Hello fellow Hellboy lovers! I've had this type of story brewed in my head for years and well, let's see how it goes out in the open! I hope you enjoy.
Flashback( set before Hellboy I ):
The team has been sent on one of the more obscure missions to the deepest and most remote areas in Africa. There's been a continual outcry pouring in from one of the secluded most 'ritualistic' tribal villages in the northern portion about a ruthless Inkanyamba terrorizing. The Inkanyamba, as been said in times past, is an enormous eel type creature that can control the weather, hailing down extreme natural disasters devastating anything and all that get caught in its wake. And they are known to be ruthless. Proving to its nature he's been slamming the small village with hideous tornadoes and tectonic-plate separating earthquakes while picking them off one by one.
In the midst of this hot landscape the team has trekked through the heart of the Sahara Desert for what seemed to be days, but it in all actuality, it only has been a handful of hours until they finally arrived. The destination was unique to say the least. Yes the Sahara Desert is one of the largest deserts in the world and of that the most arid and dangerous. To make finding their target more of a challenge than it already has, being situated in such a vast flat sandy landscape, the village was hidden within an oasis. Due to the accepted folk lore that oasis' are mirages and are known not to exist, this village proves otherwise. So the FBI has certainly kept tabs upon this place, making sure no information leaks out which'll certainly rally the public in taking the first flight out to Africa in order to raid it.
Thanks to the volcanic activity that the desert promises, the landing of the FBI ushered helicopter almost didn't make it down in one piece. Coming below their radar, much like the iceberg in Titanic, the erupting volcano sat patiently below them and waited at that perfected moment where the copter flew right over its mouth. Once they were unwittingly over the mouth, it spouted out lava and smoke. Fortunately the burning lava only grazed one of the leg rails yet the smoke filled the entire aircraft, suffocating all who were inside, causing a crash landing. Piling out of the craft Hellboy was sure to use obscenities gear toward the incompetence and carelessness of the piloting agents.
Abe was in front guiding the troop with his pyschometry leading them away from the evil dangers that lurked within the desert. Though with the dry air and lack of condensation Abe was quickly drying out and faltering. Multiple times had he passed out and gasped for water, though he continually brought himself back to his feet. He saw himself as the only way in to finding this village seeing that it wouldn't be easy to spot with the human eye. Stumbling forward, being supported by both Hellboy and Liz, they were almost attacked by a spotted hyena. Thanks to Hellboy though, the problem was abruptly taken care of. And by taken care of I mean his neck was easily snapped in two by one swift motion of his stone hand.
With more breaks and stops in between for Abe and more attacks from the wild life, like the sand vipers snapping under their feet and foxes trying to hunt the agents, they arrived.
Walking up closer, a very distraught, elderly women bumped into Hellboy. She backed away fearful.
In her native tongue she shouted, "Get away from me demon! Oh when will we be saved!"
Hellboy pulling out his gun responded, "No lady we're here to help, just show us where Inky is."
She started to back away but Liz and Abe surrounded her making her all the more frightened.
Liz loading her gun reassured, "Don't worry Ma'am we're here to help, now just tell us where the Inkanyamba is."
Shakily she pointed a finger in the direction to their left and Hellboy was off.
He ran through the chaotic mess of the village to stop at an oddly placed lake.
Hellboy, "So where is it?"
On queue the Inkanyamba rose out of the lake towering over him by a good twenty feet. It roared it's ugly head off at him and he responded,
"Oh crap."
Hellboy leaped out into the water grabbing hold to part of the creatures eel like body. In doing so the Inkanyamba was infuriated and roared down a terrible tornado that trailed down his back directly at Hellboy. His eyes grew wide at the on coming weather phenomenon that blazed toward him.
Quickly thinking he ducked down and grappled the side of the creatures body with his stone hand, dangling himself over the edge. Gaining the momentum he swung himself underneath the length of the body segment to barely grab hold of the other side of the creature's back. His normal hand was slipping from the grip it held. The slimy and sleek texture of the Inkanyamba made traction extremely difficult. Fortunately the creature twisted itself to try and sink its teeth into Hellboy, which allowed him to jump up on its back safely and out of the way of its giant teeth.
He was very unsteady on the monster's elongated body but managed to jump clear from its winding snapping head that tried to clamp down on him again. He quickly jumped to the next part of the creature's body that was extended above water and proceeded to advance up the creature's raised back. In a desperate attempt to fling Hellboy off, the monster began twisting around snapping his teeth a little too close to Hellboy with each lunge. With one swift Hellboy jump he landed on its head trying to regain control. In a flurry of anger the monster violently shook it's head in every direction almost shaking Hellboy loose. Sure enough it succeeded and he began to fall clear off but in doing so he raised his gun and shot the creature between the eyes causing it's head to explode and sink back down into the water.
Hellboy gracelessly landed on the bank having Liz run right to his side. Abe appeared from behind the tree they attempted to take refuge in. He was about to go and shower his praise over Hellboy on killing the beast but something caught his senses. Something tugged at him from afar off, something demanded his assistance. He didn't know what but he had to follow it. Abe noticed that the villagers started to crowd and jump on Hellboy expressing their deep gratitude so in seeing that, he gathered his strength, seeing that now was the perfect time, to sneak off and catch whatever beckoned him.
He walked through the ruined village searching everywhere for this something, what, he didn't know, but something that troubled him, needing his help. Under debris, behind ruined huts, in bushes, in between tree hollows, nothing. Yet with each step forward the sense strengthened. Raising his eyes he looked off toward the entrance of the village and he started to travel out past the gate. He kept walking on unsure in where he was heading. He had the thought to turn around and forget this phantom and he would, if only this sense of desperate help and pain didn't blast his mind. With a few yards away from the village he reached a lone tree.
Abe aloud, "It's here, that something is here…"
He put his hand gingerly on the tree then walked a step or two away. As he turned his head away from searching behind the tree his eye caught something and he quickly dodged an on coming attack from what seemed to be a lioness. He stumbled back a bit and stood staring at his attacker. He saw that indeed it was a lion but not definitely, some odd look radiated from it. Then, to confirm his thoughts, the lioness raised itself onto its hind legs and he saw that she was not just a normal animal, but a humanoid.
She began to speak in a rough voice but surprisingly in perfect english, "Why are you hunting me!"
Abe was quite taken aback, "I was only uh…I felt that you needed help."
She snapped back at him, "I don't need any help!"
She lunged at him slicing his left arm, but in doing so she grunted and moaned to have her body flop down on its side. Abe cradled his wounded arm while noticing how her body caved in on itself. He took a step closer to see what was wrong with her.
She gave out a threat, "Back away fish creature! I won't hesitate to kill you! I'll destroy you for wrecking my village!"
He blinked in full understanding, "No, no, you have it wrong my dear. I am not the evil entity that you believe I am, I am an agent from the B.P.R.D. sent here to free your village from the Inkanyamba. My partner back there just killed it, now let me help you, you are in dire need of assistance."
She spat at him, "Oh yeah? Why should I believe you? How do you know that I need help huh?"
He waved his hand across, "Because I possess the power to know everything about you. You were found in the experimental labs of America, very close to D.C. You were transported from all around the world to finally be dumped here, in Africa. You are held here as a slave, you've been abused by your owner, and you have an arrow dangerously close to your heart, jutting out from your between your shoulder blades."
Following his gaze she looked behind her and sure enough, the arrow was indeed there. It was surrounded by blood and infection sticking out from between her shoulder blades. It oozed pus and was caked with dried blackened blood. Bringing her face back towards Abe's direction her features were quickly chained from that of pure hatred to distraught despair.
"Do your will fish creature, it's already over."
She laid her head back and allowed Abe to bring her to her supported her on his shoulder and half carried, half dragged her back to the village.
Upon arrival Hellboy met them,"Hey Abe you're missing all of this, these people know how to throw a party."
He then noticed the humanoid lioness slumped over his shoulder.
"Well, well, well, look what you found. What's wrong with her Blue."
Abe, "A soon to be fatal arrow wound. It is dangerously close to her heart and with the looks of it, it's extremely infected."
Hellboy nodded and took the other side of the lioness. By now the entire village was eyeing them, all gone ghostly silent and solemn.
What seemed to be the chief stepped forward and addressed Hellboy and Abe, "Thank you for finding our village guard, she always keeps wandering off, now if you'll give her to me we'll set you well on your way and we'll give you our tokens of profound gratitude."
At his words Abe heard her thoughts scream faintly within her begging for him not to hand her over to them. Abe gave Hellboy a look and rested his hand on his arm filling Hellboy with the words her mind just cried out with.
"Red she doesn't seem to want to return, her-"
Hellboy cut him off for he understood and responded back to the chief, "I think we should take her with us, she needs special care and better living conditions, no offense but this village isn't the best for clean medical service. Not to mention, I've been given the impression that you've been captivating animals against their will here, and by animals, I mean her." Hellboy finished this with a slight gesture indicating the lioness.
The Chief spoke more violently at this, "I will have you know-"
Hellboy interrupted, "I will have you know that this woman is indeed entitled to her own will and is in need of some serious care, and if you choose to fight with me I will report you for holding and abusing a free willed creature with the extent in endangering her life. And trust me, that won't go too well with you and your people."
After he said this the two stared each other down. Tension crackled heavily in the air and the anger burned brightly, but evidently, Hellboy won and the Chief surrendered.
"Fine, take her, as a token for our gratitude, but do not return to this village ever again!"
And with that both parties turned away from each other, going back to their lives.
As the troop walked away from the village an agent bypassed them with a ready helicopter, helping in loading them inside all the while being informed about their new guest. Once inside Abe ordered the agents to aid him in the medical procedure in removing the arrow from humanoid's back. Fortunately the FBI equipped all of their copters with advanced medical supplies just in case of emergencies, such as this. The agents laid a out thick foam bed that was stretched out across the floor while Abe gently laid the lioness's naked form down onto it, back facing up.
Then Abe asked the agents to act in as nurses, asking for disinfecting spray, numbing agents, cloths, swabs, everything and anything he could receive that was in supply with them at the moment. Now came the tricky part, removing the arrow. He already cleared away the excess blood and gathering infection he just now had to pull it out. Seeing that there weren't any monitors or X-ray scanners present Abe had to do this the old fashion way, by hand. With his left hand he gently placed it at the base of the arrow pressing around the perimeter to find which direction the arrow faced. He tried to see if rod was straight, broken, bent, or in wedged in between anything vital. He also tried to locate the arrowhead. Gently sliding his other hand underneath her chest that faced downward, he felt for her heart. Thankful for his powers yet again he could clearly picture where the arrow was and what conditions it required.
Abe turned to the agents, "I need for you two to each hold down a shoulder, don't let her escape your grasp, understood?"
The agents nodded and took their places. Then Abe turned his attention back to his patient focusing fully and completely on her. He firmly placed his two hands on the arrow and slowly began to pull. At his tugging the lioness began to thrash and roar from the pain, her writhing almost throwing off the two agents. But they recovered quickly and succeeded in not letting her slip through their fingers. Painfully the arrow was sliding up and out from her back. As it came down to the arrowhead Abe placed his left arm on the square of her back and forcibly yanked it free. The lioness screamed in agony with blood beginning to pour. Quickly Abe disinfected the open wound clearing out infection, wiping away the new blood.
He demanded, "Do we have any heated metal with us?"
The agents shook their heads negatively in response.
Then Liz stood from where she sat lighting up her arms with fire, smirking, "We do now."
He took an extra gear that rested against the helicopter's wall and handed it to Liz for her to heat. Once done, she pressed it to the wound on the lioness cauterizing it. More screams and angry growls came from the lioness, but soon after, she flopped her head down in exhaustion, glad that it was all over.
…
A couple of hours later Hellboy and Liz sat to the left of the giant copter cuddled up together in a doze while Abe sat to the right side of the copter with the lioness in the middle. She was bunched over a bit, due to the pain she experienced, yet she looked to be heavily contemplating something. Deep worry and fretting emotions etched her face at whatever conflict was going on inside of her brain. Finally she gave in and, quite painfully, rose to sit next to Abe. He was brought out of is train of thought as he noticed that she appeared next to him.
She lifted his arm and asked, "May I?"
He was completely confused with her actions, "Sure, go ahead?"
She looked down from his eyes and focused on his arm then she proceeded to lick his wounded limb clean. He was about to protest but a sense of cool relief washed over him and he let out a sigh at her action. He understood why she did this, she was only doing what she thought best to right her wrong in causing his wound, and possibly give him some ease from the throbbing, hot pain.
He looked down at her, "First thank you for the cleansing but might I ask you a question?"
She let go of his arm gently and nodded.
Abe, "Why are you showing me this kindness when you wanted to rip me to shreds back on the oasis just a few moments ago?"
She giggled a bit, "Sorry it's just that I get extremely territorial over the things that I love and was on the defense because, well, you know why I suppose."
Abe, "Love? You didn't seem to show love for anything back there."
She nodded, "Very true Sir but I do possess a fond love for children. They're so innocent and kind, they've always showed me love and kindness in my condition back at the village. That's what kept me going, defending and protecting the children in my village. And if anyone tried to come near anyone of them I'd go crazy and kill them."She fiddled with her hands nervously and fretted, "Do you understand what I mean?"
Abe nodded with his smile, "Oh most definitely, with all the pain and hatred being hurled at you from the people that surrounded you, the ones that turn around and send you love is something worth motivating over."
She smiled at him and said, "Thank you for saving my life Mr.?"
Abe, "Abraham Sapien, but please call me Abe."
She said his name with a smile, "Abe."
She shook his hand and they both shared something wonderful.
Flash forward:…