Savage World •••Daryl Dixon•••

Everything Stays

"What the fuck is that?!" The voice of Rick echoed through the prison cell block, followed swiftly by piercing yowls and hisses. Asher recognized the angry sounds and her icy eyes widened when she realized that Meeko must've slipped in with them when she passed out by the fence.

"Meeko!" The girl raced from the cell, both brothers hot on her trail. The large cat was backed into an empty cell, fur bristled and needle teeth bared. The blonde girl raced down the stairs, jumping over the railing to land herself between Meeko and the others circling around her.

"Wait wait wait!" She held up her hands for them to back away from the feline.

"Asher, you better have a good explanation about what that thing is." The Dixon girl swallowed hard and let out a shaky breath. She felt the cat curl around her feet, vibrating her calves with deep purrs.

"Alright look, I almost died out there. Beat and left to die at the edge of a herd like trash. I forced myself to move, to get out. Found a house, patched myself up, fought off infection and hallucinations for weeks. I found her in that house, just as dead as I was. We've survived together for months before I found you guys. She's saved my life on more occasions than I can count. Meeko is just as much a part of this family as I am. Please don't hurt her, please." Rick nodded and motioned for the others to lower any weapons they had picked up in defense of themselves. Asher heaved a sigh and leaned against the cell door to help support herself. The first person to move was Carl, he slowly stepped forward and knelt on the concrete a few inches away from Meeko with his hand outstretched for her to smell.

"C'mon. I'm nice, promise." Meeko slowly moved forward, nose flaring to catch his scent and determine his threat levels to herself or Asher. She got close enough to touch her nose to his skin, Carl slowly moving up to scratch behind her ears.

"Woah! She's so soft!" Next to approach was Beth, and soon everyone was taking turns greeting the large feline. Hershel was one of the last ones to pet the animal, smiling softly when she purred deeply.

"Quite the beauty you are, Meeko. By the way, she's what you call a serval cat. Kind of like an overgrown house cat. I'll give her a check-up if that's alright with you." Asher nodded and whispered out a thank you. Next to last was Daryl, he knelt down and waited for the serval to approach him instead of imposing on her like the others were doing. Meeko stepped away from Asher's feet and inched her way across the space until she was a mere few centimeters away, both quietly staring at the other in thought. Meeko churred and moved forward to bonk her forehead against his jaw. The Dixon brother softly smiled and slowly reached out to glide over her silky fur.

Last to try and approach was Merle, who was still sulking about getting attacked earlier by the serval. Meeko took one look at him and immediately became defensive, soft fur standing on end and lips pulling back to expose her teeth at the man. The elder Dixon angrily sucked on his teeth, and rolled his eyes at the cat.

"C'mon, Meeko. Merle isn't a bad guy, just has an attitude sometimes." The said man glared up at Asher as she gently smirked at the sulking man.

"Sometimes is an understatement." Glenn muttered as he rolled his eyes. Merle's upper lip twitched angrily and he just about launched up to have a few choice words with the Asian, stopping when Rick glared at the boy and then at Merle in warning. Asher stepped through the group and squatted down between both brothers.

"Awe, did Glenn hurt your feelings, Merle?" She faked a pity pout at the broiling man, his angry expression turning into an exasperated one with the girl who smirked with Daryl.

"Nice try, sweetheart, it's gonna take more than that to get under my skin." Her smirk curled wickedly and she glanced over at Daryl before turning back to the older man. She launched forward and draped herself over his shoulders with her jaw wedged between his shoulder and ear.

"Don't worry Merle, Daryl and I still love you!" She made overly dramatic kissy sounds in his ear as he jolted to his feet to try and swing her off his back without hurting her. The group watched in amusement as the girl continued to dote on the prickly Merle. She wound her legs around his stomach and her arms around his neck as tight as she dared without choking him.

"Asher, get down. You'll hurt yerself." She simply tightened her hold and held her head beside his.

"Not 'til you say it!" Merle growled, he didn't want to say it. Especially not in front of all these people, they'd never let him live it down.

"C'mon ya old man! Say it! I'm not letting go until you do! Say it with me, Merle, I... love... you..." Asher hugged the Dixon man tighter and kissed his head just behind his ear. "Please? Just this once, I promise!" Merle blew out a sigh and rolled his eyes up to the prison ceiling. Asher smirked and gently set her chin on the space between neck and shoulder.

"I love you, Merle." Swallowing his pride, he ground his teeth and grumbled out his reply.

"I love you too, Asher." The others snickered at his words, earning vicious glares from the man she wound herself around. The girl kissed his head again before letting go and dropping to the concrete. Everyone broke off to do their own thing, and Asher decided she wanted to go outside, this time not to be kneeling numbly by the fence waiting for rain to wash her away. Meeko was swift to follow, winding herself between the girl's feet with each step she took. As she walked, she sung a small tune to herself.

"Let's go in the garden, you'll find something waiting.
Right there where you left it, lyin upside down.
When you finally find it
You'll see how it's faded.
The underside is lighter when you turn it around.
Everything stays, right where you left it
Everything stays, but it still changes
Ever so slightly
Daily and nightly
In little ways,
When everything stays."

She opened the gates to the courtyard, Meeko happily streaking through the grass looking for mice or bugs. She took in a deep breath and turned her face towards the sky, letting the rays warm her face.

"We're real." Lowering her head, she opened her eyes in just in time see a gun barrel spark with fire and rip through the silence. A force slammed into her shoulder and she flew back into the grass. Pain exploded through her body and a scream ripped up her throat.

"Son of a bitch!"