The beat of hooves

CHAPTER IV | A MERRY HAPPY DAY

Three weeks had passed since Devin moved into the farm and he could not be happier. The guilty feeling that he was intruding on the couple was still there but he became more secure around the farm and it's building.
He had even begun leading the gentle big bay to and from the pasture. The first time his heart had been beating like mad, scared that his nervosity would cause the horse to become frightened. But the bay had simply walked beside him as if Devin had done this a thousand times. He hadn't led the black stallion, but he could after all be quite unruly.

The shire colt had also been there for two weeks. He went into a pasture on the other side of the bay gelding so that he wouldn't run himself tired beside Wicked Arsenal. It didn't stop them from some competition from time to time but according to James they would be running even more if the bay wasn't standing between them and calming them down with his aura.
Devin had also found out the Bays name. Absolutely special. But most of the time Oceana and James simply calmed him oldie. He wasn't really old. He was six years old and had been spending the past half year getting better from an injury. But they said it was because he behaves like an older horse and had apparently done so since he was even younger. Devin preferred to call him Specs. He didn't really know why he decided on that specific nickname but it all started when he was alone for a while with him and he started talking to the gelding. Eventually the nickname just stuck for him and he would just call him that.

Devin was brushing Specs when he heard someone call for him.
"Dev." Only James called him Dev so he didn't even need to think about who it was that yelled after him. He turned around and was met with James' big smile. "Dev. We're gonna be taking Oldie to the tracks and test him out there. There's not going to be any competition. But I figured ya'd want to come with and see the tracks."
"Yhea, I would love to." Devin answered without hesitation. "Is Oceana gonna ride him?" James shook his head.
"No we have a rider who works at the track. He knows what he does so he will be checking Oldie out. He used to ride him in the races. So he knows him as well." James patted Specs on his neck. "If Tom gives him the all clear then he will soon start again. We want to make sure he's completely fine."

Devin nodded as a response. He had seen Specs and Oceana run at the farm. He hadn't seen a real life race but he was smart enough to realise that a real race would be even tougher. At the very least he realised how tough it must be in races after James and Oceana explained most of it.

He jumped back into reality when he felt a pat on his back. His instincts were to grab his chest where the still broken rib was located but he held that instinct back. He still hadn't told them about the damage after that fight and now it was so long that he felt like it had been too much time that it felt weird to even bring it up. He also knew that they wouldn't allow him to work at the farm anymore if they knew he was hurt. They were too kind for that.

Devin woke even before the rooster crowed. He was excited and perhaps that was the reason he had slept so badly during the night and woke so early. He almost hurried out to the stable. James wasn't out yet and Devin didn't want to try and take out the stallions by himself so he started throwing out some extra hay into the pastures. It didn't take long. The pastures were mostly full of grass and the hay was just in case. It wasn't that much.
When James still wasn't out Devin decided that he could as well change the water so that when they did come out it would already be fixed. Halfway scrubbing out and filling up the big buckets when James came out. His trademark smile on his face.
"Ya're up early Dev." He chuckled.
"Yes. I'm excited to see the track." There was still this weird feeling in his chest. Why was he so excited to see the tracks? "You really have been playing it all up." He said jokingly. James laughed as well before going inside the stable. Devin was almost completely done with filling the last bucket when James exited the stable with the big, greying shire colt following him.
Devin hurried to finish the last of the water so that he could let Specs out himself. He felt like a child when he hurried to get it done just so he could take out the bay. Had someone told him last year that he would enjoy working with horses he would have laughed out loud.
But here he was, slowly figuring out that horses were something he had been missing his short life.