A/N: Okay, I just got into 'The Walking Dead' and I totally ship CarolxDaryl! I can't stop myself... sorry. ; Anyway, this is a tiny blip of something (mostly to test my skills) because I wanted to write a moment for Daryl and Carol. I'm sorry it's so short! Dx I tried to expand it, but I couldn't think of a way... oh well. Enjoy.
The sun was barely over the horizon before the loud chirps of birds invaded the eardrum of one zombie slaying man. He twitched in irritation and lifted his arm from over his ear, blinking the sun out of his eyes until they adjusted.
"Why don't you simmer down?" He said, knowing the birds didn't understand him. "It's only the sun." He groaned stuffing his face into his arm as the birds continued their annoyance on his brain.
"Something wrong?" Carol's voice took him off guard and he looked up at her. He took in her sun soaked image. It was strange how this woman could be so innocent looking and yet so deadly. Daryl sighed.
"Damn birds are waking me early," He complained half-heartedly.
Carol smiled, an easy thing for her. She made everything look easy.
"They're just happy." She said, shrugging as she tucked her legs under herself and began sorting out some herbs she found in the woods.
"Why should they be? The world's at an end, and these stupid birds are happy?" A thought sparked in Daryl's mind, "I could just shoot 'em all." He said calmly, "then we'd have bird for dinner."
Carol's face looked slightly mortified, she cleared her throat, "birds like that don't really have a lot of meat on them." She tried, knowing it might not stop the determined man before her.
"Maybe so. But a little meats better than none." Daryl dusted a hand through his hair and looked around at the little glen they'd managed to find. Carol watched his expression as he squinted around and then huffed.
"Anything wrong?" She asked pausing in her work.
Daryl nodded, "Yeah. I can't help wondering how something so beautiful can exist in a time like this. How can we just be sitting here with the sun on us, like it's just another day?" He shook his head. "The world is messed up."
Carol chuckled lightly, hoping Daryl's keen ears didn't hear it. "The world is messed up. But maybe that's why things should be beautiful once in a while." She looked at him, their eyes meeting in one of those moments of understanding they had. The world seemed to still around them, the birds annoying chirps faded into the background. It was just them in that moment.
Daryl cleared his throat, feeling a little embarrassed about how long he'd held her gaze. "I'd better go make sure the perimeter is clear." He grabbed his crossbow and walked off into the woods.
Carol sighed and continued her work. She truly enjoyed the sunny little patch they were in, after all it was an important day. Why she could even think about something so hopeful was beyond her, maybe she was secretly an optimist? She shook her head. A dreamer, that was the last thing Daryl needed. A few minutes later Daryl returned, he didn't look like anything had happened, "everything's clear."
"Good."
"Carol...?"
"Yes?" Carol looked up at him.
"Why is today so special to these birds?" He waved his hand around, the birds were still carrying on in the worst way.
Carol smiled softly, "Today's the first day of spring." She waited for him to react, only he didn't. "Spring represents new life and rebirth. For birds, this is what they look forward to every day until it comes. It means hope." Tears pricked her eyes as she stared at the world-hardened man she'd come to know and love - though she would never say so to him, he would probably pull away if she did. She knew he wasn't so sentimental openly, but she could only hope he would understand. Slowly a smile flitted across his face and he gazed up at the trees.
"Hope, huh?" He closed his eyes, "nothing wrong with that."