𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚂𝚞𝚗 ☼ 𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚢𝚕 𝙳𝚒𝚡𝚘𝚗

ᴠ. ᴡᴇʟᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴊᴜɴɢʟᴇ

"Can you go talk some sense into him?" Carol asked, walking up to your tent as you stood outside of it, pegging clothes onto the line.

"Who?" You asked back, stopping what you were doing. You'd noticed the glassiness of her eyes and the tremble in her voice. "Everything okay?"

"Daryl. He's going out to look for my little girl today." She spoke quietly. "He's not healed yet. He needs to rest."

You nodded, wondering what had happened between the two of them.

"I agree with you there." You sighed. "But I don't think anyone can tell Daryl what to do besides Daryl."

Carol stood in place, as if thinking of what to say to convince you. You could tell that she was shaken up by something.

"Where is he?" You asked, reaching out a hand to rub her shoulder in reassurance.

"Was in the stable a few minutes ago, tacking up a horse." She replied, and you cursed under your breath.

That man was beyond stubborn. You were surprised he even dared to get back on a horse after what happened the last time.

You smiled warmly towards Carol. "I'll go see what I can do. But I can't make any promises." You pulled on your denim jacket and grabbed your satchel, before coming back to her. "We'll find her, okay?" You whispered, pulling her into a hug before you left.

It was another day of blistering heat. You wondered if everyone else was just used to it. You, on the other hand, had to grab your hair and lift it off your neck for some reprieve. You tied it up, feeling the air hit the back of your neck cooly where the sweat had formed, and sighed. Hershel's stable wasn't that far away, and you soon approached it after a few minutes of walking. It was chestnut oak, with probably about half a dozen horses inside. You could see the small gate left ajar and opened it further. It creaked as you walked in.

"Daryl! You still here?" You called out, expecting to be met by silence from him. You wondered whether he'd already left.

"What'd ya want? Come to tell me not to go? That we ain't gonna find that lil' girl?" You flinched at the yelling. Not even a few seconds after you had walked in had he started on you.

You were surprised at how riled he seemed, usually not speaking more than a few words unprovoked. Though, you felt your heart sink at what he'd said. Carol had probably spoken to him in an attempt to get him to rest, and he'd taken it the wrong way.

"Well, originally." You admitted quietly as you approached him. You took slow steps, wanting to give him space.

He'd already saddled up the horse, a different one from the time before, and was fastening the leather. His actions were sharp and you watched as his arms tensed as he let out heavy breaths.

"But I do think we're going to find her. We have to."

It was the truth. It was what you wanted to believe.

Daryl finished what he was doing, not once turning to look at you.

"I'm goin'. You can all sit aroun' twiddlin' yer thumbs but I'm gonna go out an' do somethin'." He snarled, all while sounding like he was talking to no one in particular.

You walked closer to him, a bit hesitant, before placing a hand on his arm. He flinched and glared at you, but he didn't pull away.

"I can't stop you." You acknowledged. "But I can ask you to take me with you."

He furrowed his eyebrows and gave you a sour look.

"I want to help." You explained. "And someone needs to be there in case you decide to go cliff jumping again." You offered a small laugh before lightly punching his arm.