(1) Wolf in Me (D. Dixon)

Chapter Nineteen

Daryl and Diana are the first to arrive back to camp. Both of them are significantly faster than the rest, risking to push themselves right now, to risk revealing themselves to get back as fast as possible. Daryl thinks that his brother is behind this, but it is very clear as they reach the camp that he is not. It is walkers. But they don't have time to dwell on it. Diana drives her knife into the walker's head and pushes it down to the ground before she removes her knife and climbs over the body. Rushing into the bloody scene to fight off the walkers. There aren't a large number but when there aren't too many weapons in camp, it feels like a lot more. She slams her foot down onto a walker's head and it caves in, splattering across the ground. Sophia screams close by, a walker drawing in on her. Diana snaps her head around.

"Sophia!" Her mother yells for her. Diana kills the walker and then leans down to scoop up Sophia, settling the girl onto her back.

"Hold on tight" Diana tells her and Sophia locks her arms and legs around Diana to keep herself attached to Diana.

"Behind you!" Sophia warns and Diana spins, only for the walker to be shot with a crossbow bolt. Diana lets out a breath and looks across at Daryl as he loads another bolt. Diana doesn't dwell on the save too long on it, she can't afford to. She moves, carrying Sophia towards where Carol is screaming for her. Diana sets the girl down in front of her mother, Carol immediately pulls Sophia closer to her and keeps the two of them behind Diana as they push for the RV where everyone else is fleeing. Diana keeps her knife held out in front of her, her eyes scanning around. She would use her gun, but considering there are humans running around she could easily hit one of them.

........

Between Shane, Daryl, Dale, and Diana, they do easily take down the small attacking walker force. Diana flicks out her knife, pulling a face at the stuff that comes off of it. Daryl is next to her, pulling a bolt from the head of a walker. His eyes lift to Diana. Now that the rush and importance of the fight has passed. He can deal with what he saw from her. She kept up with him when he was pushing himself. She ran, at his full speed, at his side through those trees. She and Daryl share a look. Because they both revealed something tonight. He saw it in her. That physiology. He saw himself reflected in her movements. He's more surprised than she is. Because she knows what he is. He has no idea about her. Or had no idea. He likely does now. She lets out a breath and wipes her knife on her thigh. Daryl steps closer to her.

"What are you?" He asks her, she lets out a breath and turns to give him a look.

"What are you?" She turns the question back at him. The two of them stare at one another, waiting to see who caves first. It won't be her.

"Hey!" Shane shouts moving towards them, clearly misinterpreting their stand off as something hostile. It's not. It's curious. Daryl's eyes shift over her, trying to look for any clue as to what she is, even sniffing at her. Trying to scent her. But she's covered that too. He huffs and then walks away from her. Diana lets out a breath and looks down at the walker at her feet as it squirms. She lifts her foot and then stomps down onto its head. Finishing it off. Shane looks over her, checking for injury but Diana just rolls her eyes and walks away from him. Carol gives Diana a thankful look as the werewolf approaches her, clutching Sophia to her. Diana smiles warmly at the two of them, crouching in front of Sophia.

"You okay, sweetie?" Diana asks her softly. Sophia nods and then lunges forward to hug Diana tightly. Diana lets out a breath and hugs her back, standing with her.

"Thank you" Carol tells her, stepping closer to the two of them, touching Sophia's back and then Diana's arm.

"You don't have to thank me" Diana assures her softly. "We look out for each other" Carol lets out a shaky breath. "Where's...?" Diana starts but before she can even finish her question, Carol is shaking her head. She doesn't actually know right now where her husband is and she is feeling guilty that she hopes that he's dead. It would be an easy out of that terrible marriage. "Ah" Diana realizes and then gives Carol a small smile. "I'm sure he's around here somewhere" She offers with no genuine hope and Carol knows that it is more for Sophia than for her. Diana glances across at Lori and Carl. "You okay, little man?" Diana asks Carl who is clinging to Lori close by. Diana holds out her hand to offer him a thumbs up. Carl nods and reflects the thumbs up.

"Where's Rick?" Lori asks, Diana motions behind her.

"On his way...Daryl and I just went on ahead" She explains and Daryl snorts from close by. She skimmed the truth there. They both pushed themselves to get here. And they just so happen to be faster than the humans. So technically, they did come on ahead. "He's fine," Diana assures Lori. Almost as soon as Diana says that, Rick, T-Dog, and Glenn are running through the trees. They'd become worried, more so, when the noise stopped.

"Carl!" Rick shouts, his eyes scanning over the camp in search of his wife and son.

"Dad!" Carl yells running across the camp to reach Rick, Rick quickly picks up his son to hug him close to him. Diana sets Sophia back on her feet and touches her head softly before she heads off to check her own little camp. She might have gotten lucky and the walkers won't have reached it. But this is not going to help Shane be okay with her camping away from the rest of the group. This attack will likely push him into bringing her into the fold. Despite the fact that she has just proven herself capable of looking out for herself. If he even noticed. Maybe she is a little jealous. Twenty five years of nothing from him, and fair enough he had no idea that she and Derek existed, but it feels like Shane is putting more effort into his relationship with Lori and Carl whilst simultaneously pissing Diana off with the efforts he makes with her. Because they are not real efforts. It is demanding and over-protective. It is bossing her around. It was only slightly like this before the outbreak, but the walkers definitely made it worse. She likes Carl, he's a good and sweet kid, but Carl is not Shane's son.