Cock-A-Doodle-Doo

Mother Hen

The one thing he hadn't expected to feel in all this nonsense was jealousy. It all started a few days later, when he went out to check on the sheep. It was early. Not Richard early, but still early for Hank. Nines had woken him up with that god awful squawking, and he'd dragged himself out of bed at the crack of dawn to shovel down some cereal and head out on his rounds. He'd thought perhaps he might return in time to cross paths with Richard as he returned to feed the chickens. What he hadn't expected was to meet another man. In his own field, no less!

He wasn't too tall, but he was taller than Richard, and packing some obvious muscle beneath his loose shirt. If Hank had to guess, he'd say this was the guy who did the heavy lifting around the stables, and he was definitely from the stables. There wasn't another farm around for a good few miles with all the fields backing onto each other, and Hank didn't recognise him. He was pretty handsome though. Brunette hair, a strong brow, sharp grey eyes, and a mischievous smile, the type that was contagious. As he drew closer, he could hear that he had a good full laugh, too. The reason for that laughter became apparent as he noticed the ball of white fur rolling around in his lap.

"What the-Sixty!" It was too late to stop him. The great hound had already jumped, paws planted on the man's chest to push him back onto the grass. The man went with a flail of legs, strong arms ruffling and scratching the whole time as Sixty wagged his tail and snuffled his shirt. His shirt, now muddied with grubby paw prints and stray bits of grass, was open to the third button, showing off his chiselled pecs and hinting at more muscle below. He was quite the specimen, which put Hank on edge right away. Despite his wariness, he did the decent thing and called Sixty away. "He didn't hurt you, did he?" That would usually be his first concern with the guard dog.

"Oh no, he's fine! We're good friends, aren't we, boy?" Far from being cowed by Hank's firm tone, Sixty was in his element, panting happily as his tail wagged back and forth. Connor, ever the loyal companion, remained at Hank's side, tail low and cautious. It was rare to find strangers on their property, and it was usually Sixty who saw them off. It was his job to see them off! Seeing Sixty so excitable was making him curious, ears twitching as he tilted his head. Hank set a reassuring hand on Connor's head. He doubted the man was dangerous, least of all to the sheep. The man seemed to remember himself, taking on a sheepish air as he finally peeled himself away from Sixty and got to his feet. "Sorry, I know I shouldn't be in here, but..." Grey eyes strayed to Sixty as he trailed off and watched the large dog panting happily, still looking up at him with those big brown eyes.

"It's fine...The name's Hank." He tried to reel in his own curiosity. It wouldn't do to ask too many questions in one go. The first question he didn't even have to ask. Seeing his hand extended, the man gave him a winning smile and accepted with a firm grip.

"David, but everyone calls me Allen or Al." That was a bit of a leap. "When I was a marine, there were already two Davids in my regiment, so going by my surname made things easier." Maybe his service explained why he was so good with Sixty. Sixty was a smart dog, more than wise enough to know when he'd been bested. Allen was strong and toned, and the sharpness of his eyes let you know he was in charge. Faced with such raw dominance, Sixty didn't even try to challenge him. He was like a puppy in Allen's skilled hands, greedily snuffling in for all the pets he could get.

"Marines to horses, that's quite a leap." Allen leaned on the fence, happily accepting Sixty's enormous paws on his chest as he leapt up for more attention. Large hands laced in his fur, short nails scratching around his neck and jowls.

"Oh, my family has always been involved with horses. Going back to it was sort of expected." His family was in the business. Did that mean Richard? Were they related somehow? Looking at his face, he couldn't see any obvious resemblance. Allen's brow was stronger, his facial structure wider, and his jaw more squared. His eyes were a sharp silver, where Richard's were dark brown, and he was much stockier. The colour of their hair was similar, but that was about it.