The zoo employer continues:
"We can restore you to your sex, but you'll have to be an animal."
"An Animal?!?" you scream.
"Sorry, that's how it works. You can choose to remain a human, though. Albeit a human woman," explained the female employee. "The choice is yours."
"But..."
You think about it. Being a woman... As a male, it sounds gross, just as the reverse would be for a woman, forced to be a man. Plus, not only you don't know how to act like a girl, but the prospect of monthly periods, risks of pregnancy and different lifestyle chills you to the bone. Better check out the other option.
"What sort of animal?"
"About any you might want. You can stay at the zoo. If you chose to be a domestic animal, you can be part of the petting zoo or do tricks."
"But... What about my mind?" you ask. "Will it stay human?"
" 'Don't know. The mind is so complex, it's hard to know. I suppose it depends a lot on different factors but it's impossible to predict."
You ponder your situation. You don't have much of a choice.
"So? What will it be?" asks the employee in a neutral tone.
"I'll... I chose to be an animal. As long as I'm male..."
"What animal would you like to become? Think carefully."
"Something wild. Something powerful," you say quickly. "Something virile. The jock of the animal world."
You want to be an animal you never could be in your life before. And being a woman made you want to be an animal irradiating testosterone to forget the awful experience. It was a chance to finally be what you wanted to be back when you were a human male. You continue on this train of thought.
"A bear. Or a lion. Or a massive gorilla. Or... A lion! That's it! I want to be a gigantic lion!"
The employee's eyes shine.
"Sounds good! We have a few females so we can arrange for you to have your own pride. Besides, it's an endangered species so that would help out a lot. People will flock to see you and you'll become an important attraction."
She then says she will go and prepare a syringe to then inject you so you'll wake up a lion. As she leaves you on your own, you ponder. Yes, the more you think about, the more this choice sounds perfect! The lady even said you'd get your own pride! Like a harem! There would not even be other males to try dethroning you, like in the wild. You would just mate, eat, see cubs get raised while females did all the work! You'd just roar and be impressive for crowds to gape at you in awe.
As you were daydreaming, the employee returned with a syringe.
"Okay, this will turn you into a lion. Just relax and when you wake up, you'll be in your new enclosure."
You smile as you close your eyes after getting injected, overtaken by sleep. You'd been in a nightmare but soon, you'd wake up in a dream world, living a wonderful life.