Shades of grey

DISCLAIMER!!!!!!! I do not own Hellboy or intend to make any profit from this story....I'm sure Mr. Mignola is quietly crying somewhere......

New York State

“How did you find me, Manning? I thought I said I Quit…” Hellboy clutched the phone so hard the plastic casing began to crack.
“Well, yes, you did. But we gave you some time off, months actually… You had a nice trip around the world…” The voice issuing out of the phone had a static, metallic quality to it that set Hellboy’s nerves on edge, made him grit his teeth.
“How do you know where I went?” He snarled, his deep baritone dropping to almost a growl, his tail beginning to lash.
“Don’t be stupid. We’re the B.P.R.D. We couldn’t simply let you walk away.”
Hellboy thought of a thousand things to say, a thousand protests, but felt his anger slip away. He did miss his friends at the Bureau, especially Abe and Liz, and Manning wouldn’t hunt him down for something stupid… Would he?
“What do you want?” The towering red figure sighed, and the long crimson tail twitched back and forth like an angry cat’s, sending the candle on Kate Corrigan’s end table flying. Hellboy covered the mouthpiece of the phone with his left hand, and whispered “Sorry!” as the folklorist picked up her taper.
She just shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips.
“What was that? Uh-huh… Yeah, right… Sure, I guess… Yes, I said… Fine… One last job, for the sake of the world an’ all…” He rolled his golden eyes and slammed the receiver down, heaving a resigned sigh.
“I had to tell them you were here.” Kate didn’t meet his gaze. “I do work for them, and Dr. Manning said it was important.”
“It’s alright…” Another deep sigh from Hellboy. “I don’t hold it against you. And I owe you for letting me stay here a couple of days, so it’s fine… Manning said to ask you about “skin-changers?” said you’d know what he meant.”
“Yes, I haven’t heard that word in a long time. You better sit.” She patted the couch next to her, smiling.
“Story-time.” He plopped next to her, a smile on his rough-hewn features.
“Well, skin-changer is not a common name. Not many of us humans know about them. I didn’t believe what little I’d read till I started working with the Bureau. Now, I know better.” She sighed, and ran a hand through her short blonde hair.
“Okay…”
“There are many tales of strange beings, and most vary from land to land, but all I’ve read on these creatures is almost identical. And some of these texts are separated by thousands of miles and an equal number of years…”
“So the people who wrote them couldn’t have compared notes?” Hellboy said with a smirk.
“Yes…Anyway, you’ve seen werewolves. I know that. So…No, that won’t do….” Kate paused and stroked her chin, eyes distant.
“The Grenier family…William…” Hellboy prompted, remembering the mad wolf creature that had set his lair in a quaint little European village…The one that had almost killed Kate on her first field mission, and had killed a very good friend….
“Yes and no. William Grenier was insane and cursed, but he’s the only thing that both you and I have faced that I can use for comparison.
“So another pissed off asshole who can change shape?” Hellboy scratched his goatee.
“Again, yes and no. As you can guess, skin-changers are called that because they can change their skin. But that is the human name for them. The different tribes all call themselves by their true names.”
“Tribes? This does not sound good….”
“No, no, just listen.” Kate laid a hand on his arm gently, feeling the hard muscle beneath the thick fabric of his tan duster. “I only know two of the “true” names. Luckily, one of them happens to be what Manning thinks we’re up against. The Kontah, which you’re not dealing with, are the wolves. The Cats, which you are, are the Tearian.”
“What is this, a petting zoo?”
“Not hardly. These creatures are not, and must not be confused with, lycanthropes. They are not cursed. They are not insane. They can change at will, are not rage-blinded when they do, and they retain their intellect in all forms.”
“All forms? Man, the more I hear of this, the less I like it….” Hellboy’s thin lips became even thinner as he sneered, thinking his own thoughts.
“It’s not as bad as all that. Most are on our side. The “good” guys, if you will. They, well, the cats at least, are one of humanity’s greatest defenders. They strive to keep the balance, to protect the weak. If it wasn’t for the Skin-changers, we might be up to our eyeballs in things that go bump in the night.”
“Yeah, and I’d have an even longer workday, huh?” Hellboy was amazed at the ease at which he fell into old routines. It wasn’t surprising, really, if you thought about it. He had been working for the Bureau for forty-odd years, almost since it’s beginning.
“I guess. I’ve read reports of Skin-changers interfering on the behalf of us mortals when…” She paused, regretting her choice of words almost immediately. At us mortals’, she saw Hellboy flinch.
“I know what you mean. Continue.” He cut of her muttered apology, and the words came out sounding harsher than he meant them to, almost a rumble.
“Yes, of course….Where was I? Yes, the reports….Again with the almost identical descriptions and stories from places halfway around the globe from one another.”
“Uh-huh. Gotcha, boss…”
“A big beastie shows up, wreaks havoc, one of these bad boys appears and usually kills it in a very unpleasant way, or effectively sends it back from whence it came.”
“I wonder why I’ve never run into one of these critters….” Hellboy narrowed his eyes, still fingering his course black goatee thoughtfully.
“I don’t think they actively hunt monsters anymore. Their numbers are too small, and they’ve suffered too much.”
“Suffered?” One dark eyebrow raised slightly.
“There is text that says at one point, especially during the witch hunts and the inquisition, humans hunted them. Armed with silver weapons and the far greater numbers, they ran them to ground, and almost eradicated them. Why they didn’t fight back is unknown. The Skin-changers fled to the shadows and swore never to defend humanity again. But apparently their hearts are too great. They cannot stand suffering, or the loss of innocent lives….”
“That’s not why Manning called me. This sure as hell ain’t no tag-team mission.”
“Listen, please. Quit interrupting me and I’ll get to that.” Kate elbowed him, narrowing her eyes.
“My lips are sealed.” Hellboy smiled, touching his lips with one long finger.
“Good. May I continue?” She nudged him again, shooting him a friendly glare. After a moment of silence from the large red figure, she proceeded. “Some Skin-Changers went rouge. The ones that had suffered at the hands of men the worst, I’d guess. They began the ‘Culling of the herd’, joining with vampires, mages, other Skin-changers that had also turned, just about any evil, horrible thing that shared their thirst for human blood and pain. They tried to take revenge, but the pure ones, those that remained good, their numbers still low from the witch hunts, took a stand, and fought a great battle with their corrupted brethren. By a hair, the side of good won. Most of the evil was destroyed.”
“But a few got away?”
“Exactly. Now, these creatures are immortal in the sense that they don’t age past their prime, but they can be killed, by silver or fire. These days you don’t find many of the truly ancient ones, Between fighting monsters and their own kind, they don’t exactly lead safe, quiet lives. Most die violent deaths.”
Hellboy nodded slowly, enraptured.
“Down through the ages they’ve come, almost becoming extinct more than once. But they have persevered. The Tearian are noble, value honor above most else, and possess a fierce, strong pride. Or so I’ve read. As you know, I’ve never personally encountered one, so I’m going on the books I’ve studied. But I will wager an assumption. Manning had run afoul of a rouge.” Kate straightened her blouse, standing up and pacing towards the window. “Now that is based on what little he would tell me, you understand.”
“He never tells me much, either. Manning operates on a need-to-know basis. Until you absolutely need what he knows, he won’t tell you.” Hellboy leaned back into the couch, closing his eyes. “I’ll spill what I know, if you finish your story. You mentioned three forms? It just might help to know what they are….”
“Yes, I almost forgot….” Kate held up a hand with three fingers up. “Form one…” She bent another finger down. “Their animal form. Now, this differs among the tribes. A Skin-Changer that is a Kontah will have the animal form of a wolf, and a Tearian will take the shape of a great cat. I’ve read of tigers, lions, panthers, and jaguars. There are probably more. I think it’s a safe bet to think that for every large cat breed, there is also a Tearian tribe that takes the form of said breed. Next…” Another finger folded into her hand. “A human-like form. Supposedly they can pass for normal, unless you look at their ears or feet.”
“Ears and feet, huh?” Hellboy tapped the right of his two cloven hoof-like toes on the floor, settling deeper into the couch.
“I don’t know how much truth is in this, but it’s all we have to go on. Not many of the few texts actually described their physical traits and appearances in the human-like form. But anyway, on the subject, pointed, slender ears, and clawed feet that are more feline that human. I suppose that meant they are jointed like a cat’s foot, but one can only guess.”
Hellboy didn’t respond, just kept tapping his toe-claw.
“Kind of like yours, but with five instead of two.” Kate turned away, and closed her hand. “Now for the last form….”
“I’m really not going to like this, am I?” Hellboy stopped tapping.
“I highly doubt it.” She crossed her arms, pressing on. “The cross between the two. Man and beast…”
“So a werewolf, er…a Werecat?”
“Yes. I’ve read that they can be anywhere from seven to nine feet tall, all claws, fangs and muscle.”
“Greeeeaaat….”
“So, that’s it. Strong, big, able to change shape, weaknesses to silver and fire.” Kate turned back to him, waiting. “Well?”
“Well, what?”
“What did Dr. Manning want?”
“Oh yeah. Someone broke into the Bureau, tried to get into the artifact vault.”
“Someone?”
“Manning said at fist it was a man, tall, long black hair, then it was a monster. He even called it a werepanther. It helped research find out what we’re up against, here. It took out about ten guards before they were able to drive it off with silver bullets. The strange thing was that it seemed to be able to stop most of the shots with some kind of magic shield. Only when so many guys were shooting at it that it couldn’t think straight that it made a break for it.” Hellboy’s rough-hewn features grew dark as anger played across his heavy brow, and his eyes flashed red. “One of the survivors told Manning that this thing fought with an unholy savagery. It didn’t just kill the guards, it tore them apart. A real splatter fest. I just wish I had been there….”He pounded his fist into the palm of his huge, stone right hand, grimacing. Kate laid a hand on her friend’s shoulder.
“Any idea what he was after?”
“Nope.”
“And Manning wants you on guard duty?”
“Yup” Anger made his eyes distant and stormy.
“What makes him think it’ll come back?”
“A perimeter guard saw a huge black cat skulking along the fence the night after it all happened. A different guard every night has seen the same thing for four nights running. It’s coming back.” Hellboy stood and stretched, popping his spine. “Thanks again for letting me stay here.” He leaned down and kissed her check. “I appreciate it.”
“You know my home is always open to you. Whenever.” She smiled faintly, unhappy to see her friend go, and more than a little worried.
“Well, gotta motor. Manning said a car would be waiting to take me back to headquarters.” He turned, picked up a satchel by the door, and twisted the knob with his other hand.
“Oh Hellboy…” Kate called as he stepped through the threshold.
The large man paused, turned slightly.
“Be careful. You know I am not given to over reacting to anything, but please…I have a bad feeling. I don’t think you’ve ever faced something like this before…I…I don’t know…Just please…Be careful…”
“Don’t worry…I’ll be fine.” He laughed, and was gone, leaving Kate feeling lonely and unsettled.
“You better be…” She whispered, and hugged herself.