Their mouth and nose fused together, hardening, and for a moment they couldn’t breathe. Then the stiff front of their face curved and split open again, allowing them a breath of cold air.

A prickling sensation spread across their body. They looked down - short, brown hairs sprouted from their skin all over their torso and limbs, and white feathers had begun to cover their neck and chest. An itchiness all over their head told them that the feathers had begun to grow there, too.

Something jerked both of their shoulders backwards at the same time the joints of their legs suddenly shifted and stretched. They stumbled forward, their hands melting into tough yellow talons just in time to catch their fall. The weight of new growth settled onto their back, and they shook themself, catching glimpse of long, white feathers out of the corner of their eyes - their eyes which now brought the world into sharper, closer, more vibrant image than ever before.

They had no mirror here in the cave, but as they stretched their wings and flicked their tufted tail in the air behind them, they knew the transformation was complete. They were a gryphon, as the witch had promised.