Pup Brother and Sister

"Why here?"

Ester gazed off in awe as Byzantium loomed in the distance. Abel, silver and furry, stared at it as well, panting. She got no answer from him; he just continued to pick his way over the terrain.

The red head followed him hesitantly; she swore she heard Dietrich screaming several miles off. It was probably just another fantasy rearing its charming head. The air was warm and smelt of salt and the waves danced; pulling away before falling into the arms of the cliff side.

She had always loved it here, though it was not her own country and she had once thought of this place as a country of darkness; the home of the vampires. Though, now Ester thought differently, very much so. She had made friends here with surprising ease, never caring that they were Methuselahs, seeing them as humans, people with homes, emotions, dreams and, fears. At these thoughts, the nun pondered how Ion was doing, and if possibly, this case of the 'Dogs' wasn't a single case.

The strange duo made their way into the city, earning strange glances. What they didn't know was that Ion and apparently 'super' dog came plowing through here earlier. In fact, they were still nearby.

"Is that…Ion?" Ester wondered out loud, seeing the earl and several other nobles, consisting of Mirka and Asta.

The two duchesses seemed bemused by the sight of the Methuselah boy, and the newcomers didn't see why until they were closer:

Ion was being led by a cute black dog, a leash around his neck and the other end in the canine's mouth. The creature marched the utterly ruffled earl to the others proudly; the boy's hair was a mess and Ester swore there was red mark in the form of something similar to a pole in the middle of his face.

The nun didn't know what to make of it at first, and apparently, neither did the nobles; Asta seemed close to cracking up while Mirka continued to play the concerned grandmother.

"Ion, I told you she'd get you back,"

The blond groaned and Ester swore she heard the dog snicker, the dog that looked suspiciously familiar. Meanwhile, her own canine companion had trudged on without her, strolling closer to their friends. Suddenly, when they within a few yards, Abel let out an excited bark.

Everyone jumped; the smaller dog turned her head and spotted Abel. The black canine's tail then began to wag almost happily and she dropped 'Ion's leash' to bound up to the one who had called her.

Ester kept her eyes on the dogs curiously, even as she moved to join the other women. She then managed to look elsewhere, her gaze now on Ion.

"What happened to you?"

"Don't ask…"

The nun blinked, "Oh, alright,"

Asta snickered herself, watching the two pups that were now greeting each other like they were litter-mates, romping about each other, tail wagging and eyes bright. The duchess turned her amber eyes to Ester.

"Mirka tells me that pup is our Empress. Now that I look at her, and see what's she's done to Ion for treating her like a poodle, I don't doubt it an inch,"

So she was right. The dog 'incident' wasn't isolated. Ester blinked her blue eyes again and looked at Abel and the other dog, who was now identified.

"Seth?" She asked, almost in awe. She really never imagined seeing the empress as a dog. But now she had, "Cute…"

The canines stopped their play and tilted their heads at her, panting. Curious and allured by the promise of soft fur, Ester kneeled and beckoned the creatures.

"Come here, Seth, Abel. Come on…" She called sweetly. They came obediently, as if they couldn't help it. Abel rubbed up against her hand and she scratched his ears, "That's a good boy…Now, Seth?"

But the little dog was looking elsewhere and tense. Her black ears were up and erect, her tail still. The hairs on the back of the red head's neck stood on end as a threatening growl left the dog turned empress. Abel, who had been busy at the moment getting his tummy rubbed, lifted his head and sniffed the air. A snarl rumbled from his silver throat as he rose from the ground and moved to stand beside his sister.

Suddenly, screaming was heard that sounded oddly familiar, and the sound of panting and paws running against the paved street. A couple trashcans were knocked over. Several people had to literally jump out of the way, for the third sibling had arrived…

A.N: The story is drawing closer to its end. How will the Crusniks fight each other as pups, if they fight at all? R&R plz