In The End: A Daryl Dixon x OC Story

The Fox and The Hound

We finished setting up our camp fairly quickly. I mean, the most time-consuming part was simply finding spare firewood. So, while I was waiting for more instructions, I sat down in the dirt, attempting to cool down by fanning myself with the neckline of my shirt. Daryl was pacing around our camp, surveying the area for whatever the hell it was he was looking for. I fished around in my bag, wishing for nothing more than to rinse myself head to toe in cold water. You never know just how much you need things until you don't have it, and I was becoming more and more aware of not having air conditioning as this day went on.

I pulled the water bottle out of the bag, taking large gulps of water, and pretending not to notice the weird metallic taste. No matter how much you boiled that water, it never felt like it was truly clean.

"You think you can handle setting up some snares by yourself?" Daryl asked, as I tied my hair up, getting it off my already sweaty neck.

"Maybe?" I said. One measly day of training and a single rabbit didn't feel like enough to send me off on my own, but I had some confidence in my ability to set them up. That didn't mean I had confidence that I would catch something.

"Alright, you head that way," he said, pointing off to my right, "I'm gonna head this way, see if I can't get some squirrels."

He didn't even let me say anything before he walked off. There's a difference between being a loner and an asshole Daryl. I pushed myself to my feet, brushing my pants off as best I could, grabbed my pack, and walked off into the direction he'd pointed in.

He had told me yesterday to not place snares close to camp, the human noise and scents would scare anything off. Taking that into consideration, I kept walking, turning around to check for the camp every minute or so. Once I couldn't see it anymore, I walked for a few more minutes, and then decided that if Daryl snored, maybe this would be far enough out that the rabbits and other ground creatures couldn't hear him and run off.

I knelt down, starting on the first of the snares that he had taught me to make using a small sapling at the base of a much larger tree and some fishing wire he stole out of Dale's RV. My heart started speeding up in my chest as I suddenly realized I was completely alone. I hadn't been this by myself ever, especially not after the outbreak. Channeling my inner Dixon, I kept my ears open for any small sound, anything that could scream danger. My stomach was tying itself in knots by the time I finished setting up the first snare and started off, looking for a good place for a second one.

It wasn't long before I had four snares set and allowed myself to take another break. By break I meant walking through the woods, following what had just sounded like a splash not too far off to my right. Sure, I knew that I shouldn't walk off towards the loud sound alone, but if I could find cleaner drinking water, I didn't think I would be judged too harshly if I didn't come back with anything else.

My boots found gentle purchase in between fallen limbs and particularly crunchy looking leaves as I tucked myself behind trees. I hadn't heard anymore sounds but I was sure that if I walked far enough in this direction, I would eventually find the source of the sound. I peeked around the trunk I was pressed up against, and for a moment, thought I had to be witnessing a mirage.

There in front of me was a small pond, the sun shimmering across the surface. Moss covered rocks and cattails lined its edge in a few areas, and the ground around it was full of lush greens. Some of the cattails were still green, and I was started to feel a lot better about my ability to help feed the camp. My dad had been big on living off the land, so I was still able to recognize certain plants that I used to eat a lot growing up, and now was as good a time as any to have that knowledge.

From here, I could see what could safely be assumed to be the source of the noise. The heavy scent of dirt hung in the air and now laying across one end of the small pond was an old, rotted tree, roots now exposed to the harsh sun. I glanced around only long enough to convince myself that it was safe to approach, the noise probably scared off any dangerous animals, but it was probably attracting something even more dangerous, so I had to move fast.