Twd Fanfic

Soft spot

Koa knew that the shot would attract every walker in miles but right now she was numbed and didn't really care if they got to her until a small squeak escaped the small puppies mouth.

Koa wiped all emotion from herself as she ripped off the thin jacket she was wearing and walked until she found a walker, carrying the puppy whole way until gently placing it into the empty holster where she had taken the machete out.

She grabbed it by it's throat as dragged it to the area of the dog.
She killed it and used the blood to write a message on the jacket.

"R.I.P"

It was only a short time before she heard familiar snarling and with that she secured the puppy a little more and began her killing spree.

It was a emotional breakdown and a good one at that.
She had sunken her blade into uncountable walkers until finally the noise was gone again, nothing left but the weak barks of the small puppy and her heartbeat.

"What the hell girl!" Daryl was stunned to see Koa in a graveyard of corpses.

Daryl walked over to the woman who was crouched down crying softly.

"Hey, hey-" He was caught off guard at her crying.
It was something he never would expect from a women like Koa but sometimes all the killing got to him too.

Koa wasn't exactly mentally stable to begin with and then the months of being alone didn't really help.
Daryl just stood there dumbfounded at the amount of walkers she had put down with his hand on her shoulder.

"What'd you shoot?"

The girl just got up and wiped all emotion once again and began walking with the puppy in hand.

"What the hell you got there?" Daryl was beyond confused when he saw a dog draped with her jacket over a bunch of dead puppies.

He grew silent, his eyes retreating to the floor as if even he was disturbed by this.

"It's sick. It's so sick. I hate this world I hate everything we have to go through." Koa was having her very first apocalypse breakdown and Daryl knew it.

"It'll be alright here just come on."

Koa grabbed her bag off the ground and followed him reluctantly and when they were greeted by a small curious crowd at the gate.

"Koa!" Glenn ran to her with Maggie as they inspected her.

"What the hell happened? Is there someone out there?" Maggie asked genuinely concerned and the thought of Koa having this big breakdown over a couple dogs made her feel stupid so she just shook her head and held the puppy out.

Their confused gazes met it and in awe they all soon realized what happened.

"I'm sorry Koa, this world is cruel and unforgiving.
It's something we will learn." His hand squeezed her shoulder as he spoke and Glenn was trying to comfort her best as possible.

"I'm okay I just- I guess I got a little friend now that's all."

The crowd subsided and Koa sat in the front porch of Rick's house after explaining to him what had happened, he understood and gave her comfort but he was more surprised when Daryl came in after her rambling excited about how many walkers she had put down.
Rick had never seen Daryl so enthusiastically surprised and his respect towards Koa grew.

Koa sat there swinging on the wooden bench swing as she heard the door behind her open with a creak.

"Ey." It was Daryl's rough voice and Koa was embarrassed to talk to the man she had broken down infront of.

"Hi." She rubbed the puppies head softly with her finger, it being too tiny to pet normally.

"So how you gon' feed that thang?"

"I don't know. I know they can eat green beans so I'll just mix some leftover bunny with that and make my own dog food for now."

"Smart." Once again he found himself impressed.

"I didn't know you had that in ya, if I did I would make less jokes about ya." He joked and Koa laughed with him.

"I don't know what got into me.
I've never been like that before"

"Don't worry. Just the fight in ya." His words made Koa feel safer than she had this whole apocalypse.

"Thank you." She placed the puppy in his hands after cupping them gently.

"It's so damn tiny, where you gon' keep this thing." He was smiling and he never stopped adoring it, he wanted to sound like he didn't care for it but Koa saw right through to his melting heart.

"You keep gawking at it like that I might just let you have it." She joked.

"I don need no pet! Too young to help with huntin' anyway."

The small puppy yawned and curled up and fell asleep right on Daryl's stomach as he smiled but tried to force it away as he noticed Koa giggling at him.

"Don't worry I won't tell anyone you have a soft spot for puppies."

"I ain't got no soft spot!" Even though he was snapping at her he whispered trying not to wake the thing.

"Mhm? That why you trying to hard to let it rest?" She giggled with her words and Daryl gently placed it back in her hands tired of the ridicule but laughing along.

"Thank you Daryl I appreciate it." She knew he had come to comfort her.

"Ain't nothing." He smiled back at her and left.

Koa sat there with the baby in her hands wondering if she had made the right decision taking in a vulnerable liability like a dog but on the other hand like Daryl reminded her about, the mom did look like a type of Labrador and they were used as hunting dogs but it would be no beagle.