The barracks were nothing to write home about. It was little more than a long hallway with sliding doors on either side that led to their sleeping quarters. At the end of the hall, there was another hallway to the right that would lead back to a large open area they called their mess hall. Meals were taken here more often than not. The kitchen was on the far left wall with a large serving window that let the cooks set food out to be picked up by the celestials once their orders were done. Every meal was cooked to order seeing as many of those training here were of different species and therefore had differing diets. Tala was constantly impressed by the Andromedian chefs, with the help of their extra limbs, were able to keep up and make just about anything that was requested.

  To the right of the room, the vibe changed into something more casual and relaxed. Comfortable looking furniture was placed in ways that made socializing easier. The hard floor was covered with a rug made of some of the softest material Tala had ever felt. She still didn't know what creature it came from. It seemed no one did when she had asked around. When no one else was around, she found herself laying on it. One time she had fallen asleep but luckily awoke before anyone of importance saw her. Being out of the barracks after curfew resulted in a lashing by Zoren. He didn't pull his lashes like some did.

  Unlucky for Tala, the mess was not where she would be taking her dinner. Rigel said a hour. That meant she would be dining with him and Caelum in the Grand Hall. She continually found it odd that Rigel had her eating dinner in such a place. It was far above her status. Rarely could she keep up with the political conversation they frequented. In fact, the only thing she truly got out of any of it was information regarding the Orionite army and their forces. If she could ever get a message back to Sirius she could tell him where they would be.

  *

  Tala had been trying for over a week to send a message back home. At first, she had simply tried to use the Astraline. Astraline was the standard and most wide spread communication service among the stars. It was created by Cygnus who had their own celestials flying along ancient astralines to hand deliver correspondence. Over time, it changed as their technology changed. Soon the Cygnoids no longer flew themselves but instead, they controlled the data sent through Astraline. It seemed that someone had informed the Cygnoids that her correspondence were not allowed to travel the lines. That someone was rather obvious to her.

  Another time she had tried to bribe a Hermes courier to take a hand written letter back to Adhara. Just as credits had been transferred, the courier looked pained and apologized. Tala realized what was happening too late. She had been grabbed by her long hair. Her head was roughly forced backwards so she was looking up at whoever grabbed her. An instinctive growl was silenced as a strong hand wrapped around her throat while finger squeezed slowing her blood flow. Tala refused to submit even as the edge of her vision started to darken.

  "You truly are a stubborn mutt aren't you?" Rigel said as he loomed over her. He leaned down, bringing his face too close to her own.

  Her lips pulled as she bared her teeth. Her eyes stayed locked on his while her ears and tail stayed erect. Tal was showing dominance to him like she would another Canid.

  "Seems I am. What are you going to do about it?" Though his palm wasn't pressing into her windpipe, her voice was still strained while keeping her bravado.

  Rigel simple returned bared teeth to her. He snapped in her face which made her flinch. She growled loudly seeing how he smirked now. His hand left her neck. In a fluid movement he released her hair while simultaneously forcing her to her knees. They hit the stone floor with enough force to make her vision go spotty. Rigel heard the sharp inhale she sucked through her clenched teeth yet no other noise came from her.

  "I am going to break you Pup. One way or the other."

  *

  Tala shook her head as she walked into her room. There were times she could still feel his cold hand on her throat. She hadn't realized she was rubbing where he'd grabbed her until she was at her bed. Sitting on top of it was another dress. There was a note on top of it. A heavy sigh escaped her as she picked up the folded soft white paper.

  Scrawling script was painted across the page. Her head tilted as her eyes narrowed. The paper was turned in various was as she tried to figure out exactly how to read it. Lower Canids weren't always taught to read. While Tala had a rudimentary understanding of how to read, putting such things into practice often proved difficult. She growled in frustration. As she poised herself to rip the thing to shreds, someone cleared their throat.

  Her growl only grew louder seeing Caelum standing there. What was he even doing down here? His room was in the Grand Hall. Before she could even ask, he held a hand up to stop her.

  "Let me read it." He held his hand out.

  Tala's lilac colored eyes flicked between his hand and his eyes. How had she never noticed how golden his eyes were? They were unlike the jewel and earth tones she was used to say. It made sense that he and Rigel had such bright eyes. Orion took pride in making his Hunters look predatory. She held the paper out to him. If he wanted it, he could come and get it.

  "Don't trust me huh?" He asked as he walked closer to take it. Caelum watched her take a step back. That almost hurt somehow. Part of him understood entirely. If he had been brought to Adhara, he would also be wary of his new caregivers. He flipped the note open. "Tala, wear this to dinner. Be on your best behavior." His brow furrowed as he read what was left. A sick feeling passed over him as he crumpled the note in his hand.

  She raised an eyebrow at how the color drained from his face. There was some kind of emotion in his eyes that she didn't fully recognize. "Was that it?"

  Caelum nodded. "Please change and join us soon. Rigel does not take kindly to tardiness." He kept the note in his hand as he walked out. Those words inside of the note had made him want to puke. How had he never noticed his Luminary was capable of such language? Perhaps it had only been to keep the Canid in line. That had to be it. Right?

  *

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  Every click of her heels against the smooth stone floor made her ears twitch. There was no hiding her approach. Tala was more bothered by that than she was by the way the dress made her look soft. It was disgusting. At least she had managed to avoid the Orionite woman who had come to apply her makeup. She was tired of being painted up like a doll. One thing she couldn't deny was how soft the dress was against her skin. It almost felt like the rug.

  She stopped just inside the large arched doorway that led into the Grand Hall dining room. The table was long enough to fit at least twenty bodies yet only Rigel and Caelum sat at the end farthest from her. They both sat on the left side while leaving the chair at the end opened. Based on how the plates were set, she was to sit to the right by herself.

  "Walk Pup. Do not make me come to get you."

  Tala huffed as a tiny show of protest even as she started to walk. Her head was down as she moved. Even as she sat, she didn't look up at either of them. This was entirely meant to embarrass her. When out in public, she refused to bow her head like she was now. There was something about Caelum seeing her like this that caused her to feel shame in a way she didn't understand. She was an Astral, a warrior of superior skill, and yet she was reduced to some house pet.

  Caelum didn't see her as weaker than she was. In fact, he found himself taken with her. Seeing her standing in that doorway had made his heart thump hard in his chest. He had rubbed his chest slightly as she walked over to the table. That had been an odd feeling. His eyes had not left her form. How could they? Some part of him had found her attractive in their training gear but this was on an entirely different level.

  The dress she wore was a dark blue it looked black with the tiniest Celestium infused crystals sewed into it. Had someone plucked the very stars from the sky to adorn the fabric that covered her? It hung off of her shoulders in a way that accentuated the lean muscles carved by years of training. Others may have found it off putting. Caelum did not. He swallowed thickly thinking about what it might feel like to place his lips there. That also left her arms exposed. He'd felt how powerful those arms were yet seeing them like this, he wondered if they could be soft as well. Small scars criss crossed in places along her arms. He had also taken note of a jagged one just above her knee that peeked out from just under the hemline of the dress. Oh how he wanted to find out how far up it, how she got it, had anyone ever kissed it before. It wasn't like the ones that were bound to happen from years of hard work and training.

  She was ethereal.

  Tala could feel one of them staring at her. As she looked up to see which one it was, she found herself slightly surprised that it was Caelum. Her upper lip raised in a sneer. She could feel a rumble in her chest of a growl trying to start.

  "Wipe that look off of your face. Its unbecoming of you." Rigel spoke before she could let the warning noise loose.

  "I am unbecoming. I was told I would be here for training. Not to be paraded around like some fucking pet." She snapped.

  That was the first she had spoken back. It would have been the last as she watched Rigel's pale face take on a deep shade of red. His rage was palpable as he rose to his feet slower than she anticipated. This wasn't a split second rage where a strike was swift. No, this was the kind of rage where her punishment would far exceed the crime. Her ears flattened while her tail tucked. Typically she would fight turning so submissive. The fear that rippled through her overtook her desire to be seemingly invulnerable.

  He stalked around the table towards her. This was the first time she had seen him move like this. Tala suddenly understood why they were called Hunters. Was this how prey felt when they finally noticed the predator? Instinct had her pushing away from him in her chair. It turned sideways enough she was able to get to her feet. Her eyes stayed locked on him as she started to back up. Each click of the heels she wore was even louder in her ears. She felt like they were counting down Rigel's approach.

  Her speed increased slightly. Walking backwards was not her forte. She was typically the stalker, not the stalked. Tala's typical reaction was fight. Flight was throwing her off. There was no holding back the long, submissive whine that echoed against the stone walls of the dining room. She saw Caelum start to stand as well. His hand was on the hilt of the sword on his hip. They both knew that thing was more ceremonial than anything. It would be no threat to the Luminary that was gaining ground on her.

  Tala knew she was close to the entryway. All she had to do was pivot and run for her life. Her eyes locked with his causing her blood to run so cold that her entire body shivered. She dropped two inches as she managed to kick her heels off without stumbling too badly.

  Rigel had sped his approach seeing her stumble ever so slightly. He truly was in full hunting mode. All he needed was an opening to take her down. Perhaps he had made a mistake choosing his headstrong mutt to be the one to help him. She had been nothing but trouble since her arrival. He could kill her. Go back for the copper colored warrior. Surely he would be far more pliable than the bitch was.

  The floor was cold on her bare feet. Where before she put her weight on the back of her foot, now she shifted it towards the balls of her feet. She was preparing to run. The dress would hinder her in some ways but if she could rip it off as she ran, maybe she could get away. Tala knew running would only delay her punishment. It would be more severe because she ran but what else was she supposed to do? He was closing in almost too quickly now. When he had gotten this close?

  Another whine betrayed her fear as she turned to bolt. Doing so put her in more danger but she had to. There wasn't another choice. Run little dog. Run until there's no more running left to do. Just as her back was fully to him, her front hit something that felt like a wall. Tala yelped loudly while backing up. Flight was still the only thing on her mind as she tried to take off in a different direction. Before she could fully orient herself entirely, something touched her shoulder. Startled dogs bit.

  Tala whipped around to sink her teeth into whatever had touched her. Sharpened teeth pressed against softly glowing honey colored skin. Her eyes got huge as realization swept over her. A deep chuckle reverberated in her chest. There was a deeper, more primal fear that overtook her. Rigel was no longer a threat.

  She didn't take her eyes off of the arm she still had her jaws around. Even if she wanted to look, she couldn't. Her entire body was tensed, frozen in place, like a rabbit trying to blend in so a fox didn't spot it. Only the presence that was now so close to her she could feel the warmth exuding off of them wasn't a fox. No, he was far from that. A large glowing thumb and forefinger gently grabbed her chin. Little force was needed for the hand to make her head turn towards him.

  "My, my. You are a brave little star, aren't you? So few would dare to bite as you did. I bet those teeth would have done some damage even to me." His voice was soft yet laced with authority and power. There was a teasing to it as he spoke the last sentence.

  "Please forgive her insolence. I will make sure she is punished severely for such an action." Her left ear swiveled towards Rigel as he spoke.

  "No reason to punish a Canid for their base nature. She felt as if she was in danger. Of all celestials, you should know better than to corner them Rigel. You've seen how they fight back when threatened. How many of her kind have you skinned now?" He was inquisitive but did not expect a true answer back.

  Tala's heart was pounding so loud she swore they could all hear it. Her breathing stuttered as he locked eyes with her. How could eyes be that deep? That dark? She swore she could see a galaxy in the way specks of gray peppered among brown so dark it might as well have been black. It all came together into a ring of brilliant green around his pupils.

  "Tell me little wolf, do you know who I am?"

  She nodded slowly. He was still holding her chin gently in his hand. Tala realized he was waiting on her to say it out loud.

  "Orion."