It wasn't until another four weeks had passed that Richard was finally allowed to remove the sling. Hank drove him to the hospital and waited with him for the x-rays. The minor fractures had healed as expected, and the painful elbow exercises had done the job of keeping his joint flexible. Unfortunately, healing the fractures didn't mean he could ride again. It would be another two months before Allen would let him anywhere near a saddle. It was unfortunate, but necessary. At least I'm out of that damned sling! Now he knew how Nines had felt when his sling was removed.
Nines was now fully healed and back with the flock, flapping and skittering across the pen as if the fox attack had never happened. Unfortunately, that meant his pining for Gavin had increased. The problem with that was that, now he'd had a taste of being in charge, Gavin was less willing to be Nines' little plaything. Their meetings, which usually started positively, now had a habit of becoming violent. They flapped and kicked, pecking and clawing at each other for dominance. When it was particularly bad, Richard and Hank would step in and separate them. At other times, Nines would generally get the upper hand and make Gavin grudgingly submit to his wiles.
There was always that period of calm afterwards. Once they'd mated, Nines would nestle alongside Gavin and rub his wing or groom his neck feathers in apology for his roughness. Gavin would often reciprocate, ducking his head beneath Nines' beak and resting beside him until Richard decided it was time for Nines to return to his flock. Since it was now heading towards the end of summer, there were fewer chicks, and the first batch of young chickens had been sold already. Part of that sale had been trading three healthy young black hens for hens to replace those that had been lost in the fox attack. It wouldn't do to have Nines breeding with his own offspring.
Bringing in new hens had taken a surprising amount of effort. Much like with the injured hens, he'd had to keep the three newcomers separate. The flock needed time to get used to the newcomers and learn to accept them. There had been a lot of flapping and kicking at first, from both sides. Nines had been especially violent, in part, perhaps, because he couldn't see Gavin during those two weeks. With the hens taking up space in the empty pen, there was nowhere they could meet. Nines had kicked and pecked at the mesh, jumping in a flurry of angry feathers to defend his flock from the interlopers. The newcomers had done their fair share of flapping and scratching as well, but things had gradually settled down.
The good thing about the new hens was that they distracted Richard from the stables. Allen still wouldn't let him near the place. He could visit, and was now allowed to do light tasks around the yard, but Allen wouldn't even let him walk the horses out to the field. His excuse was that he didn't want the horses to pull the leading rein and hurt him again, but Richard was pretty sure he was limiting contact so he didn't get any funny ideas. Just because he could handle a leading rein, didn't mean he was ready to ride.
Hank knew he was restless. He woke up early and insisted on heading out to the fields, grumbling under his breath about how doing a little work wouldn't kill him. Hank let him go. Sometimes, in those earlier days, he went with him to help clear the fields for the coming day. These days, Richard went down by himself and Hank met him a little later to help set the horses loose. Despite grumbling that he was perfectly capable of doing it himself, Richard didn't go against Allen's instructions. He'd never hear the end of it otherwise.
Richard's low mood was palpable, and he often needed to apologise for snapping unnecessarily. Hank gave him more space, spending more time in his own house and working around the yard. As a result, Richard took to sitting in his coop with the chickens. Now used to being handled, Nines often came to sit with him. It was like he could sense his low mood and wanted to help him through it. He hopped in his lap and settled between his knees in a contented ball of feathers, letting Richard pet him. It was soothing for both of them, and Hank had roused him more than once in the evening because he'd fallen asleep.
"Richie…Hey, you're going to give yourself heatstroke, sleeping out here like this!" Richard's chestnut eyes blinked open to squint up through the blinding sunlight. Hank was right. It was only just after midday, when the sun was hottest, and there was no shade in his coop. Feeling Richard's movement, Nines' head also popped up from where it had been resting on his breast. Much like Richard raised his arms to stretch, Nines spread his wings and hopped out of the space between Richard's crossed legs. He beat the air with a loud caw and hopped off across the coop. Richard rubbed his eyes and swallowed, feeling an unpleasant dryness in his throat. "You good?" His skin felt hot where the sun had been beating down on him, especially across the back of his neck, which would probably be tender later.
"I'm okay." The scratchy response was less than reassuring. Hank helped him stand up, keeping hold of his elbow as he swayed. After a few moments, Richard managed to get his bearings enough to lead the way back to the house. He didn't even question Hank following him. He'd become a constant guest, day and night. If it wasn't for the dogs, Richard was pretty sure Hank would move in at this point. After nudging Richard towards the high stools at the breakfast bar, Hank set about getting him some water and fixing a light lunch.
"I've been thinking…It's about time the new hens moved into the coop, don't you think?" Hank said as he sliced up a carrot. Allen had dropped off some healthy dips and hummus he thought they might enjoy. It wasn't Hank's idea of food, but Richard liked it well enough. Richard looked up cluelessly at his question. Honestly, he'd been waiting to follow Hank's lead. He was still pretty new when it came to raising chickens.
"If you say so…" Hank chuckled softly as he moved on to the cucumber. Once the pepper was gutted and sliced, he brought the plate of vegetables over with the mixed tray of dips and hummus. He watched fondly as Richard nibbled a carrot, instantly perking up at the taste of the hummus.
"They've had a couple of weeks to get used to each other, so it should be safe to put them in." Their closeness was no guarantee, of course, but it had been a few days since their last scuffle at the mesh. With that in mind, Hank led the way down to the coop after lunch and passed the hens over the fence one by one. As Richard released the first hen into the coop, Nines came skittering across to meet her. Richard stayed close, ready to get between them if Nines clawed and pecked her, but after bobbing their heads for a few seconds, he moved aside to let her join the other hens. Bolstered by this experience, Richard happily released the other two, who got a similar greeting before joining the rest of the flock.
"Do you think it'll be alright now?" Richard asked as he watched the hens clucking and pecking at the earth. They were a little louder than usual, and a few feathers were ruffled, but overall, it seemed like a positive introduction. Hank joined him by the mesh between their coops, watching the flock as they scratched the earth.
"We'll know by tomorrow. The real test will be when they spend the night in the coop, but so far so good. You should give them a good feed now, so it's a positive experience. I'll bring the bucket for you." With that, Hank hopped the fence and made his way to Richard's garage, returning shortly with a bucket of feed. Richard took it with thanks and spread a few generous handfuls across the earth before refilling the trough. He even put some inside the coop for the night, hoping to keep them all happy. With the new hens now settling in, Richard was a little reluctant to leave. What if a fight broke out once he was gone? He didn't fancy another trip to the vet.
"Do you think I should stay for a while, just to make sure?"
"Make sure of what? Everything seems fine to me." He was right, too. Despite the energetic greeting, things seemed to have settled down. Richard could no longer tell which hens were which, though he thought the new hens were slightly smaller. Nines was now pacing happily around the coop, crowing and pecking the earth at regular intervals. "You know, since they've been separated for so long, it might be an idea for me to bring Gavin over. It'll wear Nines out and put him in a better mood for tonight." Hank was probably right. A pent up Nines might be more suspicious of the newcomers.
"What do you think, Nines? You want to see Gavin?" Richard cooed as he picked him up. Judging by the loud caw he got in response, Richard assumed that was a yes. Hank chuckled softly and held the door as Richard left the coop. He wasn't about to judge a man for talking to his cock; he did it regularly himself. With all his animals. Once Richard was safely in the coop, Hank hurried over to fetch Gavin, who was just as enthusiastic about visiting Nines as Nines was about having him. Once they were loose, Hank and Richard watched their usual courting dance begin.
Their feathers fluffed, wings spread wide as they pecked the earth and tossed food for one another. This part of the ritual hadn't changed, but it lasted much longer, and they both tried to appear much bigger. Nines' feathers shone as usual as he stretched his wings and turned this way and that, almost dancing for Gavin's attention. Gavin was far more rugged with his lighter brown feathers, and the green glinted as he shook his glossy tail. They both strutted and scratched the earth before getting impatient and squawking loudly. It was almost like they were having an argument as their pace increased.
They were soon circling and chasing each other around the wire pen, hopping and flapping as they went. Richard wasn't sure which of them would tire first, but whoever did would undoubtedly be the receiver. It seemed Nines had the upper hand, which made sense. He had more to lose. With three new hens in his coop, he could hardly submit to Gavin and return carrying his seed. That risked upsetting his own mating cycle and might make it seem like he was a weak rooster. Gavin, oblivious to these facts, was just as stubborn.
Soon, they were scratching and clawing, using their spurs to take digs at each other. Richard was a little worried, but so far, they were warning shots. Nines crowed loudly, puffing his chest and beating his wings as he leapt at Gavin, who scuffled back, scraping his wings and tail along the dirt. It seemed Nines had spooked him enough to make him humble. Though clearly disgruntled, Gavin spread his wings and raised his tail, clucking and grumbling under his breath. Nines claimed him quickly, likely worried he might change his mind and fight back if he didn't.
When they were done, the usual peace settled over the pen. Despite his earlier grumblings, Gavin still nestled against Nines and accepted the light pecks along his neck as he groomed his feathers. It was safe to leave them now. Gavin and Nines rarely fought after mating, and would happily remain together for hours. With that in mind, Hank pressed up behind Richard and gripped his slim hips. Richard leaned back without hesitation, confident Hank would catch his weight.
"Now that's settled, how about a little more dog training?" Richard stiffened instantly. I should have known there was a catch. "Come on, it's been a while since you last saw Sumo, and don't think I haven't noticed you sidling up to Connor." Richard blanched at the accusation, though it wasn't exactly a lie. He'd never touched Connor without the fence between them, but he had been trying to get used to him, little by little. Connor seemed to understand on some level too, because whenever he put his snout through the fence, he always held himself still, barely even twitching his ears as he watched Richard's fingers pet his nose. "I'll be there the whole time." That didn't make him feel any better.
It was almost like Connor heard them as he perked up and approached the mesh. His ears twitched, likely at the sound of his name, and his tail started wagging. Richard tried not to look at his open mouth as he panted, well able to imagine what might happen if those jaws closed on some part of his body. Connor turned in a circle as Hank praised him, whining and bounding along beside him as he headed for the door. Richard sighed helplessly. There was really nothing for it. He was in Hank's yard, so he'd have to pass Connor either way.
"Connor, sit." With a little encouragement, Connor did as he was told, tail wagging across the dry grass as he looked at them. "Wait here while I get Sumo; he's in the kitchen." Richard just about had a heart attack as Hank stepped away from him, leaving nothing but open space between him and Connor. Richard grabbed his arm and pulled him to a halt, panicking already as Connor tilted his head.
"Y-you're not just going to leave me with him!" It may have sounded pathetic, but his racing heart didn't care at that particular moment. There was no way he was going to let Hank leave him alone with a murderous beast! A whine rumbled in Connor's throat, as if he'd heard the thought.
"Don't worry, he'll stay. I've told him." Richard didn't match Hank's confidence that Connor would do as he was told. Peeling his hand off, Hank leaned in to leave a bristly kiss on Richard's lips. "Trust me, he's a good boy." Connor certainly perked up at hearing that. Richard let go with a withering sigh, legs already shaking as Hank turned his back and gave Connor a second reminder to stay where he was. Connor panted happily, head turned to watch Hank cross the yard to the house. Richard was too busy watching Connor to notice when Hank passed the end of the coop, but he definitely noticed as Connor turned back to look at him instead.
"G-good boy…S-stay there!" It seemed being told he was good was almost too much for Connor. His panting increased tenfold, and his tail thumped the earth so fast he sounded like a helicopter about to take off. Richard swallowed, feeling the adrenaline making his arms quiver. "You're not so bad…" Hank was right about him staying where he was. Though he was looking at him, Connor didn't so much as lift his paw. Richard licked his lips nervously, and slowly pushed himself off the fence he was huddled against. He won't bite me. He won't bite me. Repeating the mantra, he slowly reached out.
Connor, recognising the routine, lowered his head a little, allowing Richard to bring his hand in from above, away from his mouth. After licking his nose, Connor closed his mouth, perhaps sensing Richard's gaze stray to his teeth. Twitching his ears, Connor watched eagerly as Richard's fingers came to rest on his snout. It was a light touch, barely even ghosting across his fur, but on the second pass, his fingers finally settled. Richard couldn't believe he was doing it. Connor, who was far scarier than Sumo, was sitting right in front of him, letting him stroke him. There was no fence. No safety barrier. The collie could leap up and maul him if he wanted to, and yet, he didn't.
"Attaboy." Richard almost jumped out of his skin as he looked up to find Hank watching him.