The branch swayed slightly in the air, Dipper choked on anger and confusion, slowly lowering the bough to the ground. Mabel wasn't dead?
His sister laid almost lifeless on the soil with Pacifica bent down next to her side. A frail cough escaped the demon's silent hold.
"Please put the stick down, and I'll explain to you everything, just...please." Dippers gazed sternly, he furrowed his eyebrows each time he had jumped to the pros and cons of trusting the demon. Again.
"Dipper." The golden haired girl called, upon shifting his focus to Pacifica he noticed too; Mabel's stomach rose relaxingly then became flat again, she was still breathing. Hesitantly, the branch trembled when it hit the ground and rolled right in front of Bill's blackened hands, he pulled out the journal.
"Fauna's Curse...Ugh-just spill it out Cipher." Bill began from what he was trying to say in the beginning.
"For starters, the power I used just now is a sleep charm, they don't call me a dream demon for nothing kid."
"Is there a limited time until she wakes up or is this thing permanent?" The Northwest chirped concerningly.
"I can reverse it whenever need be, I used it on Mabel since she was attacking you by the time I showed up."
"Because you cursed her yourself." Dipper muttered under his breath, meant for no one to hear but Pacifica slapped his arm, she heard it. Bill didn't take the notion but he still paused and waited for them to settle down before he spoke again.
"She has the Fauna's Curse, it's an ancient spirit that seeks revenge on one or more hosts, sometimes it's victims are cursed for no reason. Sadly it's too late to rid her of the hex, she's already going through the Trials. Has Mabel been to the forest for the past few weeks by any chance?"
They don't really have a reason to go into the forest anymore, Dipper discovered and met every monster; Meanwhile Pacifica has run from almost all monsters. Mabel could've gone there when they are not around her, it was hard to pinpoint.
"From what I know she went missing when Gideon and her hung out at the Fun-Fair." He grimaced.
"And the night when we went to that Halloween party and haunted mansion." Fair haired added, reminiscing of the good but bad moments of that night. Bill asked if she was exhibiting any abnormal behaviors, it didn't seem like there was, at least to the kids.
The twins' sister had a bright exhilarating grin, decked out in matching costumes fitted next to Pacifica, who also had a costume to match. Down in the mansion she was still normal, what if she witnessed something horrible when she was alone?
"As far as I know Mabel's been in the forest only twice," Dipper slightly chewed on his lip, "the second time we'd left her alone with this wolf, but she came back without a scratch." Bill floated in front of the Pines face.
"You've seen the wolf. What did it look like?"
The two preteens listed off the features they noticed: fangs, claws, fur, and its eyes especially. It's fur glittered with dark grey and of darker shades of its counterpart. It's eyes were ferociously yellow, like the core of fierce fire, teeth and claws were sharp to the tip.
They've seen the creature twice now, obviously the Halloween party and most recent, the Mystery Shack. Lost in the bounds of deep thought, Bill paced back and forth in the air whilst thinking.
"We both have, except I had a more up close encounter with it."
"What do you mean by that Llama?" Bill asked, Pacifica thought for a bit before answering him.
"At the party we were lashed out by ghosts, at that time Mabel wasn't with us, then the wolf appeared. It didn't attack us, it helped us, towards the end I guess it just had a change of heart and it charged."
"It seemed more focused on us, that thing didn't even come near Pacifica until it had surrounded her." Dipper included, pointing a finger at the blonde.
"Okay, did anything significant happen at any point you guys were seeing it? Including the second time you've faced it."
"The wolf, it stood over me. I looked at the eyes and they looked human, almost regretting it's choice. Then Dipper and the group came in, right then and there it scratched me, then took off."
Pulling down a bit of her upper shirt revealed a dark marking of a healing scar, hinted by its few scabs. When the wolf appeared the second time, Pacifica felt a soft burn, which she told Bill.
"What does that have to do with Mabel's curse?" He stopped mid thought, the luminous glowing of his body faltered, he struggled for the right thing to say. His eye fell on the girl he casted a sleep charm on.
"I'll explain more later, for now," gesturing to the boy, "you need to get something to cover that and I gotta reverse the charm on Mabel." He excused levitating past the teens leading the way back to the Shack, Dipper knelt down to pick up his sister but was stopped by Pacifica.
"I think it's best if I hold her, remember what Bill said, plus you're kinda...bloody." He examined his own arms, some parts had dried off. With Mabel held in Pacificas arms once more, they ran behind and caught up with the old enemy.
*********
"Now that I think about it, what happened to Candy and Grenda? They aren't in the forest still." The pair haven't seen the girls since they had left for their own path. "Don't worry, they're actually the first people I came across."
"Did you see which way they went?"
"Nope. I saw where they're at now, I may have temporarily jacked their mind so I can send them home. No worries they won't remember a thing." The tip of the Shacks roofing was feet's away, he came back to the ground level smirking.
"Bill! You can't be doing things like that, maybe it'll mess up their system." Dipper said, flicking the tiny hat off of Bill's pointed head.
"Too late to do anything about it now Pine tree." They got back to the Shack briefly after spotting it, the house in normal condition except for the lack of occupants inside. The coast was clear of Dippers great uncles, a hidden key allowed them entrance through the gift shop doors.
The lights switch was flicked, bringing the little light coming from an almost burned out lightbulb. The cash register sat on the spruce counter, beside it was a note in Stans writing.
Dear Kids,
Stanford and I went to see your mother and father, to catch up some things. We'll be back by tomorrow morning, love ya bye.
Ps, don't you dare eat my ice cream, I'm saving that for a show coming soon.
Bill was signaled that he can enter the house, his eye viewed his surroundings; he's been in the Shack before, but he never got a chance to explore it. The large couch was occupied by Mabel's sleeping form, so he toke the smaller one, sighing pleasingly.
Down the dim halls the bathroom light leaked through the door frame, inside both Dipper and Pacifica were cleaning themselves off.
"What's up with you guys and always getting hurt huh, a week without injuries is too much to ask for?" Pacificas tosses him some bandaids, proceeding to pull a twig from her golden curls.
"What's up with your fake-blonde hair huh?" He grinned upon seeing his comeback having an effect.
"Touché." Another bandaid to Dippers face as she walked back to the living room with Bill. As they were in no rush the demon explained to them again, what the fauna's curse was.
Some parts needed to be cut out, those would only be told to Dipper, when he gets a chance to be alone.
"We just can't, at least not now." He looks out the window. "Why not? There's still have a few hours left before you go."
"It's not that, her mind is still in the same place. The minute she wakes up and see you Dipper, she'll use everything at her will to attack you, it-it's just how that is."
"Dipper lives here you know, he can't avoid her forever." Pacifica piped in, moving slightly at Mabel's turning in her sleep.
"The animal instinct will die done once the trigger isn't around, the trigger being Dipper, it'll only take an hour."
"What am I supposed to do in that hour Bill?" Dipper asked, the blonde near him nodded as well.
"We're gonna need that journal, you and I will be doing research. As for you Northwest, you have to stay near Mabel for that hour, she's not seeing you as a threat." Bill responded
"But why am I not being threatened like Dipper is?, they're siblings and I'm just Mabel's friend, who once bullied her." Bills glow darkens again, he's holding back on something she needs to now.
"Pacifica, she...you are not a threat to her because you're-" From the far side the Gift shop's bell rung and echoed to the living room, the familiar heavy footsteps followed.
"Kids, you guys back yet? Just coming by to pickup something that I forgot earlier." Grunckle Stan called out for his nieces.
Published On: 4/4/20