Title: The Lion and The Wolf
Summary: What happened to Daryl and Merle to pull the brothers into such different people.
Notes: This story is a back story for the Dixon brothers. It's going to have maybe 3-4 parts and each part will contain several chapters too them.
This first part has three chapters. I'm going to hold off until the third season is over to continue, just because if there are any other bits about Daryl and Merle's past they throw in there, I'd hope to make it work, but I don't think they'll take it much before their Mother's death.
The title is the title of the song 'The Lion and The Wolf' by Thrice.
'The Wolf he howls, the Lion does roar, the Wolf lets him in.
The Lion runs in through the door the real fun begins.
As they both rush upon you and rip open your flesh.
The Lion eats his fill and then the Wolf cleans up the mess.
Part 1. Dixon's Don't Play Well With Others
Daryl Dixon's earliest memory was in this house.
A cold evening spent huddled with his brother as their parents and Grandpa were fussing over Grandpa's dog. The dog never had a name. Grandpa just called her 'Girl'.
Daryl didn't really know what was happening, not until he and Merle were beckoned over and he saw them. His real first memory.
His Mummmy crying as she looked at those tiny little pups, pinkish and blind and making a funny little noise as they wriggled around and their Mother washing them with her pink tongue.
And Daryl couldn't quite work it out straight away, that they were baby dogs. He watched as Merle reached out to touch one and his Daddy slapped his hand away, told him not to touch them. Grandpa told Daddy off for that and things got a little hazy, the moment broken and he and Merle were sent into a different room as the two men argued with one another.
That seemed like such a long time ago, but maybe it was a couple of years, Daryl wasn't certain.
The puppies had gone to different homes and Grandpa was dead.
He and Merle hadn't gone to the funeral, they'd stayed home with their Daddy while their Mummy barely stopped crying for days leading up to it.
And afterwards, they packed up their things and before they knew it, they were stood outside this new house.
It was better than their old home and in the new house he and Merle would get their own rooms. He didn't mind sharing with Merle, but having his own room appealed a lot to Daryl.
The move had felt like some kind of exciting adventure but it didn't turn out like he had expected.
Mummy was sad a lot. And Daryl stopped remembering how she used to be. That brief period in his life where she was happy.
She became sad. Depressed over her Father's death, haunted by it and living in the house where he'd died, she became a different person.
Daddy had always been angry and short tempered. He'd tell their Mummy to get over it, pull herself together and occasionally he'd hear the crack of skin on skin when Daddy struck her filled the house, but nothing changed.
There was a nice woman who lived in the house across the street. Shirley.
She had a boy, Martin, and she welcomed the Dixon's. When they first came to the house, Mummy used to walk Daryl and Merle to their new school and Shirley and Martin started to join them on their walks.
Martin was a few months older than Daryl and was in a different year in school, but he was closer to Daryl's age than Merle's and Daryl remembered the excitement that filled him when Shirley suggested the boys play together after school.
She was trying to give their Mummy a break from the boys, trying to reach out. Daryl watched with hopeful eyes as his Mummy nodded her head, consenting to plan.
Daryl and Merle were allowed to play in Martin's house with his toys and it was normal. Nice.
But Merle got bored, being older and he didn't want to go as often as Daryl did.
Daryl remembered a hot summer's evening a few months later.
Mummy had stopped walking them to school. Merle would go on his own and Shirley would walk Daryl and Martin. Shirley talked to the boys about some exciting plans for that evening.
One of Martin's friends who lived a few streets down was coming over with his brother. Martin asked if they were allowed to play hide and seek and the smile that came on Shirley's face told Daryl that this was something special.
The whole walk to school Martin told Daryl about the year before, how they'd played hide and seek on his birthday outside and it was the best day.
Daryl's mind filled with places he could hide as he sat in his classes that day and his walk home was quicker than ever.
He told his Mummy about it as they had dinner. She looked at his Daddy and told Daryl to take Merle too. The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, with Daryl barely noticing the tension between his parents.
Daryl didn't know Martin's friends. They were both older than him. Jacob was in the same classes as Martin and Bobby was a year older than both of them.
While Daryl went with excitement, Merle didn't want to go. Not at all. Bobby tried to get Merle to be the seeker in the first game but Merle refused, saying he wasn't playing any kids games, so Daryl was nominated. He nodded his head eagerly and they told him to count to 50 before he came looking for them.
Daryl nodded as he closed his eyes and the boys darted off.
Merle watched his little brother, shaking his head at the boys naivety to what was happening around him. Merle knew Daryl didn't see anything the way he did.
Daryl was still a kid, was still living in that world. He hadn't really noticed what was happening at home yet.
Hadn't noticed the changes in their Mum and Dad. Hadn't seen the bruises and bottles that littered her body and the bins in the house.
Merle knew he needed to show Daryl what the real world was all about because no one else cared if he saw things how they really were.
So while Daryl carried on counting, Merle slipped away himself.
Got lost in the shadows and followed the other kids as they ran. They were going towards the woods near the houses. They had somewhere they were heading, Merle knew that with certainty and as he followed, he watched as they went to a little den they'd made themselves in the woods. It looked obvious enough to him but he didn't think Daryl would notice it. Not the way he was running about, not the way he was looking at things. Because this was a big game to him.
The three boys had all crept into their den. It was part of a fallen tree and the boys had managed to camouflage it pretty well. Merle moved over towards it and stayed out of their sight but within earshot.
"Does he know about this place, Martin?" one of the boys asked.
"'Course not." Martin replied.
"Think he'll find us?"
"I don't think so. Mum always makes me play with him but we always play indoors. Don't wanna be seen out with him," Martin said, as all three boys giggled together.
Merle felt his anger rise but he knew the burden of being stuck with Daryl. Still, this was his brother they were talking about. And it was his job to look after him.
"Why you gotta play with him all the time anyway?"
"Dunno. Dad says that his Mum's going crazy and their Dad's some deadbeat and she feels sorry for him or some shit,"
Merle kicked up the dirt sending a spray of leaves and soil across the entrance of the den. "Come out, come out wherever you are?" Merle sang mockingly.
"Shit!" one of the boys cursed, peeking out from his hiding place. "Hey, you're not playing. You're gonna give us away so go away!" he said.
Merle smiled. "You ain't playin' fair, you can't all hide together like that. Why don't you spread out, or I'm gonna have to go give my lil' brother a hint and you don't want me to do that now, do ya?"
The boys looked at one another before the two brothers crept out and ran off, leaving Martin behind.
Merle waited until they were out of sight before he ducked down to the entrance.
"Hey, you're gonna give me away! You said you were gonna go!" Martin complained.
"Game's over," Merle said.
