I was still tired from my stakeout the day before, after what seemed like forever I was entering the only fitness center in town I could find with all my efforts looking, it was exactly how I expected it to look. rubber mats, old ladies and a soft floor was the first area I saw when entering, there was equipment in the next room and an old school aesthetic . I had to make do with what gravity falls and this time period was giving me. I stepped up to the front desk without much hassle thinking of the costs for their monthly membership, factoring in the yoga schedule, it should be around thirty five or forty dollars.
"One membership please," I said, bringing out the necessary money. "And I'd like to sign up for the Tuesday and Thursday yoga sessions."
The woman behind the desk—name tag reading RHONDA formed a bright smile.
"Sure thing we have a beginner class, intermediate and Zomba classes, would you like to sign up for our beginner pack?" she asked.
"The intermediate is fine."
"That'll be fifteen dollars."
Oh, I almost forgot snacks were less than a dollar hear, of course the gym would be cheap to. With a little paperwork, and being handed a stamped card I began heading back to the shack.
Daylight was already stretching thin, stepping into the shop I saw both grunkle stan and Wendy having some loud conversation.
.
"—don't see why it has to be me," Wendy was saying, her face visibly scrunched and arms folded.
"I just got off a six-hour shift."
"And now you're on a new one."He said pointing the corndog in his hand towards her.
Stan's voice was relatively enthusiastic to get her going. "It's not that far. Mostly. You go past the two-faced rock, hang a left at the clearing—"
"That clearing freaks me out, Stan."
"Great! You get to build your character on the job anyways, the sign's just past there. The 'Ye Olde Mysterie Shack' one. A classic. A piece of history for me. While I was driving it disappeared one night, the wind must've knocked it into the trees-"
The stretch of forest Stan was mentioning was actually somewhat nearby were I managed to find journal three from what I remember passing by to the beach. It was at an odd angle for some reason way to deep in the forest, likely due to a former path, pooling between the roots that grew around it.
I might as well help out even though I'd just burnt myself out attempting to complete my own tasks on half sleep.
"I can take her," I said.
Both of them looked at me.
Stan pointed the microwaved corn dog at me. "You finished counting the inventory?"
"Yup it's all settled."
"The gift shop restock?"
"Mabel was doing that but yeah it's done."
"The—"
"I've been done since noon." I replied, a little nonchalant about the whole idea of helping.
Stan squinted at me. Then he looked at Wendy, apparently weighing some internal idea. "Huh," he said, and took a bite of corn dog. "Alright. Don't break anything that I'll have to pay for."
Wendy looked at me with a little expression of questioning.
She took a glance at the forest, then back at me. "You sure about this?"
"Yeah it's fine, I owe you one anyway for the soda."
"Well, alright cool man let get this sign up asap, I'm already tired from dealing with these customers all day."
We headed out immediately grabbing only the sign as we made our way
We were already halfway through the path before we finally were forced to go in the forest, just past the first tree line everything began to change. The light above was cut in half by the tree lines, and the grass seemed to extend all the way up to my knees. Birdsongs continued, but from sources that seemed farther away than I initially heard.
Wendy still walked with the easy, unhurried lope, I guess working here for the summers already had her familiar with the wilderness or probably her upbringing. She did seem attentive to her surrounds though, despite her outward relaxed body language.
I could only partially follow Wendy, while navigating from memory.
The maps in Journal 3's early chapters had predated half the paths currently marked on the Gravity Falls park service trails. They also had highly vivid illustrations showing the forest as it had been surveyed by someone who had walked through it with very different concerns in mind.
Not to mention passing by the road on our way to the beach previously.
As I was thinking my eyes swept the treeline.
Luckily everything still seemed to be norm- wait!
I turned my head fully to the right, but for some reason I only saw the trees and long grass, What I thought I'd saw in my peripheral vision wasn't there, I could just be paranoid but the likeliness of me being paranoid over it actually being something is definitely lower.
It was honestly unexplainable well to someone who hadn't experienced it—watching those Duck-Tective reruns with Mabel, it gave me a bit of practice but it was a bit unrealistic the way he could clock the culprit three scenes before the reveal, still though I had to be safe from the unknowns of gravity falls.
"Stop," he said quietly.
Wendy stopped. "What's up dude. Gotta pee or something?"
I walked over to the patch where I'd seen something initially and Wendy tagged along, "There,"
I pointed to the ground seven feet ahead. In the soft earth and grass stomped to the ground between two roots a depression, and another, and another—a pattern of movement that had happened recently omething with significant mass and an irregular gait, heading perpendicular to their path, crossing maybe an hour ago.
"Some wild dear hooves?" Wendy asked, thoughtfully.
"Maybe, but that's one weird lookin deer hove." I focused on the direction of the prints seemingly headed left, my eyes shown blue to better remember and compare the tracks to my mental map of investigation with what to do next but as soon as I did it was abundantly clear the vivid similarity to my path towards the journals initial location, " The tracks are conveniently leading us to the location we have to be, should we follow, what do you think?"
Wendy put a hand on her chin clearly mocking me, "Hmmmm, lets go for it detective."
I rolled my eyes and we started our reverse tracking.
We found the signs remanence rapped in tree roots just before the metal tree came to sight .
"Huh," said Wendy.
"Mm," I said,
Trust me you'd react the same seeing the creature—and it was, unmistakably, a creature, it was approximately the size of a large dog, roughly spherical in shape, covered in something that might have been moss or something, and was currently using the Ye Olde Mysterie Shack sign as a scratching post with total dedication and focus. Luckily for us it hadn't seemed to notice our reactions despite the forests near sience.
Hmm it didn't seem to dangerous honestly, we could probably just wait till its done. I just hope it wasn;t to territorial or responsive to—
"Hey, big ugly." Wendy said, and picked up a pinecone.
I didn't even have time to finish the thought before she'd decided violence was the answer —while I was still building some freakin flowchart or whatever, she'd already thrown the pinecone.
I didn't even get the chance to say Wendy No! in a Dipper esc manner.
She lobbed it in a high arc to the left of the creature, landing it in the underbrush with a satisfying crash. The creature startled violently, rolled three feet to the right with a sound like a washing machine with a loose screw, and then vanished into the undergrowth at surprising speed.
Silence.
"Okay. That works too," I said, just wiping the whole exchange away.
"Yeah you better run!" Wendy walked over to the sign, assessed the plank of wood that remained and hefted it experimentally. "Give me a hand with this."
I stepped forward and wrapped my hands around it from the dirt floor hers where directly above mine barely touching.
'Alright, I'm pulling on one, three, two, onneee!" I said holding my breath, heaving upward. I twas stuck like glue with the mud and roots in but it slowly began budging after the force snapped away a few of Our obstacles.
A few grunts later we finally got it free, I immediately placed my palms on my knees huffing. Wendy was strong but even she seemed tired, still though I'd gotten better at this kind of work than I would've expected, is this the power of the summer and it's free time? it's magic was working already. In my previous life I definitely wouldn't be doing this kind of work if I could help it, I wasn't one to be afraid of hard work but, complaining about doing it was my specialty. I guess it's because I'm in one of my favorite series helping out someone who's made my enjoyment of it all the better.
I grabbed our new sign we'd place on the ground temporarily and used all my force to begin breaking the new ground. It was at least easier than what stan had me do typically, so without much time the wooden sign was deep in the ground.
As we started back, I looked at the trail we'd just came from. By my estimate, we were going to make it back in almost half the time.
"I brought supplies." I said speaking up, I hadn't actually brought anything like a huge bookbag full of supplies or anything, but it was a boring of a long walk.
Wendy glanced back. "What kind of supplies?"
"Oh yeah here, Mable gave them to me"
I presented five of this worlds version of snickers tossing them over to her, luckily she reacted in time to catch them after fumbling a bit.
Reaching into my pocket again I held out a folded ten in change I'd received after purchasing my pass .
Wendy looked at the bill. Then at me. "What's this for?"
"Your actual payment for the Pitt Cola. Eight cans. You definitely deserve at least this, safed my butt for sure.".
"Oh no, just helping me out here's enough, seriously. I'd die of annoyance if I had to " she replied punching my shoulder.
"Ah well you know me, helpful, tough, charming. if you so graciously insist I'll gladly keep this crispy bill" I wasted no time placing it back in my pocket, I'm always grateful for the kindness of others but the law of the world dictates money trumping all,
Taking it completely against my will of course.
"Yeah Mr. Tough guy," she said chuckling. "I'm getting that."
"You should definitely come meet my family I think they'll like you "
"Then I'll take you up on the offer." Holding out my off brand snickers bar we clanked our together and took a bite.
The forest was less strange than I initially thought after this trip, I'd expected to have to restle against some gnome half breeds out for revenge or something equally crazy. But I chose to be there regardless, this was all necessary to really enjoy myself in gravity falls, and being to fearful will lead me a stray. .
Stan was finally visible, sitting on the porch when we emerged from the tree line and the sign no longer with us.
Stan looked at his watch. Then at our empty hands. Then at both of us.
"Huh," he said.
"You're welcome," said Wendy.
Wendy pulled out her phone, checked something. I was a bit distracted in my mind though remembering the path we took and the creature we'd observed, I was trying to match it with a creature zi'd seen in the journal ut none seemed to ring a bell, It must have been in one of the other two journals, damn no I really wish I ad gideons right about now, what if I ran into a creature that was actually dangerous.
I was squinting at nothing in particular in my thinking pose—when I notices out the corner of my eye she looked over at me.
She studied me for a moment with the frank, assessing gaze I'd noticed she turned on most things, I could guess she did that neutral expression whenever she was curious about something.
I turned my head fully in a questioning look "Huh, need something?"
"You're a lot less toast than I thought, Pineseed," she said.
"Hey what was that supposed to mean?!" I responded a bit exasterbated.
"You'll do okay," She stated just as casually. .
Yeah, whatever that meant
She glanced at her phone again. "Some of my friends are hitting some supermarket later. It's apparently filled with a ton of abandoned goods, you want in?"
"is that even a real question?" I said. "When?"
She was already heading back inside, "six-ish. In a couple days, all you have to do is meet out front and my guy Thompson will come pick us up."
I nodded placing my hands in my pocket.
"Cool see you then"
She went through the door Stan watching her go, then looked at me with a similar thinking expression I pulled off that was difficult to read and was probably best left unread.
"Good." Stan picked up his coffee mug. "Also nice work with the sign."
He went inside too.
I stood in the afternoon sun for a moment, I needed a tan anyway.
running the day back the way I started doing since I'd really gotten used to my powers.
I basically did nothing today but even then I felt great, Stretching I couldn't help but smirk. What else was there to do, there just so much, well whatever came my way I'd take it like a man with all they joys of a boy, still a little caution wouldn't kill me.
Then I went inside. Boy do I need change my shirt.
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Theres no planet fitness here so 15 is fine I guesss ;(