Mercedes "Mercy" Athena Thompson is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Mercy Thompson series, written by Patricia Briggs. The main series, which consists of several stories including Moon Called, the short story "Hollow", and the most recent, thirteen novel Soul Taken, is narrated primarily from Mercy's point of view. The character also has a comic series by Dynamite which includes the prequel Homecoming, a comic adaptation of Moon Called, and an original story, Hopcross Jilly.
In the novels, Mercy Thompson is the daughter of a Blackfeet father and a white teenage mother. Her father, Old Joe Coyote, was a rodeo bull rider, who died a few days after consummating his relationship with her mother, Margi. In the novel Fire Touched, it is stated that her mother and father were together for a 'couple months' prior to his death. Mercy inherits a gift from her father, giving her just enough of an edge to survive amongst the werewolves, fae, and other creatures that may want to eat her during the night; she is a "Walker"—a Native American shapeshifter not linked to the moon, who turns into a coyote. One day, not too long after Mercy was born, her mother went to the crib only to find a small coyote pup in her place. Afraid and unsure how to raise her, Margi took her to the only people she knew were capable—friends of an uncle who had been a werewolf. This is how she came to be raised with the pack of Bran, the Marrok of the werewolves.
Mercy is described in the novels as being of average height, around 5′6″, and average weight with long, straight, dark brunette hair (often kept in braids). She has a muscular build, from studying shisei kai kan and karate, tanned skin and mostly Anglo features from her mothers side. Identifying marks include a tattoo of a coyote paw print - or a werewolf paw print depending on who is asking - on her belly, below her navel, and buckshot scars on her behind. In coyote form, she weighs 32 lbs. Her adoptive parents died seventeen years ago when she was fourteen; Mercy is approximately 31 years old at the start of Moon Called.
Mercy is described as being stubborn, headstrong, independent, hardworking, thoughtful, caring, and having a faith that has saved her at least once from a 'Vampire Queen'. She can change between human and coyote form at will. In coyote form, she is slightly faster, has much better sight in the dark, and a slightly better sense of smell. In both human and coyote form, she has an acute sense of smell and a resistance to some forms of magic. It has been shown that she has the ability to see (and control) ghosts. It is explained that this is the reason Walkers are so rare—vampires have hunted them down to prevent them from being "vampire hunters" because wherever vampires reside, there are usually ghosts of victims to reveal them.
She works as an auto mechanic and deliberately annoys her neighbor Adam, keeping increasingly decrepit and dismantled cars on her lawn (For a good time call...).
Mercy grew up in Bran's (i.e. the Marrok, a name taken from King Arthur's round table) pack because her teenage mother did not know how to raise her, as she had no knowledge of the supernatural prior to seeing her baby turn into a coyote. Her mother had been in a relationship with Joe Old Coyote (a young rodeo rider) who died before they found out she was pregnant. Joe Old Coyote was a real person that the Native American god Coyote walked in for a time (more or less making Mercy the 'daughter' of Coyote). Hence her ability to turn into a coyote at will.
Joe Old Coyote was killed by vampires (who made it look like a car accident) because he had destroyed a nest prior to getting involved with Mercy's mother. Coyote claims he got his inspiration from Star Wars.
At a young age, Mercy almost ran away with Sam/Samuel because she thought they were in love. Bran warned her that he mostly only wanted her as a "Brood Mare" because she could bear him children, unlike female werewolves who cannot carry a child to term. At that point she left the Marrok's pack and returned to live with her mother until graduating from college with a degree in history and later finding work as a mechanic for a grumpy old fae named Zee.
(Source: Wikipedia)
