User:Hawl/The Strange Case Of Jeffrey Eades

{{#ifeq: User |User| The Strange Case of Jeffrey Eades | The Strange Case of Jeffrey Eades}}[[Title::{{#ifeq: User |User| The Strange Case of Jeffrey Eades | The Strange Case of Jeffrey Eades}}| ]]
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 {{#ifeq: {{#ifeq: User |User| Jessica Kylie "HawlSera" Nichols-Vernon | Jessica Kylie "HawlSera" Nichols-Vernon}} | | 
   {{#ifeq: {{#ifeq: User |User| Hawl | Hawl}} | || 
     Author: [[User:{{#ifeq: User |User| Hawl | Hawl}}|{{#ifeq: User |User| Hawl | Hawl}}]] [[Author::{{#ifeq: User |User| Hawl | Hawl}}| ]]
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   {{#ifeq: {{#ifeq: User |User| Hawl | Hawl}} | |
     Author: {{#ifeq: User |User| Jessica Kylie "HawlSera" Nichols-Vernon | Jessica Kylie "HawlSera" Nichols-Vernon}} |
     Author: [[User:{{#ifeq: User |User| Hawl | Hawl}}|{{#ifeq: User |User| Jessica Kylie "HawlSera" Nichols-Vernon | Jessica Kylie "HawlSera" Nichols-Vernon}}]] [[Author::{{#ifeq: User |User| Jessica Kylie "HawlSera" Nichols-Vernon | Jessica Kylie "HawlSera" Nichols-Vernon}}| ]]
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 {{#ifeq: {{#ifeq: User |User| Jessica Kylie "HawlSera" Nichols-Vernon | Jessica Kylie "HawlSera" Nichols-Vernon}} | |
   {{#ifeq: {{#ifeq: User |User| Hawl | Hawl}} | | Authors: ' | 
     Authors: [[User:{{#ifeq: User |User| Hawl | Hawl}}|{{#ifeq: User |User| Hawl | Hawl}}]] 
   }} | 
   {{#ifeq: {{#ifeq: User |User| Hawl | Hawl}} | |
     Authors: {{#ifeq: User |User| Jessica Kylie "HawlSera" Nichols-Vernon | Jessica Kylie "HawlSera" Nichols-Vernon}} |
     Author: [[User:{{#ifeq: User |User| Hawl | Hawl}}|{{#ifeq: User |User| Jessica Kylie "HawlSera" Nichols-Vernon | Jessica Kylie "HawlSera" Nichols-Vernon}}]] 
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}} {{#if:| — see [[:Category:{{{category}}}|other works by this author]]}}

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Author's Comments

Character Chuck Matthews inspired by Charles “MatthiasRat” Matthias

Note: This is a project Charles and I had worked on and scrapped dozens of times over… Rebooted and revised again and again with nothing workable… This is a complete do-over. Charles no longer has a paw in writing it due to the challenges of fatherhood.

1924 in the hustling bustling metropolis of New York City, there lived a family of four, two loving parents named Billiam and Theresa Eades who had three living children. Chadeau Eades at age 22 who had already left the family to find his own place in life. Still living with them were Jeffrey Eades at age 14 and Elizabeth Eades at age 6. The family had owned a small baked goods shoppe called Eades’ Eats. While the store wasn’t terribly popular; it paid the family’s rent and kept their grocer supplied. The work didn’t leave the Eades Family much to eat for themselves which only made the task of supplying raspberry tarts to their customers daunting. True there was plenty of the staler pastries to eat but it was no way for a family to live. It seemed though there was more money for food to go around lately but not for a happy reason. When the family had first came to America, they had four children not three, Jeff’s twin sister Emily, but she had tragically gone missing and was never found. It would appear that only a year later, Jeffrey had gone missing as well.

The police had been of absolutely no help in finding Jeff, having searched for a month without finding head nor tail of the boy there were only two other places to turn. The Eades could hire a private eye and miss the month’s rent or they could call one other law enforcement service, one employed by an undesirable yet effective lot. DMA, The Department of Manimal Affairs.

The family had done their best to clean their simple bakery and try to have a nice batch of fresh donuts out for the officer who they expected to arrive at any moment. It was Elizabeth who had been playing in the middle of the floor with a stuffed camel doll that had been with the family for generations who heard the car pulling up.

“Is that the…. Him?.. The wolfman?” Young Elizabeth asked, the girl was curious yet afraid.

“Oh… I think it is…Sweetheart are you sure you want to see this?” Billiam Eades asked rethinking his decision.

“I’ve never seen a wolfman before.” Elizabeth answered, petting the hump of her camel doll. “Are they mean?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t think this one is.” Billiam pat his child on her head. Truthfully, he didn’t know any Weres personally, but a stranger with fangs and claws seemed pleasant to no one. “...Theresa, would you kindly get the door?”

Theresa, who had red hair and an uninspiring green dress, felt her hand shake as she opened the door, her heart ached in anticipation of actually allowing such a monstrosity into her home.

“Hey officer, You’re here about Jeff?” she said, somewhat taken aback as the big bad werewolf turned out differently than expected.

In walked an older man wearing a grey suit and matching fedora, somewhat on the short side with brown hair and thick matching sideburns. This stranger was clearly an Irishman, which meant that he was most likely Catholic, neither of those things were smiled upon around the Big Apple.

“Indeed I am, my name is Chuck Matthews, I’m from the department of Manimal Affairs, now you said you went to the human police and then turned up nothing. Normally we’re called in only if there’s evidence of were involvement, but when I learned you had lost your kid it struck a chord with me. I have two boys of my own, and a girl on the way.” The man tried to give a friendly, but restrained smile as he hung up his coat and hat.

“I see…..” Billiam looked over the man carefully, trying to find some kind of animalistic attribute; a task in vain as Chuck measured up as to be an upstanding member of society. Hell, the way he stood so perfectly still and at attention made him seem far more military than a call of the wild sort. “Sorry… I…. I’m having a hard time believing you’re from the Department of Manimal Affairs.”

Young Elizabeth took the more direct route. “I thought a big bad wolf was coming..”

“They aren’t taking us seriously are they?” Theresa spoke with very clear concern in her voice, tears had even started to form in the mournful mother’s eye, it being clear to her that this night was a dud.

Chuck saw the disappointment present in the family’s face and knew he had to do something to alleviate their concerns. “A big bad wolf? Hmmm well I’m clearly nothing like that.” The man said, holding out his five fingers in front of Elizabeth and wriggling. “See… just a normal hand… and voila!”

Elizabeth’s eyes grew wide as Chuck shook his hard in front of the mystified young girl as it seemed to get longer and pinker until finally the hand stopped showing the pink claw of some kind of mole or mouse. “Instead, they sent a friendly rat.”

Billiam and Theresa both seemed immediately relieved. “Oh, they ARE taking us seriously, see that honey. He was just in his human form.”

“Oh, you had us worried for a moment there. Please, Mr. Matthews was it? Have a doughnut, they were baked fresh in our oven just for your arrival… Though given the circumstances perhaps a cheese danish would be more appropriate.” Theresa’s mood did an immediate 180.

Chuck laughed cheerfully as he took a freshly glazed donut and placed it into his mouth chewing it slowly. “Doughnuts are far more than I can ask a distraught family.”

“I must ask, why did you show up in human form?” Billiam asked.

“It’s just safer to be human whenever possible.” Chuck explained as he shifted more of his body, his face growing longer and his sideburns growing until they fully devoured the man’s face, his nose and mouth were now one perfectly long snout. The ears of the rat headed man had shrunk inward and reformed more circularly atop the person’s head. Sniffing the air around the bakery Chuck’s nose went to work looking for clues. “Tell me, do you get many Were customers?”

“Well no, we have children. We don’t allow Weres, we run a bakery, not a zoo..” Theresa cautioned. “Well… maybe one or two if they stay well behaved and agree to use their human form.”

“Hmmm….” Chuck rubbed under his mouth thinking things over, he felt like commenting that people were scared of his rat-like appearance and would treat him badly because of it but that wouldn’t be very professional to bring up. “Would I be correct in assuming this bakery is also your place of residence?”

“Yes sir, upstairs is where the children and the two of us sleep.” Spoke Billiam.

Chuck began to ascend the stairwell continuing to sniff around, this was giving him a little more evidence as he could only find five scents that could be called recent, he deduced one belonged to Jeff, one to Elizabeth, and two to the parents. Which left one unaccounted for. “You only have two children correct?”

“There's our adult son Chadeau, but he hasn’t visited in a long time. So yes we have two living here presently” Theresa answered, she had followed Chuck upstairs to watch his investigation.

“We’ll find Jeff. I have a good feeling about it.” Chuck kept a brave face wanting to give the family hope, though in a city of this size anything was possible. “Now are you sure that none of you are Weres? It would explain the fifth scent. It’s definitely feline, but I don’t smell cat food anywhere. So I assume it isn’t a pet.”

“Well no…” Theresa answered after giving this some thought herself. “Do you think Jeff might secretly be one of you people and ran away to hide it from us?”

“Not likely, the scent is from a Queen, a female cat. Perhaps he had a Were lover and has eloped with her. Either way, I’ll find him.” Chuck said going through the hall’s and entering what smelled the strongest of Jeff’s room, upon entering there was a small radio, a poster dedicated to a familiar local magician whom happened to be famous for appearing as a were-rabbit, nightstand next to the bed that contained a lamp balanced atop a hardback copy of Peter Pan. In the corner there was a small desk with stationery supplies and a framed trading card signed by the baseball player Walter Beall, next to a ball and glove that seem well used yet no bat to go with it. This is what caught Chuck’s eye, a ball and glove with no bat? The room didn’t have a closet of any kind with Jeff’s clothes were kept in a trunk at the foot of the bed. Chuck was left with two possibilities, Jeff didn’t own a bat or it was taken at the same time he was. A kidnapper would have brought their own weapon so it’s odd that the bat would be swiped unless Jeff had ran away and used the bat for self-defense. There was only one thing Chuck needed to confirm the hypothesis that his mind was now spinning. “This may seem like a silly question, but did Jeff like baseball and did he own a bat?”

“Well of course he did, what boy his age doesn’t love baseball?” Theresa asked rhetorically. “Why do you ask?”

“I find it strange that the bat isn’t here right now, is it in another part of the house?” Chuck asked.

“Well… No, it went missing the same time Jeff did, but the normal, I mean, human officers didn’t think anything of it.” Theresa answered.

Chuck walked closer to the baseball equipment and had himself a closer look where he found a few traces of orange and black fur, that smelled just like the female cat’s scent. “Alright, I strongly believe that your son eloped with a female feline Were around his age and the two of them took his bat for protection. That’s the working theory, did he mention a lover?”

“Well it’s an interesting idea, the boy did seem distracted by something before he left, but he just wouldn’t say what it was. Jeff could barely concentrate on anything. We couldn’t even let him in the kitchen after he burnt a cake we’d been working on all day.” Theresa explained, nodding in agreement with Chuck’s idea. “He never mentioned he was seeing anybody, but him being worried that we wouldn’t approve would make sense. I’m not sure what he could see in a vicious beast that makes for good marriage material, but, I suppose it would seem exotic to a young boy… Like… like those dancers from the East you hear about in gentleman’s tabloids. Billiam claims he doesn’t read them, but you know men are.”

Chuck was a little unnerved by Theresa’s comments and the assumptions that came with it. “I don’t read such tabloids, but still I see your point Mrs. Eades. I just have one other question that may help the theory. No scratch that, two other questions. Was any money taken, and if so was it by force? Looking around the room, I’m not seeing any signs of a struggle, just a missing bat and some fur.”

“No, not a cent out of place. Which is rather lucky because we aren’t a particularly rich family. We can barely keep our lovely little bakery open.” Theresa recollected. “Nothing major was taken, just Jeff’s bat and a blueberry pie, one fresh enough to be eaten but much too old to sell.”

“Well, then more good news. It sounds like eloping is definitely our answer. A kidnapper would most certainly take your money, but Jeff wouldn’t hurt his already struggling family and thus just left with only his things and his woman.” Chuck began thinking, writing down his clues in a notepad he carried with him. “Which is good news on finding them because without money they can’t have gotten far unless her daddy’s rich, but typically it’s poor women who marry rich men not the other way around. I’ll do some more scouting of the area.”

Theresa took this as a cue to leave and let Chuck investigate in peace. Not a hair was out of place with the exception of more furs he found around the room, most of which were in Jeff’s bed much to the rat's revulsion.

“Before marriage Jeff? And at fourteen, I swear I….. wait a minute…” the rodent-like man sniffed around the bed and noticed that the covers looked far too straight and clean and there was no scent of body fluids meaning relations weren’t had in the bed. Looking it over more closely and mentally comparing the estimated build of a teenage boy and a were tigress of unknown age with the size of the mattress it wouldn’t seem as though the bed would be useful for that kind of thing. Two people wouldn’t even be able to sleep on it comfortably. “Why would the cat be sleeping in Jeff’s bed with Jeff not in it? Unless… Ah he’s a gentleman afterall, letting her have the bed while he has the floor.”

Chuck looked over to the window next, the window once opened had scents of the feline but no Jeff implying that they took separate routes to leave the building, more evidence that the two left together voluntarily. Chuck climbed out of the window and looked downward reaching a small ledge barely enough to stand on. Below was the alleyway and for a human the jump wouldn’t be fatal, it would merely hurt a lot. However a feline would have the agility and tougher skin required for such a fall to be nothing, further explaining why the two would take differing routes.

“Looks like I need to get smaller.” Chuck commented as he slid back and furthered his transformation.

Chuck shrunk at least two feet, while from his tailbone burst outward into a gloriously scaly tail as his body became adorned in brown fur. Once the change had completed Matthews put his pink claws together forming a blue energy that overcome his undershirt and trousers, resizing them to his current build. Though Chuck Matthews was now smaller, his muscles were firmer and tougher, he even had a six pack.

“Hmm… here goes nothing.” He said before barreling towards the earth below the window and into the alley way. Upon landing he brushed himself off and gave the area a quick sniff.

Chuck’s ears raised as he hit the jackpot, the tigress’ scent was still fresh meaning she had returned into this alleyway, there were signs of Jeff but they had been growing fainter. This made sense to the rat because if either of the two went back for his things it would be the more agile and stealthful cat and not the runaway boy who wanted not to be found. It was far stronger down the alleyway, so off he went like a rat out of hell determined to get to the bottom of this mystery. There was a solid case for Jeff not being in any real danger but he wanted to be sure and at least give the parents some closure if he couldn’t find him or convince him to return home. The nose knows a saying that proved truthful as just on the end of the alleyway there was a tigress wearing a darkly colored skirt, one that had been cut quite crudely most likely by the tigress herself and showed far more leg than was tasteful. Truthfully Matthews could have noticed the tigress much sooner in his human form where he wasn’t anywhere near as near-sighted.

“Lovely night out tonight isn’t it rat boy?” The tigress said, trying her damndest to sound tough. “I’m gonna have to warn you for your own safety to get back, Alleycat Territory is around here and they don’t take too kindly to outsiders. Especially not dirty rats like you”

“I see, and I assume you’re with them?” Chuck raised an eyebrow as it appeared gang activity had just gotten involved, making this case a little more criminal than the evidence originally suggested..

“If I was, you wouldn’t want to ask me.” The tigress advised the rat. “You know a joint around here that caters to Weres? I haven’t had a bite to eat in awhile, I came down here chasing some mice and well.. I couldn’t find any, so, maybe if you let me have something I can use to get food I’ll ignore the fat-rat I found.”

“Ma’am are you threatening to mug me?” Chuck was understandably taken to a bad place by this.

“Yeah that’s the long-short of it, pops.” The tigress took from her back a baseball bat that was sheathed much like a sword and thrust it against the rat’s chest. “So what’ll it be?”

Chuck found himself merely annoyed by the situation. “Alright, alright, don’t hurt me. I think I’ve got a few extra coins in my purse…” he said digging into his pocket. The tigress slowly rescinded her baseball bat threat just a little, not too much.

Once the bat was safely away from the rat’s stomach, he quickly pulled out his handgun and his badge. “Agent Romme, Department of Manimal Affairs. You’re under arrest for attempted mugging and are wanted for questioning in the disappearance of Jeffery Eades.”

“Ahh applesauce, I thought I smelled gunpowder.” The tigress put her paws up dropping the bat immediately. “Ok Big Six, I can see why you’d have a beef… I’ll answer any questions you’ve got, maybe we can work something out. You don’t want to send a pretty dame like myself to jail would you?” she purred as she pulled up her skirt, practically flashing the cop her knickers.

“Madame, I am a happily married rat…” Chuck began to avert his gaze.

The tigress laughed getting closer and raising her skirt further. Most lewd of all, after taking a few steps she turned around and bending over as her tail swished to and fro. “I won’t tell if you won’t…”

“MADAME! THAT’S QUITE ENOUGH!” Chuck covered his eyes, an action that required pointing his gun away from the tigress.

“Yes it is!” The tigress announced and pounced on the rat, her claws up to his throat. “Listen, I don’t know who the hell you’re talking about. I’ve never killed a man, and I don’t want to find out what that feels like. So why don’t you get lost, I’m just looking for a hot meal and I don’t need some bull rat giving me any more of a work out than I asked for. Do we have an understanding?”

“I believe so ma’am, you’re free to go if you can answer just one question.”

“You’re not in a position to be calling the shots, you ossified or something?” The tigress growled.

“You said it yourself, you don’t want to find out what it’s like to kill a man and I’m most certain you don’t want to kill a cop. I go missing around this area they’ll connect it to the Alleycats, whether you’re with them or not. Various corpses will emerge and eventually you will be fingered as the Dumb Dora who caused so much bloodshed. So with that in mind. Jeffrey Eades was last seen around March 20th, 1924, this year. That’s one month ago. Just tell me what you were doing then, and I’ll forget I saw you.”

“That easy huh? Well for your information, I was at a jazz show. They had some spook playing the saxophone, it was a swinging beat but really I was just there with a friend… trying to calm myself because of the moon fever and we figured a good jazz show might be a way to let off some steam. Them joints ran by the brothas are about the only places that jive to Weres.”

“Makes sense, that was the full moon. My wife and I went out dancing that night.” Chuck nodded the story seemed to be sound now he just needed to find a hole to poke in it. The Moon Fever, is what Weres referred to the full moon as. For whatever reason around the time of the full moon Weres became very energetic and most Weres just couldn’t retain their human form for any period of time. There were many urban legends about Weres becoming insane killers during this phenomenon, but really they just grew more energetic. A lot of them had to do something to work out the extra energy for creative types this was usually a time for writing or drawing, for more physical types a good dance or workout was a nice way to spend it. “May I ask the name of the club and musician performing.”

The tigress suddenly had a look of shock in her eyes. “I… Uhh… I think it’s written on the ticket, let me just get that out of my pocket…” the feline laughed nervously, causing the rat to begin to seriously doubt this cover story. “Ah… yes… it’s written right here… a cat from Georgia called… NUNYA BEESWAX!” The tigress yelled forcing her palm over the rat’s eyes and sending a blinding flash of light through them.

“Okay… Gahhh…. she can use magick… that’s going to be another charge….” Chuck said wandering around blindly, his vision returned to him slowly, but he didn’t have time to wait for it to return fully. The rodential constable would have to rely on his hearing. The footsteps of the tigress were quite audible especially to a were, all Chuck would have to do is run after them. “STOP IN THE NAME OF THE LAW! I can see just fine in spite of that trick you pulled.” It was a lie, but as long as the tigress didn’t know she was being tracked audibly she wouldn’t adjust her behavior.

“Ahh horsefeathers, looks like I’m slipping.” The tigress called back. “Keep following me copper, I’ll take you right into a mouse trap!”

The chase continued for a good twenty minutes, plenty of time for Chuck to get his sight back. In this time partly due to Chuck being an ex-military man who fought in the Great War and the tigress being very hungry he was able to close the gap between them. Matthews was about to tackle the tigress, which he did, just as she was turning into a rather dangerous alley. “Tigress, you are under arrest for Contraband Information, Assault On An Officer, and the Suspected Kidnapping of Jeffrey Eades!”

The tigress laughed, Chuck was about to ask what was so funny when he felt his body being picked up off the ground and thrown against a wall.

“Alright chump, what do you want with Styg?” Snarled a buff lion man scratching at his chest, oddly enough he wore only trousers.

“He’s a cop… He thinks I have something to do with the Eades kid.” The tigress confessed, apparently her name was Styg. “You know the one…”

“Does he know that….” The lion looked concerned as he eyed Styg.

“No Dill, but we probably shouldn’t be talking about it right in front of him.” Styg said getting up and dressing herself up. “I was in the middle of getting some of the pastries from Jeff’s place when his tuckus showed up.”

“Alright, we don’t know anything about Jeff. He went missing, we’ve been keeping an eye out hoping to cash in on the reward money. That’s our connection, so why don’t you go home. Styg and I can take on an ol’ palooka, no problem.”

Chuck pulled out his pistol and pointed it at Dill. “You know I’ve got some colors I still can’t see that says you may know more than you’re talking about.”

“You used magic on him? I told you about Mayan Eye, didn't I?” Dill asked as he roared at Styg, a roar that became a whimper as he heard the rat’s gun click. “Civilians aren’t supposed to know about magic!”

“Please don’t roar at the lady.” Chuck stated.

“We don’t want any trouble… we don’t even have any felonies out on us… Just leave us alone.” Dill pleaded.

“Some King of the Jungle you are!” Styg snarled, getting out her bat once more. “Hey copper, do you want to know what happened to Jeff?!?! I’ll tell you the truth.”

“You know he isn’t going to like that…” Dill cautioned.

“Shut up, a woman’s gotta do what a woman’s gotta do. Truth will set you free, right?” Styg laughed as she looked very closely at the rat, appraising him. “The truth is, that I KILLED Jeff! Yeah, that’s right I killed him! We were dating and he was the most loyal boyfriend a gal could ask for. You know how some guys will throw their cloak upon a puddle to prevent a girl from ruining her dress? This guy would plant HIMSELF in the puddle. When I found out he was actually broke, I killed the little nitwit. He didn’t even put up a fight, he was so loyal it was like he wanted to die.”

“Styg that’s only going to make this worse!” Dill fussed, clearly and obviously upset with the tigress.

“Not if he ain't around to talk about it.” Styg pointed at her bat. Dill sighed in disappointment but backed away as he understood what was going on through her head, despite the fact that he hated it.

“I’ve got a gun, do you really think I’m going to just lay down and let you bludgeon me?!?!” Chuck warned sternly, his gun now aiming for the tigress’ head enraged at the sight of a cold blooded killer.

“No, I’m calling my shot.” Styg held out her hand and summoned forth out of the air a ball made of steel and flame that stayed there until she bashed it towards the rat. “You can continue the search for Jeff in Hell where he’ll stay if he cares about me at all!”

The rat didn’t flinch, instead his paw turned to a grey cold stone as he caught the ball and threw it back at Styg, Styg was horrified as it exploded into a fiery chaos the second it touched the tip of her tail, she likely would have been killed in the explosion had she not jumped forward posthaste, though she was now on the ground and the bat knocked out of her hand. Dill ran from the alley the second he could, leaving just Chuck and Styg.

“You’re not the first to show me that spell, that was a Life Force Eradication Sphere. A pyromantic spell that explodes as soon as it touches a living thing. I learned to turn my paws into stone just to counter moves like it…. You’re not my first rode, but you are under arrest for the murder of Jeffrey Eades, the attempted murder of an officer, forbidden knowledge of occultic practice, resisting arrest, and conspiracy to commit burglary!”

Chuck walked over to Styg and handcuffed her, standing her up before getting out a small container and pulling out some obsidian colored pill caps. “Eat these, they’ll knock you out and revert you back to being human for two hours so that we can safely transport you.”

“You’ll have to kill me first!” Styg snarled, baring her fangs in defiance. “I made a vow that I’d never go back, ever since the day the streets became my personal Never Ever Land!!”

“I said eat it!” Chuck threw Styg up against a brick wall and shoved the tablets down her throat, he covered her mouth and kept rubbing her throat till she swallowed. The pills worked almost instantaneously, her fur receding just as anticipated, what wasn’t anticipated was the fact that Styg fell to ground not as a woman, but as a teenaged boy. A boy who just so happened to meet Jeff’s description.

“Oh….” and that’s all Chuck could say, he was too dumbstruck to say much else.

Two hours later had Jeff waking up, feeling groggy, found himself in a jail cell with Chuck’s human form and a four legged fox with multiple tails right next to him. “Is that rat really arresting me for murdering myself?”

“Well you did try to kill me….” Chuck confessed, now feeling rather silly about the way he snapped.

“Ever since I became a were, I lead a double life. Can you really blame me for wanting to get rid of one of them.” Jeffrey sighed looking down at himself and realizing he must look ridiculous, a boy wearing a skirt. “I told you to leave me alone, what choice did I have? My parents must think I’m a freak because of you!”

“I think they’d rather have a were-daughter than a dead son…..” Chuck said, in disbelief at a sentence he never once thought he’d have to say.

“Actually we didn’t tell your parents.” The fox spoke up, looking up to meet Jeff’s eyes.

“Thank God for that… Mind if I?” Jeff asked as he began to regrow his fur, his hips already widening into a grand feminine splendor, his waist leaving in exact contrast.

“Ahh… yeah…” The boy? Girl? Purred with delight as his/her body took on the shape of both woman and cat, he was once again the tigress that earlier battled the rodent officer. “Sorry, it’s just far more comfortable for me to be like this.”

“You ... enjoy being a girl?” Chuck winced, this was something he didn’t think about much nor did he know anyone who would think of such things. It made sense, Weres were usually more comfortable in their animal form, but the gender bending aspect made things weird.

“With all my heart, I just wish I could stay like this…. That last time I had Moon Fever I just couldn’t think of a way to keep it from my family so I kidnapped myself and moved in with the Alleycats. When I told them what was happening, they thought it was some kind of joke. They showed me the ropes, taught me some things about Weres I didn’t know, and they helped control that thing I had where I kept accidentally lighting things on fire.” Jeff recounted the steps that lead to her becoming a runaway.

“I didn’t find any scorch marks in your room…” Chuck noted, finding a small hole in what Jeff was saying.

“Not in my room no, but it kept happening in the kitchen. My mind would wander and then the oven would get far hotter than it was supposed to be. My folks just thought I was leaving things in there too long.” Jeff admitted. “No one else could use magick, I mean I knew this one guy but cops take people away when they use spells and that when they come back they aren’t.. Themselves anymore..”

Chuck wasn’t sure what to make of this, he had stayed unusually silent as his mind tried piecing all this together. It was true that anyone caught using magick or knowing about magick went away for awhile. It was one of the aspects of Chuck’s job that he just did not like, having to keep secrets. Still this was one secret he understood was kept for the better of the safety of all who lived in America. “This is true, but myself and Director FOX have been talking. It’s… Not safe for people to...”

“Why do you play with people’s heads? I had a friend in the Alleycats who was just an innocent half-animal bloke trying to make his way and now he barely knows me!” Jeff immediately came out swinging. Jeff had remembered this brother of Dill, even seen him a few times. Dill had not spoken much about him nor to him, every time Jeff saw him this brother seemed quite content though an air of cluelessness surrounded him. The most positive thing Jeff could say that Dill’s brother was content.

“Because imagine what would happen if a group of radicals summoned a Dark Egyptian God of Primordial Chaos in order to swing the next Presidential Election to some woefully unqualified sociopath with loyalties only to some dark cult?” The feral fox spoke in a harsh, but firm tone, it was clear that he had to explain this many times. “Or perhaps a more mundane application of people down on their luck having the temptation to blow open the vaults to financial institutions.”

“But, most people wouldn’t do that.” Jeff roared loudly. “There was no reason for this!”

“The reason most people wouldn’t do something is usually because they can’t boy!” Director FOX yipped up. “One day when you’re older you might understand that. Just as I cannot simply wipe your mind, thus I will not offer you any options but two. Your gender anomaly is quite frankly… Weird and something we’ve never come across before. We need to study you and monitor you for anything unusual. If we let the world know that some Weres can change sexes...”

Jeff looked dumbfounded, she said nothing, but the look on her face showed she did not understand.

Chuck scratched behind his ear trying to find the words to say to Jeff to help the tigress grasp the situation. “....The worlds of man and animal are different… They are meant to be separate. They are meant to co-exist. The farmer gets milk from his cows and in turn the cows enjoy a higher quality of life. When they die their remains are disposed of in a way that will feed the farmer’s family, but not attract predators to the cow’s herd. This is God’s design, at least, that’s how society understands it.”

“I know my rights! You can’t detain me unless you charge me with a crime!” Jeff screeched, entirely ignoring Chuck’s words.

“Oh and the suspected murder of Jeffrey Wayan Eades isn’t a crime? Child murderer is the big time; so I can put you in any cell I want you in until your court date, and when you’re the Director of DMA and Mayan Eye you can get court dates delayed again and again if it meets keeping monsters like us off the streets.” Director FOX chose only his sharpest words to cut right through the tigress. “Now, if imprisonment doesn’t sound attractive. You go back to living with your family and feel free to continue to partner up with the Alleycats. I’m sure we can pretend tonight never happened if you’re willing to keep Styg and Jeff seperate people in the eyes of most and work as a deputized informant for not just DMA, but Mayan Eye itself”

“....Mayan Eye, I know about that. Manimal Affairs ain't nothing but a front for Mayan Eye… The chaps looking into that what gives us tails, claws, and… uhh this…” Jeff, or Styg rather, held out his, her at the time, hand and conjured a ball of pure flame just floating above his palm, like a miniature sun.

“And I want to know who else knows what you just told me.” Fox tapped

“I aint no snitch, four legs.” Styg responded narrowing her eyes in anger.

“You do know what an Informant is don’t you?” Director FOX’ matched Styg’s eyes not with emotion, but had them glow with the mystical powers his vulpine condition equipped him with. “If you want me to let the cat out of the bag, the cat being you, and the bag being jai. You need to tell me what I want to know.”

“Fine…. I’ll give you names, but only the really really bad ones.” Spake the tigress as she faced away from her vulpine inquisitor, and sat on a bench in the cell to think over the eventful night.

“That’s a start.” Director FOX said with a sigh before turning to Chuck and gesturing him to follow him. Once the two were out of earshot of their captive FOX began to clarify the score “Romme, I’m going to have the boys work out a cover story and get Styg here a badge. She’ll only work as an informant for now, only accompanying you or other staff on missions and raids if it’s absolutely necessary. Things are going a lot smoother if we keep her in the books and under our gaze. I want you to check on the Eades and especially Jeff whenever possible, find whatever excuse you can to build a meaningful professional friendship with the boy, one the family will be comfortable with.”

None of this sat well with Chuck, he thought to speak, to object to this. But how? There was nothing he could say that would change Director FOX’s mind. Had Chuck spoken his mind he would have gotten a lecture about national security, not undermining his superiors in front of suspects, and most importantly that the nature of magic and country was far bigger than he was. So he went along with it, several questions on his mind. Is it ethical to blackmail a child, a teenager, yes, but still a child? Since Jeff was being put on the books, does that mean she’s set to become an agent upon turning 18? If so, did this youth have the option to refuse that when it happened? And of course there was the matter of how much of this was his fault? He made the arrest after all. Though if hadn’t Jeff would have never been found, and if so, before everyone knew about his gender bending?

Chuck was sure he would not receive timely answers, he could only pray to God and hope to be set on the path of least resistance and most morality.

FOX and Chuck left Jeff and Styg alone in a cell with themselves for the night.

The next morning saw Jeff being released from jail, and being made to change into a white undershirt with buttons on the right side with a pair of beige trousers. The clothing had been ripped and torn in advance for the cover story prepared for him.

Alongside the clothes Jeff had been given what looked like a policeman’s badge, leather, black, with an emblem on it, one of a tiger with “DMA - Department of Manimal Affairs” engraved on it “STG” under the emblem, the name “Styg” under that. The oddest thing was that despite it being a flat leather square it seemed to open up like a book when she pulled on the side of it, like one of those pocket Bibles and with a similar number of pages. At least Styg assumed, it’s not like she counted them all. Well, it’s not like HE counted them all anyway, as he had been instructed to revert to human form before changing into these clothes.

After closing this book the badge returned to being completely flat. Jeff opened it one more time and found that while most of the pages were blank, the first few were full of symbols. Yes symbols, it was not any language the striped feline had ever heard of. Stranger still he could understand this language, it detailed everything the were-tiger presently knew how to do with his other self’s powers. Everything. From the Life Force Eradication Sphere she on Chuck the previous night to the simpler tricks such as lighting candles or cigarettes by pointing at them.

“Never noticed this before, but I guess a lot of my magic IS fire based.” Jeff said to himself. With that squared away Jeff was allowed to collect his personal items, or item rather, as his bat was returned to him along with a bag to hold the ensemble he had been dressed in the previous night. Upon looking over his skirt and top in the bag he realized how good it felt to be wearing clean clothes, he had been on the streets in Styg’s outfit for two of the four weeks he was missing. A mental note was made to take a proper bath when he was returned home.

After leaving one of the few DMA precincts, which one Jeff wasn’t sure as he didn’t recognize this part of town, he found Chuck outside seemingly still in his rat form, which in daylight Jeff could see just how much such an infamous animal’s visage juxtapositioned against Chuck’s tailored suit. The rat had been in the middle of lighting what seemed to be a very old pipe when he noticed Jeff’s presence.

“Ready to go home, Jeff?” Chuck said as he stretched,growing taller as he did so as he quickly reverted back to human form. He had only been waiting as a rat because Jeff had never actually seen Chuck’s normal self until just this moment.

“Not really, but at the same time, more than ever.” Jeff responded, with a reluctant sigh. “I do care about and miss my family, however Styg is… That’s who I really am, and I understand that no one is going to accept that. I just wish people didn’t care about things as much as they did you know.”

Chuck wasn’t sure what to make of such an odd wish, though he could tell that no matter what he thought of it; it seemed as though the words just spoken before him rang true, not to Chuck, but to the one who spoke them,

“Get in the car., passenger’s seat. The Director wants me to play the hero, so help me out.”

“Right.”

Once Jeff and Chuck were in the latter’s vehicle the former knew that he did not want to be lost in his own thoughts, so he made an attempt at small talk.

“Those sideburns make you look Irish, but you don’t sound Irish. What’s up with that?”

“Well” Chuck said, thinking it over. He never really gave his dialect much thought until now. “My family is from Ireland, but I myself am from Connecticut, then I served in England for a few years in the war. I suppose I lost my accent around that time, a lot of big changes happened back then. Saw some good men blown apart, gassed, fall to ghastly infections, or just go out of their minds. By the end of it all I was a wererat who had seen and heard things he’ll never forget.”

“Huh…” Jeff blinked twice before saying much else, that had been a lot to take in. “Well I guess I owe you some thanks. My family and I immigrants from England, the Great War had been one of the things that really pushed us to becoming Americans. I imagine if it weren’t for people like you we might not have even gotten the chance.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Chuck forced a smile, he could never unsee the horrors of war, but in Jeff he saw a sign from God. A reminder that his sacrifices were for the good of many.

“My little sister was the first of us to be born here in the Big Apple.”

“Elizabeth, right? I saw her the other night. Adorable kid.”

The drive didn’t take as long as either of them thought it would as the two managed to quickly find some common ground, one that helped them trust one another enough to get their cover story straight when they arrived back at Eades’ Eats.

Time was not exactly of the essence as there had been a little bit of a line outside of Billiam and Theresa’s quaint little shop of pastries. With this wealth of time, there was one thing Jeff thought to ask about Dil’s brother. A topic far more simple to think than discuss. The alteration of one’s memory and the side-effects did not seem the actions of a just police force, and yet that was what assured silence. For all Jeff knew any further annoyances to Mayan Eye today might have caused a similar fate to befall him. Last night adrenaline and fear guided his actions towards resistance, today was far more calm, and calm meant Jeff could hear the little voice in his head asking him not to push his luck.

The duo opted for a flair for the dramatic to sell things, it had been Jeff’s idea. He had once seen a local magician perform who had told his audience that the secret to pulling off an illusion was misdirection and grandiose movement. If you truly sought to distract someone from the truth, the best thing to do was ham it up and sell it.

Chuck had entered the room with something of a flourish, immediately taking off his hat with a bow, changing forms during the gesture the hat thrust upon a different head of the same person.

“I’m sorry for barging in like this, but we’ve had… had.. Something of a breakthrough in the case!” Chuck stated, using a subtle touch of magic to dry his own throat so he would sound exasperated.

“I thought you didn’t allow Weres..” Said a caucasian man in front of a cash register to Theresa Eades who was counting out change.

“They don’t, the Eades kid went missing. Says in the papers the fuzzy faces got called in. For a small consideration you can read all about it, mistah.” Answered a young newsie boy who couldn’t have been much older than 9, one who had come in for a nice glass of milk and a quick break from the daily grind.

“Be quiet, Officer Matthews is trying to tell us something about my son!” Theresa spake with a bit of a yell, forcing the change she counted out into the first customer’s hand. It seemed rude and unprofessional, but given the circumstances there were no complaints. “What happened, is he okay?”

“I’m just fine, Mother.” Jeff ran in, then slowed to a jog as he entered. “It was unbelievable what happened, I was taken by these guys in the dead of the night. There were like four of em, they all had knives. They told me I had to come with them. They fed me nothing but stale bread the whole time, so trying not to think of home was super hard.”

“Oh my, and what did they want with my sweet boy?” Theresa asked, all while biting on her hand as to not to show the full range of her fear. This was the exact reaction that Jeff had planned on.

Theresa took her offspring in a loving embrace and proceeded to rub Jeff’s soft, but short brown hair.

Chuck took over the story from there after helping himself to a quick glass of water.

“Well it seems there was a bit of a case of mistaken identity. You see there is a wealthy family in this city who has a child similar in appearance to your dear Jeffrey, some crooks believed he was hanging out at this very bakery. It took them awhile to realize why the ransom wasn’t being paid, though”

“Jeff’s parents, rich? Hahaha That’s a riot. No offense, but I think the Eades might be the only people in this town who’ve gotten me beat at being poor” Laughed a man who had become interested in the tale, one who’s payment was part cash, but company scrip. Scrip had cash outnumbered.

“None taken” Replied Jeff’s father Billiam who had heard the commotion and came to the storefront to check things out.

“I assure you however, that they didn’t get a chance to correct their mistake. Each and every one of the masterminds are behind bars waiting for their trial. The case we have against them is rock solid, Jeff won’t even have to testify. If these scoundrels know what’s good for them they’ll point us in the direction of which gang they’re from exactly.” Chuck’s face turned to a scowl. “If their loyalty to their compatriots is a bond they wish not to sever, then they may never see the light of day again. No matter what they will receive just retribution for their wrongs against this humble family of hard-working immigrants.”

There were a few cheers said around the eatery.

“And if you wish to know more, then I’d advise checking the papers.” Chuck said humbly, glad to have added that bit about the papers. The constable hardly enjoyed embellishing the truth, bearing false witness, or the fabrication of falsehood. In this line of work it was necessary.

All this showboating and subtle bragging had a purpose, in addition to leaving the cover story burned into the minds of several witnesses who would no doubt be spreading what they heard to those who read about in the paper there was one other benefit. In all the confusion and merriment, Jeff was able to hide his trusted bat, the tool Styg used for rough-housing, and more importantly the one piece of evidence that would lead any who paid it mind to the correct conclusion that Jeff had voluntarily left his family. Later when the store wasn’t so busy he would retrieve this weapon/instrument of baseball and bring it up to his room.

“Well, after such quick results and a tale like that one. I don’t think anyone here is going to cause controversy if I were to say that my No Weres Allowed Sign has outlived its purpose, in honor of Officer Matthews here bringing back my boy.” Billiam stated, removing the No Weres sign he had in the window. The Whites Only sign remained, but one thing at a time.

There were a few murmurs from the line, but these fell silent when the man who earlier joked about the bakery’s financial troubles stepped forward.

“Billy, I can’t exactly tell you that I jive to cats who are literally cats, but… If it were my kid and a wolfman got involved. Well, I don’t think I’d keep that sign up either.”

“I thank you for your kindness.” Chuck was a were, he was Irish, and he was a Catholic. He knew the stares, he read signs barring him from places of commerce, and he knew when his kind was not welcome somewhere. Chuck knew what it was like to be excluded and just how much it took for a stranger to become trusting to the other. The removal of this sign hurt Bill, Chuck knew that, and for Bill to have rescinded his prohibition his heart truly had to have been touched. He did not think of the Eades as hurtful or hateful people, just scared like most humans are. “I, may take advantage of your new policy to try the cheese danishe here. I must take leave, for crime does not sleep and until my shift ends. Neither do I.”

That night each member of the Eades family rested easier than they had in a month, even Jeff. It had been awhile since his back knew the proper support of a nice warm bed.

Styg however still had much to think about, this strange spellbook police badge was not something she had gotten around to asking Chuck much about. Maybe it was one of those things that became obvious with time. Tonight would be one full of study, afterall. It’s not like Jeff would be getting as many chances to have stripes and breasts as he had grown to become comfortable with. In the morning she would be human again, and his understanding of the badge would not grow. Those would be questions for Mayan Eye, for the Alleycats, and for another day.