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** The Outsider**

By Kawzman, based on "Goat out of Town" by Provolvere

*WARNING CONTAINS EXPLICIT ADULT CONTENT IN THE FORM OF MALE HUMAN TO GOAT TRANSFORMATION, NUDITY, AND MALE/FEMALE SEX

Preface

In rural northeastern Nevada there is a small, unassuming community where the local residents have a strong connection and resemblance to the goats they raise. On his way home from backpacking in the Nevada wilderness, Aaron wrecks his Jeep in order to avoid striking a goat standing in the middle of the road. When a seemingly innocent local woman named Annabel takes him in while his Jeep is being repaired, an unlikely attraction develops during the time they are together. While Aaron longs to return home, he soon discovers that his feelings for Annabel may not be the only thing that prevents him from leaving the community.

Characters

Main Character - Aaron

Goat Girl - Annabel

Goat Girl's Mother - Gladys/Mama Goat

Goat Girl's Father - Pa

Tow Truck Driver/Mechanic - Billy Jo

Goat Girl's Best Friend - Meredith

Main Character's Best Friend - Steven

Austin Tow Truck Driver - Ned

It was early Wednesday afternoon on October 20, 2014, an unusually warm autumn day. I was driving along a nondescript road in rural Nevada, about ready to concede that I was lost. Turning onto what had initially appeared to be a major highway had since narrowed to become only a single lane each way. It had been several miles since I had seen the last farmhouse and a reencounter with civilization seemed less likely the further I drove.

Suddenly, the sound of my jeep's tires contact with the road changed as the pavement ended. My tires began kicking up dust and loose rocks from what had become a dirt road about a lane and a half wide with nothing but tall grass, shrubs, and the occasional tree on either side.

"Come on, there has to be something out here. I know I'm going west." I muttered to myself in frustration. I would normally navigate using one of my iPhone's apps but thanks to the latest iOS update causing it to crash repeatedly, that option was effectively eliminated. Thanks Apple. Regardless, I figured I would eventually find a town or someplace where I could stop and get directions. I wasn't above admitting defeat and asking for assistance.

I was on my way home after a week of hiking and camping in the high desert mountains outside of Austin, training for my tackling of Mount Whitney next summer. Everything had gone well but my return trip home had become very arduous without any navigation assistance. After attempting to navigate unmarked dirt roads for hours, it quickly became apparent that I was completely lost.

"Well, I can either turn back or just see what's ahead." I said to myself. Tapping the steering wheel with my index finger, I tried to decide what to do next. Perhaps a bit too caught up in thought, I failed to notice a goat standing in the middle of the road. "Oh shit!" I shouted as I jerked the steering wheel to the left, narrowly missing the goat. Realizing I was heading off the road, I jerked the wheel back to the right. My Jeep's tires struggled to find purchase on the dirt road with such short notice, and instead, it slid sideways until the rear wheels lost traction entirely. With all control gone, my Jeep headed into a small ditch paralleling the road. It shook from side to side and then lunged into the ditch, coming to an abrupt stop. My airbag deployed the moment my jeep impacted the far side of the ditch.

As the airbag deflated, I sat there motionless in an attempt to collect myself. An annoying beeping sound alerted me that my Jeep was now off but the keys were still in the on position in the ignition. After removing my seatbelt, I paused for a moment to make sure I was still in one piece. I looked over my body while inspecting with my hands for injuries whose pain might be masked by the sudden rush of adrenalin and shock. Nothing was immediately apparent until looking in the rear view mirror where I discovered I had bitten my lip and bashed my nose when the airbag deployed. There was a little blood but nothing too serious. I looked around and surveyed my surroundings. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but a mixture of tall grass, brush, and trees. I appeared to be in a broad valley whose surrounding small mountains were covered mostly by trees. I glanced back to where the goat had been standing in the middle of the road, but there was no sign of it.

I pushed my door open and slowly worked my way out to assess the damage. In addition to my sore nose and lip, my knees ached from the impact with the dashboard while my neck was a little sore from minor whiplash. I didn't feel pain anywhere else, so I felt fortunate that wasn't in worse shape. I began inspecting my Jeep and quickly noticed that the driver's side front tire was completely flat. A bubbling noise quickly caught my attention and upon locating the source, it was clear that my other front tire would soon share the same fate. There in a shallow puddle of muddy water were numerous bubbles erupting from the submerged portion of the tire. To make matters worse, the wheel was bent upwards into the Jeep's body.

"Shit, that's not good." I sighed to myself. I was still a little groggy and shook up, which probably factored into what happened next. As I made my way back around the front of my Jeep, I awkwardly stepped on a small rock and slipped in the mud. Unable to catch myself, I immediately fell forward and face-planted, openmouthed into the muddy water. "Son of a bitch!" I shouted amidst coughs and gagging as I frustratingly pounded my fists into the muddy ground and pushed myself up onto all fours. I wiped away the mud caked to my face and spit out most of the muddy water that had entered my mouth. I say most because, yep, I managed to swallow some of it. I got up and brushed myself off as best I could but that only served better to smear the mud around more than remove it. Needless to say, I wasn't having one of my better days. I made my way to the driver's side of the Jeep and climbed back into the driver's seat. I quickly located my water bottle and rinsed out my mouth as best I could but it did nothing to remove chalky mineral aftertaste the muddy water had left behind.

Looking down at my keys still in the ignition I thought "Why not?" and tried to start her up. Turning the key, the engine tried but failed to turn over. The clanking noise it made was not encouraging, so I didn't dare try to start it again. I didn't want to potentially damage the engine further. It just didn't seem to be worth the risk. Now I was accomplished at maintenancing my Jeep and even completing minor repair work, but this definitely exceeded my abilities.

I got out and walked back to the middle of the road. After briefly looking around, I found no trace of the goat. "Well at least someone benefited from this wreck." I said out loud in frustration. Standing there, I looked in the direction I had been driving. To my surprise, I spotted a large tree and what looked like some type of building a few miles away. It was going to be dark in a few hours, so I needed to figure out what I was going to do. I checked my iPhone for reception but confirmed my suspicion; there was no reception. "Well, I guess I'll go that way." I said with a shrug. I locked up my Jeep but honestly, a soft top would hardly deter any determined would-be thief from getting inside. Since I hadn't seen another vehicle for quite a while, I figured my stuff would be safe. So, I put on my ball cap and headed off.

Clouds were on the increase and the wind had picked up from the southwest, pushing the temperature into the mid 80s, all the initial effects of the approaching low pressure system I was trying to beat home. I walked towards the building at a brisk pace, covering the necessary distance in about 30 minutes. Approaching the structure, I began to wonder if I was approaching the beginning of my own personal experience of the movie "Deliverance". The good news was that it appeared to be an old gas station, equipped with an old single pump, small convenience store, and a garage. The bad news was that everything was rusted and faded, all indicating an abandoned state.

The lot on each side of the building was adorned with a number of cars and trucks surrounded by tall grass. Just about every era dating back to the 1950s was represented and all of them showed signs of many years of neglect. I figured I was better served continuing down the road until I heard the sound of someone whistling and the metallic clanking sound of tools coming out from under one of the old pickup trucks.

I traced the noise to its source where I found a pair of legs clothed in denim pants sticking out from under the side of the truck. As I approached, I cautiously tried to get the person's attention so as not to startle them. "Excuse me, I was wondering if you'd be able to help me out?" As soon as the last word left my lips I stopped dead in my tracks. Initially I hadn't paid much attention to their legs, which from farther away looked to have been fitted with a pair of black shoes. From my closer vantage point at about twenty feet away, it was obvious that shoes they definitely were not. I stood there in shock as I attempted to grasp the electrical signals my brain processed as the images relayed by my eyes. I took a step back and rubbed my eyes in disbelief. "This can't be!" I thought to myself. Extending out from the pants was a pair of large, furry, and hooved animal legs; cloven hooves to be precise. The hooves were black in color while the fur above them was a few inches long and scraggly with varying shades of black and gray. I was suddenly unsure if I really wanted to get the individual's attention, so I remained frozen and absolutely silent.

The whistling stopped but the individual wasn't breaking from their task. I wasn't sure what to do now. I was sure "it" had heard me but didn't seem to be the slightest bit interested in addressing me. I suddenly found myself torn between my fight-or-flight instincts. My flight instinct told to get the hell out of there and head further down the road to find assistance. My fight instinct was curious about this creature and receiving help was a distant second to finding out what the rest of this thing looked like. Fight got the better of me and I began what many would likely consider an unwise course of action. From where I was standing, I slowly started to lower myself to one knee while I craned my head downward to the side in an effort to get a better view of this creature. Before my knee reached the ground, it pulled itself out from under the truck and sat up to confront me.

Its sudden movement caught me completely off-guard and my startled reaction led me to nearly fall over. As the individual came fully into view, my eyes widened and my mouth dropped open in shock. Although definitely male, he barely looked like a man at all! In the small moment of silence I analyzed his features. The bridge of his nose was large and slanted while his nostrils were stretched apart, altogether forming what could only be described as a muzzle. With his wide nose bridge, his eyes were unusually positioned more towards the sides of his head. The peculiar placement of his eyes was emphasized by his long face, tilted forehead, and long ears that flopped down on both sides of his head. He had a full head of gray human hair while his ears and other portions of his head and neck were covered with what could only be described as fur! Like real animal fur! The fur colors varied from brown to white and gray. Extending up out of his hair and curving back were two black horns that measured at least six inches in length. The rest of his body was hidden from view, covered by a pair of denim overalls and an old faded brown long sleeved shirt. Guessing his age was challenging, but I figured he was probably in his 50's. With all the evidence sitting there before me, I concluded that he was some kind of mixed species of man and goat. "How is this even possible?" I thought.

"What ca-a-a-an I do fur ya sonny?" the man asked with a strange and thick country accent. My intense staring remained unbroken but I took notice of his sound. His voice vibrated in his throat when he said the word "can", the word broken up and drawn out almost like it was a goat bleating but forming a word instead the typical animal noise.

"What's yur na-a-a-ame there, sonny?" he prodded trying to illicit a response from the stunned man before him. I on the other hand was still trying to process the sights and sounds being transmitted to my brain.

He shrugged off my shock and continued. "Ya obviously ai-ai-ai-n't been here b-ee-ee-fore. The na-a-a-me's Billy Jo." Billy attempted to wipe the grease off his hands with a dirty rag that hung partially exposed from his right pocket. He then offered his still dirty right hand for a handshake. I temporarily snapped myself out of my trance and instinctly shook his hand with my right.

"Uh...my name is...uh...Aaron." I sputtered as I struggled to harness the power of speech.

"Well wa-a-a-chya know?! He ca-a-a-n talk!" Billy Jo bantered. "Ya alright sonny? Ya look like a real me-e-e-ss."

"Yeah...uh...I got into a bit of an...um...accident down the road...uh...that way." I said as I pointed back up the road in the direction from which I came. "There was this...uh...I had to swerve to uh...a goat, there was a goat..." the last few words trailed off to silence as I paused upon realizing that something was considerably wrong with the hand I was shaking. I looked down as I opened up my hand palm side up allowing Billy's hand to rest in mine. His hand and forearm were covered with short gray fur with a few white patches. Billy's fingers were partially merged together forming two large fingerlike appendages along with a thumb that was tipped with small, dark yellow, chipped hooves. I quickly jerked my hand away, not sure if this was the result of some disease or something more nefarious. One thing was clear, whatever he had contracted it had definitely taken its toll on him. I just hoped that it wasn't contagious.

Billy Jo was becoming obviously irritated by my presence. "Listen, sonny," Billy Jo said as he stood up, his height barely equal to my shoulders. "This ai-ai-ai-n't the typa community tha-a-a-t takes kindly to strangers. If I were ya, I'd turn round now a-a-a-nd hoof it on outta here."

Billy Jo turned away to walk towards the garage. I realized that my reaction probably upset him and I felt embarrassed about it. Even more of a concern was if he was considering leaving me high and dry. "But sir, that's the problem, I can't get out of here because I swerved into a ditch and now I have two flats and the front end is jacked up. Please help me."

"We-e-e-ll, it's about a day's wal-al-al-k to the next town over. Ya best ge-e-e-t started before it ge-e-e-ts dark." Billy Jo shouted back as he continued to walk away. In the distance a truck could be heard navigating the dirt road and it was apparent that it was heading this way. Billy Jo's walk slowed to a stop as a 1940's style pick-up truck pulled up and came to an abrupt stop in the dirt parking lot. The brown cloud of dust trailing it during its travel overtook the vehicle and obscured it from view.

Billy Jo turned and stood there looking towards the truck and stated plainly, "The-e-e-re's Ms. A-a-a-nnabel." The settling dust revealed a beat up truck fighting a losing battle with rust. Most of the original light blue paint and gray primer having long since gone, it seemed like the rust might be only thing remaining from its original body. The driver turned the engine off and it rattled and knocked as it shut down.

As the dust finished settling, a the driver became visible as she stepped out of the truck. Her manner of dress gave the appearance as though she had stepped out of an old black and white western movie. Her light blue and off-white dress, shirt, and sleeves were long and looked like they had come from the same era as the truck. As she got closer, I was able discern the details of her physical characteristics and I had to do a double take. Although she looked somewhat human, she definitely had features of an animal just like Billy Jo! Each step closer to me revealed her unusual features in growing detail and it became obvious that she was some sort of Caucasian goat girl!

This Ms. Annabel had long floppy ears, similar to Billy Jo's, that were pushed downward along the sides of her head by the round straw sun hat adorning her head. As she approached us, it was impossible not to notice her baby bump, the size of which probably put her in the second trimester. I'm no doctor but it did seem as though she was carrying rather low. Her outfit hugged her body from her neck down to the top of her hips before flaring out, accentuating her body's alluring curves. Her breasts were sizeable and I couldn't help but gaze upon them longer than I should have. The dress ended about twelve inches above her hooves, affording a view of her lower legs. They were very similar to Billy Jo's in that they were covered in thick but dark brown fur that terminated at the top of her dark brown cloven hooves.

"Hey Billy! Wow! Sure's hot today!" Ms. Annabel spoke in a soft yet cheery country voice that lacked the distinct bleating characteristic that Billy Jo's possessed. Her speech directed my observation back to her face. She looked at Billy Jo briefly but then fixated on me. "Who's this ya have with ya today?" Our eyes locked on to one another's, hers a gorgeous emerald green color that were full of life and energy. They nearly distracted me from the fact that her nose was slanted downward and that she possessed a short muzzle similar to Billy Jo's but to a much lesser extent. Her shoulder length hair was brown and nearly identical to the color of the fur on her goat ears. Even though her face exhibited some animalistic features, her creamy white skin was smooth, adorned with a few freckles on her cheeks, and free from any fur. I couldn't imagine that she was a day older than 25 years.

"Ah, he's nobo-o-o-dy, Ms. Annabel. He's just lea-ea-ea-vin now." Billy Jo answered as he twisted the dirty rag nervously in his hands.

"Leaving? What kind of service station is this?" I asked as my frustration began to build. This only served to bring out the smart ass in me, a personality flaw that had bitten me in the ass on multiple occasions in my life.

"What brings ya to our community?" Ms. Annabel asked sincerely.

"Well, I swerved off the road to miss something a few miles back and now my Jeep is wrecked. I've got two flat tires and a broken wheel, but Billy Jo here is telling me to start hoofing it to the next town."

"What did ya swerve to miss?" Ms. Annabel politely inquired.

"A goat. There was a goat standing in the middle of the road and I just barely missed it. It just came out of nowhere."

"Well then it's right good that ya missed it. We have many goat farmers round here and they would have been very upset." Ms. Annabel glanced down and took notice of my dirty state. "And how did ya to get all covered in mud? Were ya tossed outta yur Jeep?"

"Oh...that." I looked down at the now dried mud still smeared on most of my clothes. "Yeah, that happened after...well, when I slipped while inspecting the damage to my Jeep." I paused and thought I could lighten the mood. "And let me be the first to tell ya, the mud here tastes horrible!" I added with a grin. My sly attempt at witty humor went without a giggle or even a smile; epic fail. Instead, Ms. Annabel and Billy Jo instantly looked at each other, sharing a look as though I had divulged some information of significant importance that was otherwise trivial to me. I looked back and forth at them looking at each other. After a few seconds they simultaneously looked back at me. "What?" I asked as I continued to look back and forth at them wondering what the fuck I could have said to warrant such a reaction.

Ms. Annabel didn't respond immediately but instead nonchalantly walked up to me and looked me over as though conducting an inspection. "Oh...uh...nothin. It's just that some of the water round here is uh...bad." she stated as she looked over at Billy Jo as though seeking backup support. Billy Jo just stood there as an observer and let Annabel handle things.

"Bad? Bad like how?" I asked with my curiosity seriously peaked after that odd display. As Ms. Annabel began her response, I removed my hat to help cool myself down a bit more on this hot day. I was rather sweaty from my hike and the hat was just trapping my body heat. The wind had an instantly pleasant cooling effect when it interacted with my sweat soaked hair.

"Well...are ya...uh..." Ms. Annabel started but then abruptly jerked her head back slightly with a sideways-tilt as an expression of sudden curiosity swept across her face as though something had unexpectedly caught her attention. She actually had to physically make an effort to regain her train of thought. "...ya...um...feelin...uh...sick?"

"Well...aside from being a little banged up from the wreck, I feel fine. Maybe I didn't swallow enough to get sick. What are the initial symptoms?"

Ms. Annabel didn't respond as she was still obviously distracted from whatever caught her attention. Billy Jo jumped in and answered for her. "It's al-al-al-ways a stomach ache."

Ms. Annabel suddenly performed two short but sharp inhales through her nostrils as though she was attempting to identify some unexpected foreign odor. This was followed by a more purposeful, deep, and longer inhale that flared her nostrils. Her intent focus on processing this odor was evident by the sudden closure of her eyes and a focused expression. After a moment, a smile slowly crept across her face as she seemed to successfully identify this smell and it became obvious that it was something pleasing. I just stood there and observed the weird spectacle. Ms. Annabel suddenly turned and walked over to Billy Jo. "Billy, I think he needs our help."

Billy Jo crossed his arms inquisitively. "Do ya really think he nee-ee-ee-ds our help?"

Ms. Annabel was now standing between me and Billy Jo and facing him but I could tell from behind that she crossed her arms in response. What I didn't see was her nonchalantly reaching up and subtly tapping her nose with her right index finger. "I really do." She paused briefly and glanced back at me with a smile before continuing. "Why don't ya help him out and see if ya can't fix his Jeep?"

Billy Jo was obviously not too keen with the idea but responded with the political tact that indicated that he didn't want to disappoint Ms. Annabel. "Well Ms. Annabel I don't ha-a-a-ve the parts fur a Jeep."

"Nonsense, yur the best fixer we've got." Ms. Annabel smiled devilishly, moved over, and kissed Billy Jo on the cheek.

"Aw shucks, Ms. Annabel. Ya goin to ma-a-a-ke me blush!" He stood there for a moment, looking all embarrassed. "Al-al-al-right, I'll fix it as be-e-e-st as I can. But I don't wa-a-a-nt him sleepin in my shop and me-e-e-ssin up my stuff."

"I don't need..." I started to respond before Ms. Annabel cut me off.

"Don't ya worry. I'll take him home with me." Ms. Annabel said, then looked at me with a smile. "Ya wouldn't mind that, would yaaaaaaaaaaaa...?" She gestured and stretched out saying the word "ya" in the manner most people do when they expect you to provide them your name without directly asking for it. Off my game from witnessing everything that had transpired, I was too slow to catch it.

Ms. Annabel smiled, leaned towards me, and whispered. "Name? What's yur name?"

"Oh...Aaron...my name's Aaron." I quickly jumped in to finish her initial question to me. "But I don't..." and I was interrupted once again.

Ms. Annabel smiled. "Aaron. That's a nice name. Haven't heard that one befur." she added.

Billy Jo obviously disapproved her offer to shelter me but before I could get a word in, Billy Jo was quick to make get certain of her motives. "Are ya sure yur Ma a-a-a-nd Pa are going to like tha-a-a-t Ms. Annabel? Ya know how they-ey-ey feel a-a-a-bout outsiders."

Ms. Annabel quickly countered with a humorous but rhetorical question. "Yur not worried about him stealin me away from ya, are ya?" she asked. Since I couldn't get a word in, I just stood there as an observer to their conversation of my fate. "Ya let me deal with them. Besides, they'll be glad to have him stay with us when they hear his story. Risking his own life to save one of our goats." she said in a tone that made it hard to tell if she was kidding or not.

Billy Jo's posture became more defensive, crossing his arms in front of his chest once again. "It's not my place to speak for yur Ma a-a-a-nd Pa, but can't say tha-a-a-t I think it's a good idea Ms. Annabel.

This Ms. Annabel seemed friendly and I was genuinely appreciative that she was so willing to go out on a limb to help me out, but I just wanted to get out of there as soon as I could. Not to mention their repeated odd behavior made me suspect their trustworthiness. "Look, I don't wanna cause any trouble. I've got camping gear, so I can easily camp out somewhere so as not to impose on anyone."

Ms. Annabel quickly glanced over at Billy Jo with concern and then looked back at me with her response. "Uhhhhh...no, ya don't want to do that. Trust me, ya really don't want to be out in these woods alone. Uhhhhh...bad things can happen if ya don't know the land round here." Her concern was appreciated but she seemed to be masking something more.

"Trust me. I'm an experienced outdoorsman. I think I can handle myself out here. I know about the mountain lions and coyotes and I'm prepared to protect myself."

Ms. Annabel suddenly looked nervous and glanced over at Billy Jo as though she wasn't sure what to do. Her indecisiveness unexpectedly shifted to a confident stance. "Nonsense, I won't have it! There's no need fur ya to sleep outside when we've got an extra room with a nice warm bed. So, wachya say?"

"Sorry but I'm going to have to decline. I really do appreciate the offer but I'd feel more comfortable on my own." My instincts have always served me well and something just didn't seem right.

Ms. Annabel became visibly disappointed. She could tell I was firm with my decision and realized she may have been too pushy with the idea of staying with her. Going into damage control mode she made a counter. "Is there something I can do for ya to help instead?"

"A ride back to my Jeep would be nice. I really don't want to walk back."

As I turned back to Billy Jo to ask about repair work, I scanned the rusted and sedentary collection of vehicles adorning the landscape surrounding the service station. I suddenly found myself seriously doubting his capabilities. "Uh Billy Jo, are you going to be able to repair my Jeep? I mean, won't you have to order parts?"

"Don't worry sonny, I'll take good care of yur Jeep a-a-a-nd have ya ba-a-a-ack on the road in no time."

As I handed him my spare key, I told him where he could find my Jeep and that I would be camped out nearby if he needed me. I was about to ask about insurance but at this point I would take whatever patchwork Billy Jo could do as long as it was enough to get me back to a reputable garage and pay this out of my own pocket.

"Come on, Aaron!" Ms. Annabel shouted cheerfully as she climbed into her truck.

"Thanks Billy Jo!" I shouted back in an attempt to kill with kindness as I ran to catch up with Ms. Annabel before I missed my ride. Anything was better than staying there with Billy Jo.

Ms. Annabel started the truck up and ground through a couple gears until she found first gear. I pointed her in the right direction and we were off. The ride was a bumpy one and Ms. Annabel's driving technique was one that would not be described by finesse. There were no seat belts so I clung to the door with my right hand hoping it would remain attached to the truck.

Ms. Annabel took notice of my apprehension. "It's not much but she still can get the job done. Billy Jo keeps our trucks runnin for us. He's really a nice guy, actually. He just gets nervous when outsiders come round here. Can't blame him, really." she stated.

I couldn't say I agreed with her characterization of Billy Jo but I didn't want to be rude. "Yeah, he seems alright. I just hope he can fix my Jeep." I didn't realistically expect him to fix my jeep but rather hoped he could patch it up enough for me to get out of here. I was tired from all the hiking and just wanted to get home to my comfy chair and relax.

As we pulled up to my poor Jeep, Ms. Annabel thought it was the coolest thing. "Wow! Now that's a fancy Jeep ya got there. Ya must be rich."

I chuckled. "Hardly. It looks much nicer when it's not banged up."

Ms. Annabel put the truck in park and resumed her damage control. "Ya sure there's nothing else I can do fur ya?" she asked with a friendly smile.

"Naw. I do appreciate the lift though."

She watched as I got out and went over to my Jeep. I opened up the rear door and started pulling out the equipment I needed. My nicely packed equipment was now a disaster thanks to the accident. Ms. Annabel rolled down her door's window and poked her head out a bit. "So, where ya gonna camp?"

I responded without breaking from my task. "Somewhere nearby. I don't want to be too far from my Jeep when Billy Jo comes to pick it up." When I came across my tent, the protective sleeve was torn up pretty bad. I reluctantly pulled the tent out and inspected it. Of course, it had some large tears in it as well. To make matters worse, some of the tent poles were either bent or broken. I backed away from my Jeep and looked to the west. The darkening clouds on the horizon gave every indication that the weather was only going to worsen and soon. Normally inclement weather wouldn't bother me, but after the day I had, I really didn't want to mess with building a shelter or sleeping all cold and wet in a damaged tent. I took a few steps away from my Jeep with my hands on my hips and chuckled to myself in frustration.

"What's wrong?" Ms. Annabel asked.

"It's my tent. It's wrecked too."

She took advantage of the new opportunity to get me to stay at her place. "Ya know, ya can still stay at my house."

I stood there for a moment while I evaluated my options. I was confident I could build a simple enough shelter with the materials available in the area but I wasn't confident it would withstand the impending storm. I looked over at Ms. Annabel who was still leaning a bit outside the driver's side window, watching me intently as she awaited my response. I don't know if it was more her friendly smile or the fact that I was just fed up with my situation, which seemed to be worsening by the minute, but I relented and decided to accept her offer. I figured that maybe the combination of my long day and Ms. Annabel's odd behavior influenced by pregnancy brain that I was overreacting a bit and she was just genuinely trying to be helpful. The fact that I was armed reassured my confidence that I would be ready for anything in the event that things went south.

I looked back over at Ms. Annabel. "You sure it's no trouble?"

She smiled widely. "None at all." she responded with building excitement.

"Mind if I bring some stuff from my Jeep?"

"Nope. Bring whatever ya like. I'll turn the truck around."

While Ms. Annabel turned the truck around I stowed the stuff I didn't need back into the Jeep. Remembering my emergency set of clean clothes stashed under the backseat, I stuffed them into one of my backpacks. Without those I had nothing clean to change into. I grabbed both my backpacks and headed up out of the ditch as the brakes of Ms. Annabel's truck squealed loudly as she brought it to a stop in front of me. Recalling the issue with the local water, I also grabbed my emergency case of bottled water that I kept in back of my Jeep. I put the water and one backpack in the bed of the truck, hoping it would still be there by the time we got to where we were going but I kept the other backpack with me as it contained my iPad and other electronic accessories. Ms. Annabel forced the truck back into gear and we were off once again. We briefly stopped by Billy Jo's garage and let him know I was staying with Ms. Annabel in case he needed me.

Ms. Annabel expertly navigated the old truck through the country's dirt roads as I watched the scenery of the unfamiliar community pass by. We drove past farm after farm with what looked like fields of corn, wheat, and oats bordered by patches of forests of various trees and tall grass. Remembering my iPhone in my pocket, I grew curious and pulled it out; yep, still no reception. Noticing me pull something from my pocket, Ms. Annabel glanced down and was immediately puzzled. "What's that?" she inquired.

"It's just my iPhone." Ms. Annabel looked at me blankly as though I had lobsters crawling out of my ears. "You've never seen an iPhone before?"

"No I haven't. Is it like a telephone?" she asked curiously.

"Seriously?!" I quickly realized that my reaction was a bit rude when she suddenly became visibly embarrassed. I immediately felt very small and answered more accommodatingly. "Uh...yeah, it's basically a telephone just without wires." I didn't bother go into any details if she didn't even know what one was to begin with.

"Wow! That's sumthin! We don't have any gadgets like that. If it's not for farmin or raisin goats, it doesn't much concern our community."

"Yeah, well it's only really sumthin if it actually works. It doesn't seem to work too well here though." I responded in frustration.

"That's too bad. Well, there's a telephone in Billy's shop. I can take ya back tomorrow if ya need to call someone."

"Thanks. I really appreciate everything you're doin for me."

Ms. Annabel glanced over and smiled. "You're welcome. It's no trouble at all."

Silence then gripped the old rust bucket that I was being driven in, bouncing up and down with every bump it hit, regardless of its size. The large bumps in the dirt road reminded me to hold on tight and hope that the truck would stay in one piece. With the unvarying scenery outside the window losing my interest, I attempted to closely study Annabel out of the corner of my eye. I glanced over at her hands as she worked the steering wheel. Beyond the sleeves of her long sleeve shirt, I could see that short brown and white fur covered both her hands and wrists. Unlike Billy Jo's, her fingers were completely separate. At the end of each were thick, brown nails but they hardly resembled hooves.

I looked down at her baby bump and then to her left hand; no ring. I instantly wondered what story she had to tell. I figured it was probably no different than in the city. Guy fucks girl, girl gets pregnant, and guy takes off leaving her to be a single mother. Suddenly, Ms. Annabel glanced over at me; busted. Realizing that my stare had been noticed, I looked quickly around and pretended like I was checking out the truck's interior before refocusing my observations back out the window. She said nothing and just grinned as she drove the truck onward.

After several minutes, Ms. Annabel decided to break the silence. "There's lots I want to show ya when we get home. But first ya got to meet Mama Goat."

"Mama Goat? What the hell?" I thought. Based on the name and the characteristics of people in this area so far, I had to expect her to be another goat person. Since encounters with more of these people were likely to continue, I would need to work on showing more restraint with my reactions so as not to offend. "So who is Mama Goat?" I asked inquisitively.

"Well it's my ma silly." she answered as though it should have been obvious to me. I just looked at her as she glanced over at me and continued. "Her name is Gladys, but nobody ever calls her that."

"Is that because of how she looks?" I figured I'd just come right out with it.

Ms. Annabel glanced over at me and smiled. "Well, yeah. And she's also so nice and looks out for everyone. She's kinda like everybody's ma." She paused before continuing, "So, I'm guessin ya never seen people like us befur?"

Not wanting to be insulting, I treaded very carefully and took a truthful but politically correct route. "Yeah, you look different but you're more helpful than most people I've met." Ms. Annabel said nothing but smiled widely.

She pointed ahead to the right of the road. "Our farm is comin up here on the right." she said with a sense of pride. In the distance, at the edge of one of the fields, stood some tall green trees with a white speck next to them. The speck grew larger as the truck approached and then we turned right onto a much narrower dirt road lined with trees on each side that looked like a long driveway.

"Is that your house?" I asked.

"Yep, that's where we live. Ma's probably in the barn or the house."

My interest in the scenery peaked as we neared the house which was about in good a shape as the pick-up truck. The single story farmhouse looked like it had once been white, but was in desperate need of a washing and new coat of paint. It was surrounded by well-maintained bushes and shrubs. An unpainted barn and a couple of wooden sheds stood nearby. Fencing extended around the barnyard and animals too far away to identify could be seen scurrying about and kicking up dust. Chickens were scattered about and seemed to be permitted to roam freely as they saw fit. The property was dotted with healthy and tall trees and shrubs typical of the Intermountain West. The rear of the property extended a little ways before butting up against the hills that surrounded the valley in which this community was nestled. The hills themselves were covered in a mix of trees, shrubs, and tall grass. Surrounding the rest of the farm were fields of various crops. I was truly envious of the location they called home. "So what exactly do you guys do with your farm?" I asked.

"We raise animals, goats mostly, and grow different crops. My family's been goat farmers for generations, way before I was born. There are a lot of goat farms in our community. Most of the crops we grow end up feeding us and our animals or we trade or sell it to our neighbors. Ya could say we have quite a large family to feed!" Ms. Annabel laughed and glanced over at me expecting laughter in response. I just sat there and looked at her with a bit of confusion as to what the joke was. Realizing the joke was lost on me, she gave me a hardy smile and quickly focused back on the road as she became visibly embarrassed.

"That's cool." I replied quickly, not wanting to offend her. I didn't know how to follow that up. I wasn't sure if she was kidding about her neighbors being family or not. An uncomfortable silence overtook the cab as the end of our journey approached.

As we pulled up to the farmhouse, the cloud of dust that had been trailing behind us caught up and temporarily obscured the house from view. When it settled, I looked up at the sagging front porch and noticed a barely visible figure peering from behind the screen door. Ms. Annabel hopped out of the truck and slammed the door closed behind her before bounding over to the porch steps. She sure had quite a lot of energy and chaotic behavior for someone as pregnant as she was. Looking back at me, she smiled and motioned for me to follow. She seemed pretty excited to be having company at her house. I glanced down at my watch; it was already after four o'clock.

Getting out of the truck, I pushed the door closed and sighed, relieved that our arrival quickly ended the recent discomfort. I grabbed my pack from the truck's bed and shouldered it while carrying the other in my left hand. I caught up to Ms. Annabel, who was waiting for me on the first step. As we ascended the porch steps, the old weather-beaten wood creaked with each step. Before we reached the porch, the figure standing behind the screen door spoke with the same bleating country accent as Billy Jo accept with an obvious feminine tone. "Who-oo-oose that ya got there, A-a-a-nnabel?" The house was dark inside, effectively concealing her features from view.

"Ma, this is Aaron. He got stuck at Billy's station after wrecking his Jeep. Billy is fixin it, so I said he could stay with us till it's fixed." Ms. Annabel responded as we both stood there on the steps.

After a short pause, the person I inferred to be Mama Goat opened the screen door and stepped outside onto the porch. As planned I made every effort to curb my shocked reaction with the expectation that she would be a mixed species like everyone else I had met to this point and I think I did a pretty good job. Ms. Annabel looked back down at me from her position a couple steps higher than me and grinned as she observed my reaction. She gave no indication that I overreacted or that I was being insulting.

Mama Goat stood maybe slightly taller than five feet. She was a short, portly woman with a round yet slightly elongated face. Like everyone else in this community seemed to have, Mama Goat also had a long muzzle, long ears, and two six inch black horns sticking up out of her hair that curved backwards. I glanced up at Ms. Annabel and compared her facial features to her mother's. It was clear that her muzzle wasn't as pronounced as Mama Goat's and Billy Jo's. Looking back to Mama Goat, her face was mostly free of fur with skin colored like most Caucasians with the exception of her lips which were colored a dark gray. I could see fur covered every bit of her skin not hidden from view by her clothing. The color or her fur closely matched that of Ms. Annabel's while her head was topped with full gray human hair. She clearly stood on black cloven hooves and her hands resembled those of Billy Jo, having two large merged fingers and a thumb each tipped with a chipped hoof except hers were colored black. She had more curves than I could count. A long dress and a billowy shirt did their best to hold all of her in. Her animalistic features made her age difficult to ascertain, but with a daughter that looked like Ms. Annabel, I knew she couldn't be all that old.

Everything I saw of Mama Goat brought everything else into perspective. Billy Jo and Ms. Annabel were not anomalous members of this community. It seemed that the residents of this community were all some sort of human-goat hybrid species. I wondered how it was that in the 21st century a unique community such as this could remain hidden from a world that thrived on communication and exposure of cultural differences. I had many questions but I figured a better opportunity would later present itself to discuss the history of this community.

"Ye-eh-eh know how I feel about strangers coming rou-ou-ou-ound these parts A-a-a-nnabel." Mama Goat said in a very firm tone with an equally serious face as she looked at Ms. Annabel.

"His name is Aaron, Ma. He'd just be stranded out there. I figured the least we could do is offer him some hospitality for a night or two." Ms. Annabel pleaded.

I didn't know what to do, but I didn't want my silence to be misconstrued for rudeness. "Excuse me Ma'am", I interrupted, "I'm really sorry about intruding on you like this. I really don't want to be a burden. It's just that..."

"Ma, he wrecked his Jeep saving a goat! He coulda been killed!" Ms. Annabel interrupted. There was a pause in the debate before Ms. Annabel continued with her defense. "If he's going to be in our community anyway it's better if he stays with someone so he can be looked after." I don't know why but Ms. Annabel didn't seem to think I could take care of myself. It was a little frustrating. However, this additional detail seemed to change everything about Mama Goat's stance on the situation.

Mama Goat switched her gaze over to me and stared at me long and hard. Suddenly, her disapproving look turned into a huge smile that lit up her face. "We-e-e-ll why didn't ya sa-a-a-y so from the start?! Of course ye-eh-eh can stay, Aa-aa-aa-ron! But I'll warn ye-eh-eh we do things a bit different rou-ou-ou-ound here. And for cryin' out loud, Aa-aa-aa-ron, call me Mama Goat!"

"Yes Ma'am. I mean, yes, Mama Goat." I was immediately confused. One minute I was being shunned and the next welcomed with open arms. It was obvious that goats were important to these people, more so than what I would consider to be normal for goat farmers, not that I knew anything about goat farmers. From the appearance of everyone I had met so far, it looked as though they might be breeding with them! I shuttered at the thought. Suddenly, my gazed involuntarily fixed on Ms. Annabel's baby bump and that immediately got me wondering. My cruel subconscious immediately flooded my mind with an erotic but thankfully brief scene of her on all fours being ravaged by a male goat. "Ewww, could've done without that." I thought to myself.

Everything was happening so fast and I didn't have an opportunity to take a moment and properly evaluate the situation. In the face of not being able to make an informed decision, my fight or flight instincts were forced into service once again. I was not accustomed to receiving such assistance without some expectation of receiving some form of compensation. With the exception of Billy Jo, these people seemed to be genuinely friendly, albeit odd, but seemingly not a threat. I decided to go with the flow and play things by ear.

Mama Goat turned around to walk inside and I was instantly relieved not to be the focus of her attention, although her warm smile had helped break the ice. Despite her abnormal appearance, she seemed to be really friendly and I hoped that I would not accidentally insult her by my leering at her. Mama Goat motioned us inside and Ms. Annabel smiled as she held the door open for me. As I approached, I took hold of the door and motioned for Ms. Annabel to enter before me. "After you Ms. Annabel." A smile of appreciation of this simple gesture came across her face. "Why thank ya Aaron. And please, just call me Annabel." she responded as she entered the house.

Walking into the house we pretty much stepped right into the living room. The house smelled old but it was very clean. As my eyes adjusted to the decreased light, I noticed that the inside looked much like most any grandmother's house, with various antiques and old pictures adorning the place. Old artwork hung on most of the walls adding to the country theme of the décor. There were no fancy electronics; no TV, computer, gaming system, or high-tech stereo system. The only sign of technology more advance than basic electricity was an old radio that outside this community would be probably be used as a collectible decoration rather than its intended use.

Following Annabel into the dining room, she had me set my packs on the floor out of the way and then showed me to a chair at the dining room table before taking a seat across from me. I noticed her beginning to take off her straw sun hat and I watched intently with curiosity, wondering what would be revealed with its removal. Distracted by the revelation to come, I was completely unaware that Annabel's eyes were locked on mine as she slowly removed it, evaluating my facial expressions and reaction to her unique features. Once removed, it was revealed that she also had horns, although much smaller than her mother's. They were brown and measured approximately three inches in length. The show now over, Annabel looked my way and caught my watching her. I quickly diverted my eyes to Mama Goat and watched her slowly waddle into the kitchen.

"Can I get you something to drink, Aa-aa-aa-ron? Mama Goat asked from the kitchen without stopping her task at hand. May-ay-ay-be a nice glass of milk? We ma-a-a-ke it fresh."

Annabel's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open as if something was terribly wrong. "Uh, no! He can't!" she quickly interjected.

Mama Goat leaned out of the kitchen and my attention quickly turned to Annabel, both of us caught off guard by her sudden reaction. "Uhhhh...why can't I have milk?" I asked with a puzzled look on my face.

Annabel's head spun back to me. "Because...uh...it's...gone bad."

"Ba-a-a-d? It's fresh from..." Mama Goat started before being cut off again by Annabel.

"Mama! Trust me it's bad!" she insisted as she not-so-subtly shook her head "no" with widened eyes as if she were trying to convey some underlying message to her. Annabel looked back at me and smiled widely.

"Oh...okay-ay-ay, juice then? We have or-or-orange."

"Uh, yeah, sounds great Mama Goat. Thank you."

The situation was quite odd. If I hadn't been a stranger to the family, I would've thought that Mama Goat had almost spoiled some surprise Annabel had planned for me and pulled off one those not-so-subtle on-the-spot cover-ups. I'm just not one of those who act clueless and lets it go though.

"So what in the world was that about?" I asked without regard to subtlety.

"Uh...trust me, ya won't like the way our milk tastes."

"Why's that?" I responded.

Annabel gave me one of those looks women give guys when they want you to drop something. Me being me, that only fuels my curiosity and makes me push more and I think Annabel quickly realized it. She looked towards the kitchen to ensure Mama Goat wasn't within ear shot, leaned towards me, and then whispered. "Well, the way we make our milk ready to drink makes it taste a little sour."

"That's it?!" I responded. I didn't believe I was getting the whole story.

"Ssshhhhh! Not so loud! Mama Goat takes a lot of pride in the meals she makes and I didn't want ya to not like it and hurt her feelings."

"Ye-eh-eh have to be starvin, Aa-aa-aa-ron. Can I fix you sumthin? We have cereal, eggs, chicken...well, lots of stuff."

"Thanks, but I'm not too hungry Mama Goat. It's been a long day and my nerves are a bit shot after the accident. Maybe some fruit if it's not too much trouble?"

"Of course not sonny. Not a pro-o-o-blem. Don't want to eat too much anyway. We'll be eatin dinner soon."

I sat there and evaluated the situation. Annabel's reaction just seemed too extreme for something so seemingly trite, but when Mama Goat entered the dining room with my orange juice and a bowl of blueberries, I decided I'd let it go for now. Mama Goat joined Annabel at the table and began discussing the chores that needed to be done tomorrow. I just sat there and relaxed as I ate a couple oranges, glad to have finally settled down for the day. Once they finished discussing their plan they turned their attentions to me.

They were very curious about me and rightfully so given that they were housing a complete stranger and have yet to ask for anything in return. The least I could do was attempt to ease any doubts they may have about my character. Initially, Mama Goat asked most of the questions. She was a personable woman that seemed to love conversations. Getting to know someone not of their community was icing on the cake.

The questions began with how I ended up in their community and proceeded backwards from there. Out of habit of living in an untrustworthy world, I was probably more guarded than required and chose my responses carefully since they too had to earn my trust. I was generally forthcoming and I seemed to answer the questions to their satisfaction. As the comfort level in the room increased the lines of questions gradually evolved into a friendly conversation. I regaled them with details of my career and schooling as well as my love for weather and the outdoors. They in turn talked about life on the farm though they made noticeable effort to avoid addressing the elephant in the room; the goat attributes they all possessed.

With all of us engrossed in conversation, time got the better of us and before we knew it six o'clock was nearly upon us. Once Mama Goat realized the time, she and Annabel shifted their attention to dinner. I however, had been playing off a growing headache and sensation of lightheadedness that had begun over the course of the last hour. I attributed it to the accident, figuring that it was probably the affects of a slight concussion. Having satisfied my hunger I decided it was probably a good idea to lie down and get some rest.

"I don't mean to be rude but I think I'm going to turn in early and get some rest." I announced to the room.

Annabel immediately gave me her undivided attention. "What's wrong?!"

Her reaction seemed a bit much. "It's nothing. Just feelin a bit lightheaded from the accident."

"Yur not going to join us fur dinner? It would be good fur ya to eat Aaron." Mama Goat added.

"Naw, but thanks for the concern. It's been a long day and I just need some rest."

Mama Goat had really enjoyed our conversations and was visibly disappointed I wouldn't be joining them for dinner. "Annabel, why don't ya show Aaron to his room."

"Sure thing Ma." I watched Annabel walked past me to leave the dining room and then turned to me. "Why don't ya grab yur stuff and follow me and I'll take ya to yur room."

I thanked Mama Goat for the snack and her hospitality and then gathered up my packs. Annabel figured this would be a good time to show me the rest of the house. We took a left leaving the dining room and reentered the living room which then led to a hallway. We passed another entrance to the kitchen on the left while a few steps further down the hall on the right was a full bathroom. We came to the next doorway on the left and this was my room. Standing there, Annabel pointed out that her room was next to mine and that the master bedroom across from hers belonged to Mama Goat. She led me into my room and told me to make myself at home. The room smelled old like the rest of the house but it had a bed that was nice and soft. The wind produced an audible howl as it pushed against the outside wall of the room while assisting the first drops of rain in striking the window. This was going to be so much better than roughing it outdoors.

I set my packs down on the floor but remembered my case of water still in the bed of the truck. Annabel kindly volunteered to grab it for me while I started getting settled in. I didn't really unpack anything but rather pulled out a change of clothes to sleep in. Before I could close the door to do so, Annabel had returned with my water.

"Thank you Annabel."

"My pleasure." she responded as she handed me the water. "It's really startin to rain hard." she stated as she wiped away the raindrops that had wet her face as I set the case of water on top of a dresser. "Ya sure have a lot of water."

"Well this isn't the first time I've been stranded out in the middle of nowhere. And the great thing about Walmart is you can buy a lot of it for little money."

"Walmart? What's that?" Annabel asked.

"Really? You've never heard of Walmart?" Annabel shook her head "no" having truly never heard of the retail giant's name before. "Well, it's a popular and huge store that sells stuff at lower prices than many other stores."

"I've never seen water that was made for someone to buy in a bottle before." she stated in a befuddled manner. "Ya can't get water from the sink in yur house?"

"No, of course it has water. It's just convenient to have for traveling or hiking and camping. I don't buy it to drink it at home if that's what you're wondering."

"Oh, okay." Annabel said kind of giggling to herself. "Yeah, I was thinking it would be weird to buy water instead of getting it from yur sink." She paused for a moment. "Good that ya have here too. Ya should drink it instead of from our sinks anyway.

A befuddled look flashed across my face. "I can't drink your house water?" I was beginning to wonder what was with the water around here.

"It tastes kinda bad but we're used ta it bein that way."

"What, is it well water?" I asked.

"Yeah, it is."

"Oh, okay. Yeah I've had friends with well water. Let's just say it's an acquired taste." I didn't image these people have the best filtration system between ground to sink either.

Annabel could tell I was ready for the day to end. "Did ya need anything else?" Annabel asked.

"No, I'm good." I paused for a moment. "Annabel..."

"Yes Aaron?" Annabel responded.

"Thanks. Thank you for everything. I don't know how I can ever repay you."

"Awww, ya don't need to worry about that." Annabel paused. "Are ya sure yur okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine after I get some sleep."

She looked at me with genuine concern. "Ya tell me if ya feel badder? Remember the bad water."

"Oh yeah, it's just a headache. My stomach feels fine."

Annabel looked at me more seriously. "Promise me ya let me know."

"I promise. Sheesh, go eat your dinner."

As Annabel said goodnight and turned to leave the room a sudden jerking movement under the back of her dress above her ass caught my eye. A befuddled look engulfed my face as my mind raced to determine a logical explanation. Meanwhile, Annabel turned back around, faced me, and flashed me her innocent smile as she began pulling the door closed. Looking into her emerald green eyes I became lost in that moment as I reciprocated with a friendly smile. She maintained eye contact with me until the door was completely shut. Released from Annabel's captivating stare, I resumed my focus to determine the unusual movement on her backside. The fact that she was part goat led me to one logical conclusion; "A tail! She has a freakin tail!" I said quietly to myself. Rather than being disgusted, I actually thought it was kind of cool.

My exhaustion quickly swept to the forefront of my mind and I was more than ready to finally put an end to this day. I changed into my one set of clean clothes and plugged in my iPhone and iPad to give them a night's charge, placing them on the nightstand next to the bed. I then took some Tylenol and Advil in hopes of easing my headache. As much as I wanted to get cleaned up, the desire to just crawl into bed and get some sleep got the better of me. Turning off the light, I exhaled a sigh of relief as I laid down in the cool and soft bed. As I laid there in the bed, I could hear Annabel and Mama Goat's hooves clomping on the wooden floors as they moved about the house. I strained to make out their muffled conversations and although I heard my name a few times, I couldn't decipher much of what was being said. Suddenly, a couple quick flashes of light illuminating the perimeter of the window curtains interrupted my intent focus. They were closely followed by claps of thunder announcing the arrival of the stormy weather that had pressured my schedule for much of the day. A heavy rain began to strike the window, drowning out any conversation Annabel and Mama Goat might be having.

I struggled for a short while to shut down my mind, but the thoughts of the incredible things I had seen in the day made it challenging to do so. I still struggled with the fact that I was a guest to goat people. I briefly entertained myself with how this came to be. Bestiality gone awry? I mean, I've heard jokes about farmers getting intimate with their animals, but offspring resulting from the coupling? How is it they haven't been the subject of the media or science? Exhaustion finally overpowered my active mind and as my eyelids grew heavy. The sounds of the house and the thunderstorm outside began to fall out of my mind and the last conscious thought to enter my head was a wonder of what tomorrow would bring.