"Your job will make you a guardian of paths and entryways. When prepared to begin your new vocation, please clock in using the included timecard. We anticipate great things from you."
Timecard? You shook the envelope and out fell a very basic-looking timecard. In fact, it was so basic that it wasn't one you would operate with a machine, but one where you would write in the time at which you started work. You looked at the timecard and the letter, even shook out the envelope for good measure, but there were no further instructions. Well, maybe something would happen before you started work tomorrow.
You woke up and dressed up for work, but nothing had changed from the night before when you received the letter. No one called, there were no directions of where to go or who to see. You didn't want to be accused of not being prepared on time, and since the only instructions were to clock in, when the clock reached 8 AM, you immediately wrote that down on the card and put down your pen. No one appeared in a poof of smoke, so you wondered if you did something wrong.
Suddenly, you felt weird. There was an itching between your shoulder blades, which soon turned into a throbbing. Before you could remove your shirt and bra to see what was wrong, the sensation spread to the bottom of your spine. You collapsed to the floor, writhing in discomfort. You were so shaken up, it didn't even register when your clothes began to rip. Something tore through the shirt on your back, and a moment later, the seat of your pants. The aching and ripping and throbbing continued, spreading all of your body. Finally, it stopped, and you found yourself panting in exhaustion.
You opened your clenched eyes slowly, then looked down to see...fur. Tawny, golden, thick fur. And below that, huge paws. Your eyes widened as you glanced over your muscly, furred shoulder to see feathers. Feathery wings! And below that...a tail? Maneuvering yourself up, you realized your entire body below your neck is that of a four-legged mammal. In fact, apart from the huge wings, it looked almost like that of a lioness. Gingerly, you stood on all fours and looked across the room at your reflection. Since you couldn't see a muzzle, your reflection confirmed that your head was still that of a human. However, everything below that was changed. It seemed incredible, but it looked like you were...a sphinx?
Before you had time to get your mind around the idea, everything around you seemed to waver and ripple. You stood still, confused. When your surroundings became clearer, you suddenly realized you were...