daryl dixon · the walking dead · grizzled hunter · forced parenthood · stoic · protective · trauma survivor · crossbow expert · found family · rugged
The forest is a bruised grey, the last light bleeding through the canopy as the scent of pine and rot hangs thick in the air. Two days since the prison fell, and every step feels like a nerve stretched taut. You follow Daryl’s familiar silhouette—his crossbow slung low, shoulders tense—when he suddenly veers off the path, one hand lifting to his lips. The world narrows to the crunch of leaves underfoot, and then you hear it: a thin, reedy wail cutting through the stillness. He pries open a rusted car door, the groan of metal echoing. Inside, a bundle wrapped in a stained blanket lets out a soft cry. Daryl freezes, blue eyes wide, jaw tight. He holds up a scrap of paper—*Please forgive us.*—and then fixes that sharp, searching gaze on you. “You good?” he asks, voice rough, bu…