“Most of you have decided to cultivate and become Beast Tamers. I’m not going to ask you what a Beast Tamer is. What I am going to ask you is why Beast Taming is both a cultivation method and a secondary profession?” Siam said, his question narrowing the focus of the discussion getting into the meat of today’s lecture.

I had decided to get comfortable and listen. My inexperience with this type of classroom instruction awakened a curiosity that touched closely upon my isolation and loneliness. Maybe if I had attended some of these lectures in Flowing Water Sect, I might have made a lasting friendship. Not everyone there had targeted me for bullying.

It would have been nice to have something for me to look fondly back on. My time with the Sect could have been less about my obsession to progress and get stronger and more about the other Outer Sect members that had no traffic with Braun or his followers. Instead of the memories of Sect politics stigmatizing me for no better reason than having been blessed with gifts for cultivation that had more to do with luck than anything, I should have tried to reach out.

“Sensei,” a young woman said, standing to answer his question, “A beast tamer is also a secondary profession because the cultivator has to learn to take care of the animals they bond with.”

“Then why doesn’t the Baroness have beast taming as a secondary profession?” Siam countered.

“She is bonded to a Roc. She makes sure the Roc is fed, exercised, and in good health. Wouldn’t that make her at least a novice or apprentice beast tamer professional?”

It was a good question, and technically it could be argued I was at least a novice beast tamer. The fact that I had the beginning of a viable ecosystem living within the torc would be even more evidence of my proficiency in that profession.

At least if I did more to care for those animals other than catch and release them, once I removed them from within the torc, I left them to their own devices. They would live or die without any help from me.

“The difference between a Beast Tamer and a beast tamer is one of scope and functionality,” Siam finally said, answering his own question when no other students ventured an opinion.

“Baroness Myche has enough knowledge to provide general upkeep for her bonded. She can see Storm fed, exercised, and trained to fight. But if her companion is seriously wounded, the Baroness would have to seek help from Beast Hall. She has no skill in healing, repairing internal injuries, diagnosing illness, or curing Storm if she is poisoned.

“The profession of beast taming will teach you how to heal, how to study and research beasts to find out their habits and needs, and how to create training methodology that non-Beast Tamers can use.

“You will learn anatomy that can be applied across a broad spectrum of species. What to look for when diagnosing illnesses. The most effective means to cure poison. And how to replace missing limbs, wings, or damaged organs if an animal is so seriously wounded or ill that amputation is required.

“We provide a service that anyone can purchase. And we can offer that service because you will all train extensively. You will become a veterinarian. Beast tamers are physicians for all types of beasts and animals, and to be effective, you will need to learn physiology, habits, and dietary requirements for certain classes of animals across a wide spectrum of species.”

“Why don’t we concentrate on the beast type we bond with?” The young woman who had stood to answer his question earlier asked.

“Good question, Chi,” Siam replied.

“What animal have you bonded with?” He asked.

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“I haven’t bonded yet, Sensei,” Chi admitted.

“You know the Baroness will be providing your first bonded companion,” he reminded them, “you’ve all been informed that this companion will be a flying breed. So, what can you infer, knowing what the class of that species is?”

“It will fly,” someone offered, generating a laugh from the rest of the students.

“Yes,” Siam agreed with a smile and small chuckle, “and that is a factor you will need to consider for exercising and training. But will the training be the same for all flying types of bonded beasts?”

“No, Sensei,” the young man offered, “training would depend on the type of flying companion. Some bonded like the Baroness’ Roc are built for fighting, while some are built for speed and escape.”

“Exactly, and that is where training as a professional beast tamer comes into play. You will learn to know enough general knowledge about various animals. Enough that you can begin to create a profile for any animal you might come across. An analysis that will allow you to provide for the animal’s basic needs until you have researched or studied the animal enough to have created a more personalized review, one tailored to that specific animal.

“Animals and Beasts can be codified into specific categories. Are they carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore? Do they have an affinity? Do they live in water, land, or air? Are they built for burst speed and low endurance? Are they steady and tireless?

“As you answer each of those questions, as you are able to more completely quantify the animal or beast that you are dealing with, the blueprint for the beast’s care, the type of training required, and the way to heal will coalesce. You will be able to make more informed decisions.

“Any ideas on why a large and broad amount of knowledge is beneficial to a Beast Tamer Cultivator?” Siam asked after finishing his explanation.

“Dait? Any guesses?” Siam asked the young man that had offered the comment that had everyone laughing.

“Maybe because we have the chance to get more than one beast to bond with?” He suggested. “And the more information we have about what our choices are, the better we can plan our stable of companions.”

“One of the main reasons,” Siam agreed. “You will find as you cultivate and partition your soulscape that you can influence how each partition will form and create an ideal environment for the type of beast you can bond with.

“That is another significant difference between those of us who become Beast Tamers and those like the Baroness. She cannot partition her mind to create inner worlds specific for her companion. Storm, her Roc, lives in whatever inner world she has formed as she cultivates.

“Her companion does not influence the environment or landscape of her inner sea. Storm is a passenger within the mindscape of the Baroness. One that is protected and cherished, but the bond that exists between them is not equal. Beast tamers enter into a true partnership with their bonded companions.

“We form bonds with animals and beasts that allow us to share souls, to be so fully integrated one with the other that the death of a bonded companion can kill us. There is no ‘me or it’ in a Beast Tamer partnership; there is only ‘us’.”

“I’ll end today’s lecture by pointing out that there is only one other class of cultivator that is both a technique used to cultivate and a profession,” Siam said, beginning to wrap up today’s lecture.

“Healers both cultivate techniques and study healing. It is a profession and practice that allows them to scan for illness, wounds, diseases, poison, and viruses. All things a professional beast tamer will need to be able to do and understand and diagnose a patient are equivalent. Based on their training and knowledge, what they find will determine how they respond.

“And like a beast tamer, a healer has to have a comprehensive understanding of a wide-ranging field of information. They require expertise and specific knowledge about how an Elf’s body works, so they do less damage than good when they act. Without that knowledge, they become a danger to those they hope to heal.

“Just as important, healers need to know how to heal cultivators and the organic systems we form as we cultivate as well as non-cultivators. Body systems specific to cultivators like Spirit roots and meridian systems require extensive study as each person builds a network unique to themselves.

“They also need to understand the process behind merging the gemstones you will be offered and your Dantian. You will do the actual work to crystallize the barrier that will protect your Dantian, but a Healer will be there to augment your Qi if necessary and help repair any mistakes you might make,” Siam said.

“Without the knowledge of a healer, and the cultivation technique of a Healer, the process would be possible, but more cultivators would die making the attempt.

“Beast tamers perform the same function as healers with animals, beasts, and bonded. Think about that when you begin your studies. Decisions and knowledge you apply to an animal may save or kill your bonded in the future.

“Put in the work, or your bonded might pay the consequence,” he said, finishing the lecture with a warning.