It had been a long while since Orion had felt true panic take over him.


    While the others were confused, he took the chance to protect them. Hindering their vision with his wide wings, he observed intently.


    ''What is happening?''


    He didn''t wish to admit it, but this situation was too sudden.


    The normal action to do would be to intervene, but this would mean siding with one side.


    And if that came to it, he would side with Sirius without hesitation.


    ''Is this the price I have to pay for breaching the laws of this world?''


    Complete chaos wrapped his mind.


    ''I don''t want... to kill Procyon.''


    Seeing his trusty dog in his Abyssal Wolf form, baring his fangs toward a Primordial Remnant, made Orion reticent about interacting with them.


    Nothing he would do would make these two break away. It was clear as day that two beasts were holding their ground against one another.


    ''Why did it come to this?''


    Suddenly, Orion''s mind relaxed. All the stress vanished in a split second, helping his thoughts to focus more clearly.


    "Orion?! What''s happening?"


    Hearing the rumble past his wings, Amelia stood up and touched his shoulder.


    "Something I wasn''t prepared to deal with is what is happening."


    "I''m sorry, but could all of you keep quiet if possible?"


    He glanced over his shoulder and smiled at them with a frustrated expression.


    "S-Sure."


    With a concerned look, Amelia nodded and walked to her original place.


    As more time went on, Orion watched Sirius and Procyon fight like wild beasts against one another.


    ''...''


    Sirius went all out, similarly to when they had fought Miasma. Procyon was even going out of her way to inflict heavy damage with each attack.


    It was a painful yet impactful scene in Orion''s eyes. Slowly, ideas developed in his head.


    ''They could be fighting for territory, but I doubt that''s it.''


    Horizon was massive. Now that he had returned, Orion was already planning to expand the area to create more living space for the residents.


    It could be resolved at that point. Sirius'' territory was Orion''s house, and Procyon never went near it. It couldn''t be that option.


    ''I would rather not believe it, but they can''t be fighting to see who''s more worthy of staying around me, are they?''


    As much as he wanted it not to be true, this was another option. Still, it was most likely not the case.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Procyon never saw Orion as her master, unlike Sirius. At best, Orion was a savior to her.


    ''Could they be fighting for dominance over the other?''


    This was the most plausible choice. When Sirius noticed the presence of Procyon, something might have caused his sudden aggression.


    The same happened to Procyon, who felt his approach. Still, it was nowhere close to being the only reason. What even was the reason for their outright animosity toward each other?


    *Whimper*


    As he pondered, Sirius took a heavy blow to the side. Procyon, who had charged him with her full speed, sent him flying in the air.


    The black wolf recovered in midair, stepping on inky black platforms to stabilize his body.


    Dark threads of energy formed all around Sirius, gathering in front of his mouth.


    ''Sirius! What are you-?''


    Orion could only take a defensive stance as his wings covered everyone from top to bottom except himself.


    A powerful blast of condensed dark magic ruptured through the air, closing on Procyon.


    *HOWL*


    Shouting a bone-chilling howl, Procyon bent her body in a feral posture, all limbs placed on the ground.


    A radiant light began to cover her pristine fur, and a wide shield exploded out of her to meet the beam head-on.


    The beam crashed into the protective shell with a massive, echoing thump and exploded into smaller beams in every direction.


    *CRACK*


    But the shield cracked as a dark figure charged it in the center of the dark beam.


    With one single headbutt, Sirius breached through the shield and dropped in front of Procyon, growling furiously.


    Procyon leaped forward and tried to bite his neck. Prepared, Sirius took a step backward and spun his body around, slamming his tail covered in dark matter on her face.


    *KYU*


    Thrown away like a ragged piece of cloth, she rolled on the ground. The shockwave of his tail swipe destroyed the remaining shield in a single moment, sending its shards flying everywhere.


    Struggling to get back up, Procyon glared at Sirius in the posture of a wolf.


    Wolf against wolf, they stared at each other, growling and snarling.


    ''Can I really do nothing but watch?''


    Removing one of the shards of shield from his arm, which had pierced his skin, Orion glared at them.


    He wanted to help, but something inside him was shouting not to interfere. It felt like a force as strong as Nature herself spoke to him to stay his ground.


    Even his desire to support one of them was crushed by this feeling.


    ''...''


    The climax of their battle finally arrived.


    Having recovered enough strength for one last attack, Procyon leaped forward.


    Glaring at her, Sirius stood his ground.


    Standing on her hind legs, she attacked Sirius with both claws, sending a rending swipe that could detach a massive chunk of flesh if it were to touch.


    ''!''


    But the attack went through Sirius. Confused, Procyon tried to step away, but she had already fallen into his trap.


    Appearing behind her, he grabbed her mane with his fangs, flipped her over his body, and slammed her entire weight into the ground.


    He stepped over her fallen body and roared a magnificent howl of victory.


    Orion observed this with a perplexed gaze.


    ''Why is there no blood anywhere?''


    Something suddenly registered in his head.


    ''These blows—not a single one was meant to kill.''


    Even Procyon''s last attack, which could kill a normal beast with ease, would be unable to kill Sirius.


    ''As if they were sizing each other...''


    Then Orion finally understood. With a faint smile, he removed the covering protection of his wings and returned to normal.


    At the same time, Sirius also returned to his original shape.


    "Woof"


    Sitting next to Procyon, he barked at Orion, content.


    "I was scared for nothing."


    Letting out a heavy sigh of relief, Orion sat down.


    "Orion!"


    Amelia jumped at his back as he hid his face between his hands, hugging him tightly.


    "I''m fine. I feel a bit exhausted, that''s all."


    Tetra walked next to him, her gaze locked on the reason for his state.


    "Uh."


    With a weird smile, she felt a strange emotion coming out of the two beings.


    "That was a battle for dominance."


    Orion turned to Tetra, who glanced at him with a cheeky smile.


    "I never thought your dog would have it in him to subdue the strongest wolf in the world."


    "Like his master, who subdues every woman he encounters, doesn''t it?"


    The entire group looked at her with wide-open eyes until they understood everything.


    "What?"


    Karteira turned to Sirius, who was nudging Procyon with his front paws.


    "He fought to get her love?!"


    Nia stood on her legs and leaned forward with her hands in front of her chest.


    "That''s how animals do it, depending on species."


    Orion leaned backward, letting his back fall on Amelia''s lap. While doing that, he lifted his hand before pointing at them.


    "Karteira, could you heal Procyon? Please."


    "Sure. Give me a moment."


    Happy to be depended on, Karteira stood up and walked to the unconscious wolf.


    "Here you go."


    Crouching next to Sirius, she placed her hand on the Procyon''s back.


    After a few seconds, she twitched.


    "Grrrrr..."


    A defeated growl escaped Procyon as she pulled her head from the ground. She looked at Sirius, who was happily staring at her.


    She also turned to Karteira and appeared to thank her for healing her slightly injured body.


    Sitting next to Sirius, Procyon looked down. It seemed like the taste of defeat would take a while before disappearing.


    "A loss is a loss. There''s no way around it."


    One by one, Orion''s companions left his side and walked toward the depressed wolf.


    "If it''s Sirius, there''s nothing to be down about."


    "Right!"


    They all began to pat and caress her, while Sirius returned to his master.


    "Woof!"


    Licking his face, Sirius appeared happy.


    "You scared me, you little rascal."


    He turned his lying body and ruffled Sirius'' fur with vigor.


    "Good for you. You won''t be alone in here anymore."


    Genuinely happy for his friend, Orion placed his forehead on Sirius''.


    The master and his trusty dog were now the same. They had to protect more than themselves.


    In a way, it added more pressure to their life, but the reward was worth the difficult path.


    "Those who say that love makes you weaker are those who do not understand the power this warmth brings."


    "It is the reason we are strong. To protect the smiles of those we love, we cannot accept defeat."


    Amelia smiled as she pulled his face on her lap.


    "And we are here to make sure you will never regret choosing us."


    "You are not alone fighting. The one who said a Hero cannot be happy is stupid and doesn''t comprehend how strong our bonds are."


    He smiled.


    "You''re right."


    As Procyon suffered a defeat at the paws of Sirius, their relationship became sealed in stone.


    She became a part of Orion''s family, and alongside Sirius, she would become the second pillar of the Hero Orion.