Bobby and George talked for half an hour then undressed and crawled into bed. It had been a busy day and both were tired, but enjoyed holding each other close.

"We spent as lot of time catching insects today," George said. "This insect collection is going to be to be a challenge. Not that your goats don't require a lot of work, but it's different."

"You're right," Bobby admitted. "All I have to do is feed and water them and get them gentle enough to be led around a ring. It's not all that complicated. Your project is harder than mine."

"The first year you just do a little cigar box thing with 25 insects. I can do that pretty quick."

Bobby nodded. "Maybe I'll let Bonny and Clyde have babies and show them next year. They can have kids when they are nine or ten months old."

"I might if I had enough of them. You can get a lot of milk out of a goat, Not as much as a cow, but more than you would think. They can pasture most anywhere. They're hardy little fellows. Kinders are meaty too."

"That's different. Well, maybe it's not," George admitted. "I like to think that hamburger is born in a plastic wrapper."

"You might have eaten goat cheese. That's what Feta cheese is. Sometimes they put that on salads."

I haven't either but stick around and we both will," Bobby grinned, then paused and held up a hand. "Listen! What's that?"

Through the closed window they heard an eerie noise, a scream like that of a child and Pepper's frantic barking. "That doesn't sound right," Bobby said and jumped to his feet and pulled on some clothes.

George followed him out of the room to find Ely standing in the hall with a shotgun. "Something's after your goats. Take this with you," he said and handed the gun and a big flashlight to Bobby.

The boys ran out the back door and raced to the barn. The sound grew louder as they came to the barn. Pepper's barking had now become a frantic snarling and yelping.

Bobby switched the lights on as they raced into the barn and saw a flurry of activity next to the goat pen. A pair of scruffy animals were engaged in a ferocious struggle with the black dog. When the light hit them Bobby gave a shout and they bolted out with Pepper in pursuit. Bobby stopped just long enough to see that the little goats were frightened but unharmed, then raced out after the intruders.

He was able to catch the coyotes in the beam of the flashlight as they ran across the barnyard then to the trees that ran around the perimeter of the pasture. George tried to keep up with Bobby but stumbled over the rough ground in the dark. As he regained his footing he heard two shots and saw flashes of light. By the time George caught up with his friend, Bobby had managed to call Pepper back to him and was examining the dog for injury.

"Coyotes. I couldn't get a good shot at them. They were after the goats and Pepper held them off," Bobby was shining the light on his dog. "They got her pretty good."

In the beam of the flashlight George could see blood matting the short black fur of the still excited dog. Bobby handed the shotgun and flashlight to George, gathered his dog in his arms and carried her back to the house, whispering in her ear, "Good girl, Pepper. Good girl."

When they came into the kitchen they found Ely sitting at the table looking concerned. "A couple of Coyotes were after the goats and Pepper got into it with them. They got her pretty good," Bobby told him. "I need to get her cleaned up and see about her."

George followed Bobby into the bathroom and held the now shivering dog while Bobby ran cool water into the bathtub. He poured water over her and the water turned dark red. By now, the dog was weak and having difficulty standing. "She's lost a lot of blood. Damned old coyotes. I'll get those bastards," Bobby muttered under his breath." It was the first time that George had ever heard him swear. As Bobby poured water over the wounds and pulled back the hair, George could see some long gashes on her neck and sides. Blood was still flowing.

Ely came in with a bottle of peroxide and a clean washcloth. "Here, use this as a compress. We need to stop the bleeding. Those devils have filthy mouths she could get infected real easy."

"Let's see what those cuts look like in the morning. We might have to take her into the vet to have her stitched up," Bobby said grimly.

George sat back on the stool and watched quietly as they worked on the brave dog. Farmers knew how to care for a wounded animal. When the bleeding was stanched, Bobby bound the poor creature with gauze, wrapped her in a dry towel and carried her into his bedroom. "I'll keep her in here tonight so I can keep an eye on her," he said. "Go in the kitchen and get me a bowl of milk, will you?"

When George returned with a bowl of milk, Bobby had made a pallet for Pepper next to his bed and was sitting beside her, gently stroking her back and making soothing noises. He looked up, took the milk and set it down next to the dog's head. She sniffed it, took a few licks then lay back down again.

"She's kind of shocky," Bobby said quietly. "We need to keep her warm tonight." He unfolded an old wool blanket and carefully covered her with it. He stroked her again a few times then got into bed looking down at her with great concern.

"You really love that dog, don't you?" George asked. "I thought she just did her job of looking after the cows, like when the cats catch mice in the barn."

"Well," Bobby was leaned over the edge of the bed watching his dog. "We had a border collie named Ginger when I was real little. I found pepper by the side of the road out here when she was maybe six weeks old. She was just skin and bones. I guess somebody had dumped her. I brought her to the house and we fed her up for awhile then she started following Ginger around. I guess Ginger taught her to fetch the cows. It wasn't long after that when Momma died. I was pretty sad and Pepper seemed to know something was wrong. She kind of started looking after me. My dad said I used to talk to her when I thought he wasn't listening – you know, telling her how I felt and everything." Bobby sighed, "Pepper is pretty special. I would hate for anything to happen to her."

"Those coyotes might have killed the baby goats if it hadn't been for Pepper," George suggested.

"Probably. She saved them all right. She wasn't afraid at all." Bobby's voice had a catch in it. "She's a good dog, George. She's been my best friend for a long time."

George turned toward Bobby and put his arm around him. Bobby relaxed and put his head on the pillow but kept his eye on the dog. They fell asleep that way and barely moved until morning when Bobby sat up and looked down at the black lab.

"Pepper? Pepper girl." Bobby squatted down next to his dog and shook her shoulder. "Pepper?"

The dog open her eyes and cautiously stretched a little then raised her head and wagged her tail at the sight of Bobby's face next to hers. "You OK girl? How you doing?"

Bobby hesitated. "I think so. Let's get her up and take her outside." He helped the dog get to her feet and she took a few shaky steps for the door. Bobby picked her up and walked out the back door with her. He and George still had on their clothes from the day before.

When he set Pepper on her feet she took a few steps, squatted to pee then shook her head gingerly and wobbled towards the barn. Once in the barn she walked up to the goat pen and sniffed carefully. The goats trotted over and sniffed back, switching their tails in recognition. Satisfied that the babies were alright, Pepper laid down next to the pen with her eyes on Bonny and Clyde and sighed. Bobby picked up the pan of water and put it near Pepper who rose to her feet and drank deeply.

"She's taking on and passing water so "I think she's going to be OK," Bobby said. I need to keep her quiet or she'll try to go down after the cows."

Bobby chuckled, "Yeah, I think they would all like that," and he opened the pen and to let Pepper in to check on her babies. They sniffed noses. The goats frolicked a little and Pepper lay down in the straw. "I think she'll be OK. Let's get the chores done then I'll change her bandages when we get her back to the house."

The eggs gathered and the cows milked, They fed and watered the goats, let Pepper out of the pen and headed for the house. Bobby whistled at Pepper and she reluctantly followed them back. Ely was in the kitchen cooking breakfast. "How is everybody?" he asked, looking at Pepper. "She doesn't usually get to come in the house, but I guess we can make an exception under the circumstances."

Ely put a bowl of scrambled eggs down for her and a bowl of milk. Pepper ate them with a certain amount of enthusiasm. Bobby got out fresh gauze, cleaned her wounds and wrapped her up again. "She looks better today," he said. "The cuts are closing without stitches."

"I better get off to church or I'll be late,"Ely said. "You're welcome to come but I'm thinking you might want to stay and keep an eye on the dog."

Bobby nodded his head and turned in the kitchen chair to watch Pepper eat. "I reckon we'll stay home this morning."

Ely went out to the truck and drove away, leaving the boys alone with their patient. It was very quiet.

George shook his head slowly. "This is a different world out here. Things happen and you just deal with them as they come. I don't know.... You guys are so strong."

"When you farm you got to deal with stuff," Bobby smiled. "What else you gonna do?"

Pepper finished her breakfast and scratched at the door. "She's not used to being in the house," Bobby said. "I think she wants to go back out to check on her babies." He got up and let her out, then watched as she walked slowly out to the barn.

Bobby shrugged. "We all have a job to do. Hers is to watch after the cows and the goats, and me."

"They are today. Those coyotes just might come back to try again. I might sleep in the barn tonight."

"Kill them if I can get a good shot at them," Bobby replied calmly. "You can stay in the house if you'd rather."

Bobby leaned back in the chair and stretched. "What do you want to do now?" We got the rest of the day ahead of us."

George thought for a minute. "It's a little cool to go swimming, but I wouldn't mind going back to your tree house."

Bobby looked in the refrigerator and pulled out cold fried chicken, some cheese, a bag of apples and a jug of tea. He dumped it all in a plastic bag and wrapped it in an old blanket. Writing a note to Ely, they went out to the barn where they found Pepper sleeping next to the goat pen. Bobby opened the gate and put her inside. "I don't need her trying to follow us." They climbed up on the tractor and started out across the field.

When they came to the tall pines next to the pond they got off. Bobby wrapped the blanket with their lunch around his waist and motioned for George to follow him up the central tree. After a long climb they eased themselves over the edge of the platform and looked out over the rolling valley below. The hardwoods tucked in between the pines were deeper shades of red and yellow than only a week earlier. From this height they could see a great distance. Other farms were carved out of the pines and were dotted with white houses and old red barns. Clusters of black cows and a few white sheep dotted the landscape. A stiff breeze ruffled their hair and caused the platform to sway gently. Other than the cry of distant birds it was silent.

They sat quietly for several minutes then George leaned against Bobby. "It's so beautiful up here. I wish I lived on the farm so I could come up here all the time."

"She did give in pretty easy. Maybe," George hesitated. "I don't know." Bobby turned his head and looked at him.

"I wonder about Mom sometimes. One day she is real nice and the next she is all pissy. I know she gets off work at five o'clock. Sometimes she's home at five-thirty and sometimes she doesn't come in until kind of late. When I ask her where she's been she acts funny and doesn't like it."

"I don't know. It'd be OK with me if she did. I never met any of the guys she went out with. Well, except for one."

George shrugged. "Not really. I went to a movie with a friend and he was at the house when I got back. I don't think they expected me."

"I thought nobody was home and went in the kitchen for a snack. When I came back to the living room she was there with this guy. I think they must have been in her bedroom. She was all rumpled and he looked pissed. He didn't stay long."

Bobby looked away. "That was awkward. I guess she's a grownup and can do what she wants."

"Yeah, but then she's always onto me for something. She treats me like a big baby."

"I'm sorry. You don't need to hear about this kind of stuff. You are so mature and all."

"Yeah. You know how to do everything and your father trusts you to do all kinds of things."

"What if your mother did want to have her weekends to herself. What if she let you come out here a lot. Would that be so bad?"

Bobby laid out the blanket and pulled out the provisions. They ate the chicken and cheese then tossed the bones out to settle to the ground for wild critters to eat. For desert was apples and cold tea. It made a nice lunch. The wrappers went in Bobby's pocket. The blanket was spread over the platform and they stretched out on their stomachs to look into the distance.

After a few minutes, George impulsively laid his head on Bobby's shoulder and snuggled closer to him. Bobby responded by putting his arm around George's shoulder and pulling him closer. George turned over on his back so that his face was close to Bobby.'s. "Remember when we were messing around last weekend? Remember that you kissed me?"

"I liked that. I really liked that," George said softly. "If you wanted to do that again, it'd be OK with me."

"Really? I probably shouldn't have done that. It just kind of happened," Bobby explained shyly.

George started to say something else, then raised his face close to Bobby and gently kissed him on the lips. Bobby did not pull away. "What do you think?" George asked.

"Yeah. That's kinda nice." Bobby shifted his position so that his chest was against George's, then wrapped his arms around him. They kissed again, very slowly and deliberately. Their mouths opened and their tongues touched. It was exciting and seemed very natural. They did this for several minutes.

"Ohhh," George sighed. "I like that a lot. I want to feel our bare skin touching again, like the other night."

Bobby nodded and raised up just enough so that both of them could take off their shirts. George's hands went over Bobby's chest and across his shoulders, tracing the muscles with his fingers. "Does that feel nice?" he asked.

"Yeah. It does," Bobby responded. "It feels nice when you touch me like that." He pressed their bare chests together and put his lips against George's so that the kissing happened again. George ran his hands over Bobby's back, feeling the muscles and bare skin under the palms of his hands. His fingers slipped under the waistband of Bobby's jeans and felt his firm butt cheeks. The kiss grew in intensity.

After several minutes, Bobby broke off the kiss and raised up to look into George's face, then looked down and ran his fingers over his chest and stomach. "Your nipples are all hard."

"Yeah? Me too." Bobby chuckled and reached down to test George's erection, pressed his own against it and moved from side to side.

"I want to be naked," George whispered. In a moment all they were wearing were their socks. The breeze at that height was chilly. Bobby stretched himself out on top of George and pulled one side of the blanket over to cover them. "We're in a cocoon," George giggled.

Bobby rested his elbows on each side of George's head, held his face in his hands and gave him a quick kiss on his nose. "You like that?"

George wiggled his hips, pressing himself into his red headed friend. "Oh yeah. I like everything about you. Being with you like this is a fantasy come true."

George wrapped his arms around Bobby and pulled him close. "It's hard to explain. I'm afraid you'll think I'm a creep or something."

"Because I want to do stuff with you. I mean more than just jerk off. Please don't be mad."

"I'm not mad at you. We haven't done anything that I didn't want to do. What do you mean about fantasy?"

George lay back and looked steadily at Bobby, watching his face to read his emotions. "I mean that I don't think about girls all that much. When I think about doing something with somebody it's with another boy. Not that I've done all that much, but I think about it a lot. Like, it's been a fantasy for me for a long time. That's what I mean. But I never imagined it would be with somebody like you."

"Oh, Bobby. Didn't you ever look at yourself in the mirror? You are so handsome. You're strong and smart. You can do anything. Dumb farm boy? Be serious. I'd give anything to be just like you."

"You really see me that way?" Bobby looked surprised. "You're the cool one. You're smart and funny. You like to learn new things. You already know more about insects than anybody I know. You don't see yourself very clearly either. You're a nice looking guy."

"But you aren't like me," George insisted. "You're just messing around with me. You'll end up having a girl friend and getting married some day. I'm not like that."

Bobby looked puzzled. "Where are you going with all this? You trying to run me off or something? I like you a lot, George. I like what we do together. Maybe I'm more like you than you think I am."

It took George a minute for this to sink in. "You really mean that? I was afraid if you knew how I was you wouldn't like me."

"I like you George," Bobby smiled. "I have to admit that I haven't thought about this kind of thing all that much, but the stuff we've done feels right to me. If that means that we are both kind of weird then I'm OK with that. You are like you are and I am like I am. Maybe you're worrying about this too much."

"Yeah, I think so. I don't know where this is going. Maybe you're right. Maybe I'll find some girl I like and maybe I'll get married some day. Maybe you will. We're only thirteen for Pete's sake. Can't we just enjoy doing what we both like to do and not get all worked up about it?"

"Maybe that's a good idea. I thought we were going to have some fun up here in my tree house and you go off on a big guilt trip."

Bobby wiggled his hips to bring back some nice feelings. "Now. What were you going to say about wanting to do more than just jerk off?"

George lifted the blanket a little and said, "Why don't you roll over on your back." Bobby grinned and turned over. George raised up and looked down at Bobby. "You are so beautiful," he whispered. He bent over and licked Bobby's nipples, first one and then the other. Bobby arched his back and sighed.

George ran his tongue down Bobby's chest, kissed his pecs and down over his stomach, then pushed his face into his red pubic hair. Bobby shivered. His erection had returned. George took it in his hand and pulled the foreskin up over the head and licked it with his tongue. "I've always wanted to do this," he said, took Bobby's cock in his mouth and pulled the skin down to suck him deep in his throat.

Bobby reacted by taking George's face in his hands and pushed him down against his belly. "Oh my God!" he sighed. "That's awesome!"

"Oh yeah! Do that some more!" George held Bobby's balls in his hand and pulled down on them while he worked his mouth up and down Bobby's cock, slurping and licking it with his tongue. "You better stop or I'll cum in your mouth," Bobby warned him.

"I guess we wouldn't want that, would we?" George rolled over on his back and pulled at Bobby's head. "Did that feel nice? I wonder how that feels."

"I guess I could show you," Bobby said and leaned over George to return the favor. Taking George's cock in his hand he sniffed it, licked it and took the head in his mouth. George gasped.

"I've thought about how it would be to do this," Bobby admitted. "It's not that bad. Kind of nice, really." he went back to George's cock and sucked it deeper this time. Clearing his throat and coughing, he tried again and managed to take the length of it in his throat. George reacted with a low moan before Bobby choked and withdrew. "You're kind of long," he said, then tried it again, this time swallowing the length of it.

George pushed up against him and Bobby coughed and pulled back. "I guess I need some practice. That's not as easy as I thought."

"You can practice all you want," George assured him. "But I'm not sure I can hold out without making a mess."

"I'm not quite ready for you to cum in my mouth," Bobby admitted, "But if you'll warn me before you shoot, I'll try that again."

"Yeah? It's nice isn't it? Let me try to do it right this time." Bobby held the base of George's cock in his hand and worked it in and out of his mouth, stopping to lick the length of it and run his tongue around the head, then sucking it in his mouth again. He was surprised by how much pleasure he got from sucking on George. "It's nice for me too," he said, then went back to work.

Bobby raised his head up and jerked George's dick with one hand while he rubbed his balls with the other. "Go ahead!" George gave a loud cry and sprayed semen up over his chest and stomach. Bobby pumped him until he relaxed and let out his breath. "How was that?" Bobby laughed.

Bobby ran his fingers through the mess on George's stomach and lifted his fingers to his nose. "It smells about the same as mine," he said, then licked his fingers. "Tastes the same too."

"You are as horny as I am," George laughed. "I think it's my turn to take care of you."

Bobby turned over on his back and held the blanket up so George could have access to his erection. "Go for it."

George started off by taking Bobby's balls in his mouth and sucking on them, one at a time while he stroked his cock with his fingers. He ran his tongue up and down the shaft, pulling the delicious foreskin up over the head then pulling it down tight. "Mmm, that's such a nice thing to play with," he muttered.

Taking Bobby's dick in his mouth George pulled the skin tight and sucked it as deep in his mouth as he was able. He found that if he relaxed his throat he could let the cock pass all the way in. He swallowed to let his throat squeeze it and moved his head from side to side causing Bobby to gasp with pleasure.

After a minute or so of this Bobby took a deep breath and warned, "You better stop. I'm getting real close!" But George was not inclined to stop. From the videos he secretly watched on his computer he had another idea. Gripping Bobby's nuts in his hand he pushed down against his pubic hair and sucked harder.

"Stop! Oh, Stop! I'm cumming," Bobby warned him again then abandoned himself to his orgasm. "Ohhhh! Oh George!" Bobby writhed with the intensity of the moment.

George held on and sucked up and down pulling every drop of semen from Bobby's throbbing cock. When the pulsing stopped, he held the uncut cock in his hand and milked out the last few drops, squeezing them out of the foreskin as he pulled it out over the end of the cockhead, then licked those drops clean and stuck the tip of his tongue inside the pucker.

It took Bobby several deep breaths before he was able to speak. "I'm sorry. I tried to warn you."

Bobby laughed at that. "I've only tasted two samples so I'm not exactly an expert."

"I never ate an oyster so I couldn't say. Do they taste like cum?" Bobby wondered.

Bobby sighed and took George in his arms. "Oh man. That was intense! I won't forget this day."

George snuggled up and let Bobby's strong arms wrap around him. He tucked the old blanket close around them and they dozed off.

Some time passed and Bobby startled awake. "Hey George. We need to get back. It's almost time to do the chores, and I want to check on Pepper."

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Goats and Bugs

by Nick Brady

Chapter 8