"Pine Tree"
Bill was shaking the twelve-year old who laid on the ground and haven't woken up yet.
"Pine Treeeeee"
Slightly annoyed the yellow demon started to shake his human even more.
"C'mon Pine Tree. We don't have time for this!", his voice sounded now harsher than it was moments ago.
Eventually Bill stopped and checked their surrounding once again instead. He looked at his human.
"Why are humans so weak? I'm in a meat sack too, but I'm still stronger in a physic form than in the Mindscape", he mumbled to himself. Than again he tried to use his power. Anything that could help. But as he expected, nothing came. Bill groaned before sliding down a nearby tree and sitting down. "I hope Tad is fine..."
Suddenly the boy started to cough. Bill jumped up and went to look at his human. Gladly Dipper wasn't hurt. Maybe a few bruises but nothing too serious. After a few other coughs he opened his eyes and looked into the face of his demon.
"Ahhh Pine Tree! You awake!", he greeted the boy happily.
"What happened?"
"You can say, we went on a swimming lesson. Haha."
Flashbacks floated back to Dipper's mind as he remebered the monsters sparkling eyes and how Bill threw him into the waterfall and he screamed. Dipper's eyes widened as realization hit him.
"ARE YOU INSANE?! I COULD HAVE DIED!!"
"Jeez kid, relax. It's not like I have just saved your life."
"SAVED MY LIFE?!"
Dipper screamed at Bill once more before the yellow demon covered his mouth.
"The Gobblewonker may still be around. Better you quit it", he pointed out and even if Dipper didn't like the idea he stopped shouting.
After the boy went silent, took Bill his hand away from the other's mouth. Dipper waited patiently for him to say anything but Bill just stood up instead and was about to leave for the dark and creepy forest.
"W-what? Where are you going? If we want to find Tad and Mabel we have to take the other way", the boy exclaimed and his demon stopped before turning around.
"Who said that we are going to search them?"
"But Tad was unconscious as we jumped. I don't think that he will go and search for us."
"He always does so! Trust me Pine Tree, I know Tad for a while now. We always do it that way! We go and search this old man and Floppy Disk and Shooting Star find us later. That's the plan!"
The boy sighted knowing complaining about that would be useless. "Alright. Can you use your magic to track Fiddleford somehow?"
The demon shook his head. "That's the problem. You remeber I couldn't attack the monster? Well, it was because of Tad. There are pros and contras in a partnership. The good thing is: demons that have a partner are powerfuller than those who don't have one. The bad thing is: if my partner is unconscious or not in the near, than my powers are useless because they don't work."
The brunette looked at his demon shocked. "Does that mean that you can't use any of your powers?"
"Exactly, Pine Tree."
"Does that mean that if the Gobblewonker shows up we are completly helpless?"
"Well, yes..."
"And you're telling me that only now?"
"You asked to many questions and I was to busy to answer them."
"So it's my fault now?!"
"It isn't mine, so yes! Yes it is!"
"Can't you just be normal?!"
"Am I looking like a normal being? No! Am I a normal being? No! So, will I ever act like a normal being? No!"
They both fought but stopped as they heard a growl in the near.
"Amazing", Dipper mumbled before looking at Bill.
"Let's go. I don't want to waste my time here anymore."
Dipper looked at the demon who headed straight into the forest not caring if his human is coming along or not. Dipper followed him not wanting to be left alone.
~~~
"Tad!"
Mabel shook her demon who was still laying on the ground. After her brother and his guardian jumped into the waterfall, she tried to stay as quiet as possible but the creature didn't pay any attention to her and left a few minutes later. Now the young girl was trying to wake up her demon so they could search the others and leave this horrible place.
"Taaaddd! We have to find Dipper and Bill! Wake up!", she yelled in his ears and the purple demon started to move.
"Shooting Star?", he asked. His view was still a bit blurry and his head hurt.
"You awake! We have to search the others!"
"The others?"
"Yes!"
"Where are they?"
"Don't tell me you remeber nothing!"
She looked at Tad with worried eyes as the demon tried to stand up but fell back on the ground. He rubbed the side of his back while moaning. Mabel reached after Tad's arm to help him stand up again. The second time Tad fell on his back and tried as hard as he could to surpress a scream.
"Are you fine?", asked the young girl and kneeled over to her guardian.
"Yeah. I hate being weak like this", he mumbled under his breath.
"Your are not weak!", Mabel exclaimed. "You're the strongest person I know."
Tad gave her a warm smile. In the demon world back then, he was often insulted as weak or useless, so it was a good feeling that not everybody thought like that.
"Thank you Shooting Star."
She grinned in response. Tad tried to get on his feet for the third time and ignored the pain in his back. Tad looked concern at his hands and Mabel have him a questioning look.
"Do you know where Bill is?", he finally said.
"He's with Dipper. They both jumped into the waterfall", she pointed at the dead end and the water under it.
"They did WHAT?!", the purple demon screamed shocked and the good feeling he had moments ago was replaced with fear.
"As the Gobblewonker attacked and you got unconscious, Bill's powers didn't work so he threw Dipper into the waterfall and jumped along."
Tad wided his eyes under the blindfold. His shocked expression turned slowly in rage.
"I will official kill him."
"You don't have too -..."
"He threw your brother into a waterfall! He could have got hurt or worse!"
"I'm pretty sure he's fine", Mabel laughed nervously.
Suddenly they heard the Gobblewonker growl again.
"Tad-...", she started a bit scared knowing how dangerous the monster was.
"You know what? Let's find Fiddleford. If this idiot really wants that I find him, than he can do it on his own. I'm done!"
He slowly made a step after an other while rocking a bit. Mabel ran after him so he don't hurt himself on the way.
~~~
"Do you even have any idea where you are walking?"
The atmosphere between the boy and the yellow demon was still the same. Neither of them wanted to talk to the other. As time passed Dipper got concern if they took the right way because it seemed that Bill didn't pay much attention to what he was doing.
"Why should I know where we are going? We are searching for a person so there is no right way", he responded in an unimpressed tone.
Dipper face palmed himself. "Of course...", he mumbled after his gaze returned to the forest. It even seemed scarier than before. So silent and lonely. He could even hear his and Bill's steps. It seemed like everywhere where he looked were monsters hiding in the shade of the forest only waiting to attack. Thoughts about his sister floated into Dipper's mind. What if she is hurt? Tad is near her and he wouldn't let her get hurt, but was he really that strong? The monster slammed him against a tree like it was nothing. Could he really protect his sister from this creature? However, Bill got concern about the brunettes district expression.
"You okay Pine Tree?", he asked concern. The question shocked Dipper and he jumped a little of the sudden question.
"Y-yeah. I'm fine."
"I know when people are lying."
"You do?"
"Yep. It isn't that difficult."
At first Dipper didn't want to answer but soon realized that he couldn't go against Bill. "I'm worried about my sister."
"Why that?"
"What if something happened to her? What if she's hurt and needs my help but I'm still here and-..."
"Woah! Woah! Woah! Slow down Pine Tree. Tad won't let that happen."
"You saw what that monster did to Tad! It acted like it was nothing to slam an all-powerful demon against a tree! Is he really that strong to protect my sister? And what happened to his other humans anyway?"
Bill glared at the anxious boy before pulling his hand on his shoulder.
"Tad is the smartest and strongest person I know. He wouldn't let your sister get hurt. The reason why his humans died was mostly because of me."
Dipper looked at Bill and for the first time it seemed like they got along.
"I thought you don't like Tad."
"Who told you this?"
"Well, you always act like you're annoyed of each other and would better be anywhere else but with him."
"Can you blame me? We are around each other for billions of years. Those little fights that we have are nothing compared to other demons", Bill laughed and the brunette laughed along. As they stopped both grinned at the other.
"But don't tell Tad any of this. I have a reputation to lose."