“I had hoped I was done climbing mountains for a while,” Rachel said, panting as she struggled up the volcano. The hot ashy air caught in her lungs, causing her to cough after every other breath. What air she could breathe, she wished she didn’t. Trapped air from deep within the volcano escaped in violent bursts from the ground, filling the whole area with a putrid sulfur smell.

“Quit your whining,” Katarina said. The other apprentice was a few meters further up the volcano than Rachel, but she was pleased to see that she was struggling just as hard.

Rachel felt something nudge he leg, and saw that Al’tun was gently pushing her forward. Patting the chimera’s head, Rachel continued up the slope, forcing herself to move at a quick pace. Her efforts paid off, and Rachel found herself standing next to Professor Quill first. She tried her best not to smirk as Katarina trotted up a few moments later.

The professor didn’t notice their expressions. Instead, he was focused on the wyverns circling above them. They had climbed most of the way up, and now Rachel could easily make out their scaly bodies. Unlike the drake she had seen earlier which could easily dwarf a house, wyverns were much smaller, not much bigger than a tall human. Their heads were broad with flat snouts, making them look like they had run face first into the ground. Besides their sizes, what really differentiated the wyverns from the drake was that wyverns had only four limbs; two rear legs and a pair of wings. It gave them a strange, avian look that most other dragonoids lacked.

“OK ladies,” Professor Quill said, surveying the landscape “This is probably the best spot you will get to begin Taming. Now, what makes the wyvern a challenging beast to Tame?”

“They’re flying.”

“Yes, thank you Katarina,” Professor Quill said with a sigh. “I was referring to the taming process itself. Why do we save wyverns for after the Trials?”

“It’s their Will, isn’t it?” Rachel said, noting the glower Katarina gave her.

“Precisely!” Professor Quill said, beaming. “Yes, as dragonoids they have particularly unique Wills, making them challenging for young trainers.”

“Come on, Professor,” Katarina said. “We’ve handled loads of creatures without problems, what makes their Wills so special?”

Professor Quill sighed, shaking his head. “I take it you did not read Chapter 42 of Xavier’s ‘On Beasts and their Nature.’ Well that gives us some time for a practical demonstration. Both of you open your senses, look at your Beasts, and tell me what you see.”

Rachel turned towards Al’tun, took a few calming breaths, and tried to feel his Will.

Beast Taming did not involve whips and chair like many non-Tamers at the Academy (including her friends) thought. Everything from the lowliest snail, to even the Head Master of the Academy, had a Will a sort of mental and spiritual fingerprint. Every creature’s Will was unique, though types and groups tended to share similar traits making some easier to Tame than others, although that varied from person to person. Many people claimed that Will was an extension of personality, or emotion, and while that was true to an extent, it was much more than that. It was also a sense of self and purpose. That’s why, even though people had a Wills, it was but impossible to Tame a person- too much sense of identity. Beast Taming, in essence, was the art of shaping and moving a creature’s essence, their Will, into a form that attuned with yours.

The very first thing a Beast Tamer learns is how to read their own Will and the Wills of others. She had of course practiced on her friends and now she could pick out the spiky peaks and soft valleys of Ezah’s Will or the gentle rush and soft glow of Jerome’s out of any group.

As Rachel looked at Al’tun, she could detect a faint outline around him, a soft glow that pulsed and shimmered rhythmically. Al’tun’s Will. To her, it looked like a mix between a heartbeat and the flow of water through a rocky stream and was a near mirror of what she saw around herself. She remembered her first moments Taming him. How could she ever forget it, They his coat felt under her sweaty palms as she reached out, feeling his Will for the first time, merging it with her own. It was a memory that warmed Rachel’s heart whenever it came to mind.

“Good, good,” Professor Quill said, “Now, look up and see if you can make out the Wills of the wyverns.”

Rachel turned her gaze skyward and tried to focus on the flying beasts. At this distance it was hard to make them out clearly, let alone their Wills. In fact, it looked like…

Rachel let out a gasp, causing Professor Quill to bark out a short laugh.

“What?” Katarina asked. “I don’t see anything.”

“Exactly,” Professor Quill replied, his smile growing wide. “Wyverns can hide their Wills.”