I posted this on ninelives ages ago and forgot to post it here... Basically, I saw that 'Bad Lip Reading' video and because I'm silly those sorts of things amuse me greatly, so I ficced it!
"Daryl!" Beth cried as she stormed into the end stall, where the group stored all their tools and weapons. Daryl was in there with Michael, teaching him how to make arrows for the crossbow and the collection of hunting bows they'd gathered.
"What happened?" He looked up, mildly alarmed.
"I hate that freakin' turtle!" She wailed. He noticed then that she was wearing shorts and no shoes, and she was wet from the knee down.
"His name is Anthony!" Daryl shot back with a smirk.
"Yeah, Beth!" Michael chimed in. "And it's because you were in his pool, anyway! If you stayed out of it, he wouldn't do drive-by's on your toes!"
She gave a whine of irritation. "I'm about to do a drive-by on Anthony!" She howled. "He bit me! Again!"
Daryl snorted in amusement. "You keep away from my turtle!" He jabbed a finger at her from his perch on a hay bale, with half-finished arrows scattered around him.
"I was only in there to clean out his pool!" She protested. "You ain't doin' it and I swear he's mushy when you pick him up!"
"What on Earth is all this fuss?" Carol exclaimed playfully as she paused in the doorway. She placed her hands on her hips and took in the situation.
Beth was standing barefoot in the stall, hands on her hips. Her legs were wet, and she had a tiny nick on the side of her foot. Daryl and Michael were sitting side-by-side on adjacent hay bales, both working to keep straight faces. After a moment, Michael broke into youthful giggles and Daryl spluttered into laughter, nudging the boy to try and quiet him. Beth humphed and tried to glare, but she too gave way to reluctant giggles.
Carol knew what the issue was instantly. "Anthony?" She asked, trying to smother her own laughter with her hand.
"Of course it's Anthony!" Beth wailed, laughing despite herself. "He keeps biting me every time I go near him!"
Carol couldn't contain herself as she laughed at Beth's helpless expression.
Daryl had a habit of bringing home the odd baby animal or stray ex-pet, provided they were friendly enough to be safe around the kids. Over the four years they'd been on the farm, he'd brought a few rabbits in, enough to breed them for their meat. He'd also gathered a hodge-podge flock of chickens of varying breeds, a couple of barn kittens and two dogs.
His most interesting find, however, had been Anthony the turtle.
He'd come into the house, freshly showered and carrying a bundle of dirty clothes. He'd kissed her soundly and enquired about her day, the kids, if there was any dinner left over. She'd just brought out the food she'd saved for them both and they were about to eat, when he'd bolted up from the table with a hissed "Oh shit!" and hurried down to the laundry basket in the non-functioning bathroom. He'd returned a little later, cradling something in one palm, looking a little abashed.
"Y'wouldn't have any idea what t'do with his, would'ya?" He'd extended his hand towards her, and in it had laid the smallest turtle she'd ever seen. It was a little shorter in length than his thumb and a brownish-green colour.
She'd put it in a plastic tray with a little water, a little mountain of soil, and some greens from the garden she'd kept aside for their dinner. She had no idea how to care for a baby turtle, but she'd figured she'd ask around in the morning if anyone was an undisclosed turtle-rearing expert.
Michael had been ecstatic when he'd come out the next morning. He'd had to release his pet turtle when his family fled the house, and he was delighted to have another. As such, the tiny turtle had been christened 'Anthony', for some unfathomable reason, and Michael had successfully raised him to the size of Daryl's hand.
They'd used a child's paddling pool as a home for him, one end full of soil and earthworms (for when Anthony felt peckish, according to Michael), with some flat river-rocks to sun himself on, and the other with knee-deep water that was switched out for clean water every few days. With the soaring summer temperatures, most of the residents of the farm would stand in the cool water for a few minutes to cool their feet and lower the temperature of their tired legs. Most people managed it with no issues, but for some reason, Anthony had an insatiable craving for Beth's toes. He occasionally nipped other people, but Beth never escaped unscathed. It was a source of undying entertainment for Daryl and Michael, and usually got a good-natured cackle from any witnesses.
Caleb was the next person to fall victim to Anthony's appetite for toes. Seven-year-old Judith was standing by, supervising, whilst Caleb, now three, splashed playfully in the water. He was giggling one moment, wriggling his toes in the mud in the bottom of the pool, and howling pathetically the next. Judith hauled him out in fright and called for Carol and Daryl until Daryl came racing around the corner and into the area where the animal hutches were situated, crossbow ready to fire. When he saw it was Caleb squalling next to the turtle pool, he realised what had happened and relaxed.
He reassured Judith that she hadn't done anything wrong and scooped up the sobbing boy. He glanced at the cut and decided it was really just a deep scratch. It would probably scar, but once Carol had cleaned it up he would be fine.
That night, Carol and Daryl sat on the couch in the light of the two bulbs, powered by their solar panels, and sat in silence whilst Daryl rubbed her feet.
"Who would'a thought I'd end up so damn domesticated…" Daryl snickered.
"As long as you keep doing that, I might be persuaded to keep my mouth shut." She teased back.
"Caleb was a real drama queen about that turtle bite." He commented. "Fuckin' thing's becomin' a menace."
"I don't think he's ever had a boo-boo in his life," She agreed. "But he thinks he's all tough with his little scar… He's such a badass." She laughed.
"Runs in the family." Daryl commented, wriggling his eyebrows at her.
"Coming from the man giving me a foot rub right now?"
He chuckled, before bending down and pressing a kiss to the top of her foot. "You keep your mouth shut about this." He threatened playfully. "Or no more foot rubs for you."
I'm a little sorry for this nonsense :P Reviews are always appreciated! I hope you liked it!