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Another high tier snippet story!  A dog girl story will follow this week as well as an illustration so look forward to those as well!

The small classroom was a scattered mess with no desks but, instead, a random mixture of small tables and low-backed plastic chairs.  Art, of various quality, lined the walls: sketches, oil paintings, watercolors and quite a few larger pieces created with spray paint.  Clay sculptures rested next to poseable body figures held together by wire.  A forest of brushes stood sentry behind a line of glass jars, guarding a rainbow array of paints stored in plastic bottles.  The room was barely managed chaos.

An older woman sat in the corner of the room, one leg bent over her other knee with the suspended foot bouncing a steady rhythm.  She held a ballpoint pen carefully while looking through the dusty rectangular window set in the wall to her side.  A lone tree was her subject but it wasn't the first time she'd drawn it.  Its branches arched over a dirt field marked by a tall chain link fence.

The field was the school's playground but it was empty, a relic of the past when they were a middle school rather than high school and a hundred children raced and laughed and played.  Now it was empty and disused.  Wind pulled at the tree's branches.  Her eyes relaxed as she focused on the mesmerizing motion of the shifting leaves.  When the wind stopped, she blinked, let out a shuddering breath and wiped a small unshed tear away from her eye before it reached the cloth mask she wore over her mouth and nose.

She decided to draw the tree bereft of leaves with sharp lines and long limbs.  The leaves themselves would be in free fall, little spinning blurs in straight drops.  Uncrossing her legs, she started on the first leaf when her watched vibrated gently against her arm.

"Ah," she said, blinking to refocus on the room rather than the closeness of her work.  Her voice was only slightly muffled by her mask.  "That's it for today."

There were 6 students in her class.  Some years were more, some years less and it worried her that they would cut the class entirely.  But, for now, she had her students and she loved them all.  This year's senior art class was a quiet group that worked well together.  Mostly.

"I'll want your finished project by tomorrow," she told them, still seated, watching them as they gathered up their materials.

Her eyes drifted to Chloe who cleaned her brushes apart from the others.  The senior girl tugged at the ends of her oversized hoodie every time after she finished with a brush.  The sweatshirt hung low on her and she tried to hide in it.  It'd taken weeks before the girl had pulled her hood back to show the mane of thick curly locks that framed her face.  Even then, she pulled her hair over her wide, dimpled cheeks far enough to cover her eyes.  While the others sometimes pulled their facemasks away or down to breathe easier, she never did, preferring instead to keep it on at all times at school.

She'd done what she could to help the girl's confidence but she wasn't quite good enough with people, either.  So she'd tried, praising the girl's art and taking time to ask questions about the details.  It helped that she was very talented.

"The next assignment is to find a scene in nature.  An animal this time.  Something wild or your family pet or whatever works," she told them when they made their way back to their seats.  "Use whatever medium you'd like and whatever style you like.  The weather is beautiful so get out there and enjoy it.  You have to be here during class but you can work outside if you like, to continue your work."

Her five students, Chloe aside, thought quietly for a moment until Sebastián spoke up.  If there was a leader in her class, it was him and she knew he'd make a fine teacher.  He was patient and empathetic and supportive of everyone else.

"The zoo," he said while slipping the straps of his backpack over his arms.  His blue facemask had a stylized image of the school's mascot on the left side.  "Let's go to the zoo. All of us.  We could walk around until we find something we like.  And it'd be fun."

"I haven't been to the zoo since I was a kid," Jennifer said.  The thin girl picked at her stockings before settling her pleated skirt in place and adjusting her own mask.  "The animals always looked so sad."

"So draw a sad penguin," Dustin said.  He held his arms close to his body with his hands at an angle while waddling in a circle.  Although the others would disagree, he'd appointed himself the class clown.

"Dork.  She said to draw animals, not each other," Cherry said, waving the colored pen she had in the air to draw an outline around Dustin.  "I only see one sad penguin here.  And put your mask on."

The five high schoolers traded insults until they were ready to leave.  Sebastián stayed behind as the others wove through the messy room to the exit.

"Are you going to come with us, Chloe?" he asked with a soft voice.

"I- I- I can't," Chloe answered while pulling on the bottom of her hoodie. She stared at the floor with her backpack pulling at her shoulders. "I have to go straight home tonight.  I'll- I'll just find a squirrel or dog to draw.  It's okay."

He almost reached out to touch her shoulder but thought better of it and nodded while tugging on his own backpack.  She was difficult for him to understand.  He was charismatic and popular and found himself surrounded by those that were open and talkative.  She barely spoke and he had only one other class with her and she was silent there as well.  He just had no idea what to say or do with her.  The best he could do, he'd decided months ago, was to invite her into their gatherings occasionally and leave her alone when she said no.

"Alright, well, we're going over there now so if you change your mind, come find us," he told her.

She fidgeted before him, tucking a few errant strands of hair back beneath her hood but finally nodded when he didn't go away immediately.  Her right foot swiveled to her left.  She rubbed them together while staring at the worn soles.  A thick sliver of rubber had broken away weeks ago and she still hadn't torn it off.

When Sebastián finally turned to leave, she waited a minute and followed, offering a quick wave of her hand to the teacher to say goodbye.  Once outside the classroom, with her thumbs hooked into the straps of her backpack, she turned left to leave through the double doors at the end of the hallway.  A chain hung loosely from one of the doors.  Some student from years ago had picked the cheap little lock that held it in place and the school hadn't cared enough to put it back.

A warm wind flowed around her.  She breathed as deeply as she could through her thin mask with her head finally raised but wrinkled her small nose when she tasted the hint of cigarette smoke.  A trio of students, none she recognized, were partially hidden by the jutting wall of the gymnasium.

Chloe kicked at a clump of grass growing in the middle of a rough patch of dirt, dotted with stones.  A rusted chain link fence loosely surrounded the field and the old playground was disused and barely maintained.  While a few other students used it as a shortcut to and from school, most ignored it, preferring instead to mill about in front of the school.

Three trees - oak, she'd learned when she'd taken a leaf to look it up - lay beyond the fence.  A fourth stood alone next to the fence, beyond the art room.  The middle of the three trees was her favorite.  The roots rose out of the earth like a great octopus lashing out at a ship above the water and there was a gap facing away from the school that she could nestle within.  Seated there and with her eyes closed, the world faded away and she could pretend that she didn't exist, that she was one with the world, surrounded by it and nurtured by it.  It was quiet and calm and it made her feel at peace.

She glanced at the tree before brushing hairs back within her hoodie and tugging at the bottom of the sweatshirt.  The girl continued on her way, walking a wide path around the school to avoid everyone else.  Even from this distance, she could hear them.  Their voices carried on the wind and she cringed when she heard angry shouts.  She walked faster, ignoring the way her thighs rubbed together.  Voices followed her, faintly now as she shoved her hands into her front pocket, bouncing her them against her soft belly.

The walk home was quiet as usual in the small town.  While school was out, it was early in the day and most people were still at work. She trudged along the sidewalk, occasionally kicking the sole of her shoes against the gaps in the sidewalk.  They separated slightly near her toes but she kept walking and kicking.

After a few blocks, she fished into the side pocket of her backpack until she felt a small plastic cube.  She pulled out her old MP3 player, untangling the frayed cords of her earphones before slipping them under her hood and into her ears. She'd bought it used with her own money but didn't know how to update the music.  It was a playlist from the 90s, mostly punk rock, with a few late 80s songs mixed in.  She closed her eyes for a moment and began to whisper along with the words she knew.

Eventually she turned onto the street where she lived and she turned off the music, wrapping the cords once more and placing it back into her backpack.  She stepped up to the door while taking the keys from the pocket in her jeans but hesitated before unlocking it.  Closing her eyes again, she leaned forward, turning her head and listening carefully.  The television was playing but that was all.

Chloe unlocked the door as quietly as she could.  She slipped inside and stepped carefully, taking her shoes off to leave them in the entryway.  She only saw her mother's shoes and not the boots her mother's boyfriend wore.  She sighed in relief and hurried through the small house.  She could see her mother's head over the back of the worn out couch and some show she didn't recognize on their old rear projection television.

Once safely in her room, she closed the door and immediately unloaded her backpack. In person classes were reduced to every other day to keep class size to a minimum but she still had homework and she wanted to finish quickly so she could curl up and draw for the rest of the evening.  Thankfully, take home work was also reduced.  Her stomach growled but she ignored it, instead, sitting on her bed with her legs crossed and her books arrayed before her.

An hour later, with her homework nearly finished, Chloe jumped when she heard a car door slam outside.  She gnawed on her lip and breathed as evenly as she could while listening but when the front door opened and then slammed shut loudly, she let her breath out in a ragged exhalation.

"-en drinking again?!" her mother yelled from the room.

There was no answer to the question but Chloe kept her eyes closed.  Her jaw compressed, the muscles beneath her cheeks pushing against her soft skin briefly.

"Answer me!  I can smell it on your clothes!" her mother said, louder now.

Now there was a reply but it was too quiet to hear and that was more terrifying to her than an angry rebuke.

"Let me see your phone," her mother continued.  "Give me your phone!"

"Fuck off!" her boyfriend yelled, matching her tone now.

Chloe closed her notebook and textbook, setting them to the side before sliding out of bed.  Only now did she notice that the old laptop her school loaned her for remote learning was missing.  She prayed it was her mother who took it and that she still had it.

A loud thump made her jump.  Anxious, nervous energy formed in the pit of her stomach.

"Give it to me, you cheating asshole!"  Chloe's mother screeched.

"Stop- stop grabbing- get the fuck offa me!" came the reply.

Metal clattered against the floor.  Chloe closed her eyes and her lips trembled but she grabbed her backpack and mask, pulling it over her ears before moving to her door.  She opened it and glanced out to make sure they were still in the kitchen.  There was a grunt and a shout but Chloe focused on rushing through the house.  She grabbed her shoes, opened the front door and stepped out, closing the door behind her.  Finally, she shoved her feet into the shoes.

"Give me my phone back, bitch!" the boyfriend, Greg, yelled.  Something thumped loudly again.

"Tell me the PIN!  Unlock it!" her mother screamed back.

Chloe walked away, hunching her shoulders and pulling her hood further over her face, hiding her eyes.  Her stomach hurt from the stress still building inside but she tried to calm herself as she walked.  She was aimless at first, simply walking down the sidewalk but after a few blocks, she looked up, orienting herself.  The summer sun was high in the sky, well over the horizon.  She wasn't sure the zoo would still be open but she had nowhere else to go and Sebastián's invitation echoed in her mind.  She decided she might as well visit and maybe find something to draw. Anything was better than being home when those two were fighting.

It took a moment to find her student bus pass when she arrived at a nearby stop.  She stood in the corner of the shelter surrounding the bench, pressing back while she waited.  A squirrel, gray and lean, raced along the top of a fence across the street.  She watched its movement, the bursts of speed before it stopped with a twitching, alert tail.  It leapt onto a nearby branch, halting to stare at a bird feeder dangling at the far end.  After a moment, it lowered itself to creep along the branch but Chloe's attention was pulled away when she heard the faint rumble of the approaching bus. She gripped the pass in her hand and stepped forward to wait until the bus was in front of her.  The door opened while the bus knelt with a hiss.

A few people sat scattered on the two columns of seats.  Chloe watched her feet while shuffling to the end of the bus, sitting by the window and turning to it with her knees tucked and her backpack against her stomach.  The bus jerked and pulled away but she lost herself in her own mind, zoning out until her thoughts were cleared completely.

Eventually, the soft voice of the driver announced the zoo as an upcoming stop and Chloe roused herself.  She watched for the signs and unfolded herself to stand and then walk down the aisle, waiting when an older woman stood to exit before her.

"Thank you," Chloe whispered to the driver, stepping down and out without waiting to see if he heard her.

Families wandered around the entrance with energetic children laughing and weaving around the adults, chasing each other until one was tagged. She watched them for a second and a small lump formed in her throat.  There were vague memories of a happy childhood but she couldn't remember much more than old emotions and fragments and she wasn't even sure if she'd made them up.

Chloe stepped up to the single ticket booth.  She fumbled in her backpack to find her student ID after the attendant asked for payment.  When her ticket was printed, she palmed it and walked through the metal gate and into the zoo itself.

A peacock strutted just inside the entrance.  It bobbed its head and shook its feathers until a small child raced after it and it spooked, hopping and running before the child's parent could grab their kid.  Chloe watched it for a moment but then continued on through the park, past the souvenir shop and small cafe.

She wandered for the next 30 minutes, stopping briefly at each exhibit.  Meerkats peeked at her safely from a distance while the gibbons ignored her completely, swinging with their long arms while playing together.  Just as she was about to enter the clouded leopard exhibit, she saw her classmate Cherry walk inside.  Chloe immediately took a left, ducking into a tunnel.  She walked quickly and found herself staring at an immense elephant.

A little girl pounded on the clear wall separating the viewing area from the enclosure.  Her mother stood staring at her phone, ignoring the child as she continued to squeal and slam her hands.  The colored remains of a popsicle lined the girl's mouth and her eyes were wild from the sugar.

"Do something!" the little girl chanted.  "Do something do something do something!"

The girl tugged on her mom's hand but the adult ignored her.

"I'm bored!  Mom! I'm bored, mom!"

"Okay, let's go," the mother said distantly, scrolling on her phone while following when her child pulled her into the tunnel leading to the exit.

Long benches filled the shaded viewing area.  Chloe sat in the corner of one with her backpack on her knees.  The elephant's tail swished and its trunk swayed but it otherwise stood there quietly.  Its right tusk was half as long as the left.  The end was completely smooth and rounded, as if it had been sanded down.

A small plaque was hung on a wooden bar in front of the clear wall separating her from the beast.  It read: Hello!  My name is Ekon!  I am a young male African elephant on loan while healing from an injury dealt by poachers.  Please be kind and keep your voices calm.

Chloe watched it for a moment, sheltering in the cool, dim viewing area.  Ekon's trunk curled and he stomped, turning slowly and carefully until he faced her.  His small eyes were hidden by the wrinkled, dark gray skin covering his body.  She watched him fan the air with his ears, flexing them forward and back, stirring the air.  She could smell the earthy scent from his enclosure.

She expected sadness in his eyes but saw curiosity instead.  Or what she thought was curiosity.  He stomped closer to the wall separating them, raising his trunk once more until the round tip touched the glass.  It flattened and moisture puffed around the nostrils.

"H- hi," Chloe said, surprised how loud her voice was in the small room despite the mask she wore.

Ekon lowered his trunk but flapped his ears once more before returning to stare at her.  Trees grew inside his enclosure and she could see a little pond but she had no idea how much room the elephant had.  She hoped it had enough room to move around but worried that it didn't.  He lifted his foot gently, set it back down and then lowered his head before raising it once more.

"I'm going to draw you," she told him.  "If that's okay?"

With the attention he was giving her, she half expected him to answer but he didn't, only swishing his tail gently back and forth while she took out the drawing pad and pencils her teacher had given her.  Her hand darted over the paper, sketching rough lines for the creature's body.  Time passed and lines became ovals and rectangles and a rough shape emerged on her paper.  She hummed while drawing, a random piece of music from the playlist stored on the MP3 player in her backpack.  She didn't know its name but it was stuck in her thoughts as she worked.

When a voice announced on a hidden overhead speaker that the zoo would be closing in fifteen minutes, Chloe shook herself, surprised at how long she'd been working.  She'd only just started to add a little bit of detail for his skin, starting at his flattened front left leg.  At some point after she'd sketched his outline, he'd lowered himself to lay down and watch her, resting partially on his side with his head up and his trunk against the ground.

Ekon's ears continued to sway gently to help cool himself off and she found herself enjoying the smell from his enclosure.  It was so different from the smells of the city and even more so from the mess inside her house.  There was a new longing inside of her, for something that had never existed before.  She could see it in her imagination - huge tracts of dusty land covered in short grass with trees spread out in between watering holes.  An endless blue sky overhead.  Nobody else around.  No noise, no screaming, no yelling,

Chloe scratched her upper arm before closing her drawing pad and putting it away carefully with her pencils in a little plastic case.  She grabbed her backpack and went to the window.  Ekon pushed himself up and stood in front of her, fluffing his ears hard enough to stir the loose dirt beneath him.  For the first time today, she smiled beneath her mask.  After scratching her side, she placed her hand on the divider.

"I'll be back tomorrow!" she said, turning and walking through the tunnel.  Behind her, Ekon raised his trunk to place the tip where she'd touched the window.

People flowed through the zoo in small groups while employees worked around them, cleaning and closing exhibits.  She avoided them, pulling at her hoodie and then grabbing the straps on her backpack.  As they left, she followed at a distance, trailing behind them with her eyes downcast.

A small mob waited at the bus stop so she stood apart from them.  Once the bus squealed loudly to a stop, she stepped from one foot to the other until everyone had entered and only then did she make her way inside.  The back bench was filled but she found an empty spot near the middle by a window, once more pressing herself into the cool wall with her forehead against the laminated glass.

The skin between the thumb and index finger on her right hand grew loose as she scratched at it while staring outside.  Wrinkles formed from the skin, an irregular patch surrounded by smooth white skin.  Tiny brown bristles pushed through the flesh.  She scratched harder and then switched hands, dragging her nails against the smooth skin when wrinkles appeared suddenly, cracking the skin.  Her fingers brushed against the hidden tips of hairs scattered over the surface, toying with them when they lengthened slightly.  Color seeped from the wrinkled skin, darkening it slightly.

Chloe's fingers rubbed against her hand, idly exploring the rougher skin while her mind wandered over the day.  Skin folded in ripples away from the patches on her hands, spreading slowly up her thumbs and over.  Wrinkles manifested before the red faded from her skin and white darkened to the color of old bones.  The short bristles pierced the changed skin in random spots.  The smooth, curved tips of Chloe's fingers slid forward, skin stretching as fatty tissue pushed nerves and flesh until they reached the ends of her fingernails where they flattened to a blunt end.

Thin clouds traced lines over the sky, highlighted in red as the sun lay low on the horizon. She watched houses go by - some with empty yards and lights behind curtains, others with small children playing on the grass and a few with entire families out front socializing or cooking on a portable grill.  She stared wistfully at all of them until the yards became barren further away and she pushed the melancholy feelings into a deep hole within her mind.  And yet the idea of family left her feeling small and alone.

Strands of auriculare muscles formed deep within her ears, questing outward with spindly nerves to anchor themselves. They tensed once in place and both of her ears flexed forward before laying back.  She scratched at her left ear.  The blunt tip of her finger splayed when she pressed against the small flap of her tragus.  Beneath her hair and hoodie, the curled helix stretched and unfolded.  She pressed her finger harder, grunting softly when he ear strained as if unhappy being pinned.

The rest of the bus ride passed quickly when she focused inward, pushing away all thoughts until her mind was cleared.  Empty.  A vast, endless wilderness under a blue sky.  Silent but for the occasional cry of a bird far overhead.  Chloe closed her eyes and sighed as the image surrounded her.  She found herself relaxing muscles she never knew she was tensing. Despite the silence, there was something else there.  She couldn't place it but it was comforting.  Her brow wrinkled while she tried to explore the feeling before it vanished.

A pothole jostled the passengers.  Chloe frowned and ignored it, searching for the feeling within but the bus beeped loudly while swerving to the curb.  She opened her eyes and the image vanished completely, pulling her back to reality.  When the bus lurched away into traffic, she sighed and clutched her backpack; she was only a few stops from her home.  Anxiety wormed its way into her stomach before twisting into an uncomfortable knot.

After the bus finally arrived at her stop, Chloe stood and pushed herself forward.  Her breath felt uncomfortably hot beneath her mask and her stomach was sour with stress but she kept moving until she stepped out into the warm evening.  With nobody on the sidewalk in front of her, she unhooked her mask to allow herself to breathe more comfortably.

Chloe rubbed her upper lip against her bottom, pushing it down and out slightly and back again.  Her thoughts were focused on the potential upcoming confrontation but the effort of sliding her lips together seemed strangely comforting.  In addition, it appeared to help the dull ache that was beginning to throb in the roots of her top canines.  Fatty tissue built within her thin lips while she continued to rub them together.  Her nose twitched, the tip dripping briefly.  Her lips filled out, swelling gently until they were full and rounded but the upper lip pushed out further.

She rubbed at her mouth and nose and then sighed as she stood in front of her door.  This time she didn't bother checking for sounds but, instead, unlocked the door and stepped inside.  Her mother's boyfriend, Rick, leaned back against the wall near the kitchen.  He had a can of cheap beer in his left hand and his phone in his right.

"Thought you got lost.  Your mom's in a fucky mood," he said.  She could smell his breath from where she stood.  Beer and some other alcohol she didn't know.  Even with his back to the wall, he swayed, tilting left and then overcorrecting to the right.  His thumb swiped over his screen and Chloe was sure she saw a dating app open.

"The fuck are you-" her mother said from the other room.  The woman turned and sat up on the couch.  "Where the hell have you been?  It's late.  I thought you were dead."

"I was working on an art project," Chloe said while kicking her shoes off. She doubted her mother even noticed her gone.

"Working on an art project," her mother said in a high pitch mocking voice with her mouth twisted in disgust.  "We're hungry.  You think you can just go off and do whatever the fuck you want whenever you want?  My house, my rules.  The next time you do it, I'm taking away your keys.  See if you like living on the streets like a whore."

Rick laughed but didn't look up from his phone.

Her mother's voice followed her while she walked to her room to drop off her backpack and continued as she walked to the kitchen.

"Drawing pictures ain't gonna pay your share of the bills," the woman's voice droned on.  "Need to get yourself a better job or I'll kick your ass to the curb next month.  Can't pay for shit."

Chloe walked to the kitchen.  Rick glanced up at her but didn't move.  She bit her lip and the tip of her nose wriggled slightly until, finally, she turned to sidle sideways through the opening into the kitchen.  His knee brushed her thigh and he smiled.

Dinner was frozen food heated in the oven.  She stayed there while Rick continued to block the way out, busying herself with dishes and other made up chores.  Occasionally she scratched at her forearms - the skin was growing tight, pulling together before loosening slightly into pale creases.  Mostly she scratched at the bristles that pierced the spreading flesh, just beneath her hoodie and long sleeved top.

As the food cooked, she felt herself grow hot in the already too-warm kitchen.  Her ears lifted, pushing forward and back until she dug thick fingers against her head to settle her displaced hair. She wanted to take her hoodie off but refused to do it with Rick standing there watching her from the corner of his eyes.  He'd replaced his beer twice already and stood away from the wall, still on his phone.

"The food's ready!" Chloe called out when the timer went off on the stove.

"Well, fucking bring it to me, you useless-" but her mother cut off her own words before finishing.

Again the tip of Chloe's nose moved, bending down ever so slightly and then side-to-side. She Sucked in her longer top lip but then let it back out with a sigh.  Grabbing a spare table tray, marked with cigarette burns and stains, she snatched two pot pies from the oven to place on the tray with a fork from the utensil drawer.

Once more, RIck refused to move and she couldn't build up the nerve to ask.  He was closer to her now and, even though she flattened herself against the wall opposite him, her breast brushed his arm and their thighs touched.  She swallowed but moved as quickly as she could to bring the food to her mother.  A cigarette burned on the edge of their cheap coffee table.

Her mother reached with flabby arms to grab the tray without saying thanks or taking her eyes away from the television.  Chloe wiped her hands on her sides and walked to her bedroom.

"You're not gonna eat?" Rick asked, eyeing her from the kitchen.  He took a loud sip from his beer.

"N- no," she said.  Her stomach hurt from how hungry she was but she refused to go back in.   Instead, she walked into her bedroom and closed her door.  Her mother had the lock removed years ago so she put her backpack against the bottom to help hold it closed.

Her eighteenth birthday had come and gone a week ago and neither had noticed.  Nobody had.  Thinking on it made her chest hurt even now but she pushed it away.  She'd rather be a ghost than to garner their attention.

With one eye on the door, Chloe stripped out of her hoodie, pulling it over her head.  The motion lifted her top, showing the soft skin overflowing the waist of her pants.  She took her shirt off and hung it back up and then reached around to undo her bra with a sigh.  Glancing at the door again, she massaged her breasts carefully with a frown.  They felt sore to the touch, hardened almost and slightly warm.  She lay the back of her wrinkled hand on her forehead but she didn't feel feverish.

Chloe shivered and ground her teeth together when she felt her nipples ache.  She looked down with her head cocked to the side as she watched them tighten, skin gathering as they grew erect.  The ache pulsed, echoing in the roof of her mouth and lower between her thighs.  She looked towards the door again.  Her tongue swirled against the roof of her mouth while her canines rasped against each other.  Blue veins stood out on the pale skin of her breasts.  She touched them, ignoring her nipples while tracing the branching lines and wondering if they'd always been there.

Rick laughed outside of her bedroom and Chloe jumped.  She grabbed at the belt around her waist, undoing it and letting the jeans fall to the floor.  The skin on the inside of her thick, creamy thighs was irritated and red from all the walking she'd done so she tried to keep her legs apart when taking her pajamas from her tiny closet.  She stepped into the threadbare bottoms and then slipped her arms into the top, quickly closing the buttons from top to bottom.  Her nipples pressed against the fabric, obvious to anyone who looked at her.

Now clothed, she turned off her light and jumped into bed.  It creaked beneath her as she settled into a comfortable position and pulled up her blanket.  Her ears flexed, bending and flapping briefly before she turned to lay on her side with the blankets bunched between her knees.  Her hunger gnawed at her but she ignored it and the voices outside her bedroom.  They were raised again, on the edge of yelling.  Chloe buried her head beneath her pillow.

Stillness.  The wind against her body.  Her bare body.  The scene built around her once more.  Boundless plains of short green grass and dirt paths.

The wrinkled flesh crept over her biceps until it reached her shoulders.  She sighed and shifted, nuzzling deeper under the pillow when the screaming started.  Deeper and deeper into the silence afforded by her daydream.  There was nobody there to judge her or laugh at her or make fun of her.  She was alone, in nature, surrounded by the natural smells of the earth.

But not alone.  Someone was there with her.  Something.  More than one. And rather than being afraid of them, she felt... calm.  And happy.  Naked.  Unbound by human restraints.  The wind whipped over her body and she shivered both in her bed and under the open, blue sky.  She moved and her nipples dragged against her top.  Chloe bit against her swollen upper lip while her nose bent and the very tip lifted for a brief second.

Her hips moved.  She pulled her knees inward, pressing the bundled up blanket between her thighs.  The hidden presence in her daydream stirred something within her.  Her knees trembled to hold the blanket in place while her hips flexed to rub it against her panties.

"I- mmm," Chloe moaned, turning to press her face into her sheets beneath the pillow.  Static began to fill her ears, the sound of a distant beach at first but growing louder.  She furrowed her brow and rubbed her face into the bed with a quiet gasp when the blanket rubbed against her hidden clit.

He was there, the stranger.  In her mind's eye.  But just a ghost, his presence doing nothing more than making her feel warm and needy.  Her hips jerked for a moment before resuming their motion.  It wasn't right.  Not like this.

Chloe turned, moaning again when her swollen, aching nipples brushed against the bed.  She twisted, laying on her chest but that didn't feel right, either.  It was uncomfortable and wrong until she lifted herself onto her forearms with her flattened fingers pressed into the bed.  The girl jerked her thighs once, twice, three times until the blanket was gathered up beneath her.

Now, on all fours, she groaned and the tip of her nose lifted once more.  Pink coloring fled from the back of her shoulders as the skin grew loose and wrinkled.

This was right, she knew.  This was proper.  Her thighs clenched together and she pushed her ass down, rubbing her pussy and clit against the blanket.  She purposefully lowered her chest so that every movement of her hips made her nipples rub against the bed, heightening the experience.  She'd masturbated quite a few times before but only with her fingers.  This was new to her and incredibly arousing.  She grunted as she shoved her ass down and her bed creaked, the sound swallowed by the yelling outside her room.  The orgasm was building within and she could feel her panties against her engorged labia, sticky from the clear liquid leaking from her pussy as she continued grinding.

Faster and faster now, lost to reality without caring what noises she was making  Skin folded down her back, over her spine.  Chloe grunted and swallowed, licking her thick lips while her tits bounced within her pajamas.  The presence was there, surrounding her, wrapping itself around her and she gave herself to it willingly, accepting it while moaning loudly.

The orgasm was sudden and incredibly intense.  Chloe raised her head from the pillow, her mouth open in shock.  Her hips shook and cracked loudly, unfusing the tip of her tailbone while she spasmed.  As before, the tip of her nose lifted and it pulled her upper lip with it briefly.

Finally, she collapsed onto her stomach before rolling to her side to take pressure from her breasts.  She panted as waves of pleasure and relaxation coursed through her body, dragging her into unconsciousness.

---

The house was silent when Chloe woke in the middle of the night.  The old clock with giant red numbers beside her bed told her it was just past midnight.  Her stomach was cramping.  She listened for a moment until she heard the snoring in the bedroom next to hers.  Only then did she swivel out of bed.  Her joints ached and she swayed when she stood, as if her balance was off.

She walked to her door, bending to move her backpack.  Bare skin showed between the bottom of her shirt and the top of her pajamas and the legs of her pajamas were pulled high on her calves. Despite the snoring, she peeked out of her bedroom before leaving and going to the kitchen.  She filled a glass full of milk, downed it at once and refilled it while digging through the pantry.  Chloe gorged herself on whatever she could find - opening packages of crackers and cans of tuna and whatever else was convenient to eat immediately.  After her fourth glass of milk, she finally felt full.

The counter was packed with the remnants of her poor feast.  She wiped the back of her mouth and nose and immediately set to work tidying everything.  Although she was the one that shopped for food, she was sure even her mother would notice the waste so she threw everything away, grabbed the half full trash bag and stepped outside on bare feet to walk to their trash can.

Halfway back home, a small tear opened in the seat of her pants.  It widened with every step until the curves of her bare ass showed.  Her panties were pulled tightly in between and she dug at them as the tear opened further.  Chloe locked the front door once inside and went back to her room, closing the door and blocking it before sliding back into bed.

A sliver of bone formed in her waist. Muscle, fatty tissue and nerves surrounded it.  The wrinkled skin covering her spine shifted as a long bulge lifted low on her back.  Dark hairs pressed through the skin at the very tip of the bulge.  They lengthened slowly, longer than the sparse bristles growing from her wrinkled skin.  The strange tuft of hair twitched but she rolled to her back, rocking her hips to scratch the itch they caused while falling back to sleep.

---

Chloe pulled at her green and white outfit with a frown and not for the first time.  It barely fit and she'd struggled into it when she dressed herself in the morning.  Despite how warm the morning was, she'd been forced to wear one of her oversized hoodies on her way into work.  Once there, she'd removed it and worked on getting the little coffee shop cleaned in order to open for the day but as soon as the manager arrived, she'd sent Chloe to the back to work.

She stared down at herself, touching the gap between her shirt and pants.  Everything was tight against her and her curves were amplified by the form fitting clothing.  Even with her bra, she could see the little dents of her soft nipples.  Her pants, which she always ordered larger than necessary, were tight on her and inches of her bare leg showed above her shoes.  And, within her shoes, her toes were cramped and uncomfortable.  Several times throughout the day she'd been tempted to just take her shoes off and walk barefooted but she knew she couldn't so she dealt with the pain.

Chloe scratched at her lower back while kneeling to grab a bag of coffee beans.  She lifted it easily despite its weight and carried it over to a counter.  Although she usually hated this part of the job, she was enjoying it this morning.  It was simple but moving around helped ease the little pains throughout her body.  And she was surprised to find her muscles weren't even tired yet, despite all the lifting.

She sat against a stool in front of the counter to work and her wider ass straddled the seat, leaving her thigh hanging over the seat while the edge rubbed into her, distracting her as she worked.

Beneath her facemask, her nose shifted.  She raised her arm, sneezing into the crook and the violent motion popped the bridge of her nose.  The tip strained, skin dragging, flowing over the bridge until her nostrils were pointed forward.  Chloe rubbed gently at her mask to soothe the itch within.

The edge of the stool rubbed against her.  Despite being at work, she found herself slowly grinding against the seat, sliding back and forth until she found the perfect spot.  She bent forward and leaned slightly left.  The hood over her clit pulled back and she gasped as it rubbed against the stool beneath her pants and panties.  Her brain felt like it was on fire, crisscrossed with expanding animalistic urges that left her gasping and bowing her head.  She quickly soaked through her taut panties and a small wet spot formed directly in the center of the seat of her jeans.

Muscles grew within the bridge of her nose, pushing against her soft skin.  Her eyes watered briefly as her trigeminal nerve expanded with the developing flesh.  She sneezed again and rubbed her arm against her nose.  It rose beneath the mask, pressing against the soft covering and then pushed forward, curving as a line of skin connected her expanding nose to her top lip.  And yet the questing nose continued past her lip while widening.

"Uh- uh- uh- ohhh- ohhhh God," Chloe grunted.  The sensations of her short, sensitive writhing trunk brushing against her bottom lip combined with the seat grinding into her panties left her thoughtless and resigned to her powerful new urges.

The long black hairs just above her ass squirmed as the tail hidden just beneath the skin writhed to match her rhythm.  Skin strained around it until more bones formed at the tip, now freed, swayed back and forth.  Trapped by her tight pants, it began to curl and she leaned forward further while spreading her legs to allow room.  At the same time, she brought her right hand up while her left anchored her to the chair.  She massaged her breast with a loud, shuddering moan, close to the edge of an orgasm.

The pleasure masked the burning sensations within her fingers.  Microfractures cracked the bones, forcing them to lengthen in turn until all four on both hands were the same length.  Her thumbs popped, twisting the thumb back slightly but all she knew and cared about was how close she was to cumming.

Chloe's ass jerked erratically on the stool when it finally hit her.  Her tiny trunk, hidden beneath her mask, dragged against the fabric, shoving it down, down down until it clung to her chin.  Now freed, her trunk lifted, pulling her upper lip.

The sound of a rasping, reedy trumpet echoed through the room.  She heard it vaguely but her eyes were unfocused.  Something moved, calling her attention as she panted and gasped. It wouldn't stop and she turned her eyes inward to see it.

A thick, pinkish trunk, covered in miniature horizontal wrinkles, curved in front of her face.  As it moved, she felt it pull at her cheeks and upper lip.

"Ah! What the fuck!  Is that?!" she yelled, falling back from the stool and only barely catching herself.  She grabbed at it and it moved in her hand, surprisingly strong for its size.  She could feel the air huffing through the tip - from the tip of her new nose.

"Chloe?" a voice called just before the door opened.  "Goodness, are you okay?"

"Yes!" Chloe said, more loudly than she'd expected.  Her voice had a slight lisp now.  "I just fell!  I'm okay, sorry!"

"Oh, okay," the manager said.  "Do you need anything?"

"No," Chloe answered with her hand over the trunk and her head turned away.  Her ears flapped, stirring her hair.  The edges expanded, drooping slightly at the bottom.  "I'll- I just have to finish up a few things and I'll be done!"

"Okay," the other woman said.  "Just don't hurt yourself, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am," Chloe said.

Her heart was pounding in her chest. Worse, her breasts felt hot and full again and the band of her bra was biting into her side.  She clenched her jaw only to feel her top canines grind against her bottom teeth.  Worse, they were moving, scraping against the teeth until her jaw popped, pushing forward into an overbite.

When the door closed, Chloe reached out and touched her teeth.  Her sense of touch was dull now but she could feel how big the two teeth were.  Worse, they were no longer straight but angled slightly up.  The girl swallowed and pulled herself to a standing position, grunting when her shoes pinched her feet.  She walked to the employee bathroom and let herself in before locking it.

She stood before the sink with her head bowed.  Her trunk bent to touch just above her chin.

"Oh God," Chloe moaned, swallowing hard.  "Oh God, oh God, Oh-"

Finally, she looked up and gasped, eyes wide.  Her trunk lifted, pulling the attached lip and an anxious rasping noise sounded from it.  Her top canines were as big as her pinky fingers.  She reached to touch them but stopped when she noticed the color and quality of the skin on her hands.  Gray was creeping into the pale coloring and even without the trunk and tusks, her mind immediately saw the image of a wrinkled elephant wandering the savanna.

Her ears flapped softly in an attempt to cool her body from the rush of blood warming her up.  Her eyes immediately tracked to them, noticing how they peeked through her curly brown hair.

"No," she whispered.  "I can't- ugh."

Staring at herself in the mirror, she could see it happening while feeling her body changing.  Her bra groaned as the metal clasps strained against her body, bending as her breasts grew.  Fatty tissue spread while new ducts attached to her widening nipples, branching out to attach to lobules.  She saw her nipples grow hard and she couldn't stop from moaning.  Her shirt sealed itself to her body, bunching beneath her breasts when they finally overwhelmed her bra to pop free.

The sensations overwhelmed her and she collapsed to her ass with her hands in front of her, catching herself on the tips of her fingers.  The soft skin flattened slightly to cushion her.  Just as she was catching her breath, the hairs on the tip of her still-growing tail brushed against her soaked pussy.  It slid beneath her band of her panties and she moaned again, raising her head back while her trunk curled and rasped.

Chloe fumbled with her zipper.  She leaned back as she pulled it down and undid the button.  A rough tangle of black hairs, slick with her cum, wriggled against her.  She groaned, biting at her teeth and her trunk curled down in response.  She could see a glimpse of the tail itself, as wide as her thumb and covered in wrinkly gray skin.

"Ekon," she groaned out loud.  It had to be him, she realized.  Something had happened when she went to see him.  Some infection or disease or-

Pain wracked her feet.  She reached for them, gasping as bones grinded together, trapped within her shoes.  Before she could untie the laces, she watched the top of her shoe bulge.  They strained to contain her but seams popped and the already worn soles separated.  Fat cells developed beneath her heels, multiplying at an alarming rate until they pushed against her feet and the shoes surrounding them.  The shoes burst apart, providing immediate relief from the pain.

She stared at the new changes, turning her legs from one side to the other.  She could just barely see her toes but the rest of her skin was smooth and formless.  When she pushed her feet against the ground, she could feel her heel pushing against soft tissue beneath them.  Like her fingers, the skin flattened slightly.  It reminded her of the time she wore an old friend's pumps with her forefeet down and her heel raised.  The bones inside her swollen feet felt just like that.

Chloe stood, pulling on her zipper but it wouldn't go completely up and the button no longer reached.  Gray, wrinkled skin covered her smooth, hairless mound, clearly visible while her pants hung open.  She grabbed her jacket from the hook by the door, sliding her arms into the sleeves and doing her best to zip it up.  It strained over her and did nothing to hide the swell of her new breasts but it held and the bottom barely covered her open pants.

Looking at herself again, she realized her neck was the same color as her arm.  She touched it carefully, rubbing the tip of her finger against the wrinkled skin.

"Dammit," she groaned, popping the collar of the jacket to try to hide the change.

Her feet were a problem.  She grabbed her shoes, easily tearing them from her feet and throwing them away.  The girl paced the small room, racking her brain for something to use.  She felt taller and strange, unused to the feeling of her body as if she were wearing it like a suit.  Finally, her eyes fell on a box of garbage bags.  With no other option, she pulled two from the box and wrapped one around each foot.  Packing tape sealed them to her legs.  It was ridiculous and made her look like a homeless person but if she moved fast, she prayed it would be less obvious than walking barefoot with malformed feet.  Finally, she pulled her mask on, focusing on the trunk in an effort to keep it still.  It bulged outward and the very tips of her tusks pressed into the fabric but it held.

She turned to leave, glancing through the open door and then rushing outside, turning towards the emergency exit.  She closed her eyes, cursed and pushed the bar, setting off the alarm.  Once outside, she raced through the short alley, stumbling on her strange feet and the plastic covering them.  Thankfully the bus stop was on the corner and completely empty.  She huddled within, hiding from her work and anyone that could see her.

Warmth bloomed in her chest, spreading outward.  She moaned, ducking her head.  They were growing again.  Her loose jacket pulled tighter as she felt the fabric of her shirt give away, tearing directly between her breasts.  She squeezed her arms against her side, compressing the breasts and it gave her a moment of relief.  Even through the jacket she could feel the warmth of them.

"It's okay," she told herself quietly.  "It's still-"

Wet spots formed over her large nipples.  She shuddered as she felt her milk let down.  It shot a bolt of electricity directly to her pussy and she swayed before pressing herself into the metal walls.  The jacket was black but the spots still showed clearly.

The wait for the bus was torture.  When it arrived, she bent her body and moved as quickly as she could.  Her cheeks and ears burned as she imagined the driver and two other passengers staring at her feet and chest.  When she sat, she heard a very faint rip and her heart skipped a beat.  She tried to find where it was without alerting anyone.  Only when she leaned back and looked down did she see the tear at the seat of her pants.  The skin visible past the tear was light gray but slick from her cum.

Chloe replayed the events from the day before in her head, especially the zoo.  She remembered smelling the earthy scent but there was a divider.  And other people were there.  So many people must have visited the elephant but there'd been no news stories about other people changing.

The driver's voice startled her when she called out the zoo stop.  Chloe waited to see if anyone else was getting off.  When nobody did, she crept through the back exit.

"Oh no," she groaned.  Despite it being the middle of the day, the zoo was filled with people.  She stomped forward, praying the garbage bags would last on the rough concrete as she awkwardly waited in line to show her student ID.  A few whispered voices made her ears flap several times and nearby laughter caused her to shrink into herself.

She wordlessly showed her ID, grabbed the ticket and moved quickly.  Just as she passed the gate, she felt the tear widen in her pants.  They were growing too tight now, cutting into her flesh.  Worse, the tuft of fur covering her tail reached mid-thigh and she felt it was thicker than before, pressing in between her pussy lips and making her groan every other step.

People stopped to stare at her as she passed.  The garbage bags tore before she made it but they still covered the top of her feet.  She could only vaguely feel the heat of the concrete as the thick skin protected her.  When she glanced down, she nearly stumbled - her feet were rounded now, the flesh swollen enough that she couldn't see her individual toes.

Fresh, cool air reached her lungs, a welcome change from the vaguely filtered recycled air beneath her mask.  She breathed deeply, thankful for it until she realized where it must come from. Chloe reached up gingerly to touch her mask and she felt the exposed tip of her trunk, now hanging below her chin.  It twisted when she grabbed for it and she tried to flex those strange muscles on her face to pull it back but it resisted.

She hurried now.  The elephant enclosure was in sight and she spied a door set into the side marked "STAFF ONLY".  She licked her lips, and the underside of her trunk while walking to the door.  A few people walked by but the area was mostly empty.

Pushing the door did nothing.

"Oh no," she whispered, pushing the handle again.  "No, no, no."

The door refused to open.  She shoved at the handle, drawing attention but she didn't care.  Her tail lifted, dragging against her leg and pussy as it pushed out through the gap between her shirt and pants.  She grunted, shoving her body against the door while turning the handle.  Metal groaned and bent until the door creaked open. She shoved it closed behind her and the twisted frame latched together, sealing itself.

The enclosure was a forest.  She waded through the trees, surprised at how big the area was, wandering until she finally spied Ekon.  She squeaked and her trunk shoved her mask off before rasping out a quiet trumpeting tweet.  The huge elephant's ears flapped and he turned, his own trunk twisting and lifting.  He took a few steps towards her but then stopped, ears still flapping.  His tail slapped against his backside and legs.

Chloe grunted, falling to her knees.  Her ass was expanding and the pants finally gave way, tearing down the seat and up the back to leave her exposed.  Her panties sawed between her until she grabbed and pulled, breaking them.  She leaned forward on the flattened tips of her fingers.  She was still embarrassingly wet and now was completely exposed for anyone to see.

Pain erupted throughout her body.  She crawled on hands and knees deeper into the forest until she found bushes to hide in.  The jacket's zipper strained when her chest pressed against it and her back bowed.

"I can't-  I can't-" she groaned.  Sweat poured down her body while her ears fluttered.  They felt so heavy against her skull, slapping her cheeks and then neck and then shoulders as they expanded in size.

Chloe rolled to her side.  The seams along the sides of her pant legs burst to expose smooth pink skin and wrinkled gray flesh.  Her tail thumped weakly and even her trunk lay still.  She had trouble concentrating through the agony tearing her apart and time passed strangely.  At several points, she found herself jolting awake, having passed out from the pain.

Her stomach bulged against the ground, wrinkled and light gray and so large.  Something snapped in her back and nausea overwhelmed her, dragging her back into unconsciousness.  Her spine spread apart, vertebrae growing wide and dense while stretching her body.  She woke some time later to a comforting weight against her.  Turning her head took effort.  She couldn't see the end of her trunk and it felt so incredibly heavy.

Ekon lay next to Chloe.  His trunk tapped against her side and head, as if comforting her.  She tried to speak but she had no energy-

And she woke again to water dribbling into her mouth.  Ekon's trunk lay draped over her head.  Chloe drank greedily despite the source.

Everything felt wrong.  As before, she felt as if she were wearing a strange suit.  That she was lost inside of it and all the signals to make it move were broken.  She rolled, or tried to, and her body shifted.  Ekon knelt next to her to press his broad forehead against her side and she shifted her body again, finally moving with his help.  The world rolled with her and her trunk dragged against the ground.  Her head fell forward, impossibly heavy, until her forehead thumped into the dirt.

Ekon's trunk slid beneath her chin and he lifted, helping her raise her head.  She couldn't see herself at all.  Chloe tried to stand but her legs were all wrong.  As before, Ekon pressed against her side, unsure of what she was doing but trying to help.  She moved her arms and legs as if trying to push herself up and her four legs trembled beneath her.  After the eighth try, she found herself wobbling and standing with Ekon leaning against her for support.  Her ears flapped, cooling her from the effort she'd expended.

Turning her head, she saw it finally.  The shape of her body, huge and gray.  She was smaller than Ekon but towered over where she'd stood before.  Chloe collapsed to her knees and her cries were trumpets from her trunk and Ekon rubbed her back with his own trunk until she tired herself out and fell asleep.

---

Voices woke Chloe.  She blinked awake to find Ekon standing over her protectively.  A crowd of zoo workers stood in front of him, staring past him to see her.  Her ears flapped and she felt the intense embarrassment of being seen as she was but that faded quickly when she realized most of their words were jumbled and complex.  She turned to stare at them and realized she couldn't read the words on their clothing, either.

One of them, an older man, stepped forward but quickly retreated when Ekon trumpeted loudly in warning.

Chloe stood slowly on trembling legs and the voices ceased, watching her with astonishment.  She pushed gently against Ekon.  He held for a moment but finally relented and moved.  The old man raised his hands and slowly walked forward, eyeing Ekon the entire time.  She trembled as he approached and her knees weakened when he touched her but she held as steady as she could.

Soon, the others followed.  She stepped carefully and Ekon tried to herd them but they were gentle and it helped calm her.

The rest of the days were a blur.  There were times when she was asleep and times when she wasn't.  Ekon stayed by her side, refusing to move away from her.  She found strength in his loyal companionship.  It never wavered and he was always gentle with her, always.

She found that while she still had her memories, complex things were beyond her now, even simple arithmetic.  She had an idea of what it was - putting things together to make more things - but beyond that, it was too much to grasp.  Chloe found herself taking pleasure in such simple things as walking and tugging at trees with her trunk when she finally had it under control.  At one point, she even sprayed Ekon with what from the pond, drawing it in from her trunk before blasting him.  Laughter from outside the enclosure spooked her, though, and she retreated into the trees.

There came a day when the entire staff came to see them.  There were tears and that made her scared but Ekon stood beside her.  The food, while surprisingly not bad in general, was especially good that night.  But then she got really, really, really sleepy.

---

"... they're calling the Miracle Elephant, a female elephant that suddenly appeared at the local zoo..."

"...no tag.  She was not tagged at all.  Nobody knows where she came from.  Over the years we've had our share of pranks but..."

"It's impossible to get inside the zoo without being seen.  We have cameras everywhere, including inside the enclosure in different places. She literally just walked on camera from nowhere and..."

"... course we wanted to keep her.  But Ekon bonded so closely with her so we couldn't.  He almost killed a few staff members at the beginning when they didn't follow procedure and he's the most gentle male we've had, so..."

---

She woke confined in a metal box.  Terrified, she stomped and trumpeted, her heart pounding.

Oh God, they're going to dissect me!  They know what happened and they're going to take me apart!  No!  God, no!

Only when Ekon called out to her from somewhere nearby did she feel herself relax slightly.  She flapped her ears and returned his call, sharing her stress with him and he returned it, advocating calm.  She tried, for his sake and only then did she hear the voices outside.

Metal clanked.  She stomped backwards until she slammed into the back of the crate and it rattled from her pure strength.  Sunlight blinded her when a gate slowly raised but she breathed deeply of the air outside.  When the gate reached the top, she shivered against the wall, terrified of moving.

Ekon stomped over to her cage as soon as he was freed.  He stepped into her crate slowly, ducking slightly.  His trunk reached out for hers and they touched, wrapping around each other.  He tugged gently until she followed, walking out into the bright light.  Happy voices called out when she emerged.

Chloe looked around.  Several jeeps carried heavily armed men and women with wide smiles.  Huge flat bed trucks were parked next to their two crates.  Other people, without guns, stood near the cages, cheering and watching the pair.  She eyed them carefully, especially the people with guns.

A voice in the distance.  Chloe's ears flapped and she turned to look. Another voice.  More.  Just beyond their group, an entire herd of elephants waited for them with their trunks raised.  Jubilant voices welcoming them.  Ekon trumpeted in return, whacking his tail against his legs.  He turned to go to them but stopped, looking back at her to make sure she followed.  And she did, reaching out to grab his tail with her trunk, for comfort.

The armed people parted respectfully before them, waving and cheering as the pair made their way to the others.  Chloe looked up to see the pure, beautiful sky.

And she knew that, here, finally, she was free.  She was home.