Chapter One

"Dippeeeeeeeeer." Mabel griped. "Come on. Let me go with you!"

The twins stood near the edge of the woods that surrounded the Shack. It was six in the morning, and Dipper had intentions of sneaking off before anyone could catch him.

It hadn't gone as planned.

"Mabel, I told you, you can't come with me!"

"Why not?! Huh?! Huh?!"

"Because I need some time alone! Is that too much to ask!"

"No, but that's what you said yesterday when I couldn't come with you! And the day before that, and the day before and the…"

"Alright Mabel, I get it."

Mabel sighed. "Dipper, why don't you just tell me what you're doing out there.. Why are you being so secretive?"

"I can't tell you." Dipper said turning away from his sister.

Mabel Moaned. "UGH!I thought you trusted me, Dipper!"

"I do."

"Then why can't you just tell me where you're going?"

"I just can't, okay Mabel?!" Dipper yelled, frustrated. He pulled his pine tree cap over his head. I'm going out into the forest. And don't try and follow me, because I'll hear you."

With that, Dipper marched off into the woods. The undergrowth was crushed under his feet, his journal was under his arm, the eye piece dangling nearly to the ground.

Mabel was still fuming, and hurled one final insult as Dipper left. "YOU'RE A STUPID BUTTFACE!"

With that Mabel marched back into the Shack, grumbling about her brother under her breath. "Hey Soos." She said angrily as she passed the handyman. Soos had fallen asleep while cleaning up the gift shop the previous night. He was now snoring in a small puddle of his own drool.

Mabel sat down at the old plastic table with a humph. She wore a deep scowl on her face, in contrast to the yellow smiley face splashed on a pink background she wore on her sweater that day.

Grunkle wore bright red oven mitts as he cooked breakfast. He noticed Mabel pouting at the table. "What's wrong kid? Did you and your brother fight again over whatever he's doin' in the forest?"

"I don't understand!" Mabel said, throwing her hands up in the air. "Dipper and I never stuff from each other. Well except that one time when I broke his favorite jack in the box when we were five. But that's different."

"Mabel, sometimes a man just needs his space. If your brother wants to be alone, don't haggle him about it."

"Yeah but come on. What could he be doing in those woods?"

Stan seemed to have a thought, but mentally waved it away. "I don't know kid." He sniffed the air. "Hey do you smell fire?"

Whatever Stan had been cooking had erupted in flames.

"Agh!" Stan yelled. He ran into the gift shop and grabbed the fire extinguisher. He ran back into the kitchen and sprayed foam all over not just the pan, but the stove as well. After looking cautiously at the stove, checking for loose flames, he pulled the frying pan out of the foam, blowing the excess off. He then managed to scrape out whatever was left out onto a plate. He placed it in front of Mabel.

"Breakfast is served."

XXXXXXXX

Mabel coughed at the large cloud of dust Soos swept up. The entire day had based in an boringly normal way, and Wendy had just gone home.

"Sorry hambone." The man-child said.

"Don't worry about it."

"So, has Dipper come back yet?"

Mabel sighed. "No." Mabel glanced at the clock. "7? Dipper's never out this late."

A slight drizzle was beginning to fall over the town. A gentle breeze caused the pine trees to gently sway back and forth. A rabbit popped out the bushes and scurried off to some other place.

Mabel began to slowly walk into the woods.

"Uh, hambone? That might not be the best idea." Soos said. He had followed her outside. "I mean, the storm might start to get worse, and I can get pretty bad out here."

"Well I can't just leave Dipper out there alone! He could get himself killed!"

"But.."

"Soos, I'll be fine. Tell Grunkle Stan I'll be back in a few minutes. I mean, he wouldn't go too far, right?"

Twigs snapped under Mabel's sneakers as she made her way through the woods. She assumed Dipper only came into the woods to find some private clearing to do whatever he did.

After about fifteen minutes she hadn't found anything and the rain had begun to pick up. Even the dense canopy of trees couldn't protect her now.

She groaned. My sweater. The wool would shrink and she would never be able to get it off. Reluctantly, and not just because of the biting cold, she took her signature piece of attire off and tied it around her waist. Then, with renewed determination she continued to search for her brother.

Another fifteen minutes later, she had to admit she was lost. She had no idea which way led back to the Shack.

"You were right Soos."

The tween sat down on a rock, wondering what to do. Should I keep looking for Dipper? Try to find the Shack? Maybe…WAIT WHAT IS THAT?!

Mabel noticed something tucked behind the rock she was perched on. No no no lease don't be…

The girl sat there with a look of horror in her face. In her hand was Dipper's beloved pine tree hat, with a red splotch partially obscuring the pine tree.

"Soos! Grunkle Stan! ANYBODY!"

The rain began to pound harder. Mabel got up and set off at a run towards where she thought the Shack, clawing her way desperately through the pine branches. She suddenly found her self slipping on a wet rock and her right kneewas crushed against a thick tree root. She gasped in pain. She was pretty sure she had done something to it. She wasn't sue what, but she had done something.

She tried to stand up, but yelled in agony just from moving her leg. She found herself forced to crawl over the ground.

Several minutes later, she hadn't reached the Shack. She could feel her consciousness flickering, and her skin had become numb to the cold, unrelenting rain that was pounding against her. She looked down at her brother's bloodstained hat, still tightly clutched in her hand. As she felt herself slipping she caught one last glimpse of a man in soaked green shirt reaching towards her…