"I can't believe you did this!" She spat at Sirius, teeth gnashing as she tried to lunge at him. Cor was holding her back. Hot tears stung her eyes as she struggled against the larger Canid. "You were supposed to protect me not give me to-"

  "Give you to whom?"

  Tala stopped her struggles at the sound of the smooth voice hit her ears. Her tail tucked, her ears flattened to the sides, and she bit back a whimper as she stared at Rigel, the Luminary of Orion, in all of his unwanted glory. All of Orion's celestials were built for the Hunt. The man now standing just inside of the entrance was just as tall as Sirius. His skin was pale whereas Sirius was tanned. His body was thinner than Sirius but even through the fabric, it was easy to tell he wasn't to be underestimated. Rigel's eyes were so silver they might as well of been white. They made Tala's stomach drop as he looked at her. His thin lips curled into a smile that had her wanting to run or claw it off of his face. Either option would have been preferred over going into his service.

  Rigel clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Come Pup. We have much to do and not nearly enough time." He curled his finger in a motion to summon her forward.

  She stood her ground as Cor let go of her. Even as she felt his large hand press against the small of her back to make her move, she didn't budge.

  "Just go with him Tal. Don't make this a fight." He pleaded with her softly enough that only she and Sirius would hear him. Rigel's hearing was not nearly as sensitive as a Canids was.

  Cor looked past her to Sirius. He was wound tight, preparing for the worst if she did not go with Rigel willingly. Neither of them wanted the other Luminary to hurt her. All four of them knew how loyal Canids were to their own. If Rigel made an aggressive move towards Tala, the other two would take him down without hesitation. The Pack protected their own.

  "I want to know the terms of this deal before I go anywhere." Once more she demanded things.

  Rigel raised his hand to strike her only to be met with two fierce snarls. He lowered it and straightened out the black tailcoat jacket he wore. It was embroider with the finest of glowing silver thread that created his ruling constellation. His namesake was the largest and brightest among the others.

  "The terms of the deal are simple Pup. I grow tired of how Orion treats your kind. You have done nothing to earn his ire. In fact, of all his celestials, the Pack of Canis Major has been the most loyal to him." He paused as he looked between all three of them.

  She looked irritated. "So you're telling me I'm supposed to save my people from what is basically slavery by becoming a slave? Sounds like a dog shit deal." Tala glared over at Sirius as she said that last part.

  Sirius pinched the bridge of his nose. Tala was strong in both body and mind. That made her stubborn but even worse, it made her defiant. He worried what that would bring her under Rigel's mentorship. A twinge of regret tugged at his heart. Had he been wrong to do this?

  Rigel sighed heavily. "You wont be a slave. You could leave Betelgeuse whenever you wanted." He looked over at her, catching her gaze. "But your Pack would continue to be Culled. Your people will die. You will watch your entire species die."

  There was a calm cruelty laced in his words. Tala hated the way he spoke, the way he smelled, how he stared deep into her with those hollow eyes. She had kept up their little staring contest until she couldn't anymore. Embarrassment burned in her chest. Looking away first meant she had allowed him a moment of dominance over her.

  "May I pack my things?"

  Rigel seemed to mull over her request. "Go Pup. Take your friends. Do not say goodbye to anyone else. You will return here in an hour." He shooed them out with a flicking hand movement that mimicked a broom sweeping something away.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  As the trio left, Rigel took a seat in one of the chairs. It amazed him what the Canids would do when a bone was dangled in front of them. Truthfully, he did feel a little bad for them. Only a little.

  *

  Tala moved past both of her companions once they were out of the cabin. Day had long passed into night. Fireflies danced among tall blades of grass. The sounds of the night had her ears swiveling to catch as many of them as they could. Her ear twitched. She reached up and scratched it.

  "Tala can we-"

  "Shut up Sirius. I don't want to hear your excuses." Her words were no longer filled with frustration or anger. They were soft, somewhat defeated. She began to walk away only to have her wrist grabbed.

  Being pulled into his broad chest seemed to stun her for a moment. "Can we please talk?" Sirius asked her as he looked down at her. They couldn't part from each other like this. He looked at Cor who knew when to take his leave. This needed to be a private conversation between the two of them.

  Sirius let Tala go. He knew she could take off. If she did, he wouldn't be able to catch her. She was small, built for speed and hand to hand combat. He was built more for taking hits so she could get in and out without getting harmed. That was one reason they worked so well together. Others had compared them to how Canis Major and Minor used to be. Yet, just like their Constellations, they were being torn apart.

  "What is there to say Sirius?"

  He flinched ever so slightly at her lack of emotion. There were times she shut down like this. It was mostly when she was trying to accept something she didn't want to. The last time this happened, she had been mentally gone for almost four days. That had almost killed him especially when she refused to eat. His hand ran over his face as he tried to find the words to say.

  "The Culling are getting worse, Tala."

  As if she didn't know that. As if she wasn't the one who had just lost siblings to the last one. Her left hand curled into a fist. Nails dug into the soft flesh of her palm. Who was he to tell her such things? She turned to face him. Her face painted in anger and waning patience. He needed to get the point before she snapped.

  Sirius swallowed thickly. "Rigel promised to protect us from Orion. All he asked for in return was my best Astral. My right hand. You." He watched her eye twitch. "He is going to train you to be the next Canis Major, the true protector of the Pack." There was more to it. He wanted to tell her but Rigel had threatened to kill them all if he did. "Please Tala… The Pack needs you to do this… I need you to do this."

  That was the closest he had ever come to begging. Tala sighed heavily. Her tail twitched with agitation. It gave away her true emotions. She shook her head. This wasn't what she wanted. He knew she wouldn't be able to say no now. All Tala, Sirius, and Cor wanted was a way to save the Pack. Now they were being handed a way and all she had to do was sacrifice herself.

  "If I come back here different, you had better kill me." That wasn't negotiable. She meant it with every fiber of her being. Tala had even told him how she wanted to die.

  "Make sure you come back when the snow falls or else it won't happen."

  *

  Rigel was growing tired of waiting. He had found himself staring at Cor. The copper haired Canid was built for war. He wondered why Sirius didn't take him as an Astral. Surely his physical prowess was worth honing. The Pack made no sense to him at times. They were loyal to one another to a fault. Though, that had made this all much easier. Loyalty and a primal need to survive made the Canids desperate. Desperate creatures were easily manipulated.

  Cor rolled his neck as he looked at Rigel. The Luminary put him on edge. Everything about the pale skinned man was too sharp, too lanky despite being built to Hunt. It was like someone put muscles on a doll without knowing its limbs were too long for such a thing. His nose wrinkled as he started back at Rigel. He wondered, for a moment, how Rigel's blood would taste in his mouth. Was it sour? Sweeter? Maybe it was like black ink that would poison him. Cor sucked his teeth a bit. It was half tempting to try even knowing that the Luminary could easily overpower him.

  Before anyone could even consider moving, a noise was heard from above. Tala had taken her entire hour to say goodbye to what few remaining Pack members she had at her home. They were all understanding, encouraging even, as all of them wanted nothing more than to finally be safe. She walked down to the small earthen room. Little did she know how much she would miss the smell of wet earth and dog.

  Rigel stood up. He casually walked over to Tala. His hand rested on her shoulder. The way Cor and Sirius both raised their shoulders like hackles, staring him down as if he had hurt her, almost made him laugh. He simply smiled at them both. She didn't even flinch as she felt his nails dig into the back of her shoulder. Rigel had avoided touching the straps of her pack on purpose.

  "Let us go Pup. There is much to teach you."