Sweet and Salty ~ Carl Grimes

Stowaway - 007

"Jesus Christ." Shane mumbled, rolling his eyes at the sight of Daryl.

"Son of a bitch." Daryl complained when he saw the deer dead on the ground. 

Brooks' head snapped in the direction of her brother coming out of the woods. She smiled at his safe return, but then saw the judgement on his face as he looked between her and Rick. He was actually just tired, and confused as to what had happened. However, to Brooks it looked like he was judging her for being comforted. "Put me down, cop, I'm fine." She said to Rick.

Rick's feelings weren't hurt. He was interested however on how her entire body language and actions changed around her brother. He hesitated, looking at Daryl, before he put her down on the ground. "That's my deer!" Daryl complained, pointing at the dead buck.

Brooks noticed the two arrows in the deer's rear. She smiled. "Looks like your aim needs a little work."

He scoffed, pulling out the arrows. "It was intentional, to lead it up here. Why's your nose bleedin'?" 

"Must be the dry air." Brooks lied, wiping at the blood she hadn't realized was there.

"That's a thing?" Daryl asked.

Brooks grinned. "Yea, other causes are trauma or injury to the nose, a Intranasal tumour but that's rare, def-"

"Alrigh', Wikipedia, I don't need the run down." Daryl rolled his eyes. Brooks' smile dropped as she nodded in understanding, crossing her arms over her chest to try and make herself look tough again. Pretty hard to do wearing a denim skirt and a pink sparkly top with a heart on it. "Look at it, all gnawed on by this-" he kicked the dead walker. "Filthy-" another kick. "Disease bearing-" another kick. "Motherless-" a final kick. "Poxy bastard." 

"That got personal, hell it do to you?" Brooks raised her eyebrows.

"Ate my damn deer is what." Daryl huffed making Brooks grin.

"Calm down, son, that's not helping." Dale raised his eyebrows.

Daryl took that to the heart as he approached the elder man. "What do you know about it, old man? Why don't you take that stupid hat and go back to On Golden Pond?" Daryl turned back to the dead deer. "I've been trackin' this damn thing for miles."

Brooks noticed the head of the walker was still moving. She raised her foot and put all her weight into slamming down and crushing its brain. Daryl raised his eyebrows at her, she shrugged. "Idiots forgot to get the damn head, ya always go for the head."

"Look at my girl bein' smarter than all these idiots." Daryl said proudly, touching her head with one of the bloodied arrows. The clean end, luckily. Brooks felt that familiar feeling of pride in her chest at a member of her family finally being proud of her. Daryl turned back to those 'idiots', indicating to the deer. "What y'all think, we can cut around this chewed up part, right here?"

"I would not risk that." Shane shook his head.

Daryl grunted. "That's a damn shame. I got some squirrel, 'bout a dozen or so. That'll have to do." He turned back to his little sister. "C'mon, dad's gonna want you to cook these up." He told her, before walking out into the main camp, not looking at the frown that had formed on her face. For a moment, she forgot about the awful news her big brother was about to receive. 

Brooks bit down on her bottom lip as she caught Rick's eye. He hadn't said anything through their whole interaction, he'd just been watching the way she'd changed around her family. She was forcing herself to be someone she wasn't just to please them. She didn't know that, Rick did.

Brooks rolled her eyes at the look Rick had, before she ran after Daryl. She was scared for his reaction, mostly because she couldn't predict it or him. Merle's first instinct was to go and get their father himself, but he hadn't come back yet. What would Daryl do?