theattic | THE SANDBOX

Smack! Right in the eye! The beer let out a shriek and reared up, pawing at her face. Maurice stared in amazement.

"That's it!" He scratched and scraped at the floor of the pit and found another rock. A good sharp one! When the beer turned to face them again, the rock bounced off her sensitive nose. "Beat it, Yogi!"

Dipper wasn't interested in hurting the beer- not if he could help it- but he would throw rocks to get it to leave, apparently. He stooped to pick up another, holding it tight in his fist as he glared up at the creature looming above them. "We aren't worth the trouble, trust me."

Another rock whizzed by the beer's ear. She jerked her head and let out a loud, indignant grunt.

"You don't want either of us! The little guy'll just get caught in your teeth and I'll go straight to your hips!" He hurled another stone.

Their attempts seemed to be working! The beer hadn't counted on these horrible two-legged things having projectiles.

That was encouraging, at least! Though Dipper couldn't see the cub anywhere...it was probably nearby, hiding. The only problem was that they were beginning to run out of rocks, and fast.

"Okay, let's hope she gets the message soon, or we're done!"

Maurice glanced at the ground. Yeah. They were running out fast. They had maybe two. It was a shame they didn't have any sticks or heavy objects or--

The vampire set his jaw. He leaned down, tugged off his big heavy biker boot, and hurled it with every ounce of his undead strength right at the momma beer. It smashed into her muzzle and sent tears prickling into her eyes. She wrenched her head away and shook it wildly before loudly crashing away through the brush. The honking calls of her baby could be heard as it struggled to catch up to her.

He sank back down to the ground, not bothering to put his boot back on yet. Now he could have a heart-attack in peace. Or at least what felt like one. No pulse and all.

"Whheewwhh."

Dipper fell down next to Maurice with a heavy sigh, running a slightly shaky hand down the side of his face. He's had close calls before quite like this one, but being trapped in the same hole he'd fallen in earlier was new.

"Finally...think she'll come back...?"

He tilted his head and strained his ears. The night had gone quiet, save for the insects and occasional night bird.

"I don't think so..." He sat up and put his boot back on. Then Maurice froze when he heard something else. At first he feared the beer had returned, but when the distant rumble sounded a second time, he relaxed. "Sounds like it's gonna rain...let's get outta here."

He rocked forward and crouched so Dipper could climb his shoulders again. "Second verse, same as the first."

Dipper nodded, carefully climbing up, though a bit more slowly this time after having fallen down into the pit twice over. Once he made his way out he briefly dusted himself off and recovered his hat, making a face at the long rip that the beer's claws had gouged through the top.

"Man...guess I'll have to see if Mabel can stitch this back together or something."

It didn't take long for Maurice to join him. He frowns sympathetically at the boy and his hat. He'd been wearing it the last time they met too. It must have been special.

"Maybe...you never had anyone show you how?" Maurice, not everyone was forced into boyscouts like you were.

"Well...not really. I mean, Mabel would be thrilled to teach me if I asked, I guess...but I think she'd do a better job than I could," He admitted, putting his hat back on for the time being.

"I gotcha." After giving the scene one more look, he began to walk, hands in his pockets. "What's that book of yours say about...uh. Beers anyway? Are they even in there?"

Dipper frowns and pulls out the journal, flipping through it. "I haven't read anything about...'beers', but lately things have been showing up that the journal doesn't talk about." He knows why that is; he's only got one of three, so naturally he won't have information on everything out there just yet.

"Huh. Maybe you oughtta write your own, then." He tensed up as thunder rolled in the distance. Everything sounds like a large predator after you've been attacked by one. "Jeez...I'm gonna have...nightbears after that."

And then he grinned a horrible grin, prouder of himself than he had been in ages.

"I have been adding things to the book every now and then. Not a lot, but things that might be important for later." Such as goshdang beer, apparently.

The pun just causes him to sigh and roll his eyes a little, but he's smiling as he does it.

"Yeah yeah, I'm sure."

"Oh, come on! That was funny! I never think of puns! Give me a little credit!" But he laughed as he said it. He would have rolled his eyes too.

"I've heard worse I guess, so I'll let that one slide." More reasons it's probably a good thing that his sister isn't here right now.

"Yessss," Maurice pumped his fist and enjoyed their bear-free walk. Nature wasn't done with them yet, though, and soon the distant rumbling grew louder and the smell of rain filled the woods. The campers had all quieted down now but the faintest hiss of their radio drifted between the trees. Civilization was near!

"Where d'you think an animal like that even comes from? Some kinda radiation or just a couple of forest animals getting really confused?"

When the rain started to pick up, Dipper tucked his journal safely back in his vest, pulling it a bit more snugly around himself.

"I dunno. Gravity Falls has always been full of things like that; at least, as far as I've been able to tell. I know there's something else in this town, bigger than anything I've run into before...but I just need to figure out what it is." Before someone who might do terrible things with it finds it first.

"Wow..." Maurice had to look at the kid in awe. "You really are a paranormal investigator, aren't you?" He had his book, he had a signature hat, and had a static cling for monsters worse than socks from the dryer.

"Y'know, I reckon this makes us square. You saved me from the clutches of the opossum queen and I got you out of the pit. I hope the next time I bump into you, neither of us is in mortal danger...or. Uh. Immortal danger in my case, I guess. Is that how that works?"

English was not his best subject.

Dipper laughed a little at that, letting his arms hang at his sides. "Yeah, that sounds about right. Let's both promise not to get into any more trouble for the next couple days, at least. I don't know how much I can promise that will last long-term."

"It's a deal."

The trees thinned and finally the telephone poles and darkened shopfronts of Gravity Falls reappeared. Rain dotted the road and small puddles were already starting to form.

"Hey, I'll catch you later maybe!" He plopped his hand on top of Dipper's hat and gave the kid's hair a good ruffle. "I wanna find some place without possums to bunk for the night."

Dipper couldn't help but smile at that, nodding. "There should be somewhere around here. I need to get back to the Shack anyway before Grunkle Stan starts hunting me down himself. I'll see you later!"

THE SANDBOX

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