Take a Walk
By Lunnaei
Disclaimer: I do not own Hellboy. I'm only taking him on a little stroll...quite literally actually. shot
He had needed to get out, to find a way to improve his sour mood. He had figured that a walk would do the trick. Some fresh air and sunlight sounded like the perfect remedy for edgy nerves and foul spirits.
It was failing miserably.
Hellboy huffed and pulled his heavy trench coat tighter around himself. Shoulders hunched against the chill and blinking raindrops from his eyes, he pounded his way through an alley to get back home. It had been cool and overcast when he went out half an hour ago, and now the air was full of the thick downpour that not only soaked his clothes but dampened his spirits all the more.
Up ahead, a mangy dog strode across the alley. Hellboy watched the animal in passive interest as he walked. It nosed around in a pile of garbage for a moment before picking up what it had been looking for and turning back the way it had come. Normally, he would not care what a street dog was doing, but when the animal's find let out a plaintive mew, Hellboy's heart wrenched in his chest and a protective anger washed over him.
"Not today," he growled and picked up his pace. His hoofed feet clopped on the ground as he jogged to reach the corner around which the dog and its helpless find had disappeared.
Rounding the end of the building, he paused, eyes scanning the area. The dog was tucked into a corner more-or-less protected from the rain. The mongrel stood and glared at him, and Hellboy only glared back.
"Sorry, mutt. No cat food for you today."
The dog let out a low, warning growl as Hellboy approached.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm stealing your meal, but you'll find something else." Hellboy moved closer. He did not want to hurt the dog, but he definitely did not want the kitten hurt either. "Easy now. I just want that cat."
Soft mews carried from the corner by the dog, and Hellboy let his eyes sweep the ground around the mutt, looking for the kitten. He blinked, a little surprised to see three little balls of fur squirming in a pile of dirty rags. The soft chorus of mews and squeaks finally pulled the dog's attention from the large, red demon. The dog turned, nosing at the kittens, whining softly at them.
Hellboy raised a brow and watched as the dog nudged and moved the little fur-balls, circled them and laid down, curling around the litter and giving him that warning glare again. He let out a grunt, no longer sure of what to do. He had never heard of a dog taking care of kittens before.
He looked up, blinking as the rain pelted his face, then back at the dog and made up his mind. With a shrug he started his approach again, "Never had a dog in the house before. Might be an interesting change."
The dog let out another growl, then whined and tucked around her litter a little more. Hellboy eased closer. "It's okay. That's right. Easy, girl." He could only hope he was soothing the animal. Cats were his thing; he had no real experience with dogs, unless you counted some of the guys at the B.P.R.D. "It's all right." He edged up to her. Getting down on his knees – he figured he was already soaked, so kneeling in a puddle wasn't going to do any harm – he reached his stone hand out to pet the animal.
He wasn't surprised when she turned and bit at his hand, but she only did so once before tucking her head around the kittens and just growling at him. "Heh, sorry, missy. Didn't feel like bleeding today." With a surprising gentleness, his stone hand stroked the dog's head until she stopped growling. He edged a little closer so both hands could reach and scrubbed behind the dog's ears, a smile tugging at his lips when her tail began to lightly thump the ground.
"Guess dogs ain't so bad." Hellboy let his flesh hand wander towards the shifting mass of wet fur tucked against the dog's side. His fingers brushed over the three kittens, and he frowned. "Gotta get these little bits out of the cold, missy."
Slowly and carefully, he picked up the first kitten, a little black and white thing with bright blue eyes and a pink nose. It let out a cry of protest at being taken from the warm cuddle. "Now, now, you'll thank me later." He tucked the kitten against his chest and behind his jacket, cradled by his stone arm.
The dog raised her head, sniffing at the remaining kittens and whining. Hellboy stroked her head a couple times when she turned her head and sniffed at his coat, where one of her litter had disappeared. "Don't worry, missy. I'm only helping." She whined again as he picked up the next kitten. This one was a little tortoiseshell, with bright green eyes touched with gold. "Well, you're a pretty little thing." The cat let out a cry, squirming in his hand. Smiling, Hellboy tucked the second kitten into his coat, safe from the rain.
The dog found her feet, sniffing at his chest and whining, even as Hellboy picked up the last tiny mass of wet fur, a calico with perfect spots of orangey-bronze, black and white covering the little body, and green eyes looking back at him from a perfect little face. A soft mew squeaked from this one as the dog's nose snuffed along the little body before Hellboy slipped the little guy into his jacket with its siblings. Meeting the dog's eyes with a smile, he reached out and patted her head a few times. "What say we get you guys to your new home?"
Pushing to his feet he turned to head for home again, the feel of the kittens squirming and tucking into the warmth of his chest bringing a smile to his face. He glanced over his shoulder once and patted his thigh. "C'mon, Missy," he called to the dog. She stood and looked at him for a moment, then trotted after him.
Perhaps the walk was a good idea after all.