Joe woke at the crack of dawn.

Following his normal five am ritual, he ran through a series of stretches, katas and yoga poses for twenty minutes before moving to make his coffee. He restoked a fire and set the kettle to boil, taking a moment of gratitude for this new world he found himself in.

Gruff joined him from the porch. The goat sat and watched the twin sun rise with him, occasionally sneaking glances at Joe's pockets, the kettle and the fire. The goat seemed to be memorising the process?

Joe poured a handful of his dwindling bean supply into the kettle, and stirred. 'Might go into town to day, you wanna join?'

Gruff nodded sagely.

Gathering his things, his stomach rumbling, Joe prepared for a hike into town. He'd need to secure some supplies and maybe some grains for crops. A cow if he could convince the thing to climb up here too.

The man and his goat descended the path, the narrow switchbacks giving them a steady pace. A few turns in the goat looked at Joe puzzled, and then leapt down from rocks to rocks. It looked back at Joe again in confusion.

Joe chuckled. Balance like a mountain goat indeed.

About two thirds of the way down the path, Joe came to a letter box for his closest neighbour. Leaning over the fence he spotted a man with broad shoulders weeding amongst a patch of wheat. Joe called out to him.

'Oy mate, you gotta sec?' Joe asked.

The farmer looked up and slowly dusted off his hands. Wiping sweat off his brow he wandered over. He had short cropped blonde curls and hazel eyes. He was in his mid twenties.

He offered Joe a handshake. 'Names Andry, what brings you up the hill?'

Joe smiled and clasped the hand. 'Andry huh, you Beth's brother? Anyway I'm just here to borrow a cup of sugar, new neighbour you see.'

Andry frowned. 'Cup of sugar? I can get some I suppose. Didn't know they had any plots going lower down.'

'Nah, I'm from up higher. Flanno sold me a ripper yard.' Joe said.

Andry blinked. 'Higher? Why?' He looked over at Gruff. 'You a goatherder?'

'Nah, well not directly, looking to get established with a new crop. Can I offer you a taste test?' Joe said and held up a cup of coffee he'd brought down.

Andry frowned. 'Ain't looking for charity Joe. Besides, I've had my chicsum this morning.'

Joe nodded, 'And I ain't giving it out. I just made a bit too much coffee, and it'd be a shame to go to waste. Beth cut me a great deal on a pastry and said you were up here somewhere. Thought one good deed deserves another.'

Joe held out the beverage, still mildly warm and wafted it under Andry's nose.

Stolen story; please report.

Andry nodded. 'Well that sounds like Beth, always giving stuff away to those in need. The Great Lemur does say its a sin to waste nature's bounty. And well a farm ain't no place to waste anything.'

Andry took the cup and sniffed it. 'Smells different to chicsum.'

Joe nodded, 'Take it slow, I haven't gotten any milk yet and its quite strong.'

Andry raised the cup and took a gentle sip. His face blanched, and then he frowned.

'Not your cup of tea?' Joe asked.

'What's tea?' Andry said.

Oh for crying out loud, what cruel god created this land. 'Doesn't suit you I mean?' Joe asked.

Andry took another polite sip. The sort that a good, tolerant neighbour would when offered a gift. 'Its fine.'

Gruff grunted and stamped his foot, glaring at Andry. Joe reached down and gave Gruff a reassuring scratch. The goat stilled at his touch.

Andry finished the rest of his coffee and gave the cup back. 'Well these crops ain't gonna tend to themselves. I'll be seeing you around neighbour.'

Joe raised his cup and finished his own beverage. He studied Andry's crops. The wheat fields looked sparse compared to what he'd seen down the mountain and a crop of sugar cane was barely surviving. Weeds were overgrown, despite Andry working hard. Joe rested the cup down on the fence, the goat looked at him, and back at their neighbour.

Gruff stamped his foot again in outrage. The goat glared at their neighbours retreating back.

Joe chuckled 'I know its delicious and we don't have much of it, but you've gotta circulate to percolate.'

Joe looked into his mug. 'Water must circulate through a coffee percolator to contact the coffee grounds and become coffee. So it is with us. We must contact and connect with people in-person to build long lasting mutually beneficial relationships.'

Gruff considered long and hard, his brows furrowing. He tipped his tin can coffee mug up and mulled over Joe's words. Or at least it looked like it. Gruff was after all only a goat.

Gruff climbed up his highest rock and watched the valley below him. He was troubled and his master's words echoed in his mind.

Circulate to percolate.

This Ko-Fi was truly a blessing of the land. It had brought with it a new way of thinking to Gruff. No longer was he content to chew grass all day, but instead sought to improve himself. To do more with his life.

Yes, while his coat was pristine and his beard mighty, yes his horns were polished and his hind quarters magnificent, he sensed an emptiness that wasn't there before.

Circulate to percolate.

His new lodger could have kept Ko-Fi to himself after all. Yet he had shared it with Gruff without a second thought. Truly Joe was a generous sage. Not a goat of course, but amongst all that was not goats, his teacher was a great mind. Though he did owe Gruff some form of tribute for staying in Gruff's house, the Ko-Fi was overpayment.

The Ko-Fi must be shared, others must be brought into the fold. The great Ko-Fi trees would need protecting, and the lodger was too kind to know of the true evils that lurked in the mountains caves and ridges. The great beast of the granite valley would seek to devour it.

Or the humans who had driven away his old lodger would come again, the ones from the time before awakening. The humans who flew and gathered lightning. The humans whose fists hit like hooves, and whose balance was akin to a goats.

Perhaps the lodger was setting a test for Gruff. Yes, that must be it, his lodger, no, his teacher sought to test his disciple. For that was how Gruff must think of him.

Yet he was a vagrant lodger without his own home, Gruff would need to learn from Joe, yet a goat could not accept a human as a master. Such a thing was not the natural order.

The lodger was, however, setting a test for Gruff, which implied he was a disciple. Gruff sat and contemplated, letting the Ko-Fi circulate through his system. How could a goat accept a human as a master?

The Ko-Fi was the answer.

Joe possessed the knowledge of Ko-Fi which made him a honorary goat. As a goat, Gruff was allowed to study under him. As an honorary goat, Joe could be acknowledged as master in his field.

His eyes opened, new insight into the world burgeoning within him. Yes, the Ko-Fi brought wisdom.

Gruff turned and travelled to a less magnificent set of rocks. Standing at the base he tapped his hoof threes times against the rock wall and waited, head held high. Jo might be his master, but Gruff would need to recruit other disciples, as senior disciple.

Two figures came out to face him.