Some more random fiction.
This is a really, really rough story I've been working on the past couple days. Inspired by the song Orion and Dog by Seawolf.
“I don’t like it,” groused Sirius as his master led him up to the shabby apartment building. For two days he had been tied up in the back of an old yellow pick-up, biting at his ropes, hoping that Orion would change his mind about the move. But as they pulled into the cul-de-sac and his master began stacking a pile of boxes dangerously high he knew that they wouldn’t be returning to the forest any time soon. “You know we couldn’t stay in the woods forever” Orion said as he swept his brown hair from his eyes, and desperately tried to shimmy his wolf-dog friend closer to their new home. “I know that!” his companion barked out in frustration as he sprinted back towards the truck “But this place is going to be wretched I can already tell! It smells awful too!” he shouted as Orion caught him by the collar and began to unceremoniously drag him towards the stairs.
“You’ll grow to like it” Orion said calmly as Sirius bellowed out his complaints at the top of his lungs, a door opened slightly to reveal a very sour faced looking woman who looked from Orion down to his dog, and said “Sir could you please keep your dog quiet?” Orion knew this wasn’t a request, it was a command, and he decided to comply, for the moment “Of course” he said, smiling sweetly “Ok Siri you heard the nice lady, be quiet for me, alright?” he said giving the dog a pat on the head and a quick wink.
Sirius understood immediately, and silenced himself at once “See? No problem” Orion said to the woman who was still giving Sirius sideways glances but retreated wordlessly back into her apartment and quietly shut the door. “Humph, nice woman…corpulent old cow” Sirius muttered angrily under his breath “Hey!” yelled Orion his eyes accusing but his lips curled up into a playful smile. They walked down the hallway, and went up 3 flights of stairs to reach apartment 312, where they would be residing for the next few months.
Sirius didn’t look impressed, it was obvious by his expression that he truly preferred his life in the fields, chasing hares to this suburban lifestyle but it would have to do for the moment. “Master, do we really have to stay here? I understand we’re in hiding but this place isn’t anything close to the glade,” he said looking up at Orion with incredibly sad blue eyes. Orion looked down at his familiar, he was putting up an impressive front but in all his 30 years of life he had known not to be tricked by the sad puppy routine.
“Yes, we have to stay here Sirius, the oracle told me that the Scorpion will be taking form soon, and when it does I’ll be as good as dead”. His companion growled deep in his throat “Did that oracle say what shape he would take?” he asked as he pawed the rug impatiently “No, not even if it would be human” Orion said as he opened the door, hauling his duffel bag inside and tossing it on the floor. “So for all we know it could be an actual scorpion,” said the dog surveying the room with one part curiosity, one part distain. “I guess” Orion said as he decided to get the boxes up later, and sat down next to his friend who had already curled up by the bag looking like he had deemed the room worthy of his presence. “I still don’t understand why you don’t want to go back to the sky” Sirius said as his master affectionately scratched him behind the ears “This place is nice but it can’t beat what’s up above” he said thoughtfully as he rolled on his back to display his belly.
Orion smiled as he scratched Sirius’ belly, he had to admit he too didn’t know why he was constantly fleeing the scorpion, if he died here he would be reborn back in the sky where he truly belonged, the only reason he and Sirius were on Earth was because of a cosmic fluke anyway. Had he not strayed too close to the meteor shower one night he would still be in the sky, free to a life of hunting hares, and chasing the Pleiades. But he was human now, things that didn’t plague him above plagued him here, and the basest fear, that of dying had him in a constant dance of hiding and running.
Long ago he had died, and it had not been enjoyable, the pain inflicted on him was outrageous, and if he could avoid it he would for a long as possible. He was shook from his thoughts by his companion nuzzling his face gently; he looked concerned “Are you alright? You look sad almost” he said his doggy eyes showing true sadness this time. He smiled reassuringly “Not sad just thinking” he said simply as he patted his friend on the head “What were you thinking of?” Sirius asked, his tail now wagging, his emotions were always quick to change.
“Just how maybe I should just stop running like you were saying, and return back to the sky…I mean that is where we should be” he added as Sirius went from looking complacent to looking appalled “You can’t just wait to be killed” he barked angrily “We didn’t go running from forest to town over 30 different times just so you could wait to die” he said placing a paw firmly on his master’s chest. “So what if this place is less than ideal I’ll try to like it for your sake, and as far as the scorpion goes” he said his voice dropping to a heavy growl “We’ll keep running for as long as you want, as long as you want to live that’s how long we’ll be here, and then when you’ve had your fill of life, we’ll leave the same way we came in, together”.
Orion’s brown eyes were large with admiration and surprise Sirius wasn’t the one to say things like this, only very rarely did he make such proclamations but whenever he did it would always remind him why they were still such great friends after all these years. Orion threw his arms around his friend’s neck and buried his face in his grey and black fur, the same way he used to when he was a small child in the woods. “Thanks” he said scratching him behind the ears “You’re welcome” Sirius said whining a little bit as he put a heavy paw on his master’s shoulder.
They soon decided to bring up the boxes, and by the time they had completed the task night had already crept up on them. Orion slid the last box across the carpet with his boot and took out a battered piece of paper from his coat pocket; he quickly unfolded it and smoothed it out so he could re-read it for the 20th time. It was his letter of employment, tomorrow he was going to start working at the local high school teaching English/literature with Sirius in tow, under the guise of his seeing eye dog, it wasn’t a total lie, he was blind but only in his left eye, and it didn’t really throw him off much, only when he was driving sometimes would it give him a problem.
Sirius had not been too keen on the idea at first but Orion had said he needed something to occupy his days with now that he could no longer hunt in safety with the impending threat of the scorpion looming over him. This had quickly shut his friend up, and he begrudgingly agreed to be part of the masquerade. “How are you going to teach English if you’re supposed to be blind?” asked Sirius one day when they were still out in the glade Orion had been cocking an arrow in anticipation of a group of deer coming by. “I told them that I only recently became blind due to an accident, I can write but obviously I can’t read so they’ve arranged to get me brail books for all the material we’re going to cover” he said setting down his bow and arrow and scratching his friend behind the ears.
Sirius just woofed in amusement “I’m not sure if I admire you or find you totally obnoxious” he said as his master tickled him on the nose with his overly calloused fingers “I will say this though, you better act it convincingly otherwise we’ll both end up out on our butts”. “Don’t worry I know what I’m doing” Orion said with a small smile “Yeah, that’s what you always say right before something bad happens” said the dog laying down his head on the forest floor and closing his eyes in anticipation of a nap. True, a good 90% of the time he had made that announcement something had gone wrong but this time he was certain his plan would go off without a hitch, he hoped.
***
He was running. According to his limbs he had been running for hours but his mind kept reassuring him that this was impossible. Fat teardrops ran down his face in a hot steady stream as he groped in the dark looking for his companion. Sirius was nowhere to be seen, and as night continued it’s inky descent on the woods it was beginning to become impossible to see anything. He knew his beloved canine could not be that far from him, he had seen him when they had fallen; they had fallen together amidst the stars, and the unfathomable darkness of space. He had cursed himself for not being more careful around the meteor shower, in his haste he had become twisted in it, and Sirius being the dutiful friend he was had jumped in after him to try to pull him out, only to be swallowed by the ebb and flow of the stars and dragged in after him.
They had been hurled down to Earth at a horrific pace and had crashed down in this forest just as night had begun to fall. Now he was a small child, cold, and alone, and feeling human emotions all over again. If he had been his adult self, the brave hunter, he would’ve already found his dog, and been off to try to get back to the skies but as the child Orion he was hopelessly lost and most likely running in circles. His once perfect fitting clothes were now also too big for him, and he knew he would surely have to abandon them as soon as he found Sirius, if he ever did. After a couple more minutes of calling for his friend to return to him he plopped down on the forest floor, his sadness even more overwhelming, he used his overly long sleeves to wipe his face clean and dry his tears, he didn’t want Sirius to see him this way, so helpless and vulnerable, he would definitely make fun of him.
Orion looked out in the gloom, it was really too dark to see but everywhere he looked he thought he saw black figures darting between the trees their unseen eyes peering at him, thinking only thoughts of capture, torture, and finally devouring him. The thoughts sickened him, not only because he didn’t wish to return to the sky in such a manner but also because he had never known himself to be so afraid. It shamed him, but he knew he could not hide his fear as he felt his body began to shake “I want Sirius” he said, his voice now childish and high, not the deep tone he was accustomed to. It was at that moment that he heard a small bark, it was not the deep adult bark of Sirius but it certainly did sound like him “If I’ve been reduced to a child maybe he’s a puppy now” Orion thought as he jumped up and began sprinting towards the source of the noise.
He ran to a small clearing covered with low standing trees and brush, and in the middle of it he saw Sirius, no longer the large dog that came up to this hip but a small wolf-hound puppy wailing and crying for his master. Orion’s tears burst forth before he could stop them but he didn’t care about looking childish anymore he ran forward his arms outstretched crying out his dog’s name amidst excited yelps from his friend who jumped in his arms and began licking his face.
Laughing, crying, looking at each other in astonishment over what had happened to both of them but they didn’t care. “I can’t believe how small and tiny you are now master” said Sirius through howls of laughter Orion just smirked “Look, who’s talking pup” tickling his friend’s tummy Sirius began laughing again but then looked at his master seriously for a moment his blue eyes wide. “What do we do now?” he asked his smile dying a bit “We shouldn’t be down here, we should be up there” his tiny paw pointing to the Heavens stretched high above their heads. Orion looked up, his eyes taking in the beauty of the stars, something deep in him longing to once again be reunited with the endless bounty of the sky but he was a human now, completely earthbound, and he knew that there was only one way back to his home, he would have to die again. It sent a shiver through him; he had died once before, a long time ago by the sting of a scorpion, and had been placed among the stars with his dear friend Sirius, able to hunt with him for all eternity.
The thought of having to die again didn’t sit right with him, he felt that pang in his stomach again, the feeling of fear, it was foreign to him now but he was sure the longer he stayed in this body the more comfortable he would become with it. His friend’s eyes were on him, even in the dark he could tell the dog’s eyes were sad because he could see his master’s look of fear yet desperate longing to set things right. “You’ll have to die again won’t you?” asked the dog, his voice tinged with despair “I’m afraid so” replied Orion his hand found warm dog fur and he stroked his little friend behind the ears, just as he always had. “I don’t want you to die again” Sirius said a whine creeping up in his voice as he curled up close to his friend “I don’t want to either” the boy replied tears trying to make their presence known but this time he fought them back, and finally won. “Will a scorpion do it again?” Sirius asked as he nuzzled closer, Orion could tell he was attempting to sound causal but it wasn’t working “Probably” he said “I think I saw him fall with us but I don’t know where he landed”.
Sirius ears perked up and he looked Orion dead in the eye his face once again serious “Should we track him down?” he asked his paw on his friend’s stomach. Orion looked at the tiny paw and then to the determined eyes of his dog “Why would we go look for death?” he asked quietly, his eyes elsewhere but sad Sirius whined again “Don’t look that way. It’s like I said I don’t want you to die again but that’s the only way to get back…don’t you want to go back master?” Orion looked up to the night sky again his eyes glassy again with the threat of tears “Yes…so much” he whispered his eyes once again dropping to the eyes of the dog. “So do I” said the dog once again curling up next to his master who was now staring out into the forest his eyes fighting to adjust to the darkness “You know” he said tentatively his hand how scratching his friend’s back “We could stay here awhile, see what it’s like…just for awhile, I mean we just got here, and we’re young again it would be a shame to go so soon” he said looking at the dog for an answer. Sirius just looked into his eyes for a few moments before a look of resignation and understanding, and maybe a little bit of eagerness overtook his features and a small doggy smile slipped onto his face. “Sure” he said finally “Why not enjoy it while we can”.
***
The man walked with a distinct sense of confidence, what one could define as a kind of swagger. He was a tall man, his dark brown hair long and unruly from being out in the forest, his skin somewhat tanned from all his time in the sun. Even with his eyes closed, his dog leading him dutifully down the hallways of the school he seemed to know exactly where he was going. The dog was large, coming up to the brown haired man’s hip, his blue eyes piercing but playful and friendly.
They were an imposing pair, the duo of Orion, and Sirius, had they had frowns on their faces one would think they might be looking for trouble but they both wore good-natured smiles as they walked to the English room, their spirits high at the prospect of something new. He was early, he made sure it worked out this way so he could scope things out ahead of time, get a feel for the kids he would be teaching, see if there were any bad seeds that needed to be rooted out.
They arrived in the English room shortly after making a quick stop in the bathroom; the English room was non-descript, save for the rows of desks and large bookcases lining the walls. Orion briefly opened his eyes to see where his desk was located and sauntered over, his briefcase and books under his arm. “We won’t be able to talk during class you know…maybe during lunch but definitely not during class,” he said once again closing his eyes, and laying his things on the desk. “I know that,” muttered the dog unhappily, he liked his conversations with the dog as well but he couldn’t have people thinking he was crazy especially not on the first day. After a few minutes of silence and looking through his books his class filed in slowly, once he heard the first heavy foot falls of people in the room he felt for the sunglasses in his pocket, and put them on, at least this way he could get a look at his class without giving himself away.
He saw them all shuffle to their desks with barely contained agitation had he been not so intent on memorizing their features he might have been annoyed. Each student gave him an appraising, and sometimes-quizzical look, the girls all smiled slightly, some of them even giggled, the boys merely looked impassive while others frowned. He decided he had seen enough of his new class, and wrote his name on the chalkboard after feeling for the chalk, meanwhile Sirius was seated attentively at his feet taking in the scene before him with a barely contained curiosity and excitement. He turned back to his class, a feeling of nervousness overtook him for a moment but he quickly brushed it away, this was his class, and he had to make that known immediately “Hello, class I’m your new English teacher Mr. Brookes, I’m expecting that we should have a good term together, I’m going to pass out the syllabus after I take roll” he announced as he felt for his clipboard with the brail list of the class placed on it, he silently thanked his middle school teacher for teaching him how to read brail all those years ago.
“Hey, wait a minute are you blind?” asked a male voice from what he expected was the back of the room there was a resounding murmur that rippled throughout the rest of the room, and Orion could only imagine that already they were doubting his teaching capabilities. “Yes, I am blind” he said, his voice loud “And if you are wondering how I will be able to teach you, rest assured I can more than manage for my lack of sight” he said a friendly smile on his face despite the annoyance he was already beginning to feel. Whoever had asked him the question mumbled a quiet “Sorry” and proceeded to clam up until his name was called during roll.
He had 25 students, the boys far outnumbering the girls but the girls who were in his class he had noticed had all arranged themselves at the front of the class, Orion had an inkling why, he was the youngest male teacher in the school according to his research, and he was more than certain that the girls were already trying to vie for his attention. He didn’t really care one way or the other but he had no desire to go to jail so any advances made would be ruthlessly rebuffed. Despite the giggling girls and the disinterested stares of the boys his first class went relatively well. Just as he was packing up his things, and nudging Sirius back into consciousness he heard heavy foot falls approaching his desk at an alarming pace, he briefly opened his eyes, still hidden behind the darkness of his sunglasses, and was greeted with the sight of a very out of breath young man.
He looked to be 17 maybe 18 at the most and he was panting heavily as he thrust out a small piece of a paper towards Orion. “Uh, who’s there?” Orion asked, feigning ignorance, the boy looked confused, his panting quieting for a moment as he stared at the man, his eyes then dropping to the still sleeping dog stationed at his feet. "I’m sorry” he said, his voice deep with guilt, and exhaustion “I’m Sterling, Sterling Mercier I’m in your class but I couldn’t be here today ‘cause I had to look after my mom, she’s sick” he added sliding the piece of paper towards Orion’s hand that was now propped on the desk, he took his hand gently and placed the paper in his palm, tenderly curling his fingers around it. “That’s a note excusing me…but I guess you can’t read it, sorry” he said, Orion heard a slap and could only imagine that the young man was slapping himself in the face for his folly.
He merely chuckled under his breath, as he picked up his attendance sheet and ran his fingers over the brail “Oh yes, here you are” he said a smile on his lips as he cracked an eye open just in time to see his student smile sheepishly “No worries though you didn’t miss much” he said his tone reassuring, it was only the first day there was really no reason to get too angry over it. “That’s good,” sighed Sterling, his eyes once again on his professor “Uh sir what’s your name?” he asked, Orion had forgotten he had already erased his name from the chalkboard, he opened his eyes again, and gave Sterling a small smile “You can call me Mr. Brooks, and he’s my guide dog Sirius” he said pointing to his friend who was just now waking up from his slumber. Sterling’s eyes lit up briefly “Orion and Sirius” he breathed “Just like Greek mythology, the hunter and his dog” he said smiling. Orion wasn’t sure why that statement had surprised him so much but nonetheless it did, he hadn’t been referred to in that manner since he had left the skies, it was almost comforting to hear someone acknowledge him that way again.
“Yes, that’s right” he said hastily, sincerely hoping he hadn’t been caught in his own thought long enough to put the young man off but Sterling was merely smiling as he picked up a spare syllabus off the table and slid it into his coat pocket. “Well I better get back home” he said “It was nice meeting you both” and with that Sterling ran out of the room, his foot steps echoing down the hallway. Sirius nudged his mater’s hand gently with his nose “That was weird” he announced quietly Orion only nodded in agreement, he knew people still read about the old days but he had never really expected anyone to remember them, let alone a teenager. “Should we be worried ‘cause I think we should be” Sirius said pawing the floor impatiently as Orion packed up his books, and slung his bag over his shoulder. “Oh come on, lots of people read about the olden days,” he said as he let his friend once again lead him down the hallway and towards the double doors.
“Yeah, but it’s still weird…what if he’s related to the scorpion or something?” the dog asked as Orion pushed the doors open feeling the warmth of the afternoon sun hitting his face. “I think you’re being too paranoid” Orion said calmly “Even if he was related in some way to the scorpion what can I do about it?” he asked as they began their trek home, the one thing Orion regretted about his deception was that he could no longer be seen driving his truck around the school but the pay more than made up for the inconvenience. “I guess you’re right” Sirius said, sniffing the ground ahead and looking thoughtful “But if he’s already seeking you out now then that means we won’t be here for much longer” at this Orion opened his eyes, he was far enough away from the school to be able to afford looking around, he took in the autumn landscape, the broad open yards, the hills in the distance, the low sitting wooden fences, and the tress dotted with bright hues of red and orange.
He had to admit he would hate leaving the world now but if he had to he would without fear he told himself. “I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves” he said wistfully his eyes still drinking in his surroundings “I very much doubt that the scorpion would make it so obvious that he knew who we were, and besides he’s rather sneaky I doubt he’ll take action soon, whoever he is” this seemed to put the dog at ease although he still looked mildly worried as they climbed the 3 flights of stairs to their apartment. Sirius bounded in and plopped himself on the couch as Orion scuttled into the kitchen to try to arrange dinner, he wasn’t much of a cook but they had never starved so he had to guess that counted for something.
He came out about 20 minutes later with plates laden with fish and potatoes Sirius, who had been sleeping, ears perked up at the sound of plates settling on wood, and walked sleepily over to the table. He was looking decidedly less worried after his pre-dinner nap but Orion could tell that he was still unsettled about the events of the day “Would you relax?” Orion asked finally as Sirius was more busy pushing his food around the plate than eating it blue eyes looked up and his friend merely snorted, and began to eat “Is it a crime to be worried about my best friend?” asked the dog between bites of fish. Orion chuckled “Only when you start sulking” he replied “I am not sulking!” the dog cried, indignant “I’m just hoping he doesn’t show up soon…not until you’re ready to leave” he said, a bit of a whine creeping into his voice which could only mean that he was more than a little worried. “I’ll be fine” Orion said resolutely his eyes on his friend who was giving him a quizzical look in return. “Let’s change the subject” Orion said after a moment’s silence and Sirius went back to eating “So which girl do you think will propose to you first?” asked the dog, and Orion could only laugh.
***
The next few days of classes were fairly uneventful, his students as well as Sterling were punctual, and fairly attentive throughout his lessons, and Orion could only hope that it would remain this way at least until the end of the month. It was the second week of October when Orion began to realize that that odd young man by the name of Sterling Mercier was missing from his classes, for a whole week he saw nothing of the boy until one lunch period when he was sunning himself out on the grass, Sirius situated next to him, dozing as usual. He heard tentative footsteps approaching him, leaves, and acorns from nearby tress cracking underfoot “Who is it?” Orion asked his eyes remaining closed behind dark sunglasses. “It’s me,” said a deep voice that sounded similar to the one he had heard a week ago, this time however not desperately panting for air. “Who’s me?” asked Orion a bit of a smile slipping onto his face, to say that he wasn’t a little annoyed by the boy’s unexplained absences would be a vagrant lie but he saw no reason to chide him now, he could always give him a less than passing grade on his homework later.
“It’s me Sterling” said the voice sounding a little disappointed, Orion wondered at that but only briefly as he sat up, brushing the leaves out of his hair and turned his face to look up at the boy “You’ve been gone awhile” Orion said calmly, the first few notes of dissatisfaction creeping into his voice, he opened his eyes briefly to see the boy looking down at the grass, the way he was staring at it Orion could’ve surmised that he had never seen it before “Where were you?” he asked softly, Sterling shifted his weight, he was obviously uncomfortable under Orion’s scrutiny but he answered anyway “It’s my mom” he said, his voice so low Orion had to strain to hear him “She took a bit of a turn for the worst a couple nights ago…” he trailed off his eyes meeting the unseeing eyes of his teacher.
“I had to stay with her to make sure she was ok” he said finally “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything”. Orion didn’t look mad, in fact in a way he looked slightly relieved, he smiled gently as he stood up, his sudden movement waking Sirius up who yawned loudly before resettling himself back in the grass “Thank you for telling me what was going on. No need to worry you can come by the room later and pick up your assignments” Orion said as he nudged his friend to wake up again “I’m sorry about your mother by the way” he added “Perhaps you should think of getting her a caretaker?” he asked delicately, he assumed that Sterling’s father was out of the picture since he had yet to mention his presence in taking care of his mother, and it seemed obvious that all the responsibility was falling on the 18 year-old’s shoulders.
Sterling shook his head “I tried getting her one awhile ago but they weren’t really cut out for the job” he said a look of bitterness washing over his features, that took Orion by surprise. “Ah, I see” Orion said thoughtfully petting Sirius on the head who had just recently woken up “Well if you need anything you may come to me for help” he said, it was a fairly normal gesture for a teacher to offer their assistance to their students especially if they were trying to take on a task too big for themselves to handle on their own but from the expression on Sterling’s face it seemed to be something much larger than that, it was if he has just offered to buy him a sports car.
“Really?” he asked hesitantly “You’d really help me out?” he asked his eyes intent on the face of his professor, Orion nodded with a smile as the boy’s eyes grew large. The boy looked ready to hug him but obviously thought better of it as he held out a slightly trembling hand, Orion feigned naiveté and kept his hands stationary at his sides until he felt a slightly smaller softer hand take his. Sterling shook it a few times and promptly let go, Orion opened his eyes just in time to see his student staring at him, a look in his eyes that Orion couldn’t easily identify, and a grin on his face. “Well I better go” Sterling said after a moment’s silence “Thanks” he said hastily and with that he had run off down toward the school building. “Always running” Orion thought fondly, his student reminded him greatly of a wild hare in that respect, always ducking and dodging, never truly sitting still. In the excitement Sirius had once again dozed off and was snoring loudly as Orion stretched slightly and decided it was probably time they get back to class.
“I don’t like it,” groused Sirius as his master led him up to the shabby apartment building. For two days he had been tied up in the back of an old yellow pick-up, biting at his ropes, hoping that Orion would change his mind about the move. But as they pulled into the cul-de-sac and his master began stacking a pile of boxes dangerously high he knew that they wouldn’t be returning to the forest any time soon. “You know we couldn’t stay in the woods forever” Orion said as he swept his brown hair from his eyes, and desperately tried to shimmy his wolf-dog friend closer to their new home. “I know that!” his companion barked out in frustration as he sprinted back towards the truck “But this place is going to be wretched I can already tell! It smells awful too!” he shouted as Orion caught him by the collar and began to unceremoniously drag him towards the stairs.
“You’ll grow to like it” Orion said calmly as Sirius bellowed out his complaints at the top of his lungs, a door opened slightly to reveal a very sour faced looking woman who looked from Orion down to his dog, and said “Sir could you please keep your dog quiet?” Orion knew this wasn’t a request, it was a command, and he decided to comply, for the moment “Of course” he said, smiling sweetly “Ok Siri you heard the nice lady, be quiet for me, alright?” he said giving the dog a pat on the head and a quick wink.
Sirius understood immediately, and silenced himself at once “See? No problem” Orion said to the woman who was still giving Sirius sideways glances but retreated wordlessly back into her apartment and quietly shut the door. “Humph, nice woman…corpulent old cow” Sirius muttered angrily under his breath “Hey!” yelled Orion his eyes accusing but his lips curled up into a playful smile. They walked down the hallway, and went up 3 flights of stairs to reach apartment 312, where they would be residing for the next few months.
Sirius didn’t look impressed, it was obvious by his expression that he truly preferred his life in the fields, chasing hares to this suburban lifestyle but it would have to do for the moment. “Master, do we really have to stay here? I understand we’re in hiding but this place isn’t anything close to the glade,” he said looking up at Orion with incredibly sad blue eyes. Orion looked down at his familiar, he was putting up an impressive front but in all his 30 years of life he had known not to be tricked by the sad puppy routine.
“Yes, we have to stay here Sirius, the oracle told me that the Scorpion will be taking form soon, and when it does I’ll be as good as dead”. His companion growled deep in his throat “Did that oracle say what shape he would take?” he asked as he pawed the rug impatiently “No, not even if it would be human” Orion said as he opened the door, hauling his duffel bag inside and tossing it on the floor. “So for all we know it could be an actual scorpion,” said the dog surveying the room with one part curiosity, one part distain. “I guess” Orion said as he decided to get the boxes up later, and sat down next to his friend who had already curled up by the bag looking like he had deemed the room worthy of his presence. “I still don’t understand why you don’t want to go back to the sky” Sirius said as his master affectionately scratched him behind the ears “This place is nice but it can’t beat what’s up above” he said thoughtfully as he rolled on his back to display his belly.
Orion smiled as he scratched Sirius’ belly, he had to admit he too didn’t know why he was constantly fleeing the scorpion, if he died here he would be reborn back in the sky where he truly belonged, the only reason he and Sirius were on Earth was because of a cosmic fluke anyway. Had he not strayed too close to the meteor shower one night he would still be in the sky, free to a life of hunting hares, and chasing the Pleiades. But he was human now, things that didn’t plague him above plagued him here, and the basest fear, that of dying had him in a constant dance of hiding and running.
Long ago he had died, and it had not been enjoyable, the pain inflicted on him was outrageous, and if he could avoid it he would for a long as possible. He was shook from his thoughts by his companion nuzzling his face gently; he looked concerned “Are you alright? You look sad almost” he said his doggy eyes showing true sadness this time. He smiled reassuringly “Not sad just thinking” he said simply as he patted his friend on the head “What were you thinking of?” Sirius asked, his tail now wagging, his emotions were always quick to change.
“Just how maybe I should just stop running like you were saying, and return back to the sky…I mean that is where we should be” he added as Sirius went from looking complacent to looking appalled “You can’t just wait to be killed” he barked angrily “We didn’t go running from forest to town over 30 different times just so you could wait to die” he said placing a paw firmly on his master’s chest. “So what if this place is less than ideal I’ll try to like it for your sake, and as far as the scorpion goes” he said his voice dropping to a heavy growl “We’ll keep running for as long as you want, as long as you want to live that’s how long we’ll be here, and then when you’ve had your fill of life, we’ll leave the same way we came in, together”.
Orion’s brown eyes were large with admiration and surprise Sirius wasn’t the one to say things like this, only very rarely did he make such proclamations but whenever he did it would always remind him why they were still such great friends after all these years. Orion threw his arms around his friend’s neck and buried his face in his grey and black fur, the same way he used to when he was a small child in the woods. “Thanks” he said scratching him behind the ears “You’re welcome” Sirius said whining a little bit as he put a heavy paw on his master’s shoulder.
They soon decided to bring up the boxes, and by the time they had completed the task night had already crept up on them. Orion slid the last box across the carpet with his boot and took out a battered piece of paper from his coat pocket; he quickly unfolded it and smoothed it out so he could re-read it for the 20th time. It was his letter of employment, tomorrow he was going to start working at the local high school teaching English/literature with Sirius in tow, under the guise of his seeing eye dog, it wasn’t a total lie, he was blind but only in his left eye, and it didn’t really throw him off much, only when he was driving sometimes would it give him a problem.
Sirius had not been too keen on the idea at first but Orion had said he needed something to occupy his days with now that he could no longer hunt in safety with the impending threat of the scorpion looming over him. This had quickly shut his friend up, and he begrudgingly agreed to be part of the masquerade. “How are you going to teach English if you’re supposed to be blind?” asked Sirius one day when they were still out in the glade Orion had been cocking an arrow in anticipation of a group of deer coming by. “I told them that I only recently became blind due to an accident, I can write but obviously I can’t read so they’ve arranged to get me brail books for all the material we’re going to cover” he said setting down his bow and arrow and scratching his friend behind the ears.
Sirius just woofed in amusement “I’m not sure if I admire you or find you totally obnoxious” he said as his master tickled him on the nose with his overly calloused fingers “I will say this though, you better act it convincingly otherwise we’ll both end up out on our butts”. “Don’t worry I know what I’m doing” Orion said with a small smile “Yeah, that’s what you always say right before something bad happens” said the dog laying down his head on the forest floor and closing his eyes in anticipation of a nap. True, a good 90% of the time he had made that announcement something had gone wrong but this time he was certain his plan would go off without a hitch, he hoped.
***
He was running. According to his limbs he had been running for hours but his mind kept reassuring him that this was impossible. Fat teardrops ran down his face in a hot steady stream as he groped in the dark looking for his companion. Sirius was nowhere to be seen, and as night continued it’s inky descent on the woods it was beginning to become impossible to see anything. He knew his beloved canine could not be that far from him, he had seen him when they had fallen; they had fallen together amidst the stars, and the unfathomable darkness of space. He had cursed himself for not being more careful around the meteor shower, in his haste he had become twisted in it, and Sirius being the dutiful friend he was had jumped in after him to try to pull him out, only to be swallowed by the ebb and flow of the stars and dragged in after him.
They had been hurled down to Earth at a horrific pace and had crashed down in this forest just as night had begun to fall. Now he was a small child, cold, and alone, and feeling human emotions all over again. If he had been his adult self, the brave hunter, he would’ve already found his dog, and been off to try to get back to the skies but as the child Orion he was hopelessly lost and most likely running in circles. His once perfect fitting clothes were now also too big for him, and he knew he would surely have to abandon them as soon as he found Sirius, if he ever did. After a couple more minutes of calling for his friend to return to him he plopped down on the forest floor, his sadness even more overwhelming, he used his overly long sleeves to wipe his face clean and dry his tears, he didn’t want Sirius to see him this way, so helpless and vulnerable, he would definitely make fun of him.
Orion looked out in the gloom, it was really too dark to see but everywhere he looked he thought he saw black figures darting between the trees their unseen eyes peering at him, thinking only thoughts of capture, torture, and finally devouring him. The thoughts sickened him, not only because he didn’t wish to return to the sky in such a manner but also because he had never known himself to be so afraid. It shamed him, but he knew he could not hide his fear as he felt his body began to shake “I want Sirius” he said, his voice now childish and high, not the deep tone he was accustomed to. It was at that moment that he heard a small bark, it was not the deep adult bark of Sirius but it certainly did sound like him “If I’ve been reduced to a child maybe he’s a puppy now” Orion thought as he jumped up and began sprinting towards the source of the noise.
He ran to a small clearing covered with low standing trees and brush, and in the middle of it he saw Sirius, no longer the large dog that came up to this hip but a small wolf-hound puppy wailing and crying for his master. Orion’s tears burst forth before he could stop them but he didn’t care about looking childish anymore he ran forward his arms outstretched crying out his dog’s name amidst excited yelps from his friend who jumped in his arms and began licking his face.
Laughing, crying, looking at each other in astonishment over what had happened to both of them but they didn’t care. “I can’t believe how small and tiny you are now master” said Sirius through howls of laughter Orion just smirked “Look, who’s talking pup” tickling his friend’s tummy Sirius began laughing again but then looked at his master seriously for a moment his blue eyes wide. “What do we do now?” he asked his smile dying a bit “We shouldn’t be down here, we should be up there” his tiny paw pointing to the Heavens stretched high above their heads. Orion looked up, his eyes taking in the beauty of the stars, something deep in him longing to once again be reunited with the endless bounty of the sky but he was a human now, completely earthbound, and he knew that there was only one way back to his home, he would have to die again. It sent a shiver through him; he had died once before, a long time ago by the sting of a scorpion, and had been placed among the stars with his dear friend Sirius, able to hunt with him for all eternity.
The thought of having to die again didn’t sit right with him, he felt that pang in his stomach again, the feeling of fear, it was foreign to him now but he was sure the longer he stayed in this body the more comfortable he would become with it. His friend’s eyes were on him, even in the dark he could tell the dog’s eyes were sad because he could see his master’s look of fear yet desperate longing to set things right. “You’ll have to die again won’t you?” asked the dog, his voice tinged with despair “I’m afraid so” replied Orion his hand found warm dog fur and he stroked his little friend behind the ears, just as he always had. “I don’t want you to die again” Sirius said a whine creeping up in his voice as he curled up close to his friend “I don’t want to either” the boy replied tears trying to make their presence known but this time he fought them back, and finally won. “Will a scorpion do it again?” Sirius asked as he nuzzled closer, Orion could tell he was attempting to sound causal but it wasn’t working “Probably” he said “I think I saw him fall with us but I don’t know where he landed”.
Sirius ears perked up and he looked Orion dead in the eye his face once again serious “Should we track him down?” he asked his paw on his friend’s stomach. Orion looked at the tiny paw and then to the determined eyes of his dog “Why would we go look for death?” he asked quietly, his eyes elsewhere but sad Sirius whined again “Don’t look that way. It’s like I said I don’t want you to die again but that’s the only way to get back…don’t you want to go back master?” Orion looked up to the night sky again his eyes glassy again with the threat of tears “Yes…so much” he whispered his eyes once again dropping to the eyes of the dog. “So do I” said the dog once again curling up next to his master who was now staring out into the forest his eyes fighting to adjust to the darkness “You know” he said tentatively his hand how scratching his friend’s back “We could stay here awhile, see what it’s like…just for awhile, I mean we just got here, and we’re young again it would be a shame to go so soon” he said looking at the dog for an answer. Sirius just looked into his eyes for a few moments before a look of resignation and understanding, and maybe a little bit of eagerness overtook his features and a small doggy smile slipped onto his face. “Sure” he said finally “Why not enjoy it while we can”.
***
The man walked with a distinct sense of confidence, what one could define as a kind of swagger. He was a tall man, his dark brown hair long and unruly from being out in the forest, his skin somewhat tanned from all his time in the sun. Even with his eyes closed, his dog leading him dutifully down the hallways of the school he seemed to know exactly where he was going. The dog was large, coming up to the brown haired man’s hip, his blue eyes piercing but playful and friendly.
They were an imposing pair, the duo of Orion, and Sirius, had they had frowns on their faces one would think they might be looking for trouble but they both wore good-natured smiles as they walked to the English room, their spirits high at the prospect of something new. He was early, he made sure it worked out this way so he could scope things out ahead of time, get a feel for the kids he would be teaching, see if there were any bad seeds that needed to be rooted out.
They arrived in the English room shortly after making a quick stop in the bathroom; the English room was non-descript, save for the rows of desks and large bookcases lining the walls. Orion briefly opened his eyes to see where his desk was located and sauntered over, his briefcase and books under his arm. “We won’t be able to talk during class you know…maybe during lunch but definitely not during class,” he said once again closing his eyes, and laying his things on the desk. “I know that,” muttered the dog unhappily, he liked his conversations with the dog as well but he couldn’t have people thinking he was crazy especially not on the first day. After a few minutes of silence and looking through his books his class filed in slowly, once he heard the first heavy foot falls of people in the room he felt for the sunglasses in his pocket, and put them on, at least this way he could get a look at his class without giving himself away.
He saw them all shuffle to their desks with barely contained agitation had he been not so intent on memorizing their features he might have been annoyed. Each student gave him an appraising, and sometimes-quizzical look, the girls all smiled slightly, some of them even giggled, the boys merely looked impassive while others frowned. He decided he had seen enough of his new class, and wrote his name on the chalkboard after feeling for the chalk, meanwhile Sirius was seated attentively at his feet taking in the scene before him with a barely contained curiosity and excitement. He turned back to his class, a feeling of nervousness overtook him for a moment but he quickly brushed it away, this was his class, and he had to make that known immediately “Hello, class I’m your new English teacher Mr. Brookes, I’m expecting that we should have a good term together, I’m going to pass out the syllabus after I take roll” he announced as he felt for his clipboard with the brail list of the class placed on it, he silently thanked his middle school teacher for teaching him how to read brail all those years ago.
“Hey, wait a minute are you blind?” asked a male voice from what he expected was the back of the room there was a resounding murmur that rippled throughout the rest of the room, and Orion could only imagine that already they were doubting his teaching capabilities. “Yes, I am blind” he said, his voice loud “And if you are wondering how I will be able to teach you, rest assured I can more than manage for my lack of sight” he said a friendly smile on his face despite the annoyance he was already beginning to feel. Whoever had asked him the question mumbled a quiet “Sorry” and proceeded to clam up until his name was called during roll.
He had 25 students, the boys far outnumbering the girls but the girls who were in his class he had noticed had all arranged themselves at the front of the class, Orion had an inkling why, he was the youngest male teacher in the school according to his research, and he was more than certain that the girls were already trying to vie for his attention. He didn’t really care one way or the other but he had no desire to go to jail so any advances made would be ruthlessly rebuffed. Despite the giggling girls and the disinterested stares of the boys his first class went relatively well. Just as he was packing up his things, and nudging Sirius back into consciousness he heard heavy foot falls approaching his desk at an alarming pace, he briefly opened his eyes, still hidden behind the darkness of his sunglasses, and was greeted with the sight of a very out of breath young man.
He looked to be 17 maybe 18 at the most and he was panting heavily as he thrust out a small piece of a paper towards Orion. “Uh, who’s there?” Orion asked, feigning ignorance, the boy looked confused, his panting quieting for a moment as he stared at the man, his eyes then dropping to the still sleeping dog stationed at his feet. "I’m sorry” he said, his voice deep with guilt, and exhaustion “I’m Sterling, Sterling Mercier I’m in your class but I couldn’t be here today ‘cause I had to look after my mom, she’s sick” he added sliding the piece of paper towards Orion’s hand that was now propped on the desk, he took his hand gently and placed the paper in his palm, tenderly curling his fingers around it. “That’s a note excusing me…but I guess you can’t read it, sorry” he said, Orion heard a slap and could only imagine that the young man was slapping himself in the face for his folly.
He merely chuckled under his breath, as he picked up his attendance sheet and ran his fingers over the brail “Oh yes, here you are” he said a smile on his lips as he cracked an eye open just in time to see his student smile sheepishly “No worries though you didn’t miss much” he said his tone reassuring, it was only the first day there was really no reason to get too angry over it. “That’s good,” sighed Sterling, his eyes once again on his professor “Uh sir what’s your name?” he asked, Orion had forgotten he had already erased his name from the chalkboard, he opened his eyes again, and gave Sterling a small smile “You can call me Mr. Brooks, and he’s my guide dog Sirius” he said pointing to his friend who was just now waking up from his slumber. Sterling’s eyes lit up briefly “Orion and Sirius” he breathed “Just like Greek mythology, the hunter and his dog” he said smiling. Orion wasn’t sure why that statement had surprised him so much but nonetheless it did, he hadn’t been referred to in that manner since he had left the skies, it was almost comforting to hear someone acknowledge him that way again.
“Yes, that’s right” he said hastily, sincerely hoping he hadn’t been caught in his own thought long enough to put the young man off but Sterling was merely smiling as he picked up a spare syllabus off the table and slid it into his coat pocket. “Well I better get back home” he said “It was nice meeting you both” and with that Sterling ran out of the room, his foot steps echoing down the hallway. Sirius nudged his mater’s hand gently with his nose “That was weird” he announced quietly Orion only nodded in agreement, he knew people still read about the old days but he had never really expected anyone to remember them, let alone a teenager. “Should we be worried ‘cause I think we should be” Sirius said pawing the floor impatiently as Orion packed up his books, and slung his bag over his shoulder. “Oh come on, lots of people read about the olden days,” he said as he let his friend once again lead him down the hallway and towards the double doors.
“Yeah, but it’s still weird…what if he’s related to the scorpion or something?” the dog asked as Orion pushed the doors open feeling the warmth of the afternoon sun hitting his face. “I think you’re being too paranoid” Orion said calmly “Even if he was related in some way to the scorpion what can I do about it?” he asked as they began their trek home, the one thing Orion regretted about his deception was that he could no longer be seen driving his truck around the school but the pay more than made up for the inconvenience. “I guess you’re right” Sirius said, sniffing the ground ahead and looking thoughtful “But if he’s already seeking you out now then that means we won’t be here for much longer” at this Orion opened his eyes, he was far enough away from the school to be able to afford looking around, he took in the autumn landscape, the broad open yards, the hills in the distance, the low sitting wooden fences, and the tress dotted with bright hues of red and orange.
He had to admit he would hate leaving the world now but if he had to he would without fear he told himself. “I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves” he said wistfully his eyes still drinking in his surroundings “I very much doubt that the scorpion would make it so obvious that he knew who we were, and besides he’s rather sneaky I doubt he’ll take action soon, whoever he is” this seemed to put the dog at ease although he still looked mildly worried as they climbed the 3 flights of stairs to their apartment. Sirius bounded in and plopped himself on the couch as Orion scuttled into the kitchen to try to arrange dinner, he wasn’t much of a cook but they had never starved so he had to guess that counted for something.
He came out about 20 minutes later with plates laden with fish and potatoes Sirius, who had been sleeping, ears perked up at the sound of plates settling on wood, and walked sleepily over to the table. He was looking decidedly less worried after his pre-dinner nap but Orion could tell that he was still unsettled about the events of the day “Would you relax?” Orion asked finally as Sirius was more busy pushing his food around the plate than eating it blue eyes looked up and his friend merely snorted, and began to eat “Is it a crime to be worried about my best friend?” asked the dog between bites of fish. Orion chuckled “Only when you start sulking” he replied “I am not sulking!” the dog cried, indignant “I’m just hoping he doesn’t show up soon…not until you’re ready to leave” he said, a bit of a whine creeping into his voice which could only mean that he was more than a little worried. “I’ll be fine” Orion said resolutely his eyes on his friend who was giving him a quizzical look in return. “Let’s change the subject” Orion said after a moment’s silence and Sirius went back to eating “So which girl do you think will propose to you first?” asked the dog, and Orion could only laugh.
***
The next few days of classes were fairly uneventful, his students as well as Sterling were punctual, and fairly attentive throughout his lessons, and Orion could only hope that it would remain this way at least until the end of the month. It was the second week of October when Orion began to realize that that odd young man by the name of Sterling Mercier was missing from his classes, for a whole week he saw nothing of the boy until one lunch period when he was sunning himself out on the grass, Sirius situated next to him, dozing as usual. He heard tentative footsteps approaching him, leaves, and acorns from nearby tress cracking underfoot “Who is it?” Orion asked his eyes remaining closed behind dark sunglasses. “It’s me,” said a deep voice that sounded similar to the one he had heard a week ago, this time however not desperately panting for air. “Who’s me?” asked Orion a bit of a smile slipping onto his face, to say that he wasn’t a little annoyed by the boy’s unexplained absences would be a vagrant lie but he saw no reason to chide him now, he could always give him a less than passing grade on his homework later.
“It’s me Sterling” said the voice sounding a little disappointed, Orion wondered at that but only briefly as he sat up, brushing the leaves out of his hair and turned his face to look up at the boy “You’ve been gone awhile” Orion said calmly, the first few notes of dissatisfaction creeping into his voice, he opened his eyes briefly to see the boy looking down at the grass, the way he was staring at it Orion could’ve surmised that he had never seen it before “Where were you?” he asked softly, Sterling shifted his weight, he was obviously uncomfortable under Orion’s scrutiny but he answered anyway “It’s my mom” he said, his voice so low Orion had to strain to hear him “She took a bit of a turn for the worst a couple nights ago…” he trailed off his eyes meeting the unseeing eyes of his teacher.
“I had to stay with her to make sure she was ok” he said finally “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything”. Orion didn’t look mad, in fact in a way he looked slightly relieved, he smiled gently as he stood up, his sudden movement waking Sirius up who yawned loudly before resettling himself back in the grass “Thank you for telling me what was going on. No need to worry you can come by the room later and pick up your assignments” Orion said as he nudged his friend to wake up again “I’m sorry about your mother by the way” he added “Perhaps you should think of getting her a caretaker?” he asked delicately, he assumed that Sterling’s father was out of the picture since he had yet to mention his presence in taking care of his mother, and it seemed obvious that all the responsibility was falling on the 18 year-old’s shoulders.
Sterling shook his head “I tried getting her one awhile ago but they weren’t really cut out for the job” he said a look of bitterness washing over his features, that took Orion by surprise. “Ah, I see” Orion said thoughtfully petting Sirius on the head who had just recently woken up “Well if you need anything you may come to me for help” he said, it was a fairly normal gesture for a teacher to offer their assistance to their students especially if they were trying to take on a task too big for themselves to handle on their own but from the expression on Sterling’s face it seemed to be something much larger than that, it was if he has just offered to buy him a sports car.
“Really?” he asked hesitantly “You’d really help me out?” he asked his eyes intent on the face of his professor, Orion nodded with a smile as the boy’s eyes grew large. The boy looked ready to hug him but obviously thought better of it as he held out a slightly trembling hand, Orion feigned naiveté and kept his hands stationary at his sides until he felt a slightly smaller softer hand take his. Sterling shook it a few times and promptly let go, Orion opened his eyes just in time to see his student staring at him, a look in his eyes that Orion couldn’t easily identify, and a grin on his face. “Well I better go” Sterling said after a moment’s silence “Thanks” he said hastily and with that he had run off down toward the school building. “Always running” Orion thought fondly, his student reminded him greatly of a wild hare in that respect, always ducking and dodging, never truly sitting still. In the excitement Sirius had once again dozed off and was snoring loudly as Orion stretched slightly and decided it was probably time they get back to class.