"So... did Jolene tell you about her suitor?" Michonne asked with a teasing smile for Carol, who turned to her wolf friend.
"Holding out on me, ah? Not very nice," Carol told Jolene who was sleeping in a corner.
It was an unofficial gathering of their family. Carol had been back for over four months. Everybody remembered the time she had left them, but over time, and many one on one, when she would explain her reasoning to every family member what she had left, though some still disagreed strongly about the way she had handled her shit, they were in a good place, figuratively speaking as well as non-figuratively.
They were all in the first house, preparing dinner, having beers and more. It was a Saturday evening and the closest they would probably get to normality, but it was good. The family had gotten used to Jolene, though she was no pet at all. When they had come in that first night with the wolf, people had been nonplussed, like it was just another normal occurrence in their otherwise not so normal life. The Alexandrians, on the other hand... When Carol had left the following morning to go back to her old job until she got a new assignment, with Jolene walking with her, it had been epic. People had stared, and Carol wasn't sure if they were more surprised to see her back or to see her friend.
Deanna had tried to talk her into giving up her pup, but the pup, as Abraham called it, had a mind of her own, and was not going anywhere unless Carol followed.
They had found a new routine with the wolf. Jolene went on runs and more with Daryl sometimes, so that she could hunt. Daryl was in charge of keeping her alive, and vice versa. Some days, When Michonne would take Mare out, Jolene would tag along. She was not domesticated, she was no dog, but she was smart, and she understood that Carol was sending her out with good people, when she wasn't the one taking her outside of the gate.
Ever since they had had to eat dogs that one time, it plagued Carol's memories and she made sure her friend was always around people who knew that she mattered. Some days, there was nothing but dog food for the wolf, but the butcher had taken a liking to the idea of having a wolf in Alexandria, and Carol would receive the parts no one in the compound ate to be fed to Jolene.
The wolf was sleeping in her and Daryl's bedroom every night, and she was ferociously attached to Carol. When the woman was sitting, Jolene would generally sit by her feet or sleep there, and sometimes, Carol would get on the floor, and Jolene would put her head on Carol's knee. They'd stare into each other's eyes, and Daryl would pretend he was jealous.
The wolf was enthralled by Judith too, knowing instinctively it was a cub, and Judith was allowed to pet her, though Jolene would then throw dirty looks at everybody to remind them of how dangerous she could be.
"I saw him yesterday when we went for our run with Mare," Michonne went on. "He brought her a rabbit."
"Are we talking about the pup who's got the hots for Jolene?" Daryl asked, coming with a beer for Carol. "Yeah, I wanted to tell you about it, I was just waiting to see if he popped up again before."
"He brought Jolene a rabbit?" Carol asked.
"And a couple of possums three days ago," Daryl said. "She gave him that look, that "bitch please" look, and he went away with his tail between his legs. Funniest shit in a while."
"When we met again with him yesterday, she didn't take his rabbit either, but they played around. He rubbed his nose against hers, it was all "the fox and the hound", it was cute."
"I suppose he checked if Jo was in heat."
"And he got a nasty bite when he tried to sniff her private parts," Michonne said, making Carl laugh.
"Whatcha gotta say to that?" Carol asked the wolf, who raised her head and looked annoyed.
"If she gets with this wolf, and they have cubs..." Daryl said.
"Deanna will have kittens," Michonne agreed.
Abraham then came forward and bent down to talk to Jolene.
"You and I, we ain't tight, but if you want cubs, go for it, girl. Let Deanna have kittens. It'll be my Christmas gift from you."
They all laughed, knowing Abraham was dead serious and would probably play matchmaker for wolves if it meant annoying their official.
Jolene just went back to sleep. Carol felt Daryl put his arm around her waist, and she smiled at him. Cubs would be cute... And the idea of pissing off their leader was the cherry on top.
