#next-generation

“Story!” Terry started chanting from his sleeping bag.

“Story!” His two cousins added.

“Alright guys, I get it.” Dipper said as he raised his hands up in defeat, “now where was I, oh yeah the letter. Well in it King Mermando spoke of the fact that a group of his subjects were out on an excursion to a land in the north and had come into trouble. And so he asked that Lady Gwendolyn of the Woods and her companion Stoneworker travel to their last known location and to see if they would be able to help them.”

“Course dey will, Lady Gwennie and Worker are the best.” Ricky called out.

“An de in luv,” Ed added.

“Aw, you always talk luv. Deyre fighters, not luvers.” Ricky said as he shoved his brother.

“Richard, you be nice!” Debbie called from her bed as that one shove became a shoving match between her cousins.  

"Do you two want me to continue?” Dipper said in a ‘and I mean it ‘ voice.

Both boys quickly settled back into their sleeping bags, while Debbie had a smug ‘I Told You So’ look. Seeing they quit Dipper continued the story.

++

“M’lady this shall be a long trek, do you want me to prepare my wagon for the trip.” Stoneworker asked as they went about gathering supplies for the trip.

“It would be best to take my carriage so we will have sleeping quarters if needed.” The redheaded warrior said as she finished packing.

After a quick trip to see Stoneworker’s uncle, the Inventor. He had some gadgets that may come in handy, though Lady Gwendolyn felt that the their own skills would be more than enough to handle whatever they come across.

They head out across the countryside towards the destination they were given in the missive. Their trek took three days and they spent the three nights in each other’s company. On the fourth day they arrived at the location and began their search. It was a beach, but the weather was so cold  neither of them wished to take a swim.    

“Stoneworker, my trusted companion, it appears they were here recently.” Lady Gwendolyn said as she was studying the tracks they discovered. “A day or two at the most. But they weren’t alone. There are other tracks here. Heavy and larger than normal.”

“From the looks of things the others are definitely bipedal and either they all are dragging a pack of some type, or they have a large tail.” Stoneworker added as they continued their tracking. About a half hour into their tracking they happened upon the start on an inlet.

“There was a scuffle of some sort here. The water has taken most of the evidence, but there are some surefire marks in the cliff wall there.” Gwendolyn said as she pointed out three large gouges the stone. Getting a closer look at them she added, “And these are fresh.”

She pulled out her trusty ax that Stoneworker had endowed with runes of protection. Seeing this Stoneworker activated the enchantments in his own gloves. He still preferred to outwit his opponents, but was perfectly willing to fight his foes and these enchantments gave his punches an added jolt. And from what they found he may need it. There in front of a cavern they were too large to enter and despite there being snow on the ground, stood 4 crocodile Men.

++

"Wait a minute, Daddy. Great Grunkle Ford says that crocdiles are poikiro, poilikilo, coldblooded.” Debbie said, breaking into the story. Then she asked, “How are they able to be moving if there’s snow on the ground. They should be hypermating.”

Dipper chuckled a little at his daughter’s faux pas before responding, “Well, honey. First off I think you mean Hibernating, and secondly I was getting to that.”

++

Stoneworker and Gwendolyn moved closer as watched the Croc-Men attempt to reach whatever had hidden in the small cave. They were dressed rather warmly, but even then the cold should have made them too lethargic to be moving. The cold northwestern, winter weather was no where near that of the warm southern swampland these critters usually call home. Then one turned to speak to it’s fellows and we saw it. On his chest there was a glowing stone that seemed to radiate heat.

“They are too well entrenched. Martok take Merlok and find some fire wood. We’ll either smoke them out or have smoked jerky when we get to them. Hahaha.”  The one who appeared to be in charge said to the one closest to him.

Gwendolyn signaled to Stoneworker to back out of the inlet. They quickly backed out and found a hiding place, once the Croc-men had passed Gwendolyn signaled to follow them. They stopped around another twenty yards or so and that was when our heroes struck. Gwendolyn tapped the taller of the two on it’s shoulder and when it turned she hit it in the stomach with the flat of her ax. As it bent over she brought her knee up under it’s jaw rocking it’s head up and backwards. While this was happening the other Croc-Man turned to see what happened and was met by Stoneworker. Before he could react Stoneworker reached up and pulled the glowing stone off the Croc-Man. Though it glowed as if it was burning hot, Stoneworker found that he now felt as if he was standing in a warm summer day. The Croc-Man immediately felt the cold and dropped to his knees before falling in a deep sleep.

“That’s what I thought would happen,” Stoneworker said after the Croc-Man fell. Seeing a slightly confused look on Gwendolyn’s beautiful face he added, “They’re reptiles, they essentially hibernate in the cold weather.”  

They took time to bound their foes together with their hands tied behind the other’s back so that they could share the stone.  They also bound their feet and snouts separately.  When they were certain these Croc-Men would not a hassle, they began heading back towards the inlet.    

“Alright when we get there I will go for the leader, you take the smaller…” Gwendolyn was saying as they heard a scream.

“No, Somebody help me!” a young voice called from inside the inlet. As they turned the corner they saw The two Croc-Men holding a young bull seal between them. And the voice was coming from the seal.  “I just want to get my sister some food, you guys have kept us in there for two days. Do what you want to me but first let me get her some fish. She is young and needs to eat.”

“Tough luck, chiot. We’re hungry enough dat it won’t mattah ta us if she’s skin n bones or not.” The lead Croc-Man said.

"Yes, we be hungry too.” The other Croc-Man added.

“No!” A smaller seal pup called as it rushed out of the cave.

“I knew grabin’ one draw out da others. Grab her.” The lead Croc-Man said as he pulled the seal he was holding out of his partner’s grip.

Gwendolyn rushed towards the two Croc-Men intent on putting a stop to the scene before her, only to be outpaced by her younger partner.

“You need to pick on someone your own size!” Stoneworker said as he jumped and delivered a double closed fist to the top of the Croc-Man chasing the smaller seal. The force of his blow combined with the jolt of electricity his gloves held sent the cryptid to the ground. He then turns to the small pup, “It’ll be ok. We here on the request of King Mermando.”

Gwendolyn continued her rush and quickly brought her ax down across the wrist of the lead Croc-Man causing him to drop the seal pup. She then dropped low and swept his feet out from under him. Before he had a chance to try and rise up she was there with the blade of her ax blade at his throat.

“Give me a reason!” she said as she looked into his eyes.

“Brother!” the smaller seal pup called as it moved towards where the leader had dropped her brother.

“I am fine.” The larger pup said as his sister made it to him, “Father, it is safe. We have envoys from King Mermando. They saved us.”

At that there was a glow coming from the entrance to the cavern and it began to open further. When it was large enough that Stoneworker could walk into it, albeit crouched, out came a large bull seal and a medium sized seal cow.

"Greetings. Thank you for saving my family.” The bull said as he moved towards his children. “I am Jestin, Canciller of my lord King Mermando, and this is my wife Lynneth. We were on a mission to open trade negotiations with the Artic Court when we encountered these brutes. I sent an attendant back to the capital and we hid ourselves in this cave.”

“I am Lady Gwendolyn of the Woods and this is my consort Stoneworker.” Gwendolyn said as Stoneworker was tying  up the lead Croc-Man. When he was done she removed her ax from where it was sitting on it’s neck. “We left the other two around the bend. We shall leave their fate up to you.”  

++

“And once the miscreants were gathered Jestin shrunk them down with the same magic he had used on the cave passageway and placed them and a small fish in a jar for transportation. They then bid our heroes adieu and returned to the sea and to their kindom.” Dipper said as he finished up the story.

In a sleepy voice Terry asked, “But Daddy what happen to the bad guys.”

“Well when Gwendolyn and Stoneworker were next invited to the court of King Mermando, they were granted knighthood and they found out that the Croc-Men were released on a small, secluded, swampy island as a prison.” Dipper replied as he turned off the desk lamp, leaving a night light as the only illumination in the room.

As he went out into the hall he was met by his wife who gave him a quick kiss.

“So what story did tell them tonight? How Paz and Mabel took over Northwest Industries by becoming the majority stockholders or maybe Gwendolyn and Stoneworker at the haunted grocers?” Wendy asked as they headed towards their bedroom.

“Nah, I told them about the family of seals we, I mean, Lady Gwendolyn and Stoneworker saved for Mermando a couple of years ago.” Dipper said as he entered their bedroom.