Hounds of Orion

They say that time flies when you’re having fun. It’s an old earth proverb, passed down from the mother planet to the colonies long ago, along with a litany of other such phrases and slang. It means that when you’re living in the moment, enjoying the time you’re spending with family or friends, that hours seem to slip past in the blink of an eye. If the saying was true, Cameron must have been having the time of his life.

Before he knew it, two weeks had come and gone, and he hadn’t even realized it. He had been too preoccupied, caught up in learning all he could concerning his newfound passion; piloting. His days of late mornings and even later evenings filled with wine, women, and song, had been replaced with a grueling training regimen of Logan’s own design. He was up long before the sun, vomiting from strenuous exercise by the time most of lowland class had risen to tend their fields. At night, he’d nearly have to be dragged by Markus back to his to his bed, body aching, and awake long enough to wolf down leftovers from the dinner he had missed, only to pass out, and do it again the next day. He’d never been happier.

In contrast, Logan had never been more annoyed.

“This isn’t supposed to be fun y’know” He said, looking down at Cameron from the top of a steep incline. “Why the hell do you have that look on your face?”

“W-What look?” Cameron sputtered out in a gasp, looking up at Logan through a mop of black hair, clinging to his sweaty forehead.

“That shit-eating grin.” Logan said, feeling his eye twitching. “It’s weird. No one should be happy doing this.”

The activity in question was a simple and painful one. The pair had taken a private train to a nearby island, where a large plateau sat, hidden amongst the dense foliage of the untouched jungle. There was only one way to reach the summit, and that was through a winding, kilometer long trail, so steep in sections that it would have been easier to climb instead of run up it. But run they did, with Logan sprinting ahead, using his enhanced agility and dexterity honed from years of combat to reach the peak before Cameron had even gotten halfway.

“W-what are you talking about, man? I’m having the time of my life.” Cameron shot back, widening his grin as he came to the last few hundred meters of terrain that ran at a near ninety-degree angle.

“I think I hate you just a little bit more now.” Logan said, watching the prince struggle and slide back a few meters, a wry smile of his own threatening to break his stern gaze as he mused to himself. The kid had heart. Who knew that a simple ride inside of a squire would elicit such a response out of him? He was damn near a different person compared to the spoiled brat logan had met two weeks prior. And though he’d never admit it openly, there was a part of him that looked forward to these early mornings. Whether it was movement, strength training, or combatives, Logan was enjoying his time with the kid as well.

It took a Cameron fifteen more minutes to summit the plateau, crossing the finish line on his hands and knees, dry heaving and dripping sweat. Logan didn’t speak right away. He waited a few minutes, letting the kid catch his breath, choosing instead to sit at the cliff-side in silence, watching the sunrise paint the sky a gentle pink.

It took a while before Logan heard Cameron’s footsteps coming towards him. Still, he kept his back turned to the boy, a silent invitation to come and enjoy the moment with him.

“What are you looking at?” Cameron asked as sat down next to Logan, grunting from pain and exhaustion as he did so.

Logan shrugged, “I guess it’s more when I’m looking, not really a what.”

“Okay…” Cameron said, voice rising in inflection to voice his confusion. “Care to enlighten me or do you just plan to leave me in suspense?”

Logan chuckled, shaking his head, as he nodded in the direction of the capital island. “Just remembering what it looked like when I had first left.”

“Well, has it changed much?”

In all honesty, it had. In terms of the aesthetics that much was definitely certain. The alabaster turrets surrounding the palace were new, looking as if they supported the sun itself from where it crested just over the island. But it wasn’t just Logan’s surroundings that were different. It was as if the very energy of the planet had changed. There was a tension in the air, an underlying current of anxiety and urgency that had kept Logan on edge ever since he touched back down to Ketris. He knew he was there, speaking with Augustus, and shaking his hand, and yet, it felt like his old friend was a million miles away. He was a stranger to this world. Not here to reminisce or bring up good times long past, but to do a job, and then expected to leave without a word. It was enough to cause his stomach to knot up with a feeling of disgust, but he wasn’t about to show it, especially not to Cameron.

“Nah, I don’t think it’s changed too much.” He replied, shaking his head, “Course I’ve spent the last decade and a half as a professional punching back so my memory ain’t all it’s cracked up to be.” He said while tapping his temple, chuckling at his own expense.

Cameron responded with a snicker of his own as he stood, proffering a hand to Logan to help him up. “Maybe. What do you say we head down? Should be able to get back home without having to fight the morning rush.”

Logan raised an eyebrow, a smirk beginning to form on his face. “What are you talking about? Who said we’re done here?”

Cameron gave a look of confusion and shrugged. “Oh… I don’t know. Just figured since we-”

“We’re done when I say we’re done.” Logan said, cutting Cameron off. His tone wasn’t angry or hostile, yet still carried with it an authoritative weight that cause Cameron to nod, a serious look taking over his face.

“Understood, what do you want me to do?” He asked.

Logan responded with actions rather than words. In a flash, he spun and delivered a hard kick to Cameron’s back. It wasn’t a full powered strike, but his enhanced strength made sure it still had enough impact to force Cameron over the edge, tumbling down the steep terrain towards the start of the trail below.

“Run it again!” Logan called out, laughing as he heard Cameron’s curses trail lower in volume the farther down he fell. Logan wasn’t sure if the kid was swearing at him, or the pain of crashing repeatedly into the hard packed dirt, but he knew Cameron meant every word.