Make it Till You Don't

Hunting 101

Over the couple of weeks all of us worked hard in order to secure the front grates. We managed to take the big doors from part of the prison and station them at the front gate, allowing us to open and close it at will.

Once we had that, along with the spears, Walkers were prevented from coming into the field and allowed us to clean the ones inside. After that, Rick had some seeds that Hershel found a while back and planted a few, hoping to grow some vegetables before winter.

With all the projects going around lately, I haven't seen much of Daryl and whenever I did, we would act like nothing happened. Part of me was relieved, but the other part was sad because I think he was avoiding me on purpose. Anytime I was in or near the cell, he was nowhere to be found. That was, until today.

"Wait, what?" I asked in surprise. "You want me to come hunt with you?"

"Yeah, something wrong with that?" Daryl asked, looking at me in confusion.

I took a moment before shaking my head. "No. Just- didn't think you'd ask."

"Well, you comin' or not?" Daryl asked, shifting the crossbow on his back.

I put the book I was reading, courtesy of one of our new residents, and climbed off the bunk. "Yeah, just let me grab my ax." Grabbing my ax, I followed Daryl out of the prison and into the woods. As we walked, I glanced over to him. "So what made you have me tag along?"

"Figured I'd finally give in to your stupid request." He replied, not taking his eyes off the ground.

I thought back to the day I asked him to teach me, back when we were looking for Sophia. "Oh yeah, I remember something like that." I joked, smirking.

...

"You spent a lot of time in the woods?"

He glanced back at me for a second before turning back forward, adjusting the crossbow in his hands. "Somethin' like that."

I nodded my head, assuming that's as much as I was going to get as an answer. "Are you like the hunter of the group?" I asked another question.

He didn't tear his gaze from in front of him as he spoke up. "What's it to you?"

I shrugged my shoulders even though he couldn't see me. "Just making conversation. Besides, I'm trying to figure this group out." I ducked underneath a branch before I continued. "Taking that as a yes, did you do it before the world went to shit or because someone had to do it for the group to survive?"

"Nah, before... practically grew up in the woods." He replied, crouching down to look at the ground.

"I see." I was surprised he was so willing to answer based on his attitude to me thus far. I pondered to myself before asking another question. "Could you teach me sometime?"

He stopped what he was doing, turning to look at me in confusion. "What?"

"Ya know, hunting; surviving in the woods." I spelled out as if it weren't obvious. "With the way things are now, that's the only way to survive. Hell, I couldn't even make it two days before passing out. I almost became food to those bastards if I didn't find your group."

"Why should I help you with anythin'? Jus' some stranger." He replied, glaring at me. "Hell if I care if you live or not."

...

I chuckled at the memory and how much things since then. I win. I thought as he finally gave in.

"Well, ya wanna know?" Daryl spoke up, breaking me from my thoughts as he waved me over. "First step, tracking."

I walked over as he pointed to the ground in front of him. Looking down at the ground, I could see an animal footprint in some mud. "A footprint." I stated blandly.

He nodded, adjusting the bow on his shoulders. "A deer from the looks of it." He mumbled, looking at me. "Well, go on then."

I glanced up at him before looking back at the footprint, seeing the direction it was facing. East. I looked back to Daryl, pointing in the direction of east, receiving a nod. With that, I began following the tracks. It was simple at first, seeing as the tracks were molded in mud but we soon hit a dry patch, making the trail difficult for me to see.

"I don't see any footprints anymore." I grumbled, not knowing which direction to go now.

Daryl grabbed his crossbow from behind his back as he glanced around. "Look for any twigs snapped or crushed in grass and leaves. Make sure it ain't a Walker print though."

I nodded as he shot a Walker a few feet away as I began looking around. Make sure it ain't a Walker... so make sure the print isn't big to fit a human's foot. Should be simple enough.

I mentally patted myself on the back with how good I was doing so far as I continued to look. I stopped in my tracks, seeing a patch of grass smashed in like he told me. I tried to follow what I thought were the animal tracks, knowing Daryl would catch up eventually.

A couple feet ahead, I stopped when I noticed there was a footprint of a shoe. I let out a sigh, standing up straight. "It's probably a Walkers..."

"Don't worry 'bout it, we'll just keep going for now." Daryl said, coming up beside me before walking ahead.

Another twenty minutes went by, filled with killing the occasional Walker here and there. I tried to track a trail again but lost it, making me frustrated. Tracking was hard. Not wanting to give up, I tried one more time, following a faint trail I could see.

As I continued to walk on, I was stopped by Daryl, causing me to look at him in confusion. He pointed in front of me as I turned, seeing a deer before I turned back to him with wide eyes. "Go on."

I scrunch my eyebrows together. "How? I don't have a gun on me, just the ax and knife."

Without a word, he loaded an arrow on his crossbow, handing it out to me. "Take it."

"But I've never shot one before..." I replied, reluctantly grabbing it.

He nodded to the deer, causing me to sigh and bring the crossbow up in front of me, grunting from the weight. As I tried to aim, I felt Daryl's hands grab both of my arms, adjusting my stance.

I tried to focus on the task rather than Daryl's breath on the back of my neck. "Relax your muscles and take a breath, pull the trigger as you exhale." He instructed me, taking a step back.

I nodded, doing exactly as he said. I felt anticipation build in my chest as I pulled the trigger, watching the arrow fly to its mark. As the arrow hit the deer, I lowered the crossbow, watching as the deer dropped to the ground.

"I did it..." I gasped out, turning to Daryl in shock before a huge grin took over my face. "I did it!" I jumped forward, wrapping my arms around Daryl's neck.

I heard him chuckle at my excitement, glancing down at me. I felt a hand rest on my cheek, thumb rubbing back and forth as I got lost in his eyes, never realizing how blue they were. I bit my lip as my eyes flickered down to his lips for an instant, debating if I should go for it.

I didn't have to think for long as I felt my head being pulled forward before I once again felt Daryl's lips on mine. I closed my eyes, bringing myself closer as I melted into the kiss, feeling Daryl's other hand rest on my hip. The moment, however, was ruined by the sound of a growl coming from behind me.

Reality sunk in that we weren't alone as I backed away, grabbing my ax from my waistband. I opened my eyes, turning and walking over to the Walker, killing it. "Guess we should head back, huh?"

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Published: 07/14/2024