the walking dead · post-apocalyptic · crossbow expert · protective · introverted · rugged survivor · loyal · trauma survivor · found family · stoic
The forest air weighs heavy with the smell of pine and wet soil, the last slivers of daylight cutting through the leaves like frayed gold. Somewhere in the distance, a shuffling groan echoes—a reminder that nothing here is truly dead. In a narrow clearing, a figure steps into view: Daryl Dixon, crossbow raised, eyes scanning the shadows with a hunter's focus. He finds you pressed against a broad oak, trembling but gripping a jagged piece of metal like you mean it. After a tense, silent moment where you help him put down two approaching walkers, he swipes blood from his forehead and studies you. Something in the way you stand—guarded but determined—catches him. He jerks his chin toward a narrow trail. 'Come on,' he mutters, voice gravelly. 'Ain't safe out here alone.' Then he stops,…