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Dipper's eyes snapped open as he jolted into consciousness, his hold on his bed sheets so firm he swore he could see his own knuckles whiten in the moonlight that filtered through the window in his and Mabels bedroom.
In case you're wondering, he hasn't had the most pleasant dreams this summer, and this one wouldn't have been any different if for the fact he didn't feel his entire body tremble just from how terrifying, gruesome, and weirdly realistic the dream he just had seemed and felt like to him.
The entire "predator and prey" concept never really appealed to Dipper, but he couldn't deny that it didn't frightened him at least some percentage.
Ever since he could remember, the children back home in his hometown of California constantly made fun of him for having "noodle arms," as they called it. (and at some point Dipper beginned to call his arms that humiliating nickname as well)
Yet, the main reason he believed they enjoyed teasing him so much was that he was simply “too easy to frighten.”
Though, it wasn't fair to hold him accountable for that. After all, he was part of a deer species, creatures known for their high sensitivity to sudden movements, and as such, he had naturally inherited many of the instincts typical of deer. These instincts were deeply ingrained in his very being, honed over countless generations to ensure survival in a world filled with predators and unforeseen dangers.
His heightened awareness of his surroundings, the way his ears twitched at the slightest rustle in the underbrush, and the instinctive urge to flee at the first sign of threat were all manifestations of this heritage. Its not like he had a choice in such matter, It was not merely a matter of choice or conscious decision-making; it was an automatic response, a reflex that had been shaped by the relentless forces of nature.
The bullies however seemed to take a great pleasure in this aspect of his personality, viewing him as nothing more than a source of entertainment they could use whenever they got bored, rather seeing him as an object than as an actual person. Whenever his classmates decided to use this particular trait of his to their advantages to mock him, it usually resulted in a startled yelp or wide-eyed expression from Dipper, his little heart almost getting a heart attack.
To them, it became an almost ritualistic game, where his fear was the punchline, to see who could scare the boy the most, but to Dipper, the place where he was supposed to gain knowledge from soon turned into a bigger nightmare than it already was for him.
Though dont get him wrong, Dipper didn't want to misjudge all carnivores; he understood that not all were cruel. Still, it didn't help that most of his bullies were "carnivores."
On the bright side, he was glad his twin sister Mabel wasn't facing the same harassment, especially since she wasn't a herbivore but a omnivore for a change, so he was grateful she was spared from that experience.
At times however, the burden of loneliness felt overwhelming. It was hard to ignore the fact that he was surrounded by a family mostly of carnivores, while he alone had to embrace the life of an herbivore whether he liked it or not.
As far as he knew, almost noone he knew of in his family was a herbivore!— His parents, grandparents, his grunkles, heck! Even his own sister! Why did he have to be the odd one out in a family of full of predators? Why did he have to be the only one who stood out?
He knew he shouldn't be letting this get to him, since there was little he could do about it, but that's much easier said than done. Even his family occasionally poked fun at him about it, though his sister never joined in; their bond was so strong that they shared nearly every secret with one another.
..so after learning all that, you could only imagine Dippers reaction after waking up from a dream where he was, to put it simply-
Eaten alive.
The echoes of a traumatic experience haunted his thoughts, a vivid nightmare permanently imprinted in his memory. He found himself lost in the depths of the Gravity Falls forest, one foot caught in a vicious bear trap. And as he stared down at his twisted hoof, soaked in a dark puddle of blood, a troubling thought crossed his mind: why did the pain feel so vividly real? Wasn’t this just a nightmare? It shouldn’t feel THIS tangible, right?
Soon enough, Dipper's thoughts were drowned out by a disconcerting chorus of growls reverberating in the shadows out of every corner. His ears perked up on instinct, sensing the chilling sounds drawing closer and closer. And with each approaching growl, Dipper could feel his heart racing faster, pounding with an intensity that matched the rising tension in the air.
Dipper attempted to call for his grunkles, shouting their names into the void, "Grunkle Ford! Grunkle Stan!" But a chilling realization struck him as he found himself utterly silent. What was happening? Why couldn't he utter a word? Why was he unable to make any noise at all?
Panic surged through him like a tidal wave, drowning out any rational thought. He opened his mouth wide, his throat constricting in frustration, but no sound emerged. The silence mocked him, echoing back his own desperation. His heart raced, pounding against his ribcage like a frantic drum. He glanced around, desperate for any sign of his grunkles, unfortunately, there were no such signs, just him.
A shiver coursed through him, every nerve ending alight with dread. His breaths came in quick, frantic gasps, each one echoing in his ears like a frantic alarm. His heart pounded violently against his ribcage like a wild drum, and he worried it might fail him at any given moment. What the fuck was going on? What kind of sick trick was his brain playing on him? Had it taken all his deepest fears and stitched them together into a single, overwhelming and suffocating nightmare?
As if that wasnt enough, a storm of conflicting thoughts decided that it was good time to rage within him;
one voice rising above the chaos to scream at Dipper that everything was wrong, that he had to escape out there at once! Afterall, it was in his nature to flee at any sign of threat.
Yet, simultaneously, another part of him whispered in despair, insisting that resistance was futile. It would be far easier to surrender, to collapse into the crimson pool at his feet and weep for all he had lost, allowing the lurking dangers to devour him.
After all, it was painfully obvious that escape from this bear trap was a distant dream, one he might never reach.
Just as the boy was about to weigh his options, a sudden weight crashed down upon him, sending him tumbling to the earth. The creature that landed on him showed no mercy, not even allowing the startled deer boy a moment to gather his wits before it prepared to devour him whole. How utterly inconsiderate!
As he gazed upward, the time seemed to freeze in that moment, his heart seemingly frozen in his chest as he lied there pinned on the grass with a giant claw, his face just mere inches from a cavernous maw, wide open and showcasing a horrifying display of gleaming, razor-sharp teeth, poised to snatch Dipper away in an instant. He couldnt even bother to flinch as drool escaped the others mouth, drops of saliva dropping down on Dippers face.
The last syllables trembled on his tongue, although holding meaning no longer as he was gonna be right after devoured.
" Uncle ford? "