A/N: Finally, I finished the next chapter! And you can find a drawing of Break, Binde, and the other wolves on my deviantArt profile. Just search PenelopeJadewing. *nodnod* Enjoy, and hope you like this chappie!
Chapter 12:
Teeth and Claws
Break tried to mimic Binde's movements to keep sound to a minimum of none. Eight paws made no sound as claws slid over ice and snow that blanketed the cobblestone. The birds had fallen silent; even in broad daylight, the snowy white was no longer crisp and cheery. Every shadow around every corner meant that the Dark Ones could be around the next bend. Break's ears swiveled to and fro at every sound, honing in on three sounds in particular: the shuffle of feet, the muffled voices, and the low huffs of dark breath.
Binde paused, and Break did the same, at the nearest corner to peer around. Just ahead, the two black wolves lay in wait, and Break caught sight of Vincent's blond head just over the last wall of twisted skeleton hedge. His lips twitched about his teeth.
One of the Dark Ones stood straight and lifted its head to release a long, low howl. The entire garden suddenly grew cold, and the footsteps halted. Break watched as Vincent looked about, and his ears detected quiet whispers. And then…
The cocking of a pistol.
Binde surged forward, barreling down on the Dark Ones. It took Break but a second to react before he was following suit, strides swallowing the short distance. Then, he was leaping, flying, forelegs out, claws gleaming and teeth bared. The second Dark One was snapping for Binde's neck.
Not this time.
The entirety of his weight compacted into one blow sent both he and the Dark One spinning in a typhoon of fur and teeth out into the middle of the next corridor, practically at the feet of the two humans. Break detected Sharon's scream over the spine-shuddering yips and growls bellowing from the Dark One's jaws. Adrenaline poured into his veins, and every move was precise and full of deadly energy. The Dark One, significantly larger than Break himself, writhed under his weight, and attempted to brace its feet against the stone path in order to gain control of its own mass. But at the moment, Break had the advantage, and he wasn't about to lose it without a fight.
He pressed down on the Dark One's collarbone, trying to still its movement. It lashed at his chest, and he could feel the gleaming claws raking through thick fur in search of soft flesh. He shifted, and the black one gained leverage, kicking at his sensitive underbelly and throwing him backward. His claws left trenches in the bricks.
A gunshot fired, and ricocheted off the stone at Break's feet; he jumped, gaze lifting to where Vincent stood, striding back with Sharon behind him. Those mismatching eyes were narrowed and critical, and he boldly locked gazes with Break. Two single red eyes glinted with the same kind of ferocity, though directed at separate things.
And then… He knew, Break realized. As mentally troubled as the man was, Vincent Nightray was still shrewd as a serpent. It was not impossible to imagine that Vincent saw something out of place from the very start. At the place of Break's supposed death, where were the bones, the rest of the carnage? And if it had been dragged away, where was the blood trail? If there was anyone to actually think about the details and consider the far-fetched as a solution, it was Vincent. The small smirk playing at Vincent's face confirmed his suspicions.
A blur of shadow threw itself into his side in an attempt to throw him off his feet. Break staggered to the side, and pivoted his feet against the Dark One as it snapped and clawed, ever reaching for his throat. Break glanced again to Vincent.
The pistol rose again, but before Vincent's thumb moved to cock it, a different shot fired from the balcony up and further away. This one struck the Dark One right in the ear, piercing right through the thin cartilage to exit into the bushes on the other side. The beast howled in pain, momentarily distracted enough for Break to knock it away from him.
"Xerxes!" Binde barked, and Break turned his head in time to duck as the second black wolf leapt right over him. "Stop him!"
Break spun on his heels, feeling his spine twisting like a spring before he pounced after the other wolf before it could reach the feet of the humans. Vincent's pistol cocked again, and two shots fired simultaneously – one from Vincent, and one from the balcony.
With all the ruckus that was being raised, Break wasn't surprised when his keen ears detected rapidly approaching footsteps and loud shouts of a dozen men. Pandora had been roused.
Miraculously, Break felt both bullets rush along his back, but they plinked harmlessly on the stone behind him. That left him a few seconds to try and pin the Dark One. This one was thinner, lither than the other, and it kept trying to dart out from under him. It managed to clamp its jaws down on Break's ankle, and hot pain shot up his entire leg as the fangs wedged through the skin and pressured the bones. He clenched his teeth, feeling them grinding.
Vincent was hesitating. Break knew that both of them knew how good a shot the younger Nightray was. All four wolves could have been lying dead on the cobblestone by now had Vincent chosen to unleash his fury. Yet, he hadn't, and that confused Break to no end. After all, from past interaction, he would have thought that Vincent would jump at the chance to send a bullet through his heart.
The blond whispered something in Sharon's ear, at which she nodded and hurried to disappear further into the maze. While Vincent reloaded his pistol, Break waited for Gilbert's shot from the balcony; he was thoroughly confused. Both adopted Nightrays were deadly marksmen. Why were they missing so badly?
Gilbert's next shot never came. Break then dared to turn away from the Dark One to sneak a glance at the balcony, where he spotted a blond head holding Gilbert back while peering down on the skirmish. Oz-kun…
Something shoved him off the Dark One, its grip on his foot sliding loose, and he rolled over his back to spring back to his feet again, ready to retaliate. Until he took in the deep brown fur; Binde clamped his jaw onto the black wolf's throat, and Break grimaced at the sickening crunch of windpipe under those iron teeth. Blood poured from the flesh under Binde's mouth, and the Dark One writhed in the final throws of death. Each breath it tried to take hissed from its wound through bubbling hot crimson. Finally, its black maw went slack, blood slowly filling its throat, and its eyes rolled back until only pupil-less white shone through its sockets. As Binde withdrew, deep red staining his lips, the carcass smoldered and smoked, and rolled onto its side, nothing more than dead weight.
"Quickly, we must go," said Binde under his breath as a Pandora agent emerged a few feet behind Vincent. "Soon, there will be too many."
Two shots went off as the two turned tail and darted down a side vein. Binde surged ahead, while Break limped behind – his right forepaw left a bloody trail across the cobblestone pathways. They maneuvered their way through the twists and turns until they came to the wall. Binde sailed over with ease, but as Break followed, his foot gave way under the impact on the other side, and he thudded into the snow. Binde waited tensely for him to pick himself back up before they were off again, leaving the scene of the battle behind. More shots were fired from the garden, but they plunged harmlessly into the snow-laden hill as the two of them disappeared into the thick trees.
~*Guardian*~
"It looked like Break, I'm telling you! Didn't you see it? Red eye, and fringe of hair, and white, and everything!"
Alice folded her arms. "Well, then, you were seeing things. The Clown was mauled by wolves. It's a good-enough ending for him; let's just leave it at that."
Oz sighed and turned his emerald gaze to Gil, in hopes that the man might be so kind as to take his side. But by the regretfully skeptical look on the noire's face, it was obvious enough that he wouldn't. Not fully, anyway. Oz's expression fell, and he leaned back on the sofa, crossing his arms with a huff. At least Gilbert had the decency to look ashamed of himself.
"You've got to admit… It does sound just a little… you know, odd."
"A little odd?" Alice cackled. "Ha! More than just a little, Seaweed Head. It sounds downright crazy."
Gil glared at the brunette. "Unlike you, I actually have some respect for other people… Rabbit."
"That's getting really old, you know? Come up with something original for once."
Oz rolled his eyes as the two engaged in yet another argument over nicknames. They could be so childish sometimes… He nearly jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he found Vincent standing over him behind the sofa, with an odd look in his mismatching eyes.
"Master Oz," said he quietly, enough that only Oz himself could hear him over the sound of Gilbert and Alice yelling. "May I speak with you on the balcony?"
"Uhh…" Oz cocked a brow. "Okay."
The two blonds removed themselves from the room and exited once more into the frigid air of the balcony. Evening was falling upon them as the sun moved through its lower arc on its way to the horizon.
Vincent stared over the gardens for the longest time, and Oz sat himself at the small tea table as he waited. Finally, the adopted Nightray spoke, but without turning towards him.
"I think it would be in Master Oz's best interest… if he were to stay silent about his theories."
Oz furrowed his brow. "My… theories?"
"Yes. About the wolves we saw today."
"Ohhh… That."
Vincent gave a soft chuckle. "Yes. That is what would be best kept to ourselves."
This seemed suspect, and Oz couldn't help asking. "Why?"
Finally, Vincent turned to stare at Oz, and yet again, he felt a chill at the effect the red eye had on the Nightray's face. When he spoke, there was a different air to his tone.
"We wouldn't want my brother's dear master, the favorite one, to have a, shall we say, unfortunate accident… now would we?"
Oz caught his drift loud and clear.