Hounds of Orion

The sun had barely crested high enough to shine through Cameron’s window when he was awoken in a start. He was snoozing happily, snuggled up under a mass of pillows, dreaming about a night of alcohol and poor decisions with someone who matched his loosely held morals. Suddenly, he felt the sensation of falling, opening his eyes to see he was falling, sliding quickly down a mattress that had suddenly gone vertical. The usual grogginess was non-existent as he smacked into the floor.

He groaned, clutching his head, listening to the heavy footfalls of boots on the stone floor. He already knew who it was before their gruff voice filled his ears.

“Rise and shine kid. We got some work to do.” Logan’s gruff words greeted him, grating on his nerves like a knife on glass.

“And a good morning to you too.” Cameron said, feeling his eye twitching in annoyance as he got to his feet. He looked out the window, watching as the gray sky was slowly colored in with the pinks and oranges of the rising dawn. He sighed as he pulled his gaze from the window to look at Logan. The man was already in training attire, wearing an ensemble of a tight black tank top and a pair of small black shorts, barely coming halfway down his thighs, his iron divots shining on full display. This gave Cameron pause, causing his eyebrows to raise in a questioning look.

“Any particular reason you’re dressed like that? Or did you just feel like showing off your assets?” He asked, flashing a smirk while motioning to Logan’s bare legs.

“You must really enjoy pain, Pellyn.” Logan replied, deadpanned in delivery.

Cameron shrugged, stretching his arms behind his back and cracking his neck, audible pops filling the silence. “Eh, it depends. May as well win something today. Even if it’s just a smartass competition. What are we actually doing anyways? And why are you waking me up and not Markus or one of the other servants?”

Now it was Logan’s turn to smirk, an action that caused Cameron’s face to flash with concern.

“As to the latter question. I didn’t feel like bothering Markus or someone else with going through the motions of gently rousing you. I had a surefire way of waking you up, and as you can see, it worked like a charm.”

Cameron pursed his lips, rolling his eyes, “Yeah I’m pretty sure anyone who was literally tossed out of bed wouldn’t need to concern themselves with coffee. Now what about the former? What are we doing?”

Logan didn’t answer right away. It was his turn to smirk now, flashing a grin of pearly white teeth, before turning and making his way towards the exit.

“Just a little stroll through the backyard.”

***

A few minutes later, Cameron was dressed in a pair of royal blue training fatigues, walking in step with Logan as the pair exited out of the back of the palace, making their way into the royal gardens, following a trail that lead to an old training field in the back of the palace grounds. A wide dirt trail bisected a field of carefully cut blue grass spanning a hundred meters in width and nearly a kilometer in length. A row of trees lined the perimeter on either side as topiary sculptures lined the inner edges. It was a place of natural beauty and peace, which explained why Cameron rarely found himself out here.

“So, what’s your deal man?” He asked, finally breaking the silence as he looked at Logan.

“What do you mean?” Logan answered after a moment, not meeting Cameron’s gaze.

“I mean, who are you? I don’t remember you at all. Yet, ever since you got here, it seems that people practically worship the ground you walk on.”

Logan shrugged, giving his best effort to rack his brain for his past accomplishments. “I don’t know honestly. I was really good at my job I guess. I made captain at a young age. Put down some insurrections for your father. Things like that. I wasn’t really searching for glory or anything. But I’m not going to complain about how it turned out.”

“So what happened? Sounds like you were living the high life. Or as close to one as a non noble can get. Why give all that up?”

Logan took a while to respond. He took in his surroundings. The sight of blue flowers in full bloom on the manicured bushes. The smell of sweet honeysuckle, mixing with the salty tang of the ocean, still cold and crisp in the now rising dawn. The soulful birdsong, alerting them that a new day was on the horizon. There were many times he’d ask himself that same question. Most of the time, he’d lie, citing the money, the respect, the prestige of being a pilot of the fleet. His eyes fell on Cameron, taking the young man in, studying his features. That was when he saw it. Under all that bravado, sarcasm, and disdain for responsibility, he could see a flicker of something, greatness perhaps, begging to be let out. For the first time in a long time, he gave an honest answer.

“My vision went past the size of one world. I wanted more. I needed more. It’s… hard to explain. I needed to know that I was worth something to every star in that sky. To know that I was the best.”

“And did you get your answer?” Cameron responded, all mirth gone from his voice as he seemed to hang on to every word.

Logan laughed derisively, shaking his head. “Not even close. I went from being a big fish in a small pond, to a minnow in the middle of the ocean. It was all I could do to keep swimming and not get eaten by the beasts below.”

“Then why stay? Why not come back home and be that big fish again? Why live a life like that?” Cameron asked, his head swimming with confusion. It was unfathomable to him how someone could give up a life of such status and security, but he was more than willing to hear the man out.

Another chuckle left Logan’s lips as the pair reached the end of the foot path, coming to a stop in front of a large clearing. He turned looking Cameron in the eye, a smirk poised on his usual cold demeanor. “Because sometimes, it’s fun to watch the beasts up close.”