Seven ➳ d.dixon's dog

f i f t e e n

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Seven's POV

Daryl whistles for me to follow and we start walking towards the stable from our camp. He's not completely healed yet which worries me. We go into a shed, connected to the stables. He grabs a saddle but doesn't pick it up. He looks at me, "Stop worryin'. I'm fine." I sigh. Bullshit.

He carries the saddle into the stables and put it into a bench with a grunt. Daryl hunches over needing to catch his breath from the easy labor. He really shouldn't be doing this. Carol walks up, seemingly out of nowhere, "You can't."

"I'm fine." He walks with a limp and grabs some reins.

"Hershel said you need to heal." She's right, but you ain't his mama.

"Yeah, I don't care." He opens a door to reveal a horse. Nervous Nelly. I glare at it. Stupid piece of shit.

"Well, I do. Rick's going out later to follow the trail." Carol says from outside the stable the horse was in.

Daryl walks into the stable and starts to strap up the horse, "Yeah well, I ain't gonna sit around and do nothing."

Carol has her arms crossed, "No, you're gonna go out there and get yourself hurt even worse." Daryl ignores her, "We don't know if we're gonna find her, Daryl." I step away from her like what she said physically hurt. What? Daryl stops what he's doing and turns to her "We don't." She glances to the side before looking back at Daryl, "I don't." Are you fuckin' serious?

Daryl steps towards her, his face blank, probably feeling the same emotions I am right now, "What?"

She frowns, "Can't lose you too." Daryl's sets down the saddle, while a tear rolls down Carol's face. I'm done. I walk out of the barn, not caring who's watching or what face Daryl was probably making at me right now. How could she say that? Sofia is her daughter. Daryl and I have risked our lives to find this little girl and Carl was shot in the process! How could she just give up, when Daryl and I haven't?! She ain't our responsibility!

Soon Daryl joins me on my walk back to our tent, "Stupid bitch" He mutters. I nudge his side as a sort of response. We arrive back to the tent, I almost instantly plop down for a nap.

—

I'm being nudged awake. Leave me alone. I groan, "Come on. Get up." I raise my head to look at Daryl, sleep very much still apart of me.  "Go play or something I gotta do something." 'Play or something' since when have I ever played, unless it's fetch with you? I get up despite what he said and start heading towards the farmhouse. 'I gotta do something' what tha' hell you gotta do?

On the porch is Patricia, Beth, and Carl playing cards. "Seven!" Both Beth and Carl yell at the same time. Children. I walk over to them and receive a pat on the head from each of them, both of them knowing I don't like to be petted.

"Who's a good dog? Who's a good boy? Seven is!" Patricia tries to coddle, while rubbing behind my ears. I step away from her and bare my teeth, giving her a 'what the hell' look. She instantly stops.

"Um, yeah, Seven doesn't really like to be pet unless it's Daryl." Carl explains. Thanks kid.

Eventually, Maggie and Glenn come along and sit on the steps of the porch to mingle. If you know what I mean by mingle. Gross. Glenn wears Dale's stupid looking hat, but Maggie takes it off his head when Andrea and T-dog starts to walk up. "Do you know what's going on?" T-dog asks.