Despite the poor conditions Mark slept deeply once he drifted off. The sound of chattering voices woke him at dawn. "What a nightmare." Mark thought, his eyes still closed. His brow wrinkled as he heard a voice listing off names and barking orders. He shifted in place and felt the soft give of sand beneath his body. Mark's eyes snapped open in horror at the realization that the events of yesterday weren't a dream. He had shifted position in his sleep. No longer were his arms and legs splayed out around him. Instead, Mark discovered that they were tucked under his body and he was curled up much like a dog.

At the end of the corridor, the gate leading to the courtyard creaked open and a group of young Beast Tamers strode into the room. Most of them were dressed in the white clothes of a Novice. The oldest ones were around Mark's own age of fifteen, about half of them were even a year or two younger. Alongside them were two apprentices and a pair of older journeymen. The older novices split away from the group and headed towards Barry and Drew's cages. The apprentices grabbed the chains and detached it from the floor with practiced ease and lead the older pair of half beasts out into the hall.

"Come Slithers." The apprentice leading Drew away, clicked his tongue. "Time for some exercise." As the pair were lead down the corridor and out into the courtyard, the novices they left behind got to work. Mark stared at the one in Drew's stalls as she grabbed a long rake and began combing through the sandpit. Every time she found a lump she would scoop it up and toss it into the bucket beside her. The action was familiar to Mark, and he realized she was cleaning the sandpit in much the same way one would clean their cat's litterbox.

On the far side of Drew's stall, was a stall filled with supplies just like the one next to Mark. He noticed that the stalls were laid out in rows of four on either side of the corridor. With supply stalls or tack rooms, on either end and a pair of cells in the middle. A second novice was in Drew's tack room. First, he touched a hand to the wall, opening a gap near the bottom of the force field, before reaching down and tugging the feeding trough into the tack room and filling it with some sort of steaming mix of meat and vegetables. Once the trough was full he pushed it back through the force field and touched the shield, causing the transparent wall to solidify once again. After that, he tapped a finger to the water tank causing a hole to open and the red liquid to pour out and down a drain. The novice filled and emptied the tank with water three times, rinsing it out thoroughly. A second tap on the tank closed the hole and he filled it with water one last time and tossed in a series of large tablets. The tablets fizzed and dissolved into the water, causing it to take on its original crimson hue.

The stone walls on either end of the corridor boxed in their field of vision. If Mark looked to his right he could see the courtyard that was filling up with blue and green garbed Beast Tamer's leading half beasts away from their stalls. To his left, the corridor ended at what looked like a stone building. Mark wondered idly what its purpose was. His attention was drawn back to the remaining Beast Tamers. The younger novices had all grouped up around the journeymen, listening to their speech.

"Alright, you six will be split into teams of three and will be charged with caring for the new animals. Derrik, Harkon, and Jasmine you'll be looking after 91364. Make sure you note any further changes in their physiology. Any behavioural issues should be reported to Journeyman Riley." The journeyman that was speaking jabbed a finger at the black-haired woman beside him. "She'll decide if it is a desired trait and what measures need to be taken to discourage or reinforce such behaviour. Sasha, Mina, and Talin you three will be caring for 91161. Again, note any changes in physiology and inform me of behavioural issues. I am Journeyman Valda."

Journeyman Riley continued Valda's speech. "Each team of novices will be in charge of three aspects of care for your animals. That would be feeding and watering, cleaning the stall, and grooming. You will be expected to rotate duties so that no one spends too much time on shit duty. For now, training and exercise will be handled by the two of us. When we determine what class of magical beast we are dealing with, that may change. Low-class beasts can be handled by novices like you, in which case a fourth member will be added to your teams. If it's a middle-class beast then an apprentice will take over for us. If we are so lucky as to be caring for a high-class animal then we will continue handling their training. Any questions?"

One of the boys raised his hand. "What are the odds of ending up with a low-class beast?"

"It's about a twenty-five percent chance Derrik," Valda answered the boy. "We're lucky to be working with the reptiles, the feline and canine sections have a sixty percent chance to produce a low-class beast."

"Where are all the girls?" A novice with bouncy blonde curls asked curiously.

"The females are kept in a different paddock Novice Sasha," Riley stressed the word female. "In the stables, we separate the magical beast first by their type and then by their gender. Males are stabled in Paddocks B, D, F, etc... Females are stabled in Paddocks A, C, E, and so on."

A second girl, with long silky black hair, raised her hand. "I know the collars are enchanted to discourage humanistic behaviour and disobedience. But won't the electricity damage their bodies?"

Valda smiled. "A very good question Miss Mina. The answer is no, it won't harm them. The collars are designed to interface with the nervous system and the mind. When they sense what we consider bad behaviour they activate the body's pain receptors. It's a sort of phantom pain. So you see they aren't actually being electrocuted it just feels like they are. Of course, there are degrees of punishment. Any attempt at self-harm, for example, will result in enough pain to knock them unconscious on the spot. Before we developed the collars a certain number of animals would commit suicide every year. That is no longer a problem."

Riley clapped her hands together. "Now that we're done with questions lets get to know our new pets shall we?" The woman herded her trio of novices into Jake's stall. The poor boy had backed up into the corner as far as his chain would allow him.

Valda had brought his own trio, two girls and a boy towards Mark's stall. The Journeyman looked down at a clipboard he was holding. "Before we enter the stall lets see what the profile says about this beast. Number: 91161, Designation: None, Gender: Male, Genus: Reptilia, Species: Unknown. Physical Changes Stage 1: Hip and shoulder joints have shifted position to better accommodate the gate of a quadruped. So we know it's probably not going to be a snake of any sort. The spinal cord has begun to lengthen, and there is evidence of a tail beginning to grow. Lastly, the vocal cords have begun to change causing its voice to be deeper, raspier, and more animalistic. Now, what does that tell us?" The Journeyman asked his novices.

The sole boy in the trio, a redhead, raised his hand. "It means that it won't be able to speak soon?"

"Correct Talin. Once the vocal cords begin to transform the animal in question has a harder time managing human speech and will shortly lose the ability altogether. Generally, this occurs within a year of the vocal cords beginning to change. Although the more they use their voice, the quicker the change occurs." Valda smiled at the boy in approval.

Within the stall, Mark heard every word that was said. His jaws snapped shut and he clutched at his throat in dread as the words sank in. He was already growling and snarling like a beast, and soon enough that would be all he could do. As Valda finished speaking, he entered the stall and unclipped the chain from the floor. "Let's get some hands-on experience." He declared tugging at Mark's chain. He led the boy out of the stall and turned in the opposite direction from the courtyard leading them into the stone building at the end. The novices trailed behind them like ducklings after their mother.

The interior of the building was white with one long bar running down the center. It looked like a miniature version of the hall where their clothes had been cut off of them. Jake's chain had already been clipped to the bar and his limbs secured. On the other side of the bar, two more boys had been secured, Mark noticed a second door on that side and realized they must have been brought in from another pen. Those boys both sported flaking skin, revealing a layer of hide that was growing beneath the skin. The boy on the right had grey spots showing where his skin had peeled off, while the boy on Mark's left sported green patches.

As Mark was clipped to the bar and his limbs shackled to the floor once again Valda continued to lecture his novices. "Today we are going to get to know our new charge and fill out more of its profile. We need to get the current weight and measurements of 91161 so we have a starting point. Once a week you will check to see if it has gained or lost weight, shrunk or grown, and note any changes in its profile. Getting its weight is quite easy, there are sensors embedded in the limb shackles so we just need to call up the enchantment." Valda tapped the bar and a screen of light appeared showing a series of numbers. The journeyman looked down at his clipboard and wrote down the results. "Weight 56 kilograms. Now, you two girls take this measuring cord. Talin could you take the clipboard?

The boy took the clipboard and looked down at the chart. "Height, floor to shoulders." He called out. Sasha and Mina began measuring Mark, calling out numbers for Talin to note down. In response, Talin would call out the next measurement.

"Length, nose to tail... Journeyman Valda, he doesn't have a tail." Talin said.

"But it is growing one. This measurement is for total length so you don't need to worry about it." Valda reassured the boy. The girls moved, calling out the results and they continued on with their task.

"Shoulder width."

"Waist girth."

"Left foreleg length."

"Right foreleg length."

At first, Mark leaned away from the impersonal touch of the girls. However, every time he did the collar would set off another round of pain. Eventually, he just remained still with his head hung low, numbed to the injustice of the situation. Mark looked up as they began to measure his head. His eyes widened in recognition as he got his first good look at the novice with the blonde curls. He had thought she just had the same name but it really was Sasha. The same Sasha from their year whose magic had manifested six months ago.

"Sasha?" He cried. "What are you doing here? Can't you see what sort of monsters these people are? They did this to your sister too you know!?"

For the first time, Sasha really looked at 91161. "You're, Mark right?" She tilted her head to the side.

The second the words slipped out her mouth Valda snapped at her. "That is enough Novice Sasha. 91161 hasn't been given a designation yet. The name it used when it was human no longer applies. I know you were taken from the trainees when your magic manifested. Talin and Mina are at least third-generation Beast Tamers. They know the rules. I take it you knew 91161 as a trainee?"

"Yes, sir. We were in the same class until I manifested my magic six months ago. I apologize for forgetting myself." Sasha bowed her head.

Valda studied the fourteen-year-old and nodded in satisfaction. "So long as this does not happen again. If it does you will have to be transferred to a different team. One you weren't acquainted with in your training. Now, what was that about your sister?"

"I have a twin sister, Journeyman Valda. We were both recruited from the borderlands. My magic manifested, Natalia's didn't." She answered briefly, her eyes downcast.

"I see. I suppose it would be more accurate to say that you had a twin sister. Everyone who failed to manifest from your year was put through the awakening ceremony yesterday. No one backed out. Don't let your grief get in the way of advancing your profession."

"Yes, sir. It won't happen again." Sasha nodded resolutely.

Shocked, Mark stared at her. Sasha was still the bubbly, sweet-natured, slightly vain girl he used to know. But over the course of six months, her empathy had been utterly subsumed. Grief, Valda had called it and Sasha agreed. Treating her sister as though she had already died. After the brief interlude, the novices finished taking Mark's measurements and Talin returned the clipboard to Valda.

"Alright, you three. Now that we've taken 91161's measurements. Let's give it it's first grooming, and don't forget to shave it. As a reptile, it's going to lose all of its hair when its hide comes in anyway, best to get it over with now. " Valda declared.

What followed was the most humiliating experience Mark had ever had. Sure they had treated him like an animal for the past day but this was somehow worse. They were bathing him like a dog. Buckets of soapy water sluiced off of Mark's back. His ears were washed, fingernails cleaned, and they even had the gall to wash his privates. Mark crouched down on the floor, his face flushed bright red. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut. Somehow not having to watch what they were doing to him made the situation more bearable. When all the dirt and sand were washed off of him they soaked cloths in some sort of dark brown potion and rubbed it all over, allowing the potion to seep into his skin. One of the Novices shortened the chain, forcing Mark to stretch out his neck and keep it perfectly still. His eyes snapped open as the buzz of a razor echoed in the room. They began running it over his head, shaving him. Mark watched in despair as locks of light brown hair drifted to the ground.

***

Similar scenes were playing out all throughout the warren of stables that housed the animals, all in various stages of transformation. Those familiars that had completed the transition from human to animal were housed in another complex. One accessible to the trainees so that they could get some hands-on training. Unaware that their own fate was to become exactly like the very beasts they tended. In the avian section, a girl, her dark hair changed into feathers, was laying on a swaying platform suspended from chains. The floor of her cage was covered in foot deep water. The cages next to her had a similar setup but the older more animalistic beasts had smaller platforms. One of them had the water drained from the floor and a wooden pillar was placed in the room fake branches jutting out at intervals for the brightly plumed harpy to perch on.

The aquatic area had larger cages, separated into sections. A dry area, a shallow channel to swim through, and a massive aquarium. A splash was heard as a boy was pushed back into the aquarium. He pushed up from the bottom, trying to surface but bars stopped him a foot from the surface. He was bald, his head newly shaven, on his neck slits for gills opened and closed taking in oxygen from the water. His hands and feet were webbed and his skin had taken on a slightly bluish tint.

The herbivore section was filled with the lowing of beasts. A boy sat on the corner of his straw-covered floor staring at his curled up hands. He tried to spread his fingers but his fists refused to cooperate. His fingers were fusing together and into his palms. The skin had slightly hardened, taking on a dark coloration. His feet were doing something similar, curling in on themselves. The boy faced the fact that he was growing hooves.

***

Valda chained Mark back up in his stall. The boy noticed that Drew and Barry had returned to their stalls. The pair both looked like they were sleeping, curled up on large dark stones in their stalls. Something Mark's own cage lacked. The Journeyman turned to Sasha, Mina, and Talin. "Now that we've gotten to know 91161 does anyone have a name for it? Remember the name can be changed easily since at this point we have no idea what sort of animal we've been put in charge of. At this point in their development, you should think of a designation that can be used as a term of endearment. A permanent name will be given once they have completed the transition to their animal form."

Mina's hand shot into the air. "Ooh! I know a good one. Let's call him Pet. It's easy to remember and we won't have to change it like we would if we, say called him Blackie and then he goes and develops a white coloration when his skin comes in. That happened to my sister with her first beast, except it was a dog, so fur."

"Any objections?" Valda queried the other two.

Sasha shrugged indifferently while Talin chuckled. "It's a bit of a pun, isn't it? The pet name for the pet is Pet. I like it."

"Alright. Pet it is." Valda noted the name down in 91161's profile. "You won't need to change his potion or clean out the pen until tomorrow morning so we'll feed him now and then the three of you can head off to lunch. I suggest you check your new schedules and work out who does what and when, while still leaving time for your classes." Valda moved into the tack room and showed them how to pull the feeding trough through the force field. He stepped up to one of the chests and opened it causing steam to waft into the air. "These lockboxes are spelled to keep their contents fresh. In the case of cooked food, it's like it came right out of the oven. Now, since Pet's digestive tract has yet to change he still needs to eat the same food as a human. So portion out some meat, bread, and a variety of veggies. Make sure you give him plenty, it won't go to waste."

The feeding trough was pushed back through the wall and Valda walked out of the pen. "Bye Pet." Mina stepped into the stall and scratched him behind his ear. "Make sure you eat lots. I'll come to check on you right after dinner." She closed the stall door behind her and raced to catch up with Talin and Sasha, humming cheerfully to herself. Today was such a great day. She got her very first real assignment. She was just sure he was going to turn into an absolutely magnificent Magical Animal.

When the courtyard gate closed behind them the only sound that could be heard was Jake's weeping from his stall. Not only had he been put through the same experience as Mark the skin on his back had begun to flake off exposing a hardened surface. The boy was also developing a hunch. Mark looked over and realized that some sort of shell was beginning to grow from Jake's back.

Barry looked over at the other boy. "Turtle." He declared, uttering only a single word. He was trying to slow down the transformation of his vocal cords and speak as little as possible. Mark immediately decided to follow suit.

"Or tortoise." Drew concurred. "Although, if Jake ends up becoming a turtle they'll probably change the sandpit for a swimming pool. He won't develop gills so they won't move him to the aquatic section." He looked over at Mark. "So two snakes in our pen, one turtle, and one... something. We still don't know what you're going to turn into."

"Does it really matter." Mark sighed. There was a sort of resigned fury in his voice. "Either way I won't be human anymore." He looked up at the transparent walls around him. In the light of day, he glimpsed his own distorted reflection. A silent mockery of what he was turning into.