Alan found himself tossing a ball into the air as he walked around the classroom, the front depicting two pictures, each one representing a member of a separate species. "Fanged Wyvern." He began. "Theropod Bird Wyverns." He casually tossed a ball into the air, catching it before repeating the action. "Two species, each from a different branch of the evolutionary tree. Physically they can't be any different, but they are still part of the Saurischia order." He paused before leaning against the window. "But they have something else in common, what is it?"

Everyone looked through their notes as if to find their answer, but found none.

"They're fierce hunters." He told them. "Even alone these fierce creatures are masters of the hunt, able to track any prey for miles at a time. But, while any one of them can kill a creature such as a rabbit, or even a wayward kelbi, charging greater prey will without a doubt lead to a grizzly end." He told them, before pausing." He tossed the ball in the air for a moment before looking at his students. "How can they overcome something greater than them?" One of his students raised their hand. "Erza."

"They attack in numbers."

"Yes." He tossed the ball at her. "Though they are of different species, Fanged Wyrm and Theropod Bird Wyrm are pack hunters. They work together with their members in order to bring down prey even larger than they are. Every member of the group contributes, that's how they survive, by acting together." He tapped his forehead. "They learn together." He paused. "That is something we the People learned to emulate from them." He paused, making a clawed gesture with his hands."Yes we don't have claws like they do, we don't have natural poison to weaken our prey. We can't shoot lightning bolts or breathe fire. We're smaller, slower, weaker than 90% of everything we come across; but we work together, learn together. Figure out what works and what doesn't. Share knowledge and cover each other's weaknesses. That is why Hunters young and old work in teams." He paused to take a breath. "Yes, on occasion you will find Hunters that work alone, you children yourselves may find you have to do so from time to time, but you'll find that there is only so much that one can do themselves." Alan stated as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "Alright that's it for now, head out for your next jog through the old trail." He told them. Watching everyone file out Alan took a breath, and reached into his pocket. "Tomorrow's lesson will cover the Alua Uprising."

"Ok~." Ashe muttered, popping a joint in her neck. "Wyverns, Fanged Beast, Leviathan, Pelagus. I'm certain you've been told by now, but I'll repeat anyway; every last one of them outclasses us. Size, strength, speed, endurance… name it and they stand leagues above us." She told the gathered. "That is something that hasn't changed since ancient times. So, how did the Ancients manage to survive facing them? How did they manage to beat back creatures with physical abilities far beyond them." Several raised their hands. "Zack."

"They got smart."

"Yes." Ashe stated. "They learned about the creatures they faced, learned what they could do, and what they couldn't. They learned what hurt them, learned what could push them away from their villages and encampments." She continued. "They built weapons to substitute for their lack of claws, learned how to cultivate and create poisons. They learned to work together." Ashe paused looking at a stone boulder that was resting beside her. "Those are key reasons why the People have survived to this day, but there is something else I haven't mentioned yet, what is it?" This time no one answered. "Strength and resilience." She told them. "The ancients grew strong, and though that strength would never truly rival, let alone surpass an Arzuros, it has helped them survive out encounters. With a strong enough body one can survive getting tackled by a beast, and even survive falling from a great height, not only that it allows them to wield the hunters weapons that typically dwarf their size." Ashe stated. "As future hunters, you will learn to access this strength yourselves, and developing your bodies to such an extent will be excruciatingly painful." She admitted. "But the end result will be something you'll thank us for later." Ashe clapped her hands as she looked at the stone beside her, cracking her fingers and stretching slightly.

"That said…" She lifted that small boulder pulling it straight from the soil and revealed the dirt half that rested beneath it. To everyone's amazement she started walking with it hoisting it over her shoulder like it was a sack of potatoes before setting it down elsewhere and out of sight.

"Wow~

"That is one strong lady."

"Yeah…"

"That." Ashe stated as she walked back, dusting her hands off as she once again addressed her trainees "Will also be at your disposal when we're done with you." She told them. "However, that level of strength will only be set as a last resort."

"Huh?"

"Why?" Ashe raised her hands to stop the coming questions.

"Lucrecia is teaching you human biology, yes? Well here's a bonus lesson on muscles. Even at our best, our muscles don't work at their fullest potential. The reason why is simple; we can't handle it. Forcing them to exert themselves to their fullest ability is stressful. They tear themselves apart, and the muscles can put so much strain on the bones that they may not only crack but disintegrate from the pressure alone. In addition, accessing this level of strength can deprive other bodily systems of energy. And used for long periods at once it will potentially kill whoever uses it." She paused letting her words sink in. "This latent strength is accessible to everyone, but it is restrained because of how dangerous it is, typically only released when pushed into a "fight-or-flight" situation." She told them. "As part of your physical education, I will be teaching you to manually release this strength." Ashe stated before stretching. "In addition I will be teaching you several techniques related to mastering your physiology. Proper breathing methods, learning to control the cells in your body and other things." She paused. "All of these skills will encompass my personal Hunting Style: Supremany, which encompasses mastery of the flesh your soul is bound to." She looked around watching a hand be raised. "Shion, you have a question?"

"Why are we learning this stuff?"

"Ugh~ I wish you asked something else…" Ashe muttered before sitting on the ground. "Ok… as you either know or will learn, breathing is naturally important, so important we do it unconsciously. Without breathing in, oxygen doesn't get into the body and we suffocate." She told them. "Breathing brings energy into the body by helping with blood circulation and keeping the heart beating. Learning to breathe properly allows the lungs to expand their capacity, letting even more air enter the blood and further stimulating it, improving your stamina. With more air taken in, the blood heats up, exciting muscles and helping them grow stronger." She paused. "The increased strength and stamina will help you survive outside. And you're actually undergoing part of that training right now."

"We are?"

"Yes, you see." Ashe gestured to the ground. "We stand about 3000 metres above the ground, the air is relatively thin here, you may not have realized it but this is why you lot will get light headed every now and then." Ashe informed them. "In the old days, even before Caer Oldwyrm was built, Soldiers of the old people could come to mountains like these to train. It taught their bodies to function more effectively where the air is thin, taking the form of their bodies producing more red blood cells and increasing their ability to carry oxygen. Which in turn boosts their athletic performance, well being, as well as their ability to function in these elevated environments." Ashe took a minute to pause. "Of course there are some downsides; they did lose some of their muscle mass, and their "power output" dropped somewhat." Ashe paused again to stare elsewhere. "To rectify that, they developed a method of exercise and breathing methods I will be teaching you, which to increase the amount of oxygen your body can carry so it can increase its output, general endurance, and how long you can train and do activities." Ashe looked back at her students.

"On to the heartbeat; learning to control it isn't vital, but a good assist depending on where you go. In cold environments the heart grows stressed; the low blood pressure restricts blood flow and forces the heart to work much harder to circulate blood. By learning to control your heartbeat you can regulate it in cold environments to help reduce stress and survive." She paused. "The cold is a bitch." Ashe admitted. "In addition, learning to control your heart will allow you to speed it up, boosting its metabolic rate and your physical momentum." Ashe stated she giot to her feet and seemed to breathe. Then slowly veins started to grow more pronounced on her body as her bronze skin started growing a reddish tint.

The children were surprised by the sudden chance, not only that they were surprised they could hear her heartbeat with how loud and how fast it was beating.

"It's been a while since I did this." Ashe muttered as she maintained this "change". "As you can see, this… "technique" has some physical changes, though they are of course temporary." She mused as she "returned to normal" and crossed her arms. "Even without my adrenaline kicking in my heart can be sped up to maybe 300-to-350 beats a minute and the higher I go the 'slower' the world becomes around me and I can take a minute just to think and plan things before reacting." Ashe muttered before pausing. "The ancients called it Tachypsychia, I believe. I could be wrong, but whatever. "Anyway these have some side effects if overused. "Blood vessel damage, hemorrhaging, memory loss, confusion not to mention a few other things like permanent damage and even death. So if you "plan" on using it, don't go too far with its output and put it on a timer." Ashe sighed in annoyance. "Also, know humans aren't exclusive in being able to do this. Even the creatures outside have the potential to learn these skills, but haven't simply shown can't access it. At least not consciously." She stated before shrugging. "Surges of adrenaline are the main cause of increasing one's heartbeat, but there are limits to how much adrenaline can be brought out to amp up the body. Though some typically do this when they're pissed to all Hell." She paused looking at Shion. "Now, I know that half of what I just said flew over all of your heads, but that's fine. It's going to be a long nine years." She cracked her neck. "We have time to fix that."

A new dawn had already broken.

With the sun already high in the sky, the wingdrake and birds were already up and starting their day. Ashe on the other hand was still resting in bed, though to her annoyance she found herself listening to the sounds of a waking world.

By the Five, did she want to stay in bed. Let the rest of her day slip by her so she could catch up on some much needed sleep.

"Ashe…" Her counterpart had other ideas. "Come on Ashe, up and at em, burning daylight here." Lounging around in her bed the woman in question just groaned as she twisted her head, an eye cracked open as she spied Alan just staring down at her, arms crossed as one of Aun's pups - Noa wagged their tail in excitement as they tried and failed to climb on her bed. "Morning sleepy head."

"Go away." Ashe whined as she turned away from her counterpart and let the pillow rest over her head. "I'm sleeping."

"Not much longer. You got stuff to do today." Alan stated as he lifted little Noa and dropped her on the bed. Almost immediately the pup got in Ashe's face, licking it as Ashe groaned both in annoyance and goodwill.

"Go away." Ashe repeated as she patted Noa's fur with her hand. "You can stay, but he has to go." Alan chuckled.

"Wow, just… feeling the love here." Alan tapped his heart. "Like right here, makes me all warm and fuzzy inside."

"Good for you." Ashe stated as she looked at the person in question before throwing her head back on her bed. "Now go away." At that point Alan just shook his head and reached for the covered, pulling them off without so much of a thought. "Hey~"

"I'm not leaving without you, I know it's your day off but you promised Gales and the others that you'd read to them today." He paused as he started folding up the blanket. "Come on, don't want you to start lying to kids now do we?" Ashe stayed silent as she looked at little Noa and sighed.

"No I guess not." Ashe grumbled as she sat up. "Where are the kids right now?"

"Dissection class." Alan said dismissively as he finished folding the blanket and tossed it on the bed. "Unlike you they aren't getting a day off, but they are going to be free for the next hour or so." He admitted.

"Right." Ashe muttered as she swung her feet off the bed and popped a few joints as she went to get some clothes for the day. Alan gave little Noa the closest he could to a high five before walking off.

"Later." Ashe looked to Noa as the pup started wandering after the man and Ashe closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "I'm gonna hate it when she starts howling for attention like Aun." Ashe grumbled as she got dressed for the day, and left her room. "If she wasn't so big that Palamute would be barging into my room just to wake my ass up with her howling." She shook her head at that. "I don't miss those mornings." Ashe muttered but still kept a found smile as she started thinking back. "May not miss those mornings but I miss those days. Ashe had so much energy back then." She sighed. "Then age caught up to her." Looking at one of her wrists, Ashe rolled it a few times. "But she's not the only one." Continuing her way down the halls of Caer Oldwyrm Ashe just kept rolling her wrists for a minute before shaking her head. "Getting old sucks." Reaching the old laboratories, Ashe looked around, her attention drifting to the open carcasses of dead Genprey and the organs that had been pulled free and set on the tables. "Looks like someone had a good day."

"I wouldn't say that." Irene, a red haired Hunter, stated as she adjusted her gloves. "One puked when they got a whiff of a carcass. Three more tried starting a corpse fight and I'm stuck cleaning the mess everyone left behind."

"Corpse fight?"

"Think of it like a food fight but you're throwing pieces of dead animal carcass instead of food." Ashe opened her mouth, making to say something before stopping, instead choosing to fall silent and shake her head for a second.

"Kids...They need to take this seriously."

"Don't be too hard on them." Irene stated. "Until they pass the trials they are still just children." Irene smiled looking at the open carcasses. "Let them enjoy the time they have." She turned to look at Ashe again. Speaking of kids, you're looking for Gales and his little group, I take it?"

"Know where they ran off too?"

"Library." Ashe sighed.

"Of course…"

"Knowing them, they're probably studying up on monsters."

"I'd be surprised if they weren't." Ashe grumbled before looking at the mess. "Need a hand cleaning up?"

"No, I'll be fine on my own." Irene stated as she gestured for her counterpart to leave. "Now go, your kids are waiting for you."

"Right." Ashe muttered before walking off, giving Irene a wave before wandering off. The Library rests upstairs, on the second floor of the keep, on the north side of the main corridor. Ashe would admit it was one of the more nicer rooms, though it was typically empty for one reason or another.

Finding Gales and his friends wasn't too hard; he, Erza, and Zack were sitting on the floor, a few books resting around them as they each continue reading from one in particular. Without a word she grabbed the book and pulled it out of the children's hands.

"Hey!" Ashe ignored him, turning the book to see what they'd been reading. In it she saw pictures of Flying Wyverns; to be exact, the honored Rath species best known as the Fire Wyverns.

"Reading the old dossiers I see." She mused turning a page as Gales looked up at her and pouted. The whole book was one giant dossier, 325 pages dedicated solely to the Fire Wyvern. Natural Habitual Ranges, uncommon sightings, migration patterns, biological adaptations, behaviors, name it this book had information dedicated to it. "That's not a terrible idea, but pick one to read, not ten." She told him.

"You're late." Was all Erza said.

"Sorry, bed was too comfortable to leave." She admitted before leaning against one of the tables. "Tell me about the medulla."

"It rests at the center of the adrenal gland, surrounded by the cortex thingy." Little Gales looked up in thought. "Cells in the medulla are responsible for producing the body's main source of adrenaline and noradrenaline and release its secretions directly into the bloodstream." He paused again, trying to figure something out. "A Fire Wyvern's is naturally hot to the touch. Only recently have the People managed to develop the equipment needed to extract it, but it's still really hard to use."

"What allows a Rath to set itself on fire?"

"A unique type of bone marrow." Erza spoke up as she saw her counterparts starting to think. "While they don't use it very often, most reports say that it's like a signature ability used by older ones, particularly when they're enraged."

"Why can they breathe flames?"

"Rathalos have specialized sacs filled with naturally flammable powder." Zack responded. When it gets in contact with the air it catches fire."

"Where are their poison glands located?" The three kids didn't respond, trying to remember before staring at the books as if trying to see through its cover. Ashe shook her head before walking forward, passing him the book to show him the answer. "They're located next to the flame sacs, and covered in a special fireproof membrane. The most developed one is located near the base of the tail."

"I knew that." Was their unanimous response.

"Then why didn't any of you answer?" Ashe smiled at her students/adoptive children before picking up the other books and putting them on the table. "Still it's good to know you're remembering some of what you read." That earned her a grin. "But you should have waited for me, or at the very least asked someone to help you. There are dozens of words in here you no doubt can't understand, let alone pronounce."

"For now." Zack stated as Ashe walked back to him and flicked him in the forehead. "Ow!"

"That won't change anything about "now". Ashe stated. "Now scoot over, we'll read more on the Fire Wyvern together." She didn't have to tell her children twice, watching they made room for her on the floor as she dropped down next to them and returned the book to its first page. "And we're taking it from the top."

"Argh~"

The Jog up the old mountain roads gets a bit easier everyday. Sure, it would still take some time before the children were able to do it so naturally that it almost like breathing, but they still had plenty of time on their side.

In the meantime…

"Breath Attack!"

They'd be doing a lot of running and dodging in their spare time.

"You were supposed to dodge, Michael!" Michael just groaned as he got back to his feet, looking at the paint that was now decorating his body as Hunter Harold just tossed a sack of paint up and down for a moment as he scratched his head. "Even in armor, it's usually not best to tank a fireball."

"How many of those sacks do you guys have?!"

"Where are you guys even getting those?!"

"Teacher's secret." Harold stated as he looked at the others who were still running the obstacle course. Winding up for another throw he picked a target before making another shout. "Breath Attack!"

He nailed another kid in the back.

The woods beneath Caer Oldwyrm were a place the children didn't enter very often. They didn't really need to go down there after all. At least not yet anyway. Still, looking at the group that were accompanying them today Xesh just sighed as he scratched his head, watching the children stare at the lake before them in excitement as the other teachers seemed less interested and more relaxed. "Alright." He grumbled. "Not everything we hunt will be on land." He began. "Leviathan, Piscine Wyvern, and of course fish have a preference for being in the water than on land." He paused as if thinking about something. "If you can get them on land then great, but sometimes you gotta step into their turf to hunt them. He admitted. "But before you can do that, you need to learn how to swim." He finished crossing his arms. "That's what your going to start learning as of today." Xesh popped a joint in his neck. "Ah~ that's better, felt like a rock was stuck in there." He grumbled as he looked back at the children. "So." He grumbled. "Ideally, you'll be learning to swim with armor on, but it's too soon for that, so we're going to have a beginners swimming lesson today."

"Is that why we're wearing these weird suits?"

"They're called swimsuits Nicole." Xesh grumbled as he looked elsewhere. "I personally don't like them, but then again I hate the beach so yeah." He said dismissively. "Anyway, we'll be doing this most of the day, so let's get you in the water one at a time and then I guess we'll go from there." He told them as he looked at the children. "Ready to start?"

A day to relax. If anything, that was what today turned into.

It wasn't a bad thing, after all the children earned it.

Besides, working them to the bone did more harm than good.

Still, Xesh couldn't help sigh to himself as he watched the children play in the water, some occupying themselves with one of those rubber balls that Alan had brought with him. Crossing his arms the Hunter couldn't resist shaking his head in annoyance. "Honestly…"

"Is everything alright Xesh?" Irene asked as she looked at her fellow Hunter. "Everyone seems to be having fun except you."

"That's because we're not supposed to be having fun." He grumbled as he glanced at the scarlet haired women. "This is supposed to be a swimming lesson, and yet here the brats are, treating it like a day off."

"It might as well be." Irene stated as she settled next to her counterpart. "We don't use the lake often, and they've been working hard these past few months." Her eyes glanced over to Erza as she threw the ball over to another of the kids. "They've earned a break."

"We're spoiling them."

"Maybe we are, but they are still kids, we're allowed to spoil them a bit." Irene stated as she smiled. "And they need to understand there's more to life than being a Hunter."

"Yeah, but this is a Hunter's school." Xesh countered. "We're teaching them to be our successor generation, and we have to take this seriously."

"And we are." Irene stated. "We train them as well and as hard as we can, but without a bit of rest and respite, the training can be more detrimental than helpful in the long run." She muttered as she watched the children play. "There has to be a balance between work and rest." She told him. "Besides." She stated as she got to her feet, watching someone call her over. "It's such a nice day out, don't you think?"

"Maybe." Xesh muttered as he leaned back and rested on the grass. "Still not how I'd rather be spending it." Irene couldn't help but smile at her counterpart.

"Believe me, I'm aware."