Two weeks passed by slowly. Each day dragged longer and longer. There were times she thought she had been here for months, maybe even years. She missed the forests of her home. The city streets in this place were bare of anything even resembling nature. It didn't help that she was treated like some kind of pet to be paraded around those cold streets. Rigel had made a show of keeping her dressed as if she was harmless Canid he had tamed into the perfect little pet. Dresses, bows in her hair at her ears, even a collar with a leash so he could lead her around.

  "It keeps them from being suspicious of you Pup. We can't have anyone knowing why you're really here." He held her chin to make her stare into his white, lifeless eyes. "Be a good girl now. I'd hate to bruise that pretty face of yours."

  When she wasn't being shown around, she spent her time in the training yard. That was where Tala preferred to be. In the training yard, she was just a Canid celestial that had won a lottery to receive specialized training. She didn't understand the need for a such a lie. Thanks to that lie she was left alone for the most part since no one wanted to deal with the 'charity case'. There was only one celestial who refused to leave her alone; Caelum.

  Caelum stood taller than her, not in a towering way like Sirius or Rigel, but tall enough she had to tilt her head up just a bit to fully see his face. His skin was paler than her own but darker than Rigel's. His hair reminded her of starlight with the way certain strands were brighter among a sea of light gray. He kept it longer on the top while cropped at the sides. One time he had it pulled back into a ponytail and she had gotten to really look at his strong jawline. She had glimpsed him from the side that day. His profile kept her attention far longer than it should have. His nose had a bump along the bridge as if he had broken it. She could see the height of his cheekbones. When he smirked, the tip of a canine poked out over his lip. It also made her wonder if he was somehow part Canid as only their kind typically had canines that long.

  Tala couldn't stand him.

  He was Rigel's Astral and rightfully so. She saw the way he fought with a confidence and grace she would never have. He wielded various weapons with ease. He seemed to favor a spear made of Celestium and Stellarite. Celestium was made of the essence of dying stars. Anything made of Celestium was sought after. Weapons infused with it were nearly indestructible. Stellarite was a common yet durable metal that was used in almost everything. There were various types of Stellarite. What Caelum's spear was made of was a Onyx Stellarite, a pure black Celestium infused type that wasn't available to just any celestial. In other words, his spear was basically indestructible with a point that glowed soft white even when coated in blood.

  She was all rage and gnashing teeth and claws when she fought. Even when given a Celestium dagger, it lived in the sheath strapped to her her thigh more than it did in the white knuckle grip of her hand. At first, this had worked for her. She easily overwhelmed the Hunters. Each one fell to her wild fighting style. Until she was pitted against Caelum.

  No one wanted to spar with her. Some were still tending to wounds left by the Canid. Knowing she had torn through most of his Hunters, Rigel sent in Caelum to "break" her "savage spirit". The Astral had no choice but to do so. Rarely did he get to truly flex his skills with the others he trained. He wouldn't say they were below him but none had yet to really challenge him in the way he wanted to be. Caelum found himself growing complacent with no one to keep him on his toes.

  Tala met Caelum in the center of the training yard. It was nothing more than a rectangle of combat grade Stellarite. It was rough enough for fighters to gain traction but also slick enough to make it challenging to keep that traction. This was the first time the two of them had been this close to one another. Each had seen the other from afar with varying degrees of interest.

  Caelum really took the Canid in as she stood across from him. Her hair was a shade of strawberry blonde he had never seen before. It fell in soft waves to her shoulders. That day she had it up in a ponytail. It wasn't entirely smart from a tactical standpoint but was better than her having it down. If only she didn't have the choppy bangs that hung down over her eyebrows to stop just above her eyelids. The most distinguishing features of the woman before him were the two alert canine ears protruding from the top of her head. They swiveled a bit as he took him in. He could see her tail swaying behind her as well. For a second, he wondered if pulling that roughly would drop her into submission or make her bite harder. The same thought crossed his mind for her ears.

  Her body was built in a way he hadn't expected. When Rigel had her dressed up, it was almost impossible to tell that she had curves. He tilted his head a bit as he really looked at her. She had wider hips than he was used to seeing. His eyes flicked back up to her face. Her body was not something he needed to be distracted by. Caelum was glad she was at least covered in the training outfits they wore. The tops were loose fitting bishop sleeved of a lightweight material that were black in color. He was told it hid blood easier depending on what kind of celestial bled on it. Though the hide pants they wore were tight and had him staring at her thighs as they started to circle one another.

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  His eyes being on her was not lost on her entirely. By Canid standards, Tala was average at best. She was far from the high pedigree of the Capital where ears and tails were adorned with Stellarite in various shades of golds and silvers with Celestium infused crystals hanging from them. Her skin was not unmarred nor were her hands soft as they had seen work every day of her life. Even as an actual pup, she had worked to provide for her personal Pack. Then, when of age, the Pack as a whole. Her hair was not as shiny nor her tail as full. Her ears were unadorned as were her fingers which was another sign of not only beauty but prosperity among the Pack.

  Tala had started their circling of one another. Her eyes watched his feet before moving up to catch how the rest of him worked in tandem with them. A warrior showed a lot about himself in how their feet moved. He slipped forward. She smirked noticing it to be a feint. Caelum was attempting to get her to make the first move.

  "Are you not enjoying our dance?" She asked him, keeping that wide smirk on her face. Her teeth showed just enough for him to spot the sharp canine. That one, plus its copy on the other side, had left plenty of puncture wounds in his soldiers.

  He didn't plan on getting any of his own. "If you call this dancing, I'd hate to see you on a ballroom floor." Caelum wore a matching expression though his was more haughty where hers was more predatory. "Not that a lowly Canid would ever be in such a place."

  She felt a flash of anger in her chest. It didn't spark hot enough to send her careening at him but it had gotten a rise out of her. Her ears pinned back as her tailed flicked from side to side. Even her upper lip had twitched at his words. Tala knew he was waiting on her to come at him. She had been reckless in her attacks with the others. Any dog knew when they needed to be cautious. Caelum wasn't like the others.

  He was growing impatient with their circling one another. It was frustrating to see her not acting like the savage beast he had seen before. His body language must have betrayed his frustration. Before he could voice another taunt, a blur hit him in his gut. Caelum doubled over as he stumbled back a few steps. His eyes were wide as he coughed while lifting his head to look up at her.

  Tala was smug as she looked down at him as he stayed bent over. She took a few steps back, planted her feet, and watched him carefully. It didn't take him long to recover. Caelum ran at her. He cocked a fist back as he got closer. Tala felt herself getting more excited as he got close to hitting her. She had dodged at the last second but still felt the wind from his fist as it passed by her face.

  Soon the two were trading blows back and forth. It was fast paced and some could hardly keep up. Tala did a back flip followed by a few more to put space between the two of them. Their chests rose and fell in tandem as they panted heavily from exertion. Her tongue moved over her teeth. The taste of blood was still there from the last punch he landed to her jaw. Tala spit red tinted saliva to the side as they stared each other down.

  Caelum had a matching taste in his mouth. Her foot had landed hard against his cheek. High up near his temple too which had rocked him more than he had let on. It ached. He swore he could feel his heartbeat in it. There and various other places along his unarmored body. The Canid hit harder that he thought she would. It was becoming clear why she had been an Astral.

  Both of them had bruises that would bloom out darkly over the next few days. She felt hers along her ribs and arms from blocking his strikes. His were along his legs and back from her weaving around him to land blows where he couldn't block. Caelum was grateful she just hadn't dug claws or teeth into him. It was almost as if she was holding herself back from doing so to him. He could understand why since he was Rigel's Astral. Damage beyond bruises left on him could result in that damage being returned three fold to her.

  Neither of them had even realized the Luminary had come to watch their little sparring match.

  Tala's clawed fingers barely missed his face. Caelum took advantage of her leaving herself open. He grabbed her arm, watching the look of surprise on her face, just before kicking her feet out from under her. Using the momentum of her fall, he put his other hand to her chest and slammed her hard into the ground. Caelum moved to pin her down, shoving his knees into her shoulders. Tala squirmed below him, snarling and snapping sharp teeth at him. Her eyes went wide as she watched him pull his fist back.

  It was like slow motion as she watched every muscle move like a well oiled machine to bring his fist right towards her face. Her hands tried to grab at his legs. She tried to get out from under him. He outweighed her. There was no way for her to get a good grip to try to get him off of her. She could only watch his torn up knuckles come at her.

  "Enough."

  His fist stopped short of her nose. She could feel his finger on the tip of her nose. He could feel her hot breath against his skin. They were still breathing heavy. Caelum turned his head to look at Rigel. Tala could only glance over. Both of them noted that he looked somehow both amused and unimpressed.

  "Get off of the Pup. She's had enough for the day." Rigel told Caelum who did as he was told without hesitation.

  Rigel walked over to Caelum. He grabbed the Astral by his collar, roughly pulling him forward. Caelum was staring up at Rigel now. Their noses were almost touching as the Luminary leaned down.

  "She is not to be bruised anywhere visible. Fail to follow this rule during any of her training and I will personally return the favor." His normally floaty voice was deeper, laced with a raspy growl that neither had heard before nor did they want to hear it again.

  Caelum nodded. "Yes my Luminary. Your orders will be followed as they were given."

  Rigel smiled and let Caelum go with a slight shove. "Good. Now both of you go and clean up. Dinner will be served in an hour and I won't have either of you looking like streets filth." He left them both there to do as he said.

  Walking over to Tala, Caelum offered his hand to help her up. She growled, slapped his hand away, and got up herself. There were no words to be had as she stalked off towards the barracks.