The wind kicked dirt and hot ash into Rachel’s face as she crouched down next to Katarina. The pair and their Beasts were behind a large boulder, out of sight of the colony of wyverns. The wyverns were on a level plain a couple hundred yards in diameters near the summit. While the colony didn’t have enough members to fill the space it was far from empty as wyverns tussled about. This close, Rachel could not only hear their harsh calls, like giant angry crows, but smell them too. The scent of them, like overripe fruit mixed with heavy earth, was thick enough that Rachel could almost taste it. Rachel looked back down the way they had come and just barely saw Professor Quill as he observed the two apprentices.

“You ready for this, Ziris?” Katarina asked the Oogdar.

In response the creature bared its teeth in what Rachel assumed was a grin, but looked more like a snarl.

“What are you going to do?” Rachel hissed at Katarina. “How are you going to Tame them without seeing their Will? First you need to find one that matches your Will or weaken one enough that it is open to your Will. That’s assuming you could even get close enough to touch one. What are you going to do?”

Katarina laughed. “See that’s it. That’s exactly it.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“That hesitation, that lack of ambition,” Katarina said as she walked out from behind the boulder. “That’s why you’ll never be a great Beast Tamer. Just give up now and save yourself the embarrassment.” With that she whistled to Ziris and the pair raced towards the waiting wyverns.

Rachel felt a flash of déjà vu as Katarina stared down the wyverns, much like Alexia had done so many days ago. Most of the wyverns seemed to be lounging about along the rocks, while a few hung about near the fissures in the mountain, breathing in the occasional jet of steam. As soon as Katarina emerged from behind the boulder, they all began to cry out in a sort of hissing caw. Several took flight, wheeling away from the Katarina and the Oogdar, while a few stayed put, flapping their wings at the Beast Tamer, preparing to strike.

But before they could do more than face her, Katarina sent Ziris charging towards the wyverns. Rachel watched as the Oogdar’s claws flashed with light as she prepared Flaming Claw. Ziris pounced at the nearest wyvern, its large claws streaking towards leather flesh. With surprising speed, the wyvern hopped back, and grabbed Ziris’ arm in its jaws.

With a twist of its head, it flung the Oogdar away. Ziris tumbled towards another wyvern, but as it prepared to strike, Ziris struck first, her Flaming Claw striking the attacking wyvern with a bright glow. The wyvern leaped into the sky, flying off with an angry cry.

“I will be a great Beast Tamer,” Rachel said to herself. “I will.”

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Rachel rushed out to stand near Katarina, “Come on, Al’tun,” she called out. “Let’s show them what you got.”

The chimera bound towards the wyverns, releasing a Blast as he did. Pure force hit a wyvern next to Ziris, sending the beast tumbling down the slope.

“Watch what you have your mutt doing!” Katarina said. “If you’re not careful you’ll hit Ziris.”

“Al’tun knows what he’s doing,” Rachel replied, not taking her eyes from the chimera.

Whereas Ziris focused on one wyvern at a time, hitting it with strong attacks, but getting attacked in turn by other wyverns, Al’tun leapt throughout a swarm. He nimbly dodged their Fire Blasts while hitting back with his own Shock Breath. The wyverns couldn’t handle this small, fast opponent. As he harried them, they began to fly away. First in ones and twos, but then in greater groups all the wyverns left. All but one.

The final wyvern was half again as large as the others. Scars covered its body, but they didn’t seem to slow it down any. It deftly held avoided attack from both beasts. Ziris lunged at it, jaws smoking with an Acid Bite, as Al’tun through himself at the wyvern just before encasing himself in Rock Skin. The wyvern deftly dodged both attacks, resulting in a rocky Al’tun smashing into Ziris. The two beasts lay there, stunned. The wyven let out another hissing crow as it took to the sky.

“What did I tell you?” Katarin nearly screamed. “That could have killed, Ziris!”

“At least I trained Al’tun to use some kind of strategy!” Rachel yelled back. “Ziris keeps running into that thing and hasn’t landed a single blow.”

The two apprentices argued back and forth, their exchange growing so heated they didn’t notice a shadow growing steadily larger around them. With a cry, the scarred wyvern dove from the sky towards the two appreciates. Rachel threw herself onto the ground as the wyvern swooped down, just above her head, its breath hot on her neck.

Rachel looked to Katarina, but the other apprentice hadn’t been as quick to get down. The wyvern had hit her, sending her flying a dozen or so yards away.

“Katarina!” Rachel called as she scrambled to her feet.

No response.

She looked up and saw the wyvern wheeling around for another pass. Quickly, Rachel got to her feet and ran to the other apprentice, sliding the final few feet. “Katarina, are you alright?”

Relief flooded Rachel like a warm shower as she heard Katarina groan. Rachel tried to scoop up the other apprentice to carry her to safety, but Katarina was far too heavy, she wouldn’t be able to do it by herself.

“Al’tun! To me!”

Al’tun and Ziris were still struggling to their feet, easily more than a hundred yards away. No help. Rachel grabbed Katarina’s arms and started to drag her back to the safety of the boulders. “Come on, wake up, wake up, wake up.”

The wyvern cried out again as it swooped low, beginning its attack. Rachel looked from it to the boulder field. She wouldn’t make it. Not dragging Katarina. She could leave Katarina here and make a run for it. Stars know that’s what Katarina would do. Rachel looked down at the other apprentice. Katarina’s face and body were bruised from the wyvern attack, with probably a few broken bones thrown in for good measure. Another hit like that could cripple her for life, or worse.

Rachel let go of Katarina’s hands.

“I’ll show you,” she whispered. “I’ll show you how great of a Beast Tamer I can be.”

Rachel turned towards the attacking wyvern. Its wings beat the air, sending out a trail of smoke and dust as it raced toward them. It let out another hissing crow, its mouth open wide, revealing rows of sharp teeth.

Rachel faced the wyvern and, with a scream of her own, charged towards it.