Siblings at the Edge

by Westphalian_Musketeer


Rest, Relaxation, Ruminants and Rottweilers

"Mmmm." Katna squirmed amidst the downy softness enveloping her. Something delicious suffused the air, worming into her nostrils. She crawled out from her blankets half-awakened, pursuing the tangy earthen smell until her hoof struck tiling and she started opening her eyes.

Ivan was leaning over a steaming pot with a wooden spoon in his mouth, stirring the contents. He looked at Katna and let go of the spoon. "Good morning." He pointed at the pot and smiled. "I'm, uh, boiling some carrots and zucchini."

Katna stood up, stretching herself out as she gazed over Ivan's fluffy, storm-cloud coat. She blinked. The grime that had been on Ivan stayed off. "You cleaned?" she asked.

Ivan nodded.

"Oh." Katna sat back down, rubbing at her eyes with her hooves. "I slept through all that?"

Ivan continued to nod, adding a smile as he reached over to the spoon with a hoof and started stirring again.

Katna pulled her hooves away and smacked her lips together. "I sleep like a log."

"Mmm, you always did." His tail flicked and he pointed to a corner. "I found a brush, didn't think of bringing it down last night."

Katna looked over to the corner and saw a pink little hairbrush with a bright sticker on the back. Walking up to it she saw several cartoon women on the back. One of them was white with jet-black hair and a blue-and-yellow dress complete with red trim. Another had rather dark skin and wore an aquamarine tank-top that left her belly button exposed. Yet another was a blonde woman in a periwinkle hoop-dress and a tiara. The rest of the sticker was torn, and the word 'Dis—' was written above the women's heads. Below their faces, at the height of their collective waists, were the words, 'You too can journey—'

Katna shrugged. "All I ever do."

"What's that?" asked Ivan. "I wasn't paying attention. There is a hot meal coming after all."

"Nothing." Katna faced Ivan as she clasped the brush handle between her two hooves. She looked around and frowned at the barren wall above the bathroom sink. "I'm just going to head to the attic to use that mirror we found, okay?"

Ivan nodded. "Should only be a few minutes, come when I call you back."

"Okay." Katna nestled the brush in a leg-joint then walked three-legged to the attic, the stairs creaking as she moved. Stale dust stung at her nostrils as she walked to the mirror and gazed into it. A pretty, salmon-colored filly stared back, her mane the greenish-blue shade of a lake or reservoir. Katna turned her head, flicking her ears and winking.

She clasped the brush between both her hooves and ran it along her mane, smoothing out the tangles and tugging out the knots. She then ran it along her neck and chest before staring at the rest of her body, including the fluted horn that jutted out from between the locks of her curled mane. Katna rolled her eyes, staring at her head-bulge trying its best to look pretty and nothing else. It'd probably look nicer if it was doing something.

Katna pressed her lips together except for an inch on the side of her muzzle. She blew upwards, tickling her horn, and feeling something inside the base of her horn expand. Katna blinked as a tingling sensation washed over her. She dropped the brush, bracing herself against the floor as her heart pounded. Was that magic? Had something happened? Katna looked around herself to see if something was glowing, but nothing was. She looked back at her mirror image.

Katna breathed over her horn again and watched to see if it glowed. Nothing, not even the feeling of expansion inside her skull. She prodded it, breathing on it as she did, and felt the little whatever-it-was move again. Katna gasped, straining to keep the thing locked in place. Her forehead tingled, like someone was massaging her brain with a breath mint, but no light emanated from her horn.

Her chest heaved for air and her concentration broke leaving her feeling dizzy as she went cross-eyed. Katna smiled as she looked down at her brush and grabbed it in her mouth. She contorted her neck and back to brush her flanks, then switched back to using her forehooves to grasp the brush so she could get at her tail. Her lips turned upward, baring her teeth.

It was small, ineffectual, and left her feeling strange, but it was the strangeness of knowing there was something about being a unicorn that was real, that could be felt.

And she felt alive.

The knots untangled and soon Katna looked over herself in the mirror, smiling at how her mane curled over itself like a model's hair as she stepped out of a brightly lit salon. She was a pretty pink pony who could brush herself, and soon—

"Katna!" called Ivan.

And soon she would eat. She breathed out, smiling, then grabbed the brush and went down the stairs, looking through the bedroom door to see Ivan scooping out carrots and zucchini onto two plates. She walked in and spat the hair brush back onto the pile of supplies in the corner.

He slid a plate to Katna. "Okay, now, it's hot, so blow on it and don't chomp into it right away." Ivan served out his own dish, then grabbed two bottles of water from their bags.

They sat on the floor, blowing on their food before tentatively lipping it. Katna smiled as she wrapped her tongue around one of the carrots. The tang she had smelled earlier filled her mouth and exploded as she bit down. Her ears waggled about as she choked down the rest of the carrot and moved onto a zucchini. Her teeth cut through the boiled skin filling her mouth with a crisp-tasting biting sensation that was hardly unpleasant, like someone had been flavoring water.

Katna pulled her head from her plate sucking down the last carrot and smiled. "Ivan... is it just me... or do even vegetables taste better now?"

Ivan munched through a zucchini the size of one of his legs. He looked up and swallowed. "I don't know, but it feels good to finally feel full." He lowered his head back to his meal, his lips producing a wet smack as he assaulted his food again.

Katna walked over to the quilt and flopped onto it, batting at the white and sage-green patterning. "So, any plans for the rest of the day?" She reached a hoof over to her stomach and rubbed it.

Swallowing the last of his food Ivan nodded, closing his eyes as a lump traveled down his throat. "Yeah." He walked over to Katna and lay down beside her. "I'm going to gather the rest of the vegetables, clean them, pack them in our bags. Then..." Ivan snorted and shivered. "I'll try to get more crab apples, hopefully without nearly launching myself head-first into a branch."

Katna giggled. "Anything I can do?"

Ivan looked around and shrugged. "Rest," he said, "we'll be moving quickly once we do leave." He rolled over onto his legs and stood, stretching out as he pursed his lips. "But you know, there is one thing we can do together first."

Katna followed Ivan to the garage, passing the two single-person bedrooms, the kitchen and the main bathroom before they reached their destination. Once there Ivan pulled out the ladder in the corner, creating a cacophony as the metal ground along the concrete. Katna winced at the noise, sat down and clutched her head in her hooves. Ivan dropped the ladder and nodded to her.

"Help me carry the ladder to the tree." Ivan grasped the ladder with his front hooves and tilted it upwards. "Under... now!" he grunted. Katna ducked underneath the ladder and Ivan lowered it onto her back. "Thanks," he said, and ducked underneath it, balancing his end on his shoulders. "Okay, now to the tree."

Katna sidestepped, glancing out of the corner of her eye and keeping track of Ivan's movements as she positioned herself behind him so he could walk straight out of the garage and towards the crab apple tree. They made their way and Ivan sat down, using his hooves to push the ladder up against the tree. Soon it formed a ramp up to where the trunk split into a myriad of branches.

Ivan nodded at the ladder's placement then turned to Katna. "Okay, that's all I'll need. You can head inside if you wish." He walked up beside his sister and hugged her with his wing once more.

Katna trotted inside and quickly went up to the attic. "Now..." She walked over to the bookshelf and grinned at the dusty hardcovers and paperbacks. "Let's see what I can learn today!"


Ivan shook the last crab apple branch vigorously, rocking it up and down as it creaked and moaned.

"Come on... hold..." breathed Ivan as the last apple fell. The apple split itself on top of a gnome's hat with one half falling over to dangle on the gnome's pickaxe. The position coupled with the juice-spattered grin of the gnome made it look like the lawn ornament had taken some devilish pleasure in the harvest.

Ivan draped himself over the branch and let his legs dangle beneath him. A morning spent hauling water, picking vegetables and assaulting an apple tree left his eyelids feeling heavy. The sun beat through the tree leaves, warming his back. Gathering the apples could wait. Katna was safe, clean and fed. Ivan needed rest, and a moment's peace, and a bit of praise.

His eyes drifted shut, fluttering against the gnawing doubts normally running through his mind. Katna would get hungry for lunch. She could have some grass outside or even have a few more apples. Ivan would fall asleep, and tumble out of the tree. He wouldn't get hurt at that height.

The back and forth lulled Ivan's mind as he relaxed, the thoughts eventually turning to self-congratulations. Halfway across the country in less than a year, and a fair amount of that distance had been in the last few days! Katna was alive because of Ivan, and he was able to carry supplies for most of the day without his feet feeling like they should explode. The air smelled cleaner and more welcoming as they worked their way South. He had made a decision, and it had worked out for them.

Something kicked a leaf at the edge of the field. Ivan's ears pointed to the far end, focusing. And he had almost been able to sleep! Ivan licked at his lips, breathing through his nose as something coming up the hill towards the house approached the tree. Ivan held his breath as the intruder stepped into sight from behind the branches: a doe.

Its beady black eyes scanned around as its nose twitched. Jaw flexing, the doe looked upwards and stared right at Ivan. Lifting his head Ivan waved a hoof.

The doe took a few steps, its head lowering, and lapped at the garden gnome's face before moving on to the apple spiked onto the pickaxe. Ivan grinned, things were looking up.

The doe's tail lifted up and a few dozen brown pellets poured out of its rear, and onto a group of three apples.

Ivan rolled his eyes and grunted, lifting himself from his branch.

The backdoor to the house opened and the deer bolted back into the woods.

Katna trotted into view, looking about. "Ivan?" she called.

"Up here," he answered, drawing her to look into the apple's branches. "You see the deer?"

She nodded, walking over to the apple tree.

"D-don't eat the apples quite yet!" Ivan lifted a hoof and scuttled back along the branch, towards the ladder. "Let me gather them."

Katna's ears flicked and she contented herself with bending her head over to the grass and chowing down. Ivan climbed down the ladder, balancing his hooves on each rung, before hopping down to the ground. He dragged a duffle bag to the garden and started piling the apples inside, giving the area where the deer had been a wide berth... a very wide berth. He occasionally stuffed an apple down his mouth, or tossed one to Katna. After filling one bag with apples, and the other with apples, carrots, and zucchini, Ivan leaned back and let a smile tug at the corners of his mouth.

He closed his eyes, letting the sun warm his face, falling onto the ground and crunching the grass underneath him before rolling onto his side. "Aaahh... Katna... How have you been this morning?" he asked, opening his eyes.

Katna gulped down another bite of an apple and smiled. "Good. I read some books from the attic."

"Really?" Ivan's mouth hung open as he peered over to Katna. "What were they about?"

Katna grinned, giggling. "There was one about... dinosaurs. They found some stuff that let them grow dinosaurs and they made a park."

"Sounds dangerous," Ivan commented.

Twisting at her hips and swinging her forelegs around, Katna nodded. "Yeah, well, there's a big storm where I'm at, and the power's gone out."

"Sounds scary." Ivan grinned. "Is that why you stopped reading it?"

"No!" Katna stomped her hooves into the ground, frowning indignantly.

Ivan just broadened his smile, and Katna rolled her eyes.

"Okay, maybe. But there was this other book about horses." Katna looked around at the sky. "I figured I'd learn some stuff."

Ivan raised his eyebrows and stood up, brushing off a few leaves off of himself. "Did you?"

Nodding Katna walked to Ivan. "Well, when I say horses I really mean horses, not ponies like us, but I figure they probably have the same names for a few things." Katna giggled. "Except horns and wings." She pointed at her forehoof, flexing it. "You know this join here? The first one in our legs? That we use for grabbing stuff? Apparently it's called a pastern." She pointed to the top of Ivan's back, where his mane ended at the bottom of his neck. "And this spot here, where we drape our bags on ourselves, are called our withers..." Katna's hoof traced along his back towards the small of it. "Back..." The hoof continued out of the small. "Loin..." her hoof drew a circle around the top of his butt. "... And croup."

Ivan nodded. "So, what else did you learn?"

Katna led Ivan inside, then up to the attic and read him the book, teaching him about their different parts. When she finished with the first few chapters Ivan asked for Katna to let him read a bit of her other book to her. She gladly retrieved the book and they spent the afternoon pressed up against one another, Ivan flipping through the pages, stumbling over the words.

In fact, the vel… velocity…” Ivan flexed his jaw. “The velociraptor conveyed precisely the same impression of deadly, swift menace Grant had seen in the ca… cassy… cassowary, the clawed ostr...rick? No, that’s ostr—

Katna twisted around and prodded Ivan in the chest. "Velociraptor, cassowary and ostrich!" she giggled, earning a coy grin from Ivan. "They’re not that hard to say!" Katna guffawed, standing up. "Okay, can we get something to eat?"

Ivan's ears perked up and he spun towards the window, witnessing the sun set. "No..." he said. "I-I..." Ivan walked over to the water jug. "I was hoping to boil some more water for us to drink on the trip."

"Well, do it tomorrow!" Katna shook her head, looking over her shoulder to the door.

"No, we're leaving tomorrow." Ivan walked past Katna.

"What!?" Katna grabbed at Ivan's leg. "You said a few days!"

Ivan tugged his leg away from Katna. "Or until the first frost came."

"Yeah!" Katna looked around, stretching out her forelegs. "Look around, do you see any frost?"

Ivan grimaced. "There was frost on the ground before you woke up."

Katna's forelegs snapped to her chest as she gasped. Her ears splayed against her head.

"I wanted you to have at least one day, and I needed it to work." Ivan shook his head.

Tears welled at the corners of her eyes as she looked back at Ivan. "Please?"

Scrunching up his face Ivan winced. "Just... Help me by getting firewood, and I'll think about staying one more day." He tossed his head stamping a hoof in the ground. "But only one more day, understand? Maybe."

Head hanging low, Katna walked out of the room.

"Understand?" yelled Ivan.

"Firewood, yes, getting it!" Katna shouted back.

Ivan bit his lip, closing his eyes. The door to the house slammed shut. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Sighing, he grabbed the jug with his mouth and headed down the hallway.


Ivan stared out at the pond at the bottom of the driveway. He looked down the road both ways, noting the absence of any cars, and trotted across to the pond shore. The water cooler jug bounced along beside him as he dragged it, producing a continuous ‘bong-bong’ sound as it struck the ground.

His hooves splashed through the water and sunk a few inches into the mud, the cattails shuddering at his passing. Ivan dunked the jug under the surface, letting the water filter through the cloth he had stuffed over the jug’s opening.

It wasn't much, but between the improvised filtering, the boiling, and the pony immune system lauded by the pamphlet in Kiev, Ivan was willing to go through the trouble of carrying the extra water for their journey. He grunted as he hauled the jug back to the shore, half gripping it with his mouth, half tucking it underneath a leg.

Thirst could slow them down more than any detour to keep out of sight.

Ivan hissed as a sharp pain pierced his front right leg just as he reached the shore. Dragging the bottle a few more feet he turned his hoof over to investigate the pain.

A crusty old nail hung limply out of an inch long gash above his hoof’s coronet.

Ivan bit down on the nail and tugged it out, wincing as he felt the scaly rust tug at his skin as it exited. Swinging his neck he released the nail, sending it sailing back into the pond, where it dropped in with a soft plink.

Ivan turned his hoof over again, noting the mud that caked to it and the fresh line of crimson. His nostrils flared, filling with a heady scent of salt and iron. Fixated on his hoof and injury he gasped as a black mass seemed to walk out from behind it, making his heart skip a beat. He slowly lowered his injured hoof and gulped.

Barrel chest, black coat, orange facial fur, a slobbering box snout, and drooping ears. Dog, rottweiler.

Ivan blinked.

The dog panted, lowering its head, its nostrils flaring, sniffing.

Its tail stood up, and its hackles raised. Its sides heaved, showing its ribs through the baggy skin.

"Woof!" it boomed.

Ivan scuttled backwards, prompting the dog to take a few steps forward. He skidded to a halt, sending pebbles out behind him.

"Woof!" the dog barked again, masticating some unseen foodstuff as it stared at Ivan.

Flaring his wings out Ivan stomped on the ground. "Hyeah!" he shouted, flapping his wings. He reared up, kicking at the air. "Hyeah! Scat! Get out of here!" he yelled.

The dog tilted its head.

Ivan breathed out, staring at the dog. Its eyes met his, but neither blinked. Ivan glanced up at the house and gasped as the dog took that moment to charge. He flapped his wings again and reared up, but the dog stopped just short of him.

It circled to Ivan's right, standing between him and the house. "Woowwoofooboof!" it howled, tossing its head up.

Ivan hoofed at the ground, scowling. "Come ah! Get! Go!"

He ran at the dog, and it turned around and ran...

Straight for the backyard of the house.

Ivan's eyes widened, his legs shaking as a bit of vomit shot up his throat and sweat beaded at his brow. "Katna!" he screamed, chasing after the dog as it sped around the corner. Ivan didn't stop. Blasting into the back yard he looked around frantically. "Katna!?" he yelled.

He ran into the garage, and from there into the house. It was quiet except for the pattering of claws tapping against flooring... upstairs. Ivan crept down the hall, staring at the attic entrance, ears flicking about as he approached their room. "Katna!?" he whispered.

He rounded the corner, looking around and finding his supplies untouched plus a pile of fresh wood in the bathroom.

"Katna!" hissed Ivan.

"Over here..." the linen closet door opened, revealing Katna.

Ivan headed for her, continuing his hushed whisper. "I think it's in the attic."

"I know." She backed up from the door. "I ran in here when I heard you yelling down the driveway."

Ivan nodded. "Okay, stay here, I'm going to see if I can't trap it in the attic and--"

"Woof ruffowoofwoof!" The barks rushed down the stairs with the skittering of claws on wood and Ivan spun around.

His pupils shrank as the dog charged. Katna gasped. Ivan shot a back leg out to kick the linen door shut again.

Ivan ducked to his left, grabbing a pot in his mouth and hurling it towards the dog. It bounced ineffectually off of the jet-black fur. Ivan pivoted on his front hooves, swinging his back legs around. He kicked out, feeling something skid along his back left hoof.

He kept turning, pushing the dog away as hot breath lapped at his neck.

Ivan pushed off the ground and galloped up the attic entrance. He turned again, rearing up to bring his hooves down on the rottweiler, but it was closer behind him than he thought and barreled into his chest sending them both tumbling into the mirror, smashing it as it dashed against the floor.

Slobber and spittle sprayed at Ivan as he held the dog away from him. He bashed it across its jaw, and it in turn raked at his stomach with its claws, scratching him. Ivan brought another hoof into the side of the dog's face.

They rolled along the ground and the dog mounted itself on Ivan's back, snapping at his neck as he bucked and jumped into the air, his wings flapping erratically. Ivan's wing smacked against the dog's head and his hooves connected with the dog, sending it flying off of him. Ivan turned to see the dog roll back onto its feet and charge once more.

He glanced at a shard of mirror on the ground. He ducked down, clasped it between his hooves and held it out as the dog leaped at him.

A strangled yelp escaped the dog as it crashed into Ivan and skidded along past him, leaving a trail of red.

The dog stood up, wobbling on its feet as it turned to face Ivan. A line of reflective silver shone through the gore of its chest wound.

It hobbled down the attic, past Ivan, away from the entrance, its eyes glazed over. Its sides heaved and it fell over, crashing into the ground with a thud that sent tremors through the attic.

The dog breathed in and out, its sides shuddering as it kicked its paws and whined.

"Oh, God! Look at its stomach! What’s wrong with it?"

Ivan turned around to see Katna poking her head into the attic. He walked over, blocking her view. He glanced over at the dog, its belly bulged out, its teats visible. A sob caught in Ivan's throat. The dog had been trying to find a safe place for its puppies... Ivan coughed as the smell of putrescent iron filled his nostrils.

"I-it's sick, a-and starved, Katna, th-that's why it attacked," he said. "Go back downstairs." Ivan ran back to the stairs following Katna, trying to ignore the wheezing from the back of the room.

They lay on their quilt, backs facing each other, eyes closed, as their ears pressed against their heads, pressing against the wheezing, pressing against the wheezing and whining upstairs, and eventually, pressing against the sound of continuous dripping.


Katna yawned as she stood up.

Ivan stirred, swinging his head up and looking at her. "How'd you sleep?"

"Terribly." She sniffed at the air and blanched at the smell of moist death. "Ugh, can we go?"

Ivan nodded and went to gather their supplies. He placed the duffle bags of apples over his withers, then some water and cooking ware in another set of bags further down his back. Lastly, he had Katna draped a set of bags with the rest of his possessions: hoodie, compass, map, lighter, pocket knives...

"Wait," said Ivan, shrugging off his bags and grabbing one of them in his mouth. "There's one thing..." He gulped and limped up the stairs to the attic.

The wearying scent of blood and sweat permeated the air, pressing itself against Ivan as he entered, trying to push him back. Ivan breathed through his mouth leaving it tasting of iron. He held his breath as he walked past the still form in the middle of the room. He reached the pile of items he had deemed 'useless' two days prior and rifled through them, finding the little black plastic Makarov box again.

Opening it Ivan stared at the gun, gulping down the knot in his throat. He glanced back at the dog, then gulped again. "Katna, I hope you learn how to use magic, but I really hope you never have to use this."

He reached to the box lid and shut it. Grabbing it he stuffed it in amongst his other things and closed the bag, bringing it back downstairs with him.

Securing his bags once more he helped Katna put on her own and they walked down the hall, where the odor became stronger again.

Ivan stared at the reflective crimson pool spattered in the middle of the hall, and looked up to the red splotch above them. Katna whined, crossing her forelegs together.

Ivan extended a wing over Katna. "Come on, hold your breath and walk around it."

Katna gulped down some air, her cheeks bulging out as she walked past the puddle, staring straight ahead. Rustic odors snaked into their nostrils, stirring their stomach contents as Katna broke into a gallop out the front door. Ivan settled into a hobbled trot that kept his aching hoof off the ground.

Stopping at the side of the driveway Katna bent over, heaving out a watery paste of grass and browned apple chunks. She lifted her head up as Ivan caught up. Katna backed away before sitting on the crack-riddled pavement. "Sorry," she said.

"It's fine." Ivan walked over, sat beside Katna and patted her back with his good hoof as she coughed, sending spittle onto the grass. He opened her bag and pulled out a water bottle. Twisting the cap off with his mouth he held the bottle out in front of Katna.

She clasped it in her two hooves and tilted her head back, gulping down the water. Her lips pulled from the bottle with a wet smack and she held the bottle out for Ivan to take. He took it, secured the cap back on and placed it back in her bag. Katna turned to him and buried her face in his chest, crying.

Ivan extended both his wings, surrounding Katna and hiding his face.

Tears rolled down his eyes too.

Katna sniffed. "It's too bad we don't have anything to bury it with."

Ivan nodded. "I’m sorry." He stared back at the house then closed his eyes, shaking his head.