Arcane Hierophant maybe? Your companions become Familiar Companions. It's in Races of the Wild. Requires casting level 2 arcane spells, but there are a good number of ways around that, just look for the handbook in a google search. Best of all it could be done with a 1 level dip, so something like Marshal 2/Druid 3/Wizard 1 or 3 (Depending if your DM lets the shenanigans for early entry)/Arcane Hierophant 1/Beastmaster.