Summary: Out in the woods, far from humanity, a young girl was raised by a pack of wolves. She hadn't known humanity since she was three years old, when her mother was forced to send her down a river to avoid whatever dangers their home had brought upon them. Thirteen years later, she's attacked late one night, left bleeding and scared. She had no idea what had happened to her, other than the fact that her already sharp senses were so much sharper. Her pack was suddenly closer to her than ever as she followed a voice in the back of her head to follow a path. A path that ultimately led her to Darren Shan, a young half vampire that would unknowingly change history forever. Follow the pair as they embark on a twisted, tortuous journey, not only to save the Vampire Clan, but to save the world in the process. – Alternate Universe; The "What If's" following the final book in the Cirque Du Freak series.

A/n: I obviously do not own the Cirque Du Freak series nor any of it's characters. I only own my original characters and my original ideas. Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated! Many characters may seem out of character, and for the most part, that will be explained later in the story. Please keep in mind while reading, although this story does follow many of the same twists as the original, it will also hold a lot of changes, as this is the "alternate" story Darren had been hoping for when he handed the journals to Mr. Tall at the end of the book. The only difference is, rather than sparing Darren the horrors, they provided insight, allowing Darren to change his fate and the fate of his friends in the process. :)

The howl of the pack reminded me once more of where we were and why we were suddenly stopped at the coldest possible point of our journey. The young alpha turned to me, his hungry eyes pleading with me to do the only thing I was useful for anymore – track. I sighed bitterly and pushed in front of the young stud, my hands shaking from malnutrition and exhaustion. We were at the end of our strength. Just that week we'd lost a very loyal pack mate and her young cubs. It seemed to have taken its toll on everyone, especially the alpha that seemed almost too human to really be a wolf at all.

I said nothing. We had no use for words. Instead, I cocked my head and listened. My heightened sense of hearing and my even stronger sense of small made for a very strong tracking ability. An ability that up until the accident, was more useful to the pack than any number of she-wolves to fall into line. But the accident…the stupid, reckless incident left us more torn than ever.

I let a low growl pass my lips as I took off into the trees, only ever pausing just enough to let my bloody fingers leave small lines on the leaves as we passed. One day. One day someone would find us. If we were lucky.

The thin mountain air made breathing even harder. It didn't help much that I was running on next to nothing. A situation sure to fail. The final mission. But the pack…they were determined to make it as far as possible. We all were. We had to be.

"Follow this path," a small voice in the back of my head instructed. The same voice that coaxed me through the transition weeks prior when my almost normal life took an unexpected turn. "Turn here. Use your head. You can smell it, clear as day."

I paused and inhaled deeply. What was that sweet, sweet smell? The alpha stopped beside me, a low growl escaping his lips before darting forward, leading the smaller than ever pack with him. The oldest members, the two she-wolves who had raised me since I was a little girl, brought up the rear. Mama looked at me with tired eyes. She knew the end was near, but the sweet smell of fresh kill meant we were would feast one final time before crossing over to the other side. Why give up when we're so close, right?

I smiled sadly at the only mother I ever knew, sparing a soft pat to her head before returning to my place beside our alpha. He tossed his head, motioning for me to move to the right, while his second in command went to the left. We made a tight circle, instincts overriding our overwhelming hunger.

The sound of voices, thick with strange accents, reached my ear. I let a low warning growl escape my lips before crouching down. The pack came to a complete stop, their movements sure, tested. Though our alpha had never led us astray before, I was still the human…or somewhat human of the pack. I had insight the young mutt lacked. I could understand spoken tongue, unlike him.

"We're only a few weeks away now," one voice said. Male. He sounded tired.

"We would have reached the mountain sooner had you not decided to turn us all around," another voice scolded.

"Why's it matter?" a younger voice asked. A child. What was a child doing this far from humanity?

"Did you hear that?" the older man asked. I held my breath, forcing my heart to stop racing. Mama let out a low whine, her back legs shaking from exhaustion. I moved from my spot in the bushes and leaned against her, despite the rules of the pack. She nudged me, scolding me with a gentle nip to my shoulder, which I ignored. Thirteen years with this wolf and still, she was my entire world.

I let a low peeping sound escape my lips, the sound so similar to a cub, it made our young mother wolf, Star, glance back at us. I almost smiled. Almost. But it was then that I saw the shadows of the men approaching. I let out a low growl, silently instructing our pack to lay low. Timber, our alpha, tensed. He didn't like having someone else call the shots.

"What have we here?" the older man asked as he came into view. I growled, my body rigged. Had it not been for the exhaustion, the hunger, the fear, I would have been able to fight. But everything hit at once and without either man so much as touching me, my legs gave way and I fell helplessly to my knees. Timber flaked me the entire time, his body pressed tightly against mine. Unity in numbers.

"Is she feral?" the other man asked, eying me with a snide look.

"Seems that way," the other mused. "Name?" he asked almost politely.

I blinked. That smell. It wasn't fresh kill. It was human blood. Pure and so greatly needed. I lowered my gaze and raised my hands, surrendering before they had to ask. A moment later, the older man had my hands locked in his.

"Gavner!" the man hissed, his eyes widening. I was baffled. What had surprised this man so much? Then it dawned on me. Across my fingertips were ten tiny scars. Scars that marked the incident, made my blood run cold, change the way I saw these men. My eyes locked on the fingers of the man in front of me. He too bared the scars.

"What are you?" I asked, my voice cracking. It had been over a decade since I last used spoken words. My voice came out hoarse and scared. "What am I?"

"She doesn't know?" the other man, Gavner, asked.

"But she is so young," the other said, his voice softening slightly. "Your name?"

"I…" My voice hitched. What was my name? Did I have one? I couldn't remember. The dizziness took over my body again, causing my muscles to tense. The man released his grip on my hands but knelt in front of me, his callused hand lifting my head so I was making eye contact.

"You have not fed yet, have you?" he asked tenderly.

"N-no," I choked. My stomach churned. It felt like hot rods were being slammed down my throat. It was like the first night all over again. "What am I?"

"You are a vampire," he said softly, his voice almost full of sorrow. "Who did this to you?"

The ground spun beneath me. It had been my greatest fear since the night my world changed forever. The hunger, the exhaustion, it all took hold so quickly. I felt Mama press her nose into the small of my back, but it was useless. My body was so weak, so malnourished that it was enough to knock me over. I vaguely heard the howls of my pack as my body went limp. The last thing I remembered was teeth locking around my wrist, a last stitch effort to keep me awake. But it was useless. Darkness took over and my thoughts were lost. I felt my heart slow, heard my breathing hitch. So this was what death felt like?

Wake up!