<span class="bbc_u"><strong>Day Zero</strong></span><br/><br/>The students had it tough to get into Avalanche. Like any Hunter academy worth its name, there was a process to apply. The first part all students had to deal with was a written test. This tested them on their mathematical, linguistic, scientific, and historical knowledge; both local and world history. There were a combination of multiple choice questions, fill in the blanks, and several open response questions. There were also sections of the written exam to test someones knowledge of Grimm, and the fundamentals of combat. This was done in a classroom, and was overseen by the Headmaster himself, who ensured there was no cheating.<br/><br/>This was probably the boring part, but it was important. Knowledge was power, after all.  Afterwards, though, came the real meat of the test, the practical skills exam.<br/><br/>Students were tested on their ability to name local plant life, to display proper usage of cold gear, emergency shelter building in case of a storm, trailblazing, map-reading, the use of navigational tools, how to properly install and remove Fire Stones from Ice Wells, as well as nearly a dozen other survival skills. After all, if they couldn't survive in the wilderness on its own, how in the hell would they deal with the Grimm in the wild? This testing period was overseen by Enya.<br/><br/>And yes, the practical skills portion of the exam included combat. Two forms of combat, to be precise. Armina got to oversee this portion of the testing; first, pitting the prospective units against captured Beowolf's. Sure, as far as Grimm go, they were the 'easy' ones, the wimps. It wasn't so much about gauging a persons raw capacity, but gauging their fighting aptitude and attitude. Then, Armina had the distinct pleasure of dueling with students, and given her occupation and her years of experience, most likely trouncing each and every one of the challengers.<br/><br/>Of course, failing to beat the combat instructor wasn't a negative in itself. It was, once again, gauging their aptitude and attitude.<br/><br/>After a long and grueling day of testing, the new prospective students were looked over by 'Professor T', who was serving as a nurse and physician, in addition to everything else she did. They got to get a physical exam, and they were questioned as to medical history and the like. There was also a lot of perhaps unnecessary poking, prodding, pulling, and tugging on limbs, and cryptic comments about posture and flexibility. And yes, yes, she did wear her bone attire, helmet and all, so that was probably a wild encounter for most students.<br/><br/>Finally,<em>finally,</em>the prospective students were ushered into the cafeteria to have lunch. They were seated at their own table, separated from the currently attending students. After a filling meal of fish stew (A traditional food of Eis), bread, and water or tea, they would once again be ushered off to a wide open area, where they would get to spend the night in something of a sleep over. This was just for the first night; the faculty had to convene, and discuss the test results, weed out any unacceptable candidates, and then determine the team placement; and who was best to be leader....<br/><br/><strong><span class="bbc_u">Day One</span></strong><br/>When morning came, the new students were roused by the ringing of a bell tower. They were immediately shuffled off to breakfast, which had a nice selection of meats, toast and a variety of imported jams to go with it, eggs, smoked kippers, water or tea.... well, needless to say, no student would go hungry for long. The school always had plentiful amounts of food.<br/><br/>But at the end of breakfast, when the bell rang out again to signal the beginning of first class of the day, there was a pause. Headmaster Vainamoinen walked into the cafeteria, his staff clacking against the ground as he did so. He only barely leaned on it; he was not yet infirm enough to truly need its support, though it did help cover up a bad limp he had.<br/><strong><br/>"Students,"</strong>he begins,<strong>"You have all worked hard to reach this day, I am sure. However, nonetheless, there are a few of you who did not meet our requirements. You may gather your things and leave, and feel free to apply next year."</strong>He would then list off a name of four students; that was out of 20 applicants.<br/><br/><strong>"The rest of you,"</strong>he starts again, addressing the new students; even though the older ones linger, watching.<strong>"Some of you have done exemplary jobs. Some of you barely got in by your teeth. I salute you all, brave combatants, for your dedication and willingness."</strong>There was a pause, as he drank a bit of water.<strong>"Without further delay, I will begin the assignment of teams. When I call your name, please come up and to my<span class="bbc_u"> left</span> side."</strong><br/><br/>At this point, he took out a Scroll, one of those neat-looking, folding pieces of tech that worked very much like a PDA. He cleared his throat, and began to speak again, his voice holding a calm, yet authoritative, tone.<strong>"Welkin Graham. Mori Koji. Tahira Atemu. Tamika Ming. Please, come forward."</strong>He would wait for the students to come up. Once they were there, he would look them over keenly.<br/><br/><strong>"You are the first team to be assembled of this new school year. You are now recognized as  team Wild Marmet (WMTT), led by Welkin Graham."</strong>At this point, there would be a small round of clapping, cheering, and welcoming.<strong>"Mister Graham, I am sure I do not need to say it, but as leader, you are responsible for the well being of your team.  Remember that leadership is a burden, at times, but it is one that you can not falter with. In the field, your team mates may live or die because of your commands. We have chosen you, because we feel you have good potential as a leader."</strong>He was uncharacteristically stern as he said this.<br/><br/><strong>"You must also bear the burden of ensuring that they follow the rules, and attend all their classes; that should be easy, since your schedules will be the same. Your first class of the day is combat with Professor Armina Horowitz."</strong>They would then be ushered along, back to their seats. After all, there were more teams to be formed.<br/><br/><strong>"Now,"</strong>again, he would consult his Scroll,<strong>"Caden Walker.  Luna Mauve. Willum Wildfang. Charlotte Faylinn. Please, come forward."</strong>Like before, he would wait for them to come up.<strong>"You are our second team of the year, but you are no more and no less important than the first. You are hereby christened with the team name Clay Dewclaw (CWLC), led by Caden Walker."</strong><br/><br/><strong>"Young man,"</strong>He would address Caden, as there was another cheer; and maybe a bit of laughter. Team names were usually a bit on the silly sounding side, but it seems like Vainamoinen was being particularly playful this year; that, or really wracking his brain for good names, and coming up short. Who knows.<strong>"As I told Graham before you, you have an obligation to your team. You have been chosen, because we have confidence in your ability. Your first class will be Healing Arts, with Professor Tajeddigt. Good luck."</strong><br/><br/>And again, the students would be ushered to their seats. There were a few more teams to announce, and the formula remains the same; the names, too, are more or less just as silly. And eventually, the honors would be done and over with; and the students ushered off to their class. They would be heading to their first class of the day; even though said class will be running a bit shorter than usual, due to the team formation 'ceremony'.