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Chapter 1

Ford's P.O.V.

"Fascinating, absolutely fascinating! I never expected us to get this close to the open maw of a Gremloblin."

Frantically clicking the back of my pen, I could barely keep ahold of my journal as I looked at the massive creature standing before me. My body was shaking from a mixture of fear and excitement. This beast was one of the hardest to get a hold of, and I, Stanford Pines, actually got it!

"Everything about you is so wonderful." I whispered, finally managing to start sketching a picture of the Gremloblin on an empty page. I tried my best to focus on every bit of detail from the sharpest fang to the smallest mushroom growing on the creature's back.

Legends say their eyes hold your deepest nightmares; do I dare test this hypothesis? I pondered to myself, as I clicked my pen some more. "Fiddleford, I may run another experiment on this creature! We are going to have so much data at the end of this."

A groan escaped from my lab partner's lips, causing me to look up from my journal. A squeak escaped my mouth as I watched Fiddleford dangle by his feet from a tree. "This may be exciting for you. Yet, in case you've forgotten, Stanford Fillbrick Pines, I could use your help!"

"How did you get up there?"

"I ran into the trap instead of-..." A roar came from the Gremloblin, it seemed the creature had decided to create an experiment on how a berry would taste when it was cooked. "Ford, are you going to help me or not?"

Waving my right hand in the direction of my friend, I quickly got down on my knees and wrote down what the Gremloblin was doing. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Fiddleford. You can easily get out of the trap on your own." I stopped writing for a second before looking up at him. "You designed that trap after all."

"If you do not put away that pen, so help me-"

Rolling my eyes with a smirk, I walked towards the rope of the trap before cutting it, watching as Fiddleford fell to the ground. The taller man looked at me with an annoyed look and opened his mouth, only to let out a roar.

"Why did you do that?" I asked him, watching as Fiddleford shook his head and started to point behind me. His mouth seemed to be making words, but no sound could be heard.

Within seconds I could hardly breathe without gagging. The large Gremloblin's jaw was behind me, and it looked like I had only seconds before reaching the monster's uvula.

"Run!" I screamed, taking hold of Fiddleford's hand before pulling him behind me through the forest. The loud footsteps of the Gremloblin seemed to come closer with every yard we had run. However, after a moment, I was reassured by a light tap on my shoulder. Looking behind me, I watched as Fiddleford gave me 'the look'.

"What?"

"You ran away from the cabin, Ford. I don't think the monster will follow us into town."

Tearing my eyes away from his bright blue depths, I found myself examining the sleepy town. Despite it being rush hour, not many people were on the streets and thankfully everybody looked calm. A breath, that I did not know I was holding, whistled through my teeth before I slowly turned back to face Fiddleford.

"Yeah, you are right, Fidds. I'm sorry for not realizing sooner how much danger I put us in." I mumbled softly, looking away from the other as my eyes looked back in the direction we came from. "I suppose I got too excited."

"It's okay!" The other giggled, lightly patting me on the shoulder. "You always get excited when finding new creatures. Honestly, you are adorable whenever you get excited." Fidds paused before throwing words into a sentence. "It is really- adorable in the nerdy way because who doesn't like being happy?"