The sun beat down on Mark's head from a cloudless blue sky. It was one of those perfect autumn days that was neither too hot or too cold. From his vantage point in the dirt-packed arena, Marcus could see the trees on the mountains in a vibrant display of orange, red, and yellow. With a breeze blowing through the leaves it looked for all the world as though the slopes had been set ablaze. Around him, the stands were packed with the residents of the Retreat. Men and women were clad in different coloured clothes. Each hue represented a different degree of mastery, from the white hues of a novice to the blues and greens of apprentice and journeymen. Scattered among the rest was a smattering of crimson robes that represented Master Beast Tamers.

In the special seating sat a trio of black-robed Grandmasters, these were the elders overseeing the initiation ceremony. Mark was just one among the dozens standing on the packed earth of the arena grounds. In total there were two hundred of them waiting nervously for the ceremony to begin, with an even split of boys to girls. Just like the others, Mark had grown up in a small town in the borderlands, the no-mans-land that existed as a buffering zone between the borders of the various superpowers. He was the third son of the family butcher and wasn't expected to inherit anything. When the Order of Beast Tamers rode through the town on one of their recruitment drives Mark had signed up never expecting to make it through the selection process. The recruiters had paid his family a lump sum of fifty gold in exchange for the loss of a worker. It was enough money to see his family safely through the next decade if they were frugal.

Mark had left his hometown with the recruiters travelling through more than a dozen towns and villages where similar scenes played out. Eventually, the caravan made its way up the winding passes of the Rahan mountain range, land that had been ceded to the Beast Tamer's Order long ago in return for a steady supply of familiars. Unlike the rest of the continent, the mountains had been left largely undeveloped, save for the Retreats nestled in the mountain valleys and the extensive network of roads and tunnels.

The last three years had been spent learning about the many different varieties of magical beasts. Their likes and dislikes, what was safe for them to eat, what magic they were most known for. Besides all the book learning they had exercised regularly, strengthening their physique so that when their magic awakened it would place less of a burden on their bodies. Among the hundreds in their year group, a couple of dozen had manifested early and been taken for more advanced training. The remaining two hundred now stood in the arena clad in sturdy grey pants and shirts, their feet bare. Some of them paced, some looked around anxiously while others studied the ground intensely. Without exception, they all waited nervously for the initiation to begin.

As the sun rose higher in the sky one of the black-robed elders stood from his seat and cleared his throat. At the signal, the arena fell into a hushed silence. "We the Order of the Beast Tamers are gathered here today to witness the rise of a new generation. Having graduated from their initial education these two hundred trainees will now experience the miracle of their awakening magic." He gestured to the side and a group of apprentices entered the arena carrying boxes crammed with bottles. The clink-clink-clink of glass as the bottles knocked up against each other seemed overly loud in the silence of the stadium.

The green-robed apprentices started handing a bottle to each of the grey garbed trainees as the Elder continued his speech. "Each of these bottles contains a dose of concentrated awakening potion which has been created to stimulate your magical gifts. A single dose, however, is far from enough for those of you who have failed to awaken your magic naturally. You must continue taking the awakening potion for a prolonged period of time and for your own safety the process cannot be halted midway. Once you take this potion you will be on the path of no return. Be aware that the initial awakening can sometimes be quite painful and it is easy to go into shock."

Mark cocked his head only listening with half an ear as he studied the glass bottle in his hands. It was filled with a murky purple liquid and seemed almost oily in its consistency. It certainly didn't look appetizing. He popped the cork and took a whiff of the mixture fully prepared to recoil from the stench. Instead, the appetizing smell of ripe summer berries drifted into his nose.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" One of the remaining elders prompted the group. "Bottoms up."

With a shrug, Mark threw back his head and chugged the potion as quickly as possible. At first, drinking the potion was quite pleasant. Much like its smell, it tasted like sweet berry juice with just a hint of tartness to offset the taste. The pain only began as the liquid travelled down his esophagus and into his stomach. It felt as though he had swallowed liquid fire and the flame was burning merrily inside him with no signs of extinguishing. Mark doubled over clutching his stomach in agony. The sound of the bottle shattering joined a chorus as those around moaned and cried out in misery.

The pain spread out from his torso and travelled down his arms and legs. Mark sucked in a sharp breath and bit back a whimper. Suddenly the pain seamed to concentrate at his shoulders, hips, and throat. As his hand moved toward his throat a quartet of sharp popping sounds rang out as Marcus' scream tore through the air. He dropped to the ground and curled up in a fetal ball his eyes closed as he tried to ride out the pain. All around him similar scenes were happening to the other initiates.

As the anguish subsided panicked cries took to the air. "What's going on? What happened to me!? This isn't magic!" The cries echoed wildly around Mark. The boy opened his eyes and pushed himself upward, attempting to stand. As he did so more pain shot through his legs and he dropped back down to his hands and knees.

Mark swore, his voice coming out deeper and raspier, absolutely nothing like his smooth tenor. "Fuck." Unable to stand he sat back on his heels and looked around him his eyes widening as he took in the drastically altered appearance of his former year mates. Without exception, each of them had taken on some form of animalistic trait, some more obvious than others. One young girl's nose had lengthened by approximately a foot and drooped down into a small trunk, her ears had also enlarged significantly. Others sported fur or the beginnings of horns and antlers. One of the plumper boys had sprouted a curly pigtail and his voice rose into a squeal as he clutched at his bottom. Nearby another girl was crouching on the ground, not because there was anything wrong with her legs but because of a hunched back.

As panic set in among the initiates the apprentices that had passed out the potions stepped forward unfurling whips that had been wrapped around their waists. The lashed out at the initiates with practiced ease, the tips of the whips wrapping around their necks in a chokehold. As the leather encircled their necks it shimmered and turned to metal, the cold kiss of steel wrapped around their throats in a collar set off a new series of screams. Mark reached up tugging desperately at the collar, suddenly his body spasmed as he dropped to the ground pain coursing through him like lightning. Around him, the apprentices started cajoling and swearing at the initiates, jostling them to line up.

His head jerked to the side as the apprentice jerked the leather leash that had once been a whip. "Come on you stupid beast, we need to get lined up with the others."

"I'm not an animal." Mark rasped, rage coursing through him. His eyes widened as a growl slipped out of his mouth.

The apprentice laughed, his expression filled with disdain. "You sure sound like one to me, now get moving."

"I can't stand" Mark protested.

"Then crawl. Or be dragged. It's all the same to me, although if you refuse to cooperate you're going to be electrocuted the entire way. Now come on, and be sure to keep up."

The apprentice spun and walked towards the lines forming near the rear gates of the arena. The ones leading to the back mountains where Mark and those like him were banned from entering. At first, Mark refused to move but as the leash went taut the pain shot through him again and he shuffled forward, an animal like whimper bubbling up from his throat. His cheeks burned with shame as he crawled on his hands and knees like a dog on a leash. The gates creaked open and the initiates were led down a long stone corridor, behind them the arena stands emptied rapidly as the Beast Tamers rushed to their assignments.

Soon enough they were brought to an expansive hall that was totally white. At regular intervals around the room were long bars running the length of the hall. The apprentice led Mark to one of the bars and brought the end of the leash up to the bar. Much like the collar around Mark's neck, it melded seamlessly into the bar.

The apprentice turned to Mark with a bored look on his face. "Place your hands and feet inside the corresponding circles." He ordered pointing at the floor.

Marcus shook his head frantically, backing away from the man. Again as the leash went taught electricity sizzled through him and he dropped twitching to the ground. The apprentice rolled his eyes mumbling, "Stupid beast." in exasperation. He crouched down and grabbed one of Mark's hands placing it in the circle embedded in the floor. The circle lit up green and the apprentice let go. Mark tried to jerk his hand away but it wouldn't budge it was locked in place as though welded to the floor. One by one the apprentice did the same thing with his other limbs, locking them into place as well.

"This has to be a dream. This can't be happening." Marcus whispered to himself as he looked around at his year mates. Like him they were being attached to one of the bars, those who could still stand like a human were being forced to their hands and knees and locked into place. A second gate to the hall opened and a second parade of half-animals was led into the room and put through the same procedure as Mark's group, quickly followed by a third. The hall was filled with six hundred half beasts each with a green-robed apprentice standing stiffly at attention beside them. Shortly afterward, a door opened and a half dozen master beast tamers strode into the room, their red robes flapping behind them. They were followed by a gaggle of journeymen beast tamers, whose arms were full of books.

The master's strode to the ends of the long lines, each of them trailed by three or four journeymen. "All right ladies and gentlemen, you know the drill." One of them drawled, his voice echoing over the cries and pleas for mercy coming from the half-beasts. "We're here to register our new pets, determine what classification of animal they are and then decide on which pen to put them in." With that declaration, they began to work their way down the rows examining the half beasts with the impersonal touch of looking at livestock. As the inspection began the apprentices moved again, each removed a pair of scissors from a pouch and began to cut the clothes off of their charges.

Mark shook like a leaf as the scissors glided along his flesh tearing great gaping holes in first his shirt then his pants. "What are you doing?" He tried to demand but his new deeper voice wavered.

The apprentice scoffed. "Isn't it obvious you stupid beast, people wear clothes, animals don't."

"Why are you bothering to explain to it Colvard? It's an animal, it doesn't need to understand anything."

Apprentice Colvard smirked. "No reason, I just like teasing the stupid beasts."

"Well stop. Not only is it unprofessional it is distracting to those around you. Those sadistic impulses are why you've haven't made it to journeyman yet. Despite the fact that you're nearly the oldest apprentice at the Retreat."

Colvard finished cutting off Mark's underclothes leaving him as naked as the day he was born. The apprentice turned to argue with his neighbour. "Look here Krost, I'm still an apprentice because I'm aiming to be a Training Specialist. Mind your own business and look after your own stupid beast." He jabbed a figure at the blonde girl on her hands and knees, tears dripping down her face. Mark recognized the girl from his class, her twin sister Sasha had come into her powers naturally about six months ago. Natalia's chest was oddly flat and a pudge had developed around her middle. As her clothes were removed a lump of flesh dropped down to swing in the air and Mark's eyes widened as he realized it was an udder.

While the two apprentices argued the Master had been moving further down the row, drawing closer towards Mark. A few feet down from Mark a boy hissed wildly at those around him, snapping his teeth at anyone who came close to him. Despite his behaviour, the boy still looked completely human. The apprentice beside him sported several bite marks on her hands and arms. The Master studied the naked boy apathetically. He dictated to the journeymen behind him. "91158 displays no physical changes and appears to lack the ability to think rationally and cognitively. A blood sample will be taken to confirm a failing vector and that the potion served only to awaken its animal mind."

The apprentice standing beside the wild boy removed a knife and a small vial from her pouch. Staying well away from the wild boy's snapping jaws she nicked the leg and quickly filled the vial with blood before offering it to one of the journeymen. A second vial, filled with green liquid was poured into the first and corked before shaking vigorously. The mixture rapidly turned a chalky white. the Master glanced at the white substance before dispassionately declaring. "91158, tested positive for a failing vector, and will be culled." The red garbed man turned and walked up to the next half-animal and continued his inspection.

Mark was no longer paying attention, instead, he watched wide-eyed as the apprentice beside the wild boy, James, placed her knife at the boy's throat and slit it, scarlet blood spraying out of the gaping wound and staining the apprentice's clean green robes. Mark watched as James dropped to the ground, lying in a spreading pool of his own blood, his eyes empty and staring. Around the room, similar scenes were occurring. In contrast, those who passed the inspection were released from their restraints and led out the wide gates to a wooden walkway.

When the Master Beast Tamer stopped behind Mark and began speaking the boy flinched instinctively. "91161, displays no outward physical changes but remains docile. It is possible that any changes it experienced are internal. A physical exam will be required."

At those words, one of the journeymen stepped forward and began running his hands along Mark. Every time Marcus flinched at the touch a low-level electric current would run through his body. Quickly Mark learned that as long as he cooperated there wouldn't be any pain. The journeymen ran his hands up and down Mark's arms and legs flashed a light in his eyes, and ears, and opened his mouth to inspect his teeth. Mark flushed red with shame as even his private parts were examined impersonally.

When the journeyman was finished he stepped back and answered the waiting Master. "Reporting to the Master, the shoulder and hip joints of 91161 have shifted in such a way that it is now natural for it to walk on all fours. I would expect most of the early changes in the transformation process to be focused on the outer extremities. 91161, also displays a slight elongation of the spinal cord near the rectum which is an indication of the development of a tail of some sort. 91161 displays no further changes and I am unable to determine what genus of magic beast it will become."

"Its voice is changing too." Apprentice Colvard piped up, eager to impress the Master. "It's deep and raspy, and it's growled and whined a time or two."

"Good information apprentice." The Master acknowledged before turning to the journey scribbling in his notebook. "Add the change in its vocal cords to 91161's profile. Now let's get a blood sample and test it to at least get an idea of what magical beast we are dealing with here."

Apprentice Colvard took out a knife and vial and just like had happened to James, Mark was cut and his blood was collected and mixed with the same green liquid. When the vial was shaken, the contents had become a brightly glowing green. The Master looked at the results. "Add a note in 91161's file that the blood test confirmed that it is a reptile of some sort." He looked back at Colvard. "Stable it in 42B13, Section 42, Paddock B, Pen 1, Stall 3."

Colvard saluted the Master who had already turned to examine Natalia, the girl was no longer crying silently and instead her body was wracked with great heaving sobs. She was crouched down in an effort to hide her udder from staring eyes. Mark opened his mouth, trying to think of something encouraging to say but nothing came out. Before he could think of anything Colvard had released the restraints on his arms and legs and unhooked the leash, leading Mark to out of the hall and towards his new accommodations. The sun, which had felt so warm and inviting earlier in the day now felt cold as it shone down upon his naked back.