The gate closed, blocking off Mark's view of the courtyard. His world was once again limited to the stalls and tack rooms in their pen. The only indication of a world outside these walls was the blue sky high above, distant and unreachable, alongside the call of animals mixed with the occasional cry for help. Jake joined in with the noise, screaming to be heard.

Mark clapped his hands over his ears, trying to drown out the cacophony. Barry was much less understanding. "Would you ssstop that pointlesss noisse!?" He hissed.

The boy flinched away from Barry's monstrous appearance. "But... but..."

Drew sighed. "Barry is correct Jake. No one is going to come and save us from this. Even if they did, nothing can stop the transition once it has begun. The Rahan mountains were ceded to the Order of the Beast Tamers centuries ago. These mountains have long since become their own independent nation. The numbers they gave all of us are proof that no one is coming to save us."

Mark looked up from his inspection of the feeding trough. To his eyes, it looked like far too much food even for a growing teenage boy. "Our numbers?" He asked.

"I told you before. My number is 88427, it means that I am the four-hundred-twenty-seventh member of the eighty-eighth batch of animals created at this retreat. the two of you are from the ninety-first batch. Barry is from the year ahead of you, batch ninety."

"Batch ninety-one," Mark said to himself. "Antica Retreat is just over a hundred years old." He remembered that last year they had held a huge feast in celebration of the hundredth year since the retreats founding.

"When they build a new retreat, the first decade is spent setting up infrastructure. Buildings and pens need to be built, enchantments laid, a self-sustaining food supply established. You get the idea."

Mark's stomach rumbled, interrupting the conversation. For the first time, he noticed how famished he was having not eaten anything since breakfast yesterday. His stomach cramped, demanding food. In his own cage, Jake snatched up a piece of bread and gnawed at it. "Why am I so hungry all of a sudden?" He demanded between bites.

Despite his cramps, Mark paused to stuff the bread with meat and vegetables, making a sort of sandwich. He tore off large bites of it and waited for Drew or Barry to answer the question.

"Our bodies need food to fuel the transformation, a lot of it. They don't bother to feed you on the first day, because the awakening potion has enough nutrients to get you through the first twenty-four hours. After that, they give you just enough food to get to your next meal."

"Just enough?" Mark asked, looking at the food as he made a second sandwich, having scarfed down the first. "There's at least twice as much here as I could eat."

"Jussst enough," Barry assured him.

Drew nodded, his long tail curled into a spiral and he rested his upper body on it like a makeshift bed. "If you show signs of turning into a large beast the meals will get even bigger. At least it's still normal food. Things get really awkward once you're digestive system changes. That's when they start feeding you the same stuff as what an animal would eat. It's another way that they take away our identities as people. No plates, bowls, cups or utensils. Eventually, we won't be able to eat with our hands either."

"What!?" Jake squawked, half choking on his food.

"What would you exsspect Flipper Boy?" Barry taunted Jake. "Turtlesss don't have hands, much lesss fingers or opposssable thumbs."

"You're still better off than the two of us. Snakes don't even have arms." Drew examined his own scale clad limbs. His legs had merged into a tail last year, and his arms would be gone soon enough as well.

Jake blushed and looked down. "You don't have to be mean about it." He muttered.

"Apologies, but Barry is having a hard time getting a handle on his new, more aggressive tendencies. He's not the best company right now." Drew explained his eyes closed as he languished in the noon sun, trying to take in as much warmth as possible.

Mark cocked his head to the side, thinking of something. "How old are you anyways Jake?"

"..."I just turned eleven." Jake admitted.

"That means you would have been eight, three years ago. The Beast Tamers only take ten to thirteen-year-olds." Mark noted.

The turtle-boy sighed. "I lied about my age. I've always looked older than I really am, and our family really needed the money. So I thought, why not? Biggest mistake of my life."

***

Mina

"So we're in agreement?" Mina asked as she stowed away her dirty dishes and left the cafeteria, Sasha and Talin beside her. "I'll take grooming for the first week, Sasha can feed Pet, and Talin will clean the stall."

The red-haired boy crossed his arms, pouting. "Why do I have to be the first one on poop duty?" He mumbled.

Sasha laughed, fluffing her blonde curls. "You wouldn't let two pretty girls such as ourselves take it first, would you Talin?" She flirted.

Talin's cheeks turned as red as his hair. "Fine. But how are we going to rotate duties?" He asked.

"Our hero." Mina's lip curled upwards. "We'll switch every week. I'll clean out the stalls during the second week, Talin will be in charge of nutrition, and Sasha will take grooming. Week three we all take the one duty we haven't tried yet. And then the cycle starts again."

Talin mulled over the black-haired girl's proposal and shrugged. "Works for me."

The trio entered their classroom and found their seats as their fellow novices drifted in. Instead of individualized desks, they sat at long tables with just enough chairs for a single team of three to sit at. Mina took out her textbook and glanced at her schedule. This afternoon was General Familiar Studies, followed by Reptile Care, then dinner. They only had two classes but they were both two hours long. At least the subjects were relevant. Mina grimaced and looked at tomorrow's schedule, History, Algebra, Elemental Magic, and Alchemy. Her thoughts were interrupted as someone slammed their book bag down on their table. The loud noise causing Mina to jump as she looked up at the table in front of theirs.

The trio of boys could have been brothers they looked so alike. They were all tall, tanned, and beefy with brown hair. The one in the middle instantly zeroed in on Sasha. "Well look what we have here boys. If it isn't the local bubble brain. Hey bubble brain, guess what we saw in our pen this morning. Your sister is turning into a cow, she's already got an udder and everything. Maybe we should start calling you four teats instead." He brayed, and his teammates laughed as if they had heard the funniest thing ever.

Sasha sunk back in her seat. While Talin glared at the older and larger bullies, his hands clenched into fists. Mina eyed the trio of bullies coldly. She wasn't sure why the boys had it out for Sasha, especially the middle one. Like Sasha he was recruited from the outside, they were even from the same class even though he had come into his magic almost two years ago. "Why don't you leave Sasha alone Finn Tarker? If I were you I would be more worried about my failing grades. If you can't pass GFS they'll reassign your beast to another team."

Finn leaned over the desk. Shoving his face close to Mina. "What do my grades have to do with you, Teacher's Pet?" He taunted, he didn't know Mina well but he did know she had some of the best grades in their year. "It's none of your business."

"If you're going to keep bullying my teammate then I'll make it my business." Mina shot back frostily. Her anger was a cold sharp thing. No one bullied her friends and got away with it.

The older boy smirked. "Maybe I should be bullying you instead?" Finn drawled.

As soon as the words left his mouth his own teammates tugged him away from Mina. "Back off Finn. Messing with that girl is a good way to kill your future. That's Mina Estrall." The boy on the right emphasized Mina's surname as if it explained everything.

Finn gazed blankly at the pair, waiting for an explanation. "The daughter of Master Beast Tamer Erika, the woman in charge of this year's crop of Magical Beasts? The Grand-daughter of Retreat Head Hylie? The youngest daughter of the lord of Aman city. That, Mina Estrall?"

Mina's green eyes narrowed on the older trio. Normally she didn't like throwing around her family name. But she was willing to make an exception if it got this neanderthal off of Sasha's back. The argument might have escalated if the teacher hadn't chosen to walk into the room that very instant. The teacher clapped her hands. "All right, class take your seats. Let's get started."

Under the shuffling sounds of teenagers getting seated and taking out their textbooks, Sasha tugged lightly on Mina's sleeve, "Thank you." She whispered gratefully, looking at Mina with big brown eyes.

"It's nothing," Mina assured her, her cheeks turning slightly red. "We're a team, aren't we? If they keep bullying you, your grades will drop."

Talin sighed. "All I could think to do was punch the moron. That would have just made things worse."

"Alright, no more chit chat." The teacher declared, hands on her hips. "I am Madam Toreux and I will be your professor for General Familiar Studies, or GFS as we like to call it. I also teach Avian Care to first and second-year novices, so those of you with an affinity for winged beasts will be seeing plenty more of me over the course of the next two years. I have a few announcements to make before we dive into the thick of things. First is that an apex familiar has already been discovered among this crop of magical beasts. Please give a hand to Novice Cerra who will be a member of the team in charge of its care."

The class clapped obediently when a short-haired girl stood up from where she was sitting alone at the front of the classroom. It was brilliant news that an apex familiar had already been found but normally they would be congratulating a team, not just a single novice. When the applause died down Madam Toreux continued her announcement. "The familiar in question is a Chimera and thus falls under multiple genera. A chimera as we know it is a magical beast with the head of a lion, the lower body and horns of a goat, and the tail of a snake. She was originally stabled with the felines but has since been moved to the Apex paddocks. A new team will need to be formed to handle her care. Novice Cerra will remain with the team, so we need two new members, one with an affinity for reptiles, and another with an affinity for herbivores. If you hear your name being called please stand up and join Novice Cerra."

Madam Toreux looked at her class list studying it briefly. "Lux Vadgar." She called, in response a boy at the back of the class gathered his books and strutted up the aisle, nose lifted in the air. "Mina Estrall."

Despite the fact that Mina heard her name she remained seated, and crossed her arms. "With all due respect Madam Toreux, I would prefer to stay with my own team." Mina turned down the change in assignments firmly.

"Are you quite sure of yourself Miss. Estrall? Most Beast Tamers would kill for the chance to work with an Apex familiar."

"I would rather not receive special treatment because of my family connections ma'am," Mina answered cooly, glancing at Lux and Cerra, both the grandchildren of high ranking Elders. "I'll prove myself on my own."

The teacher lifted an eyebrow and smiled in approval. She hadn't wanted to give the chance to well connected first years but the year head had insisted. Since Mina had turned down the chance on her own she could now choose someone else. "Very well then. Graydon Carver." The last choice set off some chatter among the students. Much like Sasha, Graydon Carver was a first-generation Beast Tamer, recruited from outside the Rahan mountains. Working with an Apex familiar would be a huge chance for the boy.

With the announcement and new team assignment out of the way, she could now focus on teaching. "Alright class, let's start off by answering some quick questions."

The novices groaned at the thought of a quiz on the very first day of class. Madam Toreux shook her head. "Now, now, I promise these questions are all easy, basic knowledge. First question, what is a Beast Tamer?"

Cerra stuck her hand in the air. "A Beast Tamer is a magic user with the ability to speak with and compel animals of all sorts and sizes. Weak, inexperienced beast tamers can only command simple animals while stronger, trained ones can compel even the greatest of magical beasts."

Madam Toreux nodded. "Correct, Novice Cerra. Second question, if a Beast Tamer can command all kinds of animals. Why do we sort our selves into different types of Beast Tamers, depending on our affinity?"

"Because it is impossible for any single Beast Tamer to know everything there is to know about every single kind of Magical Beasts. That's why we specialize." A boy at the back of the class called out, not bothering to raise his hand.

"You're half right Novice Jordan. Yes, I can see you back there. Now, what did he leave out?"

Sighing, Mina raised her own hand. "We define affinities by how difficult it is to compel a particular type of magical animal. A Beast Tamer will almost always specialize in the genus which they have the easiest time interacting with. It is possible to specialize in other affinities but it's a lot more difficult to progress with them. My best affinity is for reptiles, but I also have strong affinities with aquatic and avian species. So I could specialize in them. I couldn't, however, choose to specialize in canines or insects because my affinity is too poor."

"Exactly correct Novice Mina. We are all born with an affinity for animals, some more so than others. A Beast Tamer specializes according to their affinity. Not the other way around. Affinities are also often hereditary, although outliers have been known to happen. Last question now. What do affinities mean to the rest of the world? What do they mean to the nations outside the Rahan Mountains?"

The class was silent, stumped at the question. Madam Toreux smiled, that question almost always tripped up a new class. "Their affinities determine what type of familiar a magic user is most suited towards. In the case of the stock, we bring in from the outside disguised as trainees, it also determines the general type of animal they will become."

Graydon put up his hand. "Why does the Order of Beast Tamers keep transforming humans? Why don't we use the stock we have to breed our own magical beasts?" At his question, the other first gens in the room slouched down in their seats trying not to draw attention to themselves. If their own magic hadn't awakened they would have been part of the stock after all, and the boy's question could be taken as a form of defence for the animals.

"There are two reasons we continue to get our stock from transforming humans Novice Graydon." Madam Toreux answered, cheerfully ignoring the awkward atmosphere. "The first reason is that magical beasts that started off as humans are more intelligent than their naturally born counterparts. Natural magical beasts gain intelligence as they age, only the very old and powerful ones develop intellect that matches or in some cases exceeds that of a human being. And, I'm sad to say, many of the weaker magical beasts never get the chance to develop that intelligence, having lifespans that are only marginally longer than their magicless brethren. So you see a magical beast that was produced from the transformation of a human is of higher quality than those naturally born beasts."

She paused to allow the class to take in the new information before continuing. "The second reason is more political in nature I'm afraid. Control. Ever since wild Magical Beasts died out the Order of the Beast Tamers has become the sole supplier of magical beasts to the continent. Whether its selling familiars to magic academies, or reagents to alchemists, or low-class beasts to the armies of the nations. You name it, we supply it. We set the prices, and if someone doesn't want to meet our prices then they are cut off. It's how the Order was granted an entire mountain range as our sovereign territory, outside the rule of any Lord or King. Having a monopoly is very nice and none of us want to lose it. So nearly all familiars are spayed or neutered before leaving the Rahan mountain range."

The first generations winced at the thought of being fixed and once again realized how close a call they had had. "There are exceptions to the rule, however." The teacher said. "Such exceptions include those magical beasts that, for one reason or another will never be sold outside the Rahans. Apex familiars too will never be fixed. Instead they will be spelled to be infertile, and in fact even the urge to procreate will be suppressed. Apex familiars are never sold outright, they are only rented and must be returned to the Rahan's upon the death of their master. Apex magical animals are incredibly long-lived and thus breed very slowly. So slowly in fact, that even after near on a thousand years since our Order was established only a small handful have reached an age where they can be used as familiars."

Finn raised his hand. The bully wasn't stupid, he just wasn't the most studious student. "Why do we keep feeding them potions? Why don't we feed them water? It's cheaper and it's not like the change is reversible."

Toreux smirked at the elementary mistake. Normally she liked first-generation tamers, she was one herself after all. But Finn Tarker was something of a problem child. He just refused to apply himself. If he kept this up he was going to be handling the farm animals instead of training familiars. At least he was participating in this class, unlike his previous ones. "As is common knowledge, the animus potion speeds up the changes from human to animal. What isn't common knowledge is that it can also slow things down. It ensures that the transformations come at a pace and in an order that the subjects changing bodies can bear. Before the animus potion was created by Grandmaster Adelle Estrall," She nodded at Mina as she mentioned her famous ancestor. "We would often see deaths from transformations coming out of order. It was once commonplace for the stock to develop abilities they weren't ready for. Reptiles, for example, would develop venom glands before they would become resistant to their own venom. Larger magical beasts would literally outgrow their own bodies as their skeletal structure grew and their skin and musculature failed to keep up."

"Most of all the animus potion stops their magic from emerging until they have completed the transition into their animal forms. Before we started feeding them the potion, accidents of all sorts would occur and there would be a much higher failure rate among the stock. One famous example among Avian specialists is when a young developing phoenix burst into flames before their body developed an immunity to fire. A phoenix, a near-immortal apex familiar, killed by its own flames. So you see why we place so much emphasis on making sure your charges are consuming enough of the potion. Watch the water levels in their tanks like a hawk. If you don't see it going down then you need to tell the journeymen in charge of your pen immediately."