A/N: This really doesn't have a place in the canon PH timeline... Definately an AU. Sorry to those who don't like it. XP

To see the full sized cover, visit my deviantArt profile. Search PenelopeJadewing. *nod*

I do not own Pandora Hearts, nor any of its canon characters.

~Penelope

Prologue:

Fear

Sharon Rainsworth hated wolves.

That was clear enough, that day the little heiress came running up, pale as death and just as frightened, with tears streaming down her face. She jumped into the white-haired man's arms and buried close, crying against him.

It would seem that the winter stroll had taken a turn for the worst.

He heard the wretched howl before he ever saw them. And when they emerged… They came like black phantoms, six skeletal creatures skulking from the fragile underbrush, each twig snapping against their bony flesh, skin so thin it was a wonder those branches didn't tear it open. Their eyes seemed to glow an unearthly red in the evening light, fiery in their hunger and rage.

Pushing little Sharon behind him, Break pressed the latch on his cane and drew his sword, standing tall over his charge between her and the imminent danger.

"You've chosen the wrong prey today, mongrels," he uttered, breath puffing white in the frosty air. "And none of you will be leaving this clearing… alive."

The closest wolf snarled, bearing its ivory fangs before leaping straight for Break's throat. Its jaws clicked and snapped in its effort to sink its teeth into his flesh. Sharon screamed, and in one fluid motion, her guardian swept her backward, dodging the wolf's attack in the same moment. He swung his blade, catching the dog in the ribs and sending it writhing to the side.

In the moment of distraction, the rest of the small pack surged upon them, and Break found himself attempting to keep the ring of starving mutts from his little princess. She hid under his cloak as he paced round and round, warding off each wolf as it took a snap at her ankles. By now, the wolves had the advantage, for when one jumped back to avoid the gleaming blade, another came forward on the opposite side. It was almost as if… they had a strategy. But that, of course, was absurd! They were animals – they didn't reason.

The creatures attacked with unnatural vigor, more than likely driven by their obvious hunger, the starvation that made the saliva ooze from their maws with every look they gave his young charge. Their gazes brought new fury to the single-eyed swordsman, and in an attempt that could possibly help or harm them, he hoisted Sharon onto his back. He stabbed the closest wolf in the collarbone and without a second of hesitation, ran right over it in order to get out of the deadly ring. He felt the ribs snap under his foot before he was running through snow again. In a flurry of claws and icy fur, the wolves were right behind him.

He whirled on them, still keeping Sharon aloft on his back with his free hand, and his blade cut down the entire first row of them. With only two left, he caught sight of victory.

One of the two stepped just out of his reach and roared – near literally roared! Not a bark, or a growl, but a great snarl that sent snow swirling into the air, made his hair stand on end, and shook the ground beneath their feet. Icy fear pierced Break's chest, unlike anything he'd ever felt before. It nearly drove him to his knees.

The wolf's lips stretched into a manic grin, white teeth standing in stark contrast to its pitch coat. Then it stalked forward.

No… No! I swore! He rose up again, blade flashing, and removed the second wolf of its head. The wicked one that had roared in his face seemed to hesitate, staring down at its now headless companion. Then its scarlet orbs turned up at Break, and it growled once more before turning and loping back into the woods. It slipped under a clump of brush, and was gone.

The twilight was eerily still, and soon began to reek of death.

Xerxes surveyed the carnage round about them, and stiffened when he felt a trembling against his leg. Looking down, he found that Sharon had slid down from his back, and was now cowering at his side, shielding all but her face from the blood-stained clearing. She stared at the headless wolf with wide magenta eyes, whimpering quietly. His expression softened; what a terrible thing for such a young, innocent girl to have to witness…

He knelt down to look her in the eye, offering her a small smile as he fingered the tips of her chestnut locks. "Don't worry, Miss Sharon – I will always protect you."

She tore her gaze from the bloody sight to stare into his single wine-red eye, searching as if to see if his claim were true. "You… You promise?"

He nodded. "I promise."

He then looked about at the number of dead animals about them, and gently picked the little girl up into his arms. "Come, young one; there's no reason to linger here any more. Your mother will begin to worry."

She rested her head against the shoulder of her white-haired guardian as he carried her away from that terrible scene. He smiled as she closed her eyes, and only then did he glance back to the dark underbrush in which the last wolf had disappeared.

Whether he was hallucinating or not, he could have sworn he saw a pair of glowing red eyes lurking in the shadows beyond.