nuisance ★ twd

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the sounds of leaves crunching beneath the weight of someone's boots startle y/n from her sleep. in a quick, but quiet motion, she unties the skipping rope from around her torso that she used to secure her to the tree she sought refuge in the night prior. peeking her head out behind the tree ever so slightly, y/n was able to notice a man crouching close to the ground, his vision is cast down at the ground. to anyone it would've looked like he was just admiring a cool rock or something, but y/n recognised what he was doing. he was a tracker.

"hey!" y/n called down to the man, who immediately stood up and aimed his crossbow up at her, "you huntin'?"

he didn't respond and continued glaring at her, though he hesitates to keep his crossbow pointed at her. she's a kid, it's not like she could do much to harm him.

"you deaf or something?" y/n raised an eyebrow at him, she reached over to her backpack and dug through it for a few seconds. before he could question her, a dead squirrel was flung from the tree and landed on the ground in front of daryl. he crouched down to the ground to pick it up, but kept his crossbow aimed at the girl.

"thanks," he grunts in acknowledgment, securing the squirrel to his back.

"where ya headed?" y/n kicked her legs back and forth as they dangled over the branch she had slept on the previous night.

"ain't ya a nosey bitch," he scoffed, squinting his eyes at her.

"hey, i just gave you free food, asshole!" y/n yells, her words accompanied by an impolite hand gesture, "where you goin'? got a camp?"

when she received no answer from the man, she reached around the tree trunk, unhooking her bow from a knife she had stabbed into the tree to create a makeshift hanger for the bow. she pulled the knife out of the tree and cut her backpack down from a piece of rope she had tied around a higher branch. slinging the bag over one shoulder, she slipped her knife into a sheath by her belt and held up the bow, waving it at daryl, "i know how to hunt. lemme come with."

daryl lowered his crossbow, but his lip twitched in annoyance, "whatever, if a geek shows up i ain't savin' y'er ass."

y/n rolled her eyes, but didn't dignify his words with a response and instead secured her bow and quiver to her back. she swung the skipping rope she had previously tied around herself around the tree and wrapped both ends around her hands and slowly made her way down the tree.

"geeks?" y/n scoffed, a smirk growing on her face, "that what you call 'em?"

daryl glared at the teen, "what'd you call 'em then, smartass."

"biters," y/n shrugged, reaching behind her back to retrieve her bow and an arrow from her quiver, "y'know, 'cause they bite?"

"whatever," daryl began walking, following the same tracks he had been previously, "ya out here alone?"

"yeah." y/n's tone sharpened, "you?"

daryl looked over his shoulder briefly, surprised that someone so young survived on their own, "nah, ma' brother 'n some group we found."

"really?" y/n questioned, surprise evident in her tone. she spins, looking around with false curiosity, "you seem pretty alone to me."

daryl was starting to lose his patience with the smart mouthed girl, "shut up."

the two tracked in silence, occasionally killing walkers in their way. y/n could tell that the man was not a threat to her, but she kept quiet to avoid antagonising him. the girl did annoy daryl, but he had to admit to himself she had valuable skills that none of the kids at the camp had, but he would keep that to himself. there was a clear difference in abilities between the girl and the other children he knew of. this kid was alone and alive with nothing more than a few faint bruises and scrapes across her skin.