Chapter 5: Confession

We laid on the bed in the afterglow of sex enjoying the warmth of each other's body. Annabel was like me in that she liked to cuddle after sex.

"How was it?" I asked.

"Oh wow! I didn't think it could be much more better than last night, but wow, I was so wrong."

I smiled. "I don't know if you know, but for women...it...uh gets better a few times after the first time."

"No, I didn't know that." she said feeling kind of ignorant. "I bet the other women you've been with knew that."

The moment she finished that statement I knew where this conversation was going. "Yeah, all the women know that. A lot of things in this world are centered on sex."

Annabel nervously played with the hair on my chest as she mustered the courage to ask the next question. "Aaron...how many women have you...uh mated with?"

And there it was. I so knew that would come up. "Two." I responded.

"Is that a lot?"

"Nowa days, definitely not. I know a lot of guys that sleep around. It's just not how I am. I'm guessing that your community is very reserved when it comes to sex."

"Yeah, but us younger ones are more curious and open to the world outside our community." Annabel responded with a little blush.

"Like the girlfriend you mentioned last night?" I asked.

Annabel smiled. "Oh definitely. Not many in our community like her too much. Most think she interacts with the outside world a little too much."

"Sounds like she's just a rebel to me. And what about you?"

"Well, we talk about things but I was never really interested in trying them on my own until you came here."

I was hesitant about asking my next question but I had to know. "Annabel, why did you decide to give yourself to me last night?"

Annabel propped herself up with her left arm and looked me in the eyes with a wide smile. "Well Aaron, you're the first person to ever really understand and accept me for who I am. You're courteous and kind and we share the same love for nature. I've never been around a man that makes me feel the way I do when I'm with you. The fact that you're an outsider doesn't matter to me at all. I realized in the field last night that I loved you. You are my first true love and I wanted you to be my first mate."

I smiled. "God I love you Annabel."

"I love you too Aaron. So much."

I leaned up and we kissed for a moment. When I pulled back a little and kind of glanced over her features, Annabel grew curious. "What's the matter?"

"You know, I don't know how old you are. I don't even know your last name."

Annabel smiled. "My last name is Chase."

"Annabel Chase, I like it. English right?" I inquired.

"Yeah, that's right. How did ya know?"

"I have an interest in ethnic backgrounds, uh where people's ancestors came from." I explained further when a confused look came over her face. "And what about your age?"

"My age; well, how old do ya think I am?" she asked with a grin.

I looked her over again and took a stab at it. "Hmmm, I'm gonna have to say 24."

"Oooo, older. Well, actually I'm 21. How about you?" she asked with an inquisitive smile.

"Take a guess."

"I don't know. I haven't met too many outsiders."

"And how many goat women do you think I know?" I asked as I laughed.

"OK, OK. I guess 25."

"Yes! Younger." I said happily.

"Really?!" exclaimed Annabel. "How old?"

"28." I said proudly.

"No, you can't be."

"Afraid so. Your mate is an old geezer."

Annabel put her right hand to the left side of face, caressing it. "Well I love you the way you are Aaron. It doesn't matter what your age is."

I smiled widely back at her. "Well it matters to me. I've landed a young hot chick! Robbing the cradle!"

A puzzled expression came across Annabel's face. "Robbing the cradle?"

"Yeah, it's an expression for someone that is dating or married to someone younger than them. It's kind of a joke."

"Oh, I get it. Kinda odd though."

"Yeah, it's not a very good joke." We looked longingly into each other's eyes for a moment when I recalled her beautiful singing voice in the shower. "Annabel, did you know you have a great singing voice?"

"Oh, I love to sing. I do it all the time."

"Yeah, but you're really good. I swear, if you didn't live way out here, you'd probably be a famous singer."

"Really? People are famous just for singing?"

"Oh yeah. Famous and rich. Don't you ever listen to the radio?"

"Yeah, sometimes. We can sometimes get a station or two. They play what they call old time country music. Do you listen to it?"

"Definitely not. I really don't like much country unless it's a mix of rock or pop."

"Rock or pop? What's that?"

I looked at her and shook my head. "Oh poor Annabel, you have no idea what you're missing out there in the world." I gently coaxed Annabel off of me and made my way to one of my backpacks. Unzipping one of the pouches, I pulled my iPod and earbuds out and returned to the bed. Annabel sat up, unsure of what I was doing. She stared at the small device as I activated it and scrolled my limited selection of country music.

"What's that?"

"Annabel, this is called an iPod. I can store thousands of songs on it and play them when ever I want."

"Wow! Really?! But it's so small."

I smiled, amused by just how simple life here really was. I handed her the earbuds and explained what to do with them. She put one in each ear and then kind of moved her head around as her goat ears twitched from the unusual sensation.

I smiled at her. "Don't worry, you'll get used to the feeling pretty quick. You won't even notice them after a few minutes." I jacked in my earbuds, put them in my ears, and laid down on my back in front of her so I could watch her reaction. Knowing without a doubt the she'd like country, I selected a Carrie Underwood song first and hit play. It was amazing to watch Annabel's eyes light up and her mouth open a bit in surprise like a little kid seeing their first decorated Christmas tree.

Annabel looked down at me in shock. "Wow! She is so beautiful! I've never heard anything so amazing in my life." When the song ended, I switched to Taylor Swift and she was completely blown away. Annabel closed her eyes and swayed subtly to the music. I just laid there and watched her. I loved seeing her so happy. When the song ended, I scrolled to some of my favs.

Annabel leaned in closer to watch me work the strange device. "What are we going to listen to now?" she asked.

"Well, not country. Like I said, country isn't my fav. We're going to roll into some pop, rap, and then some rock. Sound good?"

"Whatever you want my love. I'd love to hear what you listen to. Will I like it?"

"I don't know about that, but I guarantee they'll be like nothing you've ever heard before."

Annabel sat back up and listened intently as I started with what I figured would be some pretty extreme artists by this community's standards; Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Akon and then slid to some R&B with Alicia Keys. From there, I selected some rock and metal; Korn, Disturbed, and Orgy and then ended with classic rock; The Beatles, The Eagles, and Led Zeppelin. Annabel was amazed by the variety of music that she had been sheltered from. She smiled and occasionally laughed at me as I bopped my head around to the music and drummed to the beats with my hands. I even made the mistake of showing off my terrible singing voice at times when I occasionally sang along. Annabel just giggled as she mimicked some of the movements I made as I got into the music.

As the last song ended I got an idea that I had to act on. I got up and went back to my backpack. Annabel just watched curiously as I pulled out my laptop.

"What gadget are you gettin now?"

"This is my laptop." I responded as I searched for the nearest outlet. I wasn't sure if the battery still carried a charge, but I figured it would be good to charge it up regardless.

"What's a laptop?"

I looked over at Annabel as I thought about how to go about explaining the device. After all, I knew I couldn't just tell her it's a portable computer. "Uh...well...it's a..." I really struggled for a way to describe it on a level that she could relate to. I ended up just giving up. "It's something real cool." I plugged it in a sat next to her.

I moved the nightstand to the side of the bed so I could set up the laptop. I opened it and fired it up. Annabel watched in amazement as the 21st century gadget came to life in the midst of the early 20th century surroundings. "What does it do?" she asked as I logged in.

"It does a lot." Looking back up at her, I could tell my extremely simplistic answer was not satisfying her curiosity, so I let her have all she could handle. I listed the major tasks from the unfathomable number that I could complete in words she could grasp.

"Wow, all that from this little thing." she stated in utter disbelief.

"How about a pic of us? I'd like to have one."

"A pic?"

"Yeah, a picture."

I fired up the webcam and Annabel got excited like a little kid when the live video feed displayed on the screen. "Look! There we are!" she exclaimed as she waved her hand in front of the laptop to confirm that it was indeed her on the screen. "How is it doing that?"

I pointed to the tiny lens above the screen and she leaned in and examined it and then leaned back, shaking her head in amazement. "Are you ready to take the pic?" I asked.

"Like this?! We're naked!" she responded as she covered her breasts with the sheet.

"What? I love your breasts." I responded jokingly.

She smiled and hit me playfully. "Aaron, you will not have my breasts on that thing!"

"Alright." I said with some disappointment as I zoomed in close for a shoulders up shot.

"Much more better." she said as she relaxed. I couldn't help but notice the sheet falling back into her lap, exposing her breasts to my view. Annabel looked at me and then traced my downward gaze to her breasts. "You like them, don't you?" she asked as she smiled and looked back up at me.

"I think they are lovely and compliment your form quite well Annabel." I leaned in and kissed her lips subtly, but the moment she extended her tongue between my slightly parted lips, I knew this was going to be anything but a short kiss. My left hand slowly moved up her stomach to her right breast. I gently kneaded it erotically and Annabel quickly reacted with subtle moans of pleasure as we continued frenching. My body began to react as well, my member quickly hardening as another coupling seemed imminent. Annabel turned her head slightly to the right to break our lips' connection. I continued kissing on her cheek as she collected herself enough to speak.

"Uhhhhhh. If yur going to start this, you better be able to finish." she whispered coyly.

Without responding, I took her left hand with my right and led it to my almost fully erect cock. "Mmmm, well, I guess you are able." she said with a satisfied smile.

I moved my kisses down to her neck and she exhaled in satisfaction and tilted her head back to provide me easier access. I spent a few moments there as I slid my left hand, still working her right breast, over to her left one. I teased her nipple and it quickly became erect from my attention. I placed my right arm behind her and supported her as I slowly lowered her onto her back as I slid my tongue down to her left breast. I took her nipple into my mouth, first teasing it with my tongue before playfully pinching it between my teeth. Each light bite sent a wave of pleasure through Annabel's body and she squirmed in response to the arousal.

Meanwhile, I moved my left hand down the front of her body, passed her udder, to her sex. She opened her legs as I gently rubbed my middle finger up and down the slit of her pussy. Annabel's breaths quickly hardened and increased in frequency. With my hand laying flat against her, I slid my middle finger into her wet vagina and moved right to her clitoris. Annabel gasped loudly in pleasure from the sudden invasion. I started with a strategic messaging of her clit, slowly building her stimulation. As I continued, I could feel Annabel begin subtly bucking her hips against my touch, so I picked up the pace and rubbed more vigorously. Her moans grew more frequent and increased in volume. Extending my tongue, I slid it across her cleavage to her right breast and began working it the same as the left before it. As her first orgasm rapidly approached, Annabel was now moaning frequently and loudly. Just a few moments later, her moans became mixed with bleats as her first climax exploded through her.

Annabel reached down and pulled my finger from inside her and placing her hands on my shoulders, pushed me off of her and over onto my back. She got up on all fours and then leaned down and initiated a round of deep and lustful kissing. Annabel only pulled back briefly to command me to move to the middle of the bed for her next move. As I complied, she followed, taking turns kissing, sucking, and biting my nipples. I groaned in slightly painful ecstasy. As I came to rest in the middle of the bed, Annabel looked down between my legs at my hard member and couldn't wait to have my cock inside her once again. She quickly moved over me and straddled me, maneuvering her pussy directly over my crotch. I groaned as she wasted no time, grabbing my cock and slowly guided it into her as she lowered herself onto me. Her lips spread as my member pushed completely into her vagina as she seated herself on to me.

She leaned forward over me and I reached up and firmly grasped a breast in each hand while giving her a nice couple of thrusts from below. I began messaging her breasts as she began humping me. Annabel did all the work, building up to a nice rhythm while she moved to slightly different positions in the midst of humping to change the angle of my penetration. Annabel began to moan as her second orgasm approached. She was definitely better than last night. My cock soon began to ache, straining for release. Desperate to reach her own climax, Annabel began pounding onto me and grinding for short stints. I grabbed her ass and pulled her hard onto me with each of her downward thrusts. I began to groan loudly while Annabel transitioned to screams and bleats of ecstasy as our climax struck simultaneously. Her vagina twitched as she slid it up and down my spasming member as my seed shot into her tunnel. Annabel struggled to keep her rhythm as she was quickly weakened by the orgasm surging through her body. I bucked my hips into her as the last of my seed spurted out of me. Her arms began to quiver as her rhythm slowed to a stop and her rapid hard breathes began to slow.

Annabel looked into my eyes and smiled. "[pant]...Aaron...[pant]...I...[pant]...love you!"

I took a few breathes to collect myself and smiled. "I love you too...[pant]...Annabel!"

With nearly all strength gone from her, she gently collapsed on top of me. I could feel Annabel's vagina still twitching around my cock as her orgasm slowly subsided. Annabel's skin was slightly moistened with sweat while her body radiated a soothing heat. My member slowly softened inside her as our mixed juices oozed out of her and onto my crotch. We laid there for a while, each of us occasionally exhaling deeply and sighing in complete satisfaction. I could feel her udder and teats pressing firmly into me. I noticed in the shower that it seemed larger than the night before.

"Boy Aaron, that was great! You weren't kidding about it getting more better! Mmmmmm...wow!"

"You were definitely better on top this time Annabel. You were great! The way you changed angles, ohhhhhh, very nice." I responded.

"I love you Aaron."

"I love you too Annabel." I responded with a smile.

I again grew curious about her form. "So, I noticed in the shower that your udder looks swollen."

"Oh that, yeah, I didn't get a chance to milk myself. I usually do that after my mornin chores, but someone kinda distracted me when I came inside." she said with a smile.

"So what's it like having an udder?"

"It's a pain really. It sways all over the place, especially when runnin. When it gets full, it leaks and the pressure hurts sometimes. I liked my body much more better before I had one."

"So, what's it like, milking yourself I mean?"

"I have to milk myself almost every day. It feels so good when I get rid of the pressure. And sometimes...well..." A bashful tone suddenly came over her body. "It feels good in a sexual way. Sometimes I'll message my teats and pull on them and it feels so good."

Noticing her sudden shift in body language, "That's cool. Everyone explores their sexuality. It's natural."

"Thanks Aaron." she said in appreciation for affirming her secret as a normal process of coming into their own.

Realizing my initial goal went unaccomplished. "Hey, you know what? We never did take that picture."

Annabel lifted her head and looked at me with a wide smile. "Well, I did kinda distract ya." She rolled off me and sat up. "Come on. I want to take our picture with yur lap thingy!" she said excitedly as she playfully shook me.

I sat up and Annabel moved up next to me at the side of the bed in front of the laptop. "Now make sure my breasts aren't going to be in the picture." she demanded.

I adjusted the zoom and set the timer for ten seconds. "Alright we got ten seconds." We leaned towards one another and smiled. After a simulated camera shutter click noise, the pic showed on the screen.

Annabel analyzed it in amazement. "That is really neat. Can you get it out of there?"

"I can but I need some of the other equipment that is part of my laptop. And that stuff is at home."

Annabel looked at me with a disappointed expression. "Awww, but it's such a nice picture of us." she said as she touched the screen. "Let's do a picture of us kissing!"

"OK." I set up for the next pic. "Alright, ten seconds." We turned and faced each other and leaned in and we kissed softly until we heard the shutter click. Annabel's head jerked sharply back to look at the new pic of us.

"Awww, we look so cute." she said with a smile.

"We can do better than that for a kissing pic. How about we be more intimate?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do Aaron."

I moved to the middle of the bed and got up on my knees. I moved the nightstand further away from the bed and adjusted the laptop so I could get more of us in the picture. "Alright Annabel, come over in front of me on your knees."

"You're going to take a naked picture of us!"

"No, it's not like that. Just trust me." I insisted.

"Alright." Annabel submitted as she came over to me on her knees. I placed my hands on her hips and guided her close to me until the front of our bodies came together. It was such an intimate merging of our bodies, her udder pressing against my crotch, her breasts pressed against my chest. The touch provided the privacy Annabel was seeking while maintaining the intimate pose I sought.

"See? Nothing's exposed. We stay pressed against one another and it'll be a tasteful pic."

Annabel smiled in approval. "I'm just a little embarrassed and shy of my body. That's all."

I set up the laptop for the pic. "Alright, we got ten seconds. Now hold me with your hands at the small of my back and I'll do the same to you."

"Now what?" Annabel asked, looking for more guidance.

"Let's look into each other's eyes." She smiled and struck the pose. The shutter click sounded and Annabel immediately looked at the screen. The shot was perfect. It captured a side view of us, my left and her right, from just below our asses to just above our heads. We were centered perfectly and the plain faded wallpaper made for a perfect background with the lighting in the room.

Annabel was pleasantly surprised at how well the image turned out. "Wow. That's a great picture of us. Too bad I won't be able to show it to anyone. I love it though."

"How about a few more?" I asked.

Annabel smiled. "Sure!" she responded enthusiastically.

I set it up to capture repeatedly. "Ready? It's going to take pictures, one after another until I stop it. OK?"

She placed her arms around me, pulled me close, and looked longingly into me eyes. "I'm ready, my love."

I smiled and wrapped my arms around her as Annabel leaned in. I met her half way and tilting our heads slightly to the side in opposite directions, we kissed softly just as the first image was captured. We continued and it grew more passionate and feverish. Her hands moved up to the back of my head and pulled me in so that our lips locked tightly as she slid her tongue into my mouth. I reciprocated with mine and our tongues were soon sliding past the other's. My laptop continued capturing image after image at three second intervals. We remained locked for a couple minutes until Annabel pulled back slightly.

"Oh, I love you so much Aaron." she stated softly with a smile of complete happiness.

I returned her smile. "I love you too Annabel." I held her close to me so as not to expose her breasts as I reached over and shut down the camera. Both of us curious, we sat on the edge of the bed in front of the laptop and browsed through the collection of images. There were quite a few that we really liked. I noted them and promised to give her printed copies.

I then opened iTunes to pull up a song that wasn't on my iPod. "What are ya doin now?"

"There's a song I want to play for you."

I searched for a few moments and when I found the song I was looking for, I jacked our earbuds into the laptop and handed a set to Annabel. She needed no assistance with them this time. I started the song as she kinda just stared at the screen, listening intently as "Why I Love You" by B2K began to play.

I watched her with a smile, waiting for a reaction. Only after a few moments Annabel looked over at me with a large grin once she realized that the song described us and my feelings for her. She continued looking longingly into my eyes, the smile of true happiness adorning her face as tears filled her eyes. Annabel took my hands into hers and mouthed the words "I love you" to me. We just sat there as the song played, locked in a lover's gaze. As the song ended, she leaned into me and we kissed gently and romantically, which appropriately fit the setting.

Annabel pulled back and smiled with great satisfaction. "I like it when you use your laptop like that."

"I thought you might like that. So, I'm curious. How is it that no other man here has caught your eye?"

"There are a few men in our community that I'm good friends with, but none that I love, not like I love you." Annabel paused for a moment. "Aaron, what made you decide to mate with me last night?"

I was surprised it had taken her this long to ask me after already having asked her earlier. I thought for a moment before responding. "Well, honestly, I couldn't see past how different you looked when I first met you. As I got to know you as a person I quickly came to like you and last night, I too realized that I had fallen in love with you. Like I-you, you get me like very few people do. Annabel, I've only told three other women on this earth that I loved them. Two of them were the only two that I've mated with."

"Aaron, I'm so lucky to have found you. How is it that you aren't married already?"

"I just haven't found the right woman." The conversation went silent and we just sat there and shared a lovers' gaze. It was in this moment that I figured was the right time to discuss our future. "Annabel... where does this leave us?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I may be leaving tomorrow, what happens then? We love each other but if we're going to have a relationship, I need to know there's a chance this will go somewhere. I don't mind coming out here to see you, but how comfortable you are with visiting me? You know, with my job, I'll be moving somewhere in a couple years and it could be very far from here."

For some reason Annabel became visibly nervous. "Aaron, I love you with all my heart and there's no one else I want to be with. What if...well...what if you just stayed here with me?"

"Annabel, sweetie, I can't. It doesn't work like that in the military. They'll come looking to arrest me if I don't go back."

Annabel became silent once again. I waited patiently for her response but after a moment she hung her head low and started crying softly.

I took her hands in mine. "Annabel, what's the matter? Why are you crying?"

"Aaron...I'm so sorry."

"What? Sorry about what?" I placed the finger tips of my left hand under her chin and guided her to look me in the eyes. Annabel had that same look like in the kitchen earlier as though she wanted to tell me something but couldn't for some reason. "Annabel, what aren't you telling me?"

"I'm so sorry Aaron. I wanted to tell you sooner, but only if I had too."

"What are you talking about?"

Annabel wiped the tears from her eyes as she solemnly stared back downward. I put my right arm around her to comfort and reassure her. "Just tell me Annabel. What ever it is, we'll figure it out together."

Annabel felt so guilty; her on the brink of delivering news that would change my life forever and me comforting her. She loved me and couldn't bear keeping the truth from me any longer. "You won't be able to leave."

I pulled my head back slightly in confusion. "What? I don't understand."

She wiped more tears away from her face as she mustered the courage to come clean with the truth. "You've started to change."

"Change? What do you mean?"

"Aaron...you're turning into a...a goat." Annabel quickly buried her face into her hands and began sobbing.

"Come on Annabel?" I said as I smiled and chuckled in disbelief.

She immediately looked at me with a frustrated expression as tears rolled down her face. "It's true! I know it to be true from what you told me in the kitchen! The soreness!"

"Annabel, we've been hiking a lot and we were playing kinda rough with the goats yesterday. I probably..."

Annabel interjected. "It's not that!" Annabel thought for a moment about how to prove her claim to be true. "OK, let me guess. Your fingers are sore and stiff from the knuckles down to yur nails. You said yur lower back is soar but does yur tailbone hurt even more? Does it stick out more than it should?" Annabel paused for a moment to wipe away her tears. "And yur feet? Are yur toenails getting darker? Is it harder for you to put yur heals on the floor when yur standin and walkin? And what about the hair on yur face? Does it usually grow that fast?"

I just sat there and listened as she fired off a list of symptoms based on the soreness I mentioned earlier to prove her claim to be true. Once her barrage of questions came to an end, I sat there quietly and stared down at the end of the bed as I ran through a mental check of my body. She had described my soreness to a "T". Then, out of curiosity, I reached around to feel my tailbone and at first touch I immediately jerked my hand away as though snake bitten. A look of shock immediately came to my face as I moved my hand back to the source of my reaction. As I slid my fingers over the hard bulge above my ass crack, I mentally processed an image from the sense of touch of what was indeed a growing extension of my tailbone.

My heart began to race as confusion quickly whipped up a sense of fear. "Is this really happening to me?" I asked myself aloud.

"I'm afraid so. I'm so so sorry Aaron." Annabel responded, though I didn't really hear her as my shocked state made me oblivious to my surroundings.

Staring off in the general direction of my feet, I brought my blank stare into focus on them. At their tips, my toenails were indeed darker in color and given the recent shower, I knew it wasn't because they were dirty. I wiggled them and my brain immediately processed a sensation of soreness.

I took a deep breath in order to grab some composure. I knew I needed to take a scientific approach and gather the facts in order to draw a logical conclusion. Annabel sure seemed convinced that I was changing and I couldn't think of a possible ulterior motive in saying so. Then I thought about the last couple days I had been here, trying to recall anything I had previously dismissed. I started at the moment I walked into this community until now.

My prolonged quietness was making Annabel uneasy. "Aaron, are you OK? Aren't you going to say something?"

I was deep in thought and had nothing to say to her. "Shhh! I'm thinking." I responded coldly.

Annabel just sat there, tears continuing to roll down her face. I continued running through the chain of events when I recalled Billy Jo and Annabel talking about "changes" after he had looked me over yesterday morning. Coupling that with what Annabel had said a few minutes ago about wanting to tell me sooner meant that she had expected me to change from the very beginning.

I looked back at Annabel, my mouth open and eyes wide in disbelief of the revelation. Annabel was still watching me with her tear-filled eyes.

My expression quickly shifted to one of anger. "You bitch!" I blurted. The scornful remark shocked Annabel. "You knew this was going to happen to me?! You planned this from the moment we met didn't you?!"

Annabel was frozen by my sudden anger. She rapidly searched for a response. "Well...I...uh...well kinda. But let me explain!"

"What the hell do you mean kinda?! This whole thing has been setup?! Your innocent little act?! Billy Jo stalling to fix my SUV?! And...and..." My eyes teared up as it felt as though my heart was literally being torn apart as I finished my thought. "...falling in love with me?" I finished solemnly as I turned my head in an effort to hide the pain she had caused me.

Tears began rolling down her cheeks once again. "Please, please Aaron, let me explain."

"Please do. I want to hear you justify turning me into a goat. Afterwards I'm sure all will be forgiven and we'll go back to fuckin until I'm fully hoofed, bleating, and walking on all fours and then you can throw me in your pen to fuck your goats to expand your herd." I was so angry and hurt, but it was actually difficult for me to be so cruel.

"Aaron, I brought you home because you are different from the other outsiders and I was attracted to you from the moment I saw you. It was your sacrifice to save one of our goats that told me you had a good heart. Trust me, if I had wanted to just turn you into a goat, I could have done so rather easily by letting you drink our milk the other night, which, if you recall, I kept you from drinking. That's also why I told you not to drink milk from my udder last night."

"That doesn't make any sense. The subtle changes started before the little bit of milk I drank from your udder just last night."

"What kind of changes?" Annabel asked.

"My facial hair grew more than normal during the first night I was here."

"Well...whatever it is that causes this, it's in everything; the food, the water, it's everywhere. And it's much more potent when it comes directly from the source, our milk. People started changing into goats decades before I was born, and it's just become a way of life around here. Many of us are quite proud of our uniqueness and our closeness to our animal kin. Mama Goat told me that with each generation the affects are less. The changes are much slower for residents, but most outsiders don't last very long around here. They usually end up becoming part of our family pretty quickly. A few don't change much if at all and you seem to be one of them."

"Dammit Annabel, that still means you were going to let me change into a goat or at least partially change into one! You weren't even going to tell me until I started changing! My God, what if I had gone to the fridge and drank some of that milk anyway?! I love milk! I'd probably already be a goat! I thought you loved me?!"

"God Aaron I do love you! I love you more than life itself! I was...I was..." she turned away and tried to hide her tears that she struggled to hold back.

I just sat there and waited for her to collect herself enough to finish her thought. So much anger still coursed through my veins that I was not about to console her. After a few moments, she sniffled, wiped away her tears, and turned back to face me.

Annabel looked so guilty and remorseful, yet she looked me in the eye with sincerity. "Aaron, I was stupid and selfish. I was so tired of being alone and I thought that may be if I gave you a chance and I opened myself to you, things might work out for both of us. Look, I don't expect you to forgive me. What I did was wrong. But I can't help but think that if I had been honest from the start that we never would have fallen in love. You never would have stayed if I had told you that you might turn into a goat. You would have either thought that I was crazy and left or believed me and left to keep from changing. I'm sorry that I ruined your life."

I gave Annabel a cold look. "Annabel, how many times have you taken in an outsider knowing full well they would never be able to leave again? How many lives have you ruined over you and your community's selfishness?"

"Aaron, it's not like that! We don't intentionally take people to add them to our farm. We take in the ones that have already started changing or have already changed. They are usually hunters or hikers that have eaten or drank off the land. It's usually too late to stop the changes. The few that haven't changed too much either stay and become part of our community or leave to try to go back to their lives."

"Well, you haven't ruined my life yet. The way I see it, I'm not a goat yet, so if I leave here I will only have a few changes to deal with." I got up from the bed and quickly began to dress. I noticed my hamstrings had tightened so much from the initial changes that I could barely put my heels to the floor. "God dammit! Look at this! I can barely put my heels to the floor!"

Annabel began to cry once again. "I'm so sorry Aaron! Please don't leave! I'm sorry I deceived you! I love you so much!"

I paused in the midst of putting on my pants and looked at Annabel coldly once again. "Does it hurt Annabel?"

She wiped away her tears before responding. "Yes, my heart is breaking! I don't want you to leave."

"I'm glad it hurts. It needs to hurt, or you won't learn from this." I hated being so harsh, but the pain and anger provided the necessary strength to do so.

Annabel just sat there and watched me as I put my socks and boots on, shocked into silence by my insensitive remark. It only took about five minutes to pack the few things I had removed from my bags and once I was finished, I pulled out my security blanket.

"What's that?" Annabel asked.

"This? Oh this is my Berretta." I said as I chambered a round to make it ready. "I use it for protection in case someone tries to do something unsavory. It's a gun. You do know what a gun is right?"

"Yes, I know what a gun is." she responded forcefully feeling insulted. "Why do you need it now?"

"Well, I'm purposely showing it to you so you know that I mean business. I suddenly find myself not being able to trust you or anyone else around here. Know this Annabel, it would be very unwise for anyone to try and stop me. Oh, and I've got an Expert Pistol Medal, which means I'm quite accurate with it as well."

Annabel froze in disbelief. She had never been threatened in that way before. I strapped the two packs together and then shouldered the ensemble.

"Where will you go?" asked Annabel.

"Home!"

"What about your SUV?"

"Oh yeah, that. Can you pass a message to good ol Billy Jo for me?" I asked with a smile.

"Uh, yeah, I guess."

"Tell him not to touch my SUV. I'll be back for it rather soon. It should be easy for him, he just has to continue being not helpful." With that said, I looked at Annabel one last time. "Well, I'm outa here." I walked down the hallway, through the door, and onto the porch. Annabel pulled the sheet from the bed and wrapped herself in it before running after me. A tear rolled down my cheek as I checked my compass to get my bearing and then slowly made my way down the steps. Suddenly the screen door swung open, slamming against the wall as Annabel came charging through.

"Aaron, plee-ee-eese don't leave! I don't want you to go-o-o-o! I can't live withou-ou-ou-t you!" Annabel bleated as she pleaded through a cry that was bordering hysterical.

I stopped and reluctantly turned to face her. "Good bye Annabel. I...I..." I couldn't even finish the sentence as I wiped the tears from my eyes. I leaned back on my anger for support. "Don't you dare follow me Annabel. I don't want to...don't want to...to hurt you."

I turned and started to walk away when I heard. "Where ye-eh-eh think ye going, sonny?" I looked around to determine the source of the throaty, male voice that I had never heard before. There was only a lone goat standing nearby and it wasn't until I heard the voice again that I realized it was in fact doing the speaking. "You can no-o-o-ot leave." A closer look revealed that it still had some human facial qualities, like human skin still around the face and the lips. I looked into its eyes, which were no longer human.

"Well, I'm guessing you're Pa. Under better circumstances, it might have been nice to meet you. However, I am leaving and if you're any kinda smart you won't try to stop me."

He looked me in the eye with his square pupils. "Won't try-y-y-y to stop ya. Would be be-e-e-etter to stay-ay-ay-ay."

As angry as I was, Annabel suddenly feared for Pa's safety. "Aaron, please don't hurt him. He doesn't know what's going on. I lied to him and Ma too!"

Pa and I looked over to Annabel on the porch in surprise. Pa reacted slightly quicker than I. "Wha-a-a-at?" he bleated.

My response came immediately after. "Are you serious?!" I looked back down at Pa and shook my head. "You know, you're a real piece of work!" I shouted back to Annabel.

Pa just stood there, bewildered in the midst of the intense situation in which he had suddenly found himself. Meanwhile, in wretched heartache, I turned and began my leaving the community. As I left, I could hear Annabel crying on the porch as she painfully watched my departure. Through all the deception, I still loved her and I hated myself for it. The heartache was nearly unbearable and once I was out of earshot of her wailing, I tried to occupy my mind with other things but found no such luck. My trek was made more arduous by the tightness of the ligaments in the back of my legs. I had hoped they would kinda stretch out a bit once I got going but I soon realized this to be a permanent change that I would have to deal with for the rest of my days. I just hoped the changes ended there and that I wasn't destined to sport a pair of goat legs by the time the virus or whatever it was worked it course.