A smell wafted through the air unlike any Daryl had experienced in, what felt like, a millennia. It was sweet, warm, inviting, and momentarily made his mouth water in anticipation before his senses kicked into gear. Such a smell could mean company close by. His guard drawn up, crossbow at the ready, eyes peeled for an immanent threat. Daryl counted on his years of experience, drawing on it as he mentally prepped himself surveying the wood around his as he went. No odd tracks, no sounds, no weird.. anything.
Except.. Coming to a small clearing in the trees, barely larger than two tents side to side, the source of the scintillating scent revealed itself. Dead center of the clearing was what appeared to be a makeshift oven, made entirely of large rocks and river stones. It's egg shape hid the sight of flames and thickly smoke from any passers by, living or dead, so that it would seem like nothing more than a pile of rubble if not for that smell.
Half his attention locked onto the sight no more than ten feet from him Daryl never noticed the security wire running along the ground. Tagging it with his toe as he moved forward a long echo of a moderately quiet bell ran out, causing Daryl to freeze, crouch, and check his surroundings for movement. Seeing none he continued under he wary assumption that the resident's had momentarily vacated the premises.
Not an assumption he helf very strong, however, and one quickly shattered by an unseen rustling coming from his left. He scaned the tree line and the surrounding fauna yet not a single branch moved, not even in the breeze.
"Who are you and what do you want?" A hoarse whisper broke through the trees in the direction Daryl had been aiming however instead of being at eye level it came from much higher. Daryl fixed his sights on the tree tops before him, alert and ready.
"Why not try them questions again a little closer to tha' ground?"
Silence.
"There's bread in the oven and it's all I have. Please, just take it and go." The voice bargained, weakness and desperation lacing the plea.
"I don't want your stuff, I –" A crash sounded as a figure jumped from the tree landing somewhat unsteadily, machete in hand. The opposite of the meak uncertain voice that moments before crept through the leaves.
"You didn't come to take my stuff?"
Daryl began to respond whatn a bell sounded lightly in the distance. The stranger tensed.
"It's okay," she said. "Just one be-" her reassurance was cut off by numerous going off in sequence. Panic flushed her pale face as she pulled a hudden rope from the tree she had just decended, whispering a quick "hurry!" as she nodded up the rope, making her way up expertly. Daryl shouldered his crossbow and followed suit.
Not stopping at the first branch but instead following her to the very top, Daryl quickly realized that this woman had made this tree her home. The bottom layer of the tree was full of the dead – the actual dead. Bits and pieces of walkers were hung all about the trees bottom half like some sort of morbid Christmas tree. Higher up there hung her packs, her gear. Right u at the top, much to Daryl's surprise, was her bed. A real, genuine bed at the top of a tree, hooked up tight and dangling between the branches.
Still aware of the danger below them he saved his questions for later. Instead they looked down the tree and watched as a sizeable hoard of Walkers passed by.
What must have been at least a ten minute stretch went by before the Walker's dissipated at least. The woman let out a held breath, concern hardening her features, as she whispered The hoards are getting bigger.." She turned to speak to Daryl when realization dawned "Shit!" She exclaimed as she stared to make her way down the tree halting only a moment to look up at Daryl. "Stay? Wait?" The earnest look on her face made him nod in compliance despite himself. She flashed him a smile before descending, gone barely a moment before she was back again, bubbling with excitement.
"It's been so long since I've had someone to dine with!" She nearly squeaked out in anticipation. She pulled a small pack off her back and pulled out a bundle of rags, that same delectable smell from earlier making it's way straight to Daryl's stomach.
"Is that bread?" The shocked was obvious on his face, though he hid it as he spoke. "You some kinda wizard? How did you manage tha' livin' in an old tree?" He grabbed the chunk of loaf being handed to him and started in on it, pausing momentarily when he burnt his mouth or to make a noise of deep satisfaction. He didn't stop til it was done and even then he took a moment with his eyes shut before he realized he was still sitting in a tree with a strange woman. His eyes popped open to find her watching him with a light, somewhat sorrowful, smirk playing on her lips.
"Here." She said quietly, handing Daryl the other half of the loaf. Daryl hesitated.
"Did you do somethin' freaky to it? Why ain't you eatin'?" He started to withdraw.
"What? Wait, no." She laughed lightly. "I'm sorry but I lied earlier. The bread isn't all I have. In fact, I have plenty of food and can make another loaf of bread if the mood strikes me. You just.. you obviously haven't eaten in maybe a while, you need it more."
He reached for the bread, eating it decidedly slower this time.
"What are you doing up here?"
"Surviving?" She said with another sad smile. "I don't even know where I am, actually. I was on a run and was chased around a long way out of the way from where I wanted to go.. Then every time I tried to get back to my camp I was met with either some kind of major road block or a hoard of Dead. Eventually I got so turned around that, without a map, I ended up wandering to survive."
"Where were you when you started?"
"The Boreal Forest. Canada." She clarified after a pause.
"Shit.." A low chuckled rumbled in his throat. "Y'are a long long ways off, that shits for sure. Hate to break it to ya but y'all are in Georgia."
Her eyes went wide, her mouth slack, before breaking into a fit of giggles.
"What the fuck! Are you fucking kidding me? Oh, fucking come on, you're fucking with me." Her laughter seemed to be contagious; Daryl found it hard to hold back a smirk. "How the fuck did I get so far.. I guess it's harder to keep track of time these days, I must've been at it longer than I thought."
"Are you nuts or something?" Daryl asked half-heartedly.
"Nuts.." She chuckled. "Oh! No! I'm not but I do have some!" She reached into a small bag dangling off a branch near her bed. "It makes perfect sense, being in Georgia after all. The Western world practically developed modern day peanut butter because of a man's discovery here! Of course, the Mayan's used them for years and years before Carver in the 1800's, though Western historians would of course rather everyone thinks that they thought of everything first, the lazy fuc-" A filthy calloused hand covered her mouth. She locked eyes with Daryl and looked away sheepishly, mumbling an apology the moment he removed his hand. "It's.. it's been a very long time since I've spoken out loud. My bad.. Sorry." She raised her hand and revealed a small collection of peanuts in her palm. "This was the point of -of all that.. Georgia was the start of industrialized peanuts. Hope you're not allergic." She smiled as she popped a couple into her mouth, handing the rest over to him.
He took them and got as comfortable on the branch as he could before looking over the strange woman before him. Her auburn hair was chopped barely an inch short and in a constant look of bed-head, her hair making her below average facial features stand out remarkably with sharp cheekbones and pouted lips. Dirt clouded her skin making her green eyes shine brilliantly.
"Um.. are you alone? Do – do you have a safe place?"
"Nah, I ain't alone. But I don' know about safe. It's touch 'n go most days. I've been trackin' a buck for near three days tryna' get somethin' decent to eat." He sighed and rubbed a hand over his cheek in frustration. "Walker musta got it by now from how many just went by." Looking around his eye caught a water bottle hanging from another branch and the woman saw his breath catch in his throat.
"It's empty. Sorry. I was supposed to do a water run but I don't know how safe that'd be right now."
"How'd you come 'cross all this gear anyhow?"
"Mmm.. Some of it was already mine. I was taking a bit of a spiritual retreat in the Rockies and by the time I came back.. Well, it didn't take me long to find out why my ride hadn't shown up to get me. I went straight to my brothers but he was already dead. He was a bit of a thrill seeker so I took a bunch of his equipment and got the hell out of there. Even after death he's still saving my ass.. That bed, though, definitely most grateful for that. It's one of those mountain climbing beds, ya know? Anyway.. I moved straight for the Forest, gathering stuff along the way. Made myself a comfortable place with plenty of food, clean water, and only ever saw the Dead on the rare occasion I had to go on a run."
"Wait.. You're tellin' me that you.." Daryl turned quiet and somber. "There's some people you need to meet."