After Kanan's contract with the Bubble Spider, the next few days passed quickly.
The spider hadn't woken up since the contract was made. It spent its time recovering in Kanan's beast space, only coming out briefly each day for treatment. Kanan worried for the little thing, but Argana assured him it was recovering well.
Meanwhile, Kanan had spent nearly all of his time immersed in meditation. It was the first thing that Argana taught him — the most basic way to cultivate spiritual energy. She had assured him that increasing his spiritual reserves would benefit the Bubble Spider's recovery.
In addition to that, he had to make up for lost time. Kanan was already eleven, while children of established taming families might start meditating as early as five years old. The fruits had narrowed the gap a bit, but he still had a ways to go.
Argana planned to teach him more than that, of course, but she needed time to prepare. It wouldn't be too late to begin his training in earnest once the spider was fully recovered.
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Sitting cross-legged in the yard, Kanan's brow furrowed. His mind had wandered. The meditation that Argana taught him may have been the easiest, most basic method, but the boy had never tempered his focus. The village's schooling wasn't extensive and the lessons were lax. There was no need to drill patience into children who would inevitably go on to do active, physical work.
Nevertheless, Kanan was determined. He knew that this training was his only chance to experience the wider world. If he was worse than others then he would simply need to try twice as hard.
It was still difficult, though. He sighed inwardly.
Straightening his back and calming his mind, Kanan got back to practice. He carefully guided the energy through his body, moving it as Argana had taught him, refining it a little bit with each circulation. With each trip through his body the purity increased, more energy was able to be drawn in, and his reserves slowly increased. Argana had told him there were more efficient methods and pathways, but he still lacked the necessary knowledge and control for now.
Only a few minutes after resuming, Kanan's meditation was interrupted once again. It started with a nagging feeling in his mind. A small sense of pressure, like a thread tugging on his consciousness. Then, out of nowhere, he was hit by a storm of emotion. Along the thread came a torrent of positivity, forcing itself into his mind unbidden.
Clearly, something was wrong. Worried that he had made a terrible mistake in his meditation, Kanan cried out in alarm.
"Argana, help!"
The old woman was in the house when she heard the call, preparing teaching materials for the boy. Startled by the cry she summoned Melle and rushed outside, fearing that the boy was in danger. Upon seeing that he was alone and unharmed, she let out a sigh of relief.
"What is it boy? You're not going to tell me this was a prank, are you?" She narrowed her eyes. If Kanan really was up to mischief, slacking on his cultivation already, then she feared she had misjudged him.
Kanan didn't notice her thoughts, still alarmed. The irregular presence still sat within his consciousness, though the feelings of happiness had shifted into worry. Voice full of panic, explained his state to Argana.
"Irregular emotions?" Argana pondered out loud. "A mistake in meditation shouldn't cause that. Not at this stage, anyway."
Puzzled, she thought for a moment before coming to a realization. Her expression shifted rapidly, going from confusion to understanding, and from understanding to amusement.
"Boy, why don't you summon your little friend," she said with a smirk.
Kanan didn't understand, but he obeyed. He drew the spider out of the beast space, letting it materialize in front of him.
Chikchikchikchikchik!
To his surprise, the spider was not sleeping as he had expected. It bounced around in excitement, its front legs raised in the air. Chirping happily, it danced in circles around Kanan's feet.
Kanan didn't know what it was saying, but its feelings were conveyed to him through a familiar sensation. He understood why Argana had asked him to bring the little one out.
"Those were his thoughts? I didn't expect we would feel so… connected," said Kanan.
Argana smirked. "Not his, hers. This little one is female. But to answer your question, yes. It's quite common for novice tamers to feel overwhelmed by their beast's emotions, but usually it's not usually such a surprising event. In most places a tamer's connection to their beast is common knowledge, so I overlooked the need to teach you about it. You have much to learn, boy."
"Well, all in good time," Argana continued. "Now that your friend has awoken, it's about time we move on to teaching you properly. Still, there's something that you need to do before that, isn't there boy?"
The spider stopped bouncing around and looked at Kanan in anticipation. But the boy himself stared blankly, unsure about what Argana meant.
Argana snorted, giving him a judgemental side-eye. "You're not planning on calling it "little spider" forever, are you?"
Kanan's face lit up in understanding. A name! He hadn't given it much consideration. Originally he planned on giving it a cool, strong name, but looking at the little thing bouncing around that decision seemed like a poor one.
What's cute and spidery? Bubbles? Chikchik?
He put his head down, spending several minutes deep in thought.
Finally, Kanan's mind wandered to the scene of the spider giving him fruit. He looked up, confident. He had found the perfect name.
"I'll call her Popples!" Kanan exclaimed proudly. His favorite food! And it even had "pop," like a bubble.
Argana's mouth hung open, and tears welled up in the Bubble Spider's eyes. Sadness and rejection flowed into Kanan's mind. It had been so excited to get a name, but Popples was a bit…
"Boy." Argana's voice came out, dripping with disappointment. "You spent all that time thinking, and that's the name you came up with?"
Embarrassed, Kanan defended himself. "It's not that bad! Just because the two of you don't like it doesn't mean anything. I'm sure other people would understand!"
Argana brought her hand to her face, sighing. "At least compromise for the beast's sake, boy. How about calling her Poppy?"
The spider perked up, clearly happier with that name.
Seeing its attitude, Kanan relented. It was the spider's name after all. "Fine," he said sulkily. "Popples is still better though."
Argana clapped her hands together, relieved. "That settles it. Congratulations on your new name, Poppy. And boy?"
Kanan was still sulking, drawing circles in the dirt. "What is it?" He muttered.
"In the future, when you tame more beasts, remember this," continued Argana. "You absolutely must not name them yourself."
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Poppy's awakening signaled the beginning of Kanan's lessons. He sat across from her, watching as she heaved a massive stack of books and papers onto the table in front of him, dropping them with a thud.
"These, boy, are what I've been preparing for you these past few days. Everything that you need to know about taming lies within these pages. In addition to your meditation, you will be memorizing the contents every day until you know it like the back of your hand."
Kanan appraised the pile, daunted. Just how long would it take him to get through all of that? He had never read that many books in his life, let alone memorize them.
"Lady Argana," he paused, choosing his next words carefully. "It's not that I doubt what you're saying, but is all of this really necessary? Isn't taming a hands-on job? Traveling, battling, and training with your beasts? We haven't even fought another beast yet."
He looked at Poppy for affirmation but the little spider just stared back, blowing bubbles idly. Across from him, Argana scowled.
"You want to battle first, huh? Maybe go back to the forest where the two of you almost died just a few days ago? Tell me boy, do you know how a Bubble Spider fights? Do you know what attacks wild beasts use? Do you think you're safe from the wild beasts' attacks just because you have a companion now?"
The old woman lectured Kanan, spitting her words out angrily.
"No, you don't. You don't know anything. Don't think that you're a beast tamer just because you have a beast. Your reckless attitude is going to get both you and your little spider friend here killed."
She stood up and slammed the table with her fist, causing papers to go flying. Startled, Poppy dove under Kanan's chair, hiding between his legs.
Taking note of the spider's reaction, Argana calmed herself and slid back into her chair, sighing. As if on cue, Melle emerged from the kitchen door and silently started picking up the fallen papers, placing them neatly back onto the table.
Argana acknowledged Melle with a nod and continued.
"Furthermore, not all beast tamers like to battle, boy. Tamers come in all sorts, and many of them don't even work in spirit beast related fields. For most, beasts are more like friends or family that help them with their work or at home. Spirit beasts are used in all walks of life, living side by side with humans. Choosing that route is also an option, if you wish. Moving to a city and finding a career is a respectable decision."
Kanan shook his head. If he had wanted to settle down, there was no reason to leave the village anymore. With Poppy around, he could safely work the fields outside of the town walls, making a solid living for himself. But he wanted more.
Argana wasn't surprised by his refusal.
"Aside from the common people, there are also different categories for professional beast tamers. The most plentiful are trainers. These are the tamers you're thinking of — they make their living through battle. Among them, the best are able to profit through competition, fighting one another for prize money and fame."
"Most are not at that level, though. Generally, professional trainers are more akin to freelancers. They do odd jobs utilizing their beasts' skills, or they venture into the wilderness to bring back valuable materials. There are many areas that require spirit beasts to safely explore, and we call the most dangerous of these the beast territories. You're already familiar with one: Melody Forest, where you found Poppy, is an F-Rank beast territory. The lowest, safest rank, but dangerous nonetheless."
Her words caused Kanan to gasp in shock. If Melody Forest was the safest type of beast territory, how terrifying could the higher ranks be?
"I have a question," Kanan spoke up. "Melody Forest is already so dangerous, how do trainers explore the higher ranked areas? Surely their beasts can't protect them all the time, right? Humans are so fragile, if one attack gets through that's it."
Agartha smiled mischievously, grabbing a book off the table.
"Well, you see boy…" She began.
Without warning, she suddenly threw the book in her hand, launching it across the table and straight at Kanan's head. His hand shot out, grabbing the book reflexively. Shocked, he raised his voice.
"What the hell! What did you do that for?!"
Argana cackled, reveling in his surprise.
"You caught it, didn't you boy? Don't get your drawers in a knot. Think about what just happened, do you think that you could have caught that if I had thrown it at you yesterday?"
Kanan considered the question. Her words were true: she had thrown the book from only a few feet away and he had been totally unprepared. The fact that he managed to catch it was nothing short of a miracle..
"So what are you saying?" he asked.
"Beast tamers aren't like normal people, boy," explained Argana. "We're faster, tougher, and longer-lived. As our beasts get stronger, so do we. A strong tamer is a superhuman, no weaker than some of the beasts themselves. There are other benefits as well, but you'll learn about those in time."
The explanation cleared up many of the mysteries surrounding Argana. Kanan had been holding back out of respect for her privacy, but her appearance really was too strange. How could someone who had traveled the world and retired look so young? And how had she effortlessly carried that mountain of books at her age? If beast tamers were superhumans as she said then it all made sense.
"I understand," the boy spoke. "So, what about the other categories?"
Argana thought for a moment.
"Well, there are three others, but I think you could separate them into two main categories. You have stars, who participate in spirit contests. Stars are performers who use their beasts to put on performances. They prioritize the beauty and mastery of their moves over raw power, but much like trainers their focus is on raising their beasts."
"Then you have the research-oriented professions, professors and breeders. The former are data specialists: they investigate all things spirit beast-related. Fields involving spiritual materials, beast territories, and equipment for spirit beasts are all researched by professors. Most are specialists, though, devoting themselves to a single field of study."
"Breeders, on the other hand, focus on the biological aspects of spirit beasts. Some develop beast food or medicine, while others research how to raise and care for spirit beasts in order to bring out their maximum potential."
"This is the category I fall into," she added. "Melle and I specialize in healing and treatment. We're no good in a fight."
Kanan nodded, thinking that it made sense. Argana was the town's herbalist, while Melle's healing ability was truly incredible.
"Don't misunderstand though," Argana went on. "Every competent beast tamer knows the basics of the other categories, especially trainers. Every trainer needs to be able to heal their beast in an emergency, or be able to find food in the wild."
Argana narrowed her eyes, looking at Kanan as if he were prey.
"And you, boy, are no exception. You're in my care now. Don't even think about setting off until I've hammered every last bit of knowledge I have into you. You're not going anywhere until you can proudly call yourself a tamer."
"Now then, shall we begin?" She grabbed one of the books from the stack, sliding it in front of Kanan. It was a thick book, several inches wide, and the title read "Introduction to Spiritual Plants: An Illustrated Guide."
Kanan groaned. Beneath him Poppy patted his leg in comfort, causing him to smile.
"Thanks Poppy. At least I've got you. We'll read this together."
Poppy looked at him, her eyes full of confusion. She turned towards the tower of books, then back at Kanan.
He wanted her to study with him?
Removing her leg, Poppy scuttled backwards. With an apologetic face, she turned away and transformed into blue light, re-entering the beast space.
Kanan's expression darkened. He tried to pull her back out but was met with resistance. The only thing that came from the beast space was Poppy's feelings of pity.