The branches that shadowed above you were weighed down by the newly fallen snow. Each flake shimmering like a silver star in the dark night sky. And each snowflake that fell down onto you, patterned your coat and gloves with a faint sparkle.
It was cold, as you rested your back against the bark of the pine tree you sit underneath. But it had been cold for months. You had all gotten used to the numbing temperatures that bit at your exposed skin and threatened to freeze you right where you stood. But tonight, with the new snow that fell all around you, it felt even colder.
The group had stopped for the night. An old house on the side of the road they cleared for shelter. It wasn't heated or full of anything you all needed, but it was a roof and four walls. And for the young and the pregnant, they needed that at least.
You had wandered into the wooded area just across the road from the house for some time alone. Something you did fairly often, and tonight you needed the space. It was Christmas Eve, and the white Christmas snow made you miss the family you had lost a while back. You had gained a misfit group of friends and family, but your blood... They were all gone.
A deep crunch in the snow makes your head snap to the right. And despite the darkness that casts over you and the trees you're hidden within, a shadow emerges and you are able to make out just who it is.
His footsteps are heavy as he trudges through the feet of already fallen dense snow. The mounds slowing his movements slightly. And with each step he takes, a boot print is left behind him. Marking his way back with a trail through the fallen snow.
Coming closer to you, the full moon shines down onto him. Illuminating his tanned skin and denim jacket he wears with his leather angel wing vest.
"Got a fire goin, should come warm up." His voice travels over to you faster than he does. But with a few more seconds, Daryl Dixon is soon standing beside you in the underbrush of the evergreen trees.
"I'm alright." You tell him softly, hiding your shivering hands in your laps.
Daryl grunts lowly, and with a swift movement he sits down beside you. Close enough that if you moved an inch to the side, your shoulders would touch. And close enough that you can smell the strangely intoxicating scent of cigarette smoke, sweat and woods on his clothing.
"Tell that to your tremblin hands." Daryl comments and he hands over to you a blanket you hadn't seen him carrying.
Gently, he unfolds the navy fabric and wraps it around your body. Tucking it in so that warmth surrounds every visable part of your body.
Smiling softly at his kind gesture, you look over at the timid redneck. "Thank you."
Daryl just shrugs it off, something he did fairly often when praised for something he did or even just a simple thank you was handed. He grew more quiet and embarassed even, something you could never quite understand.
"What are ye doin out here anyhow?" Daryl asks, shifting the spotlight from him back over to you.
Looking ahead, your eyes stare off at the scenery before you. The rows of tall pine trees sprinkled with Christmas snow. The moonlight casting over it like a flashlight, causing the snow to sparkle like an ornament hung high on your Christmas tree back home.
"Its Christmas Eve," You say into the dense silence of the forest. "Did you know that?"
Releasing a sigh, still staring off into the shimmering tree line. "I couldn't be in there. I couldn't be in there with all the people who still have their family to be with. Not when I lost my own."
Dropping your gaze, you watch your body tremble underneath the blanket. The fabric was warm, but the snow and the wind and the emotions still caused your body to shake.
