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Daryl and Aaron were searching the last house of the lot, having gathered many things Alexandria would need, when he heard a pitiful sound. He went in the kitchen where he had heard the sound and was met by both the saddest sight ever, and the cutest. There was a dead cat, surrounded by dead kittens, looking like a walker had caught the pussy while giving birth. Under the body of the mother was a kitten, alive this one, with his little eyes still closed.
"It's going to die," Aaron said, when he caught up to him. "That's so sad."
Daryl thought about all the pets he had tried to save lately, thought of Button, and decided that he had to keep trying. He knew someone who believed they didn't get to save anybody anymore. He would prove her wrong.
Carefully, he pushed the dead body of the mom and gathered the shaking kitten, who was meowing pitifully, and put it against his chest beneath his vest and his t-shirt.
"Every time I think I've got you down, you do something weird," Aaron said with a smile.
"Good to know I'm not totally predictable."
Aaron didn't answer but Daryl could tell the guy exactly who the kitten was for.
When they arrived back at Alexandria, Daryl was on his last nerve. The kitten seemed to believe he was his wet nurse, and though the baby had no teeth, he had been trying to draw milk from Daryl's nipple for a while now, and it fucking hurt. However, being on the bike, Daryl hadn't been able to stop and put the kitten someplace else. He wasn't even sure there was a better place. The puss had been held in place.
He jumped off the bike the moment he could, and gave a look to Aaron who took charge of unloading their goods. Daryl ran for their house, hoping to catch her before she had to go work or do some council thing or whatever. She was in the kitchen and she smiled when she saw him.
"Good hunt?" She asked him.
He didn't say anything, only pulled his hand in his vest, and she raised an eyebrow. Her expression change to one of delight when she saw the kitty in his big paw.
He could see that she wanted to coo but being who she was, the first thing she did was assess the situation, and started talking, saying the kit couldn't be more than a couple of days old, and that they would need to feed him. She ordered him to get milk and a clean cloth. He didn't mind her bossing him around, it felt different, almost like it was meant to be.
She went into the living room and people came to look at what she was doing. He saw the look in Father Gabriel's eyes, as he was about to say the kit was doomed, and he glared at him until the words got stuck in the priest's throat. He did the same to everybody else who looked like they would not be supportive. Carol sat down, and wet the cloth with milk, before offering it to the starving kitten who lashed onto it, purring extremely loud for such a small creature. Carol made a low noise in her throat, which seemed to make the kitty cat even happier.
Daryl came to sit next to her, and helped her put more milk on the cloth, as the puss kept drinking. They stopped a few minutes in in order for the kitten to not eat too much at once and end up throwing up, as she explained.
"Thank you," She told him, as she caressed the kitten.
Daryl was pretty sure the kitten was thinking the same thing but toward his new mom.
"I'll call it Tabs. It has a tabby coat. I can't tell right now if it's a boy or a girl."
Daryl would have bet it was a male, for having fallen so hard and so fast for Carol. The kit had good taste.
They kept on feeding it, a little at a time, and he realized that Carol had lots of knowledge about cats, and animals in general. She admitted she had wanted to be a vet in a previous life. She had taken care of very young kittens before, and was certain she could take care of this one. When it fell asleep, she grabbed a scarf and tied it around her back, so that the kitten could use it as a hammock and be still close to her.
Daryl certainly was not jealous, no Sir.
Later, when they got in bed, with Tabs cuddled into Carol's stomach, she watched him undress and spotted the redness on his nipple.
"Tabs seemed to believe I was his Momma," Daryl explained blushing.
Her laughter was music to his ear, and the kiss she gave him was not too shabby either.