Between Arrows and Hearts - Daryl Dixon

A smart man

Daryl had been up since dawn. After taking care of his needs and grabbing a quick bite, he settled himself outside his tent, working on his arrows. Either cleaning the ones he had or fletching new ones.

Merle, who'd woken up a little while after, now sat beside his brother, picking through his breakfast in silence. The quiet between them was quickly  broken by the unmistakable rumble of Shane's jeep tearing into the center of camp. 

Shane hopped out, calling out to no one specifically. "Water's here, y'all! Just a reminder to boil before use!"

Daryl glanced up as Cass climbed out of the passenger seat, laughing at something Shane had said. Her carefree smile lingered, her voice carrying lightly over the camp as she spoke with Shane.

Merle leaned back, a sly grin creeping across his face as he watched her. "Told ya, little brother. Bet she's been keepin' that cop entertained all morning, makin' sure he's real keen to keep her safe."

Daryl didn't respond, his jaw tightening as he kept his gaze on Cass.

Taking Daryl's silence as an invitation to keep going, Merle continued. "And now, she'll probably be off to sweet-talk the Chinaman next. Gotta keep him bringing her whatever she needs from the city."

"Tell ya what, baby brother. Just a few more days, and we're outta here. We'll snag some of their food, maybe a couple of weapons. Then we won't have to look at any of these people's ugly faces ever again."

The sound of Merle's voice grated against his nerves. Without a word, Daryl got to his feet, ignoring his brother's muttering. "I'm headin' out to the woods," He said curtly, grabbing his gear from inside the tent. "See if there's somethin' worth bringing back for dinner."

He didn't wait for a response, slinging his crossbow over his shoulder and striding toward the treeline, letting the the forest swallow up his brother's words.

Daryl wandered aimlessly through the forest, moving more to escape Merle's voice than out of any real desire to hunt. He didn't have a particular destination in mind, just letting his boots carry him further from camp.

Then he heard a noise up ahead and instinctively moved closer. As he crept forward, he realized he'd ended up near the spot where he'd first run into Cass. As if it was a déjà vu, Daryl found himself hiding in the bushes and watching her again, only this time, she wasn't alone.

Ben, the pretty-boy that was always following Cass around like a lost puppy, was with her. Daryl had heard his name tossed around camp enough to recognize him, though they'd never spoken. The kid looked like he belonged on some magazine cover, with his easy, toothy smile and tousled blond hair. Merle had nicknamed him "little prince" claiming he looked like some fairy tale character, and Daryl couldn't disagree. 

He was talking, his voice just loud enough to carry over. "I'm serious! That rabbit he brought the first few days was great, but I'm getting real tired of squirrel meat." Daryl's jaw clenched, resisting the urge to step out and show Ben just what kind of meat he'd prefer to offer him right then. 

Cass was just listening at first, her face calm as she listened, but eventually, she spoke up. "I don't know, Ben. I'm just happy to have food, you know?"

Ben, clearly hoping for a different reaction, tried again. "Yeah, sure, I get it." He scratched his neck, shifting closer to her with an air of forced confidence. "But, maybe, I don't know, you and I could come out here sometime. Try for something better." His arm dropped to his side, his hand inching toward Cass's hip, an intrusion Daryl watched with a simmering scowl.

Merle's voice echoed in his head, taunting. "Let me tell ya something bout girls like her. They're trouble. All that charm and sweetness, getting all the men to do anything for 'em."