The God and the Thief

Walk in the Forest(31)

Bill POV

To say I wanted to see Pinetree again, would be an understatement.

I needed to see him.

I stood from my desk, stepping away from the page I was working on in my journal, I had been having a hard time focusing on it all day.

It had been a few days since I'd seen him and my passions were running thin.

I just need a walk... yeah, a walk. In the direction of the gas station.

I closed the book, leaving it on the desk. I made my way in that general direction.

"You shouldn't do this."

"You don't want to go there."

"Wait for him."

"What are you doing."

You shouldn't go this way."

"Come back sir."

"Don't go."

"Not again."

"Sir." "Sir." "Sir."

"A woman in the forest."

"You shouldn't do this."

"Come back."

"You don't want to go there."

"Sir."

"Wait for him."

"Don't go."

Their none stop whining. Made me halt in my tracks. "What did you say?" I asked, turning my head to the bushes around my feet, little heads of several different creatures poked out of the leaves.

"Going home?"

"Sir, let's go home."

"Home, home home home."

They started cheering, coming to crowd my feet.

"No you said someone was here, in the forest." I shook my head.

"Yes a woman."

"A woman. Here."

"Yes a woman."

I shook my head again, "Ok, ok I'm listening. I get it. Just point me in the direction of this woman."

They all ran out in front of me as a guild. Why did this have to happen right now? Of course the moment I have something I want to do, there's always something I have to do getting in the way.

And with Pinetree's family coming in and out of the forest all the time, my family was put extremely on edge by anyone who came in the forest. And they wanted me to do something about it every time.

It didn't take long to find her. She looked like a lost puppy, when we got close to her the nagging creatures ran away.

The woman was trying her best not to walk in circles, "Dipper?" "Dipper? Come on dude, where are you?" she called out.

She's looking for Pinetree? She pulled her hair back out of her face, sending the red locks pouring over her back, it looked like it hadn't been brushed in a few days. Honestly looking closer she looked unkempt, unhealthy even. Why was she out here looking for Pinetree?

"Excuse me." I cleared my throat stepping out into her path.

She jumped back several steps. That's when it hit me, I've met her before.

She was there the night I brought Pinetree to my house for the first time.

"You-" she breathed, "Scared the crap out of me." Even though scared was in the past tense she was still standing far away from me.

"Why are you looking for Pinetree out here? Don't you know where he is?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"Normally yes, but tense to spend time out here, but he's been gone for a few days and now I'm worried. Has he been staying with you?" She explained.

"Pinetree's gone missing?" I felt the world stop spinning. "Of course he's not staying with me." I started walking towards her, she backed away.

"He's not with me, shouldn't he be at the gas station?!" I could hear my voice getting louder alongside the energy building in my chest.

"He hasn't been there in a few days. I don't know where to look for him anymore." She backway again, "Though if you haven't seen him. I'll look somewhere else." She muttered quickly.

"Wait." I shouted, she froze solid. "You don't know where he is? Nor do I? So he is missing?" I said, trying to walk threw what I had missed in the last few days, without going- all powerful batshit.

"Well um-"

I was done with this. I would find him on my own without her. "Forget it, I'll find him on my own."

I was about to stomp passed her but she snagged my shirt. Immediately I pulled away trying to pull my arm from her but her grip tightened.

"You should see this-" she said quickly letting go of me when she saw the look on my face.

She pulled at the bag on her shoulder, opening it quickly, I stared at it. I recognized the bag, it was dippers. "The first thing that told me something was wrong was his bag was laying in the grass outside the fence, which had a big ass hole tired in it." she rummaged through the bag looking for something, "when I went to pick up the bag this fell out." She found the thing and pulled it out, "I don't recognize it. But it looks like his old journal."

She was wrong of course, it was my journal- but not the one he had finished.

"Little thief." I hissed, snatching my journal from her hands.

"No I didn't-" she started.

"Not you. " I cut her off, "give me the bag." I growled and snatched it away from her.

There was barely anything else in it other than some papers and a crap ton of pens and sticky notes. Putting my journal back in the bag I slung one arm over my shoulder. I turned away from her and walked away.

She followed.

After a few minutes I could still hear her behind me.

I rubbed my head. "Where did you say you found this," I sighed.

"The gas station. I- think his grunkles found him. Also- you should know. The city bus came and went this morning."

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