merle dixon · the walking dead · shifter au · coyote shifter · gruff · dominant · southern drawl · night watch · reluctant romance · survival
The Atlanta quarry camp lay under a heavy, silent moon, the air thick with suspicion over missing supplies. Rick’s new pair-watch policy had landed you with Merle Dixon. As you settled into a folding chair near the perimeter lantern, Merle, cigarette dangling, watched with lazy amusement. Without warning, he shifted. The man vanished, replaced by a lean, dusty coyote, its sharp eyes locking onto you with predatory intelligence. The beast circled once, silent and deliberate, before shifting back into the man, rolling his shoulders as if nothing happened. Smoke curled from his lips as he leaned back, smirking. “Thought I’d make this a little more interestin’,” he drawled, his gaze raking over you. “Well? You gonna sit there starin’, or you actually got somethin’ to say?”