Dixons Little Shifter (Daddy Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 4: The Footsteps

Sophia waited for Luna, as she finished her business. Both girls were feeling itchy from the night and the feeling of pins and needles in their legs from the tight space was echoed by both girls. Sophia and Luna headed back towards the stream where they had encountered the Walkers, and where Luna was able to get a glimpse of the footsteps of this hunter.

Both determined to uncover the mystery behind the footsteps that been trailing them, they followed the steps along the stream. Luna's wolf senses on high alert as they forged ahead cautiously, with Sophia following her lead. They had been walking for a while, the sun was high in the Sky beating heavy onto the girls when Luna stopped abruptly. Sophia stopped behind her wondering what had caught the Shifters attention. Luna sniffed the air, pointing at some tracks that led away from the stream. Lunas ears standing on high alert hearing some commotion in the distance. Suddenly, the echo of a loud gunshot pierced the air, causing both girls to instinctively crouch in the undergrowth and for Luna to let out a low growl from her chest. Her shifter form wanting to make an appearance at the sudden sound of danger. Sophia's eyes widened with fear, while Luna's ears pricked up, her tail swishing from side to side, brushing against Sophia. She was trying to decipher the source of the ominous sound and the commotion of voices in the distance. Her nose itches realising that the smell that was reaching her nose, was what she caught earlier from the man with the crossbow.

Luna turned to Sophia, her furrowed brow revealing her uncertainty.

"I don't like those big noises, Sophia" she muttered, her voice tinged with concern.

Sophia put her arm around Luna protectively. "We gotta be super careful," Sophia told her little friend.
"Let's wait here for now, without a fire, so nobody find us."

The girls set up a temporary camp nearby, carefully concealing themselves in the shadows, ensuring no fire was lit to avoid detection. Sophia curled up against Luna using her body heat to her advantage with the lack of fire.

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Luna, and her mother were out in the woods foraging for wild berries. The forest so far was peaceful and quiet. They found plenty of wild berries. The air was thick and hot, the type that made breathing difficult. The forest fell silent, as the scene spiralled before Lunas tear filled eyes. Her mother, slender and graceful, struggled futilely against the gnashing of rotting teeth. The desperate cries for help drowned beneath growls and savage snarls.

Luna's instincts were kicking in. She didn't know how or where she found the strength but she pushed the walker to the side. Grabbing hold of her mother, her eyes streaming with tears clouding her sight as she tried to put her mother back together. The organs littered the floor; her mother's abdomen shredded.

"Mummy!" Luna's voice trembled, her heart pounding like a war drum in her chest. Then she was being lifted, her little fists punching and feet kicking as her dad swung her over his shoulder. His feet uncertain on the ground, his eyes taking in the scene before him.
"Run, Luna!" he screamed, throwing Lunas little body to the earth.

"Go, now!" his words lace with agony and determination. His once-protective eyes now held only resignation, knowing his sacrifice to protect his daughter was inevitable.

Luna's ears filled with the anguished screams of her father as the walkers descended upon him, his protective roar and form shift drowned by the mindless growls of the walkers.

Through tear blurred vision, Luna stumbled back, her hands and feet dragging the earth as she got to her feet. Her wolf ears flattened against her head. Her heart shattered into pieces as she watched her pack be torn apart before her very eyes.

Unable to recognise her anyone alive from her pack amidst the tears and death, Luna no longer hesitated. Her grief, fuelled her newfound strength forced her little body shift. He paws propelled her body along the earth, and so the grieving wolf vanished into the abyss.

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Luna awoke with a jolt, her teeth bared and her hands in tight little fists, her senses on over drive at the nightmare. Not sensing any specific danger, Luna relaxed back and looked at Sophia's face. Sophia had woken up with the jolt from Luna. Her eyes looking down at Luna with concern, she lifted one hand to wipe away the tears that had unknowingly fallen down Lunas cheeks.

"It's okay Luna, it's just a bad dream." Luna looked away from her, ashamed for waking her friend.

"Luna?" Sophia asks, her voice concerned. Luna looked back at her, and Sophia's arms tightened around her friend. Luna buried her face in Sophia's shoulder, taking comfort in her friends presence. The nightmare still haunted her, but she knew she wasn't acing it alone. Sophia could tell Luna was scared, her heart was beating hard in her chest, and the fur on her tail was still stood on end.

"M-miss my family" she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper.

Sophia's arms wrapped around Luna, pulling her close. "I know, Luna. I miss mine too," she said, her own voice thick with emotion. They stayed that way for a few minutes, Sophia holding Luna in her arms. The morning sun had risen higher into the sky, the light piercing through the trees and leaves.

"We should get moving, right?" Sophia suggested, her tone soft, and her expression worried. Luna nodded her head and the girls packed up their things.