipper stomped his hoof on her foot, when her answer took too long for his taste. "Mabel!!" He protested.   "Ouch. No, okay, okay. But what about you´ll join us for dinner, once this is over?" McGucket rubbed his beard, raising a brushy eyebrow with a question. "Can I bring my wife?" "Of course, just bring her along! So- you’ll sign?" Mabel asked, holding up the contract, which the man signed with his beard. "Thank you!" She cheered, watching him scribble down his initials, poking Dipper in the shoulder. "Yeah- Thanks." The deer grumbled, but old man McGucket was no longer listening to them, holding up the struggling raccoon in his arms. "We need to buy you a new dress." He questioned. The heard him talking about matching colors while they left. "What about pink?" But this suggestion only made him curse and scream when his so-called wife dogged its claws into his face. Mabel gave Bills contract a last satisfied glance, before she folded it back into her pocket.   "Well, that went surprisingly well." She smirked, while Dipper gave her a stunned look. "He wanted to eat me Mabel." "Maybe, but he didn´t right?" She smiled. "That´s-" But a big yawn interrupted his speech, the adrenalin from McGucket´s chase vanished from his veins, so that exhaustion gained control of his body again. Mabel shot him a worried glance. "Maybe we should quit it for today, you´re looking tired bro-bro." Dipper however shook his head, yawing again.

"No, the faster we are, the sooner this is over." he slurred while Mabel rolled her eyes, crossing her arms before her chest. "Really Dipper, you´re barely awake." Dipper tried to blink the sleep from his eyes with a sigh. "Fine, but I´ll go home alone so you can collect more signatures, if that´s okay." Mabel´s brows knitted together in worry, she laid her hand on her brother’s furred shoulder because there was no hand for her to hold. "Do you really think that´s a good idea for you to go through the woods all alone?"   "Aw, come on Mabel, look at these deadly weapons! I may be a deer but I´m not helpless!" He announced, proudly lowering his head for Mabel to get a better look on his antlers, making his sister laugh from Dippers pretentious behavior. "Oh, you mean defending yourself like before?" She laughed unimpressed by his annoyed face. "That was different." He grumbled, until Mabel sighed, kneeling down to him to be on eye level with her brother gain.   "Okay bro-bro, but try to stay safe, for me?" Dipper gave her a reassuring smile, and nodded while he endured Mabel´s hand brushing through the fur on his head. "Of course Mabel, besides, it´s not that far to the Shack. What could happen?"