Not So Fictional World

A Walking Dead fanfic

Chapter 7: A Pack Through Thick and Thin

Five days later Daryl and Glenn were hunting in their wolf form deep in the woods far from their pack, which was what they were calling the group of survivors. They were basically a pack, and Glenn and Daryl's instincts made them feel that they are pack to them. They didn't wander too close to their pack's camp area while in wolf form so they don't end up getting shot. They were hunting simply for themselves. Since wolves run at a higher body temperature of 108, their bodies burn all the proteins and nutrients from food way faster than a human's, therefore, them needing food more often. So Glenn and Daryl hunted for a snack; they split a beaver and both of them were now each eating a rabbit.

'Yer rabbit good?' Daryl asked Glenn while eating what was left of his.

'Yeah, delicious! How about yours?' Glenn asked, finishing his snack.

'Same. Fast little critters to catch weren't they? Almost had to travel a mile to catch these things.'

'But it was fun chasing them.' Glenn commented while pulling the last bit of meat off.

'Yeah, that's true,' Daryl said now finished. He watched as Glenn licked the bones that remained of his rabbit. 'Ya done?'

Glenn brought his head up and looked at Daryl. 'Yeah…' Glenn then looked down at the bones and eyed a specific one that wasn't connected. '…Hey, ya wanna play with this?' He asked his boyfriend as he leaned his head down and picked up the small five and a half inch bone then looked at the dirty blonde-brown wolf.

Daryl's tail started wagging. He couldn't help it, really; he just had the urge to at the idea of chasing something. Canine instincts, he guessed.

'Yeah!' Daryl replied.

'Okay, I'll throw it, and on three we'll chase after it and see who gets it first.'

'Kay.' The dirty blonde-brown wolf replied while getting in a running position.

Glenn then used his telekinesis to take the bone out of his mouth then threw it far in front of them.

'One…two…three!' Glenn counted off before they both dashed in super speed in the direction Glenn threw it.

They were laughing and pulling each other's tail when one of them got in front of the other as they chased down the bone happily. In the end Glenn got it but just barely. Daryl would've snagged it first if Glenn hadn't quickly moved his head away to the side right after grabbing the bone. Daryl couldn't believe he got it first.

'Wait a minute! How did you get it? We were right next to each other.' The dirty blonde-brown wolf said in confusion and disbelief.

Glenn did a proud stance with his head up high and ears forward.

'I guess I was just faster.' The dark chocolate brown wolf replied jokingly.

Daryl gave him a mischievous look. 'Oh, I'll show you faster.' Daryl then began to chase Glenn, who still had the bone in his mouth. Glenn ran in a laugh as he was chased by his mate. When Daryl got close enough behind him, he leaped on him, which made them both go in to a roll across the forest floor. They rolled five times before they came to a stop. Daryl was now on top of Glenn, pinning him down, his front paws on his chest. Glenn's paws were up in the air, his front paws bent and dangling along with the bone still in his jaws. Daryl leaned his head down and stuck his tongue out to lick up the bone slow and seductive, going towards Glenn's mouth. Glenn's head was slightly tilted, so when he opened his mouth, it made the bone fall next to his head. Glenn was way too busy swooning over Daryl's sexiness to realize the bone was no longer in his mouth. That's when Daryl took the bone in his mouth, now pinning Glenn proudly with his chest out, ears forward, and head high. When that happened, that was when Glenn finally realized he didn't have the bone anymore. He looked up at Daryl, now pouting through their mind link in disapproval.

'Hey! That's not fair! You used your sex appeal on me.'

Daryl smirked. 'If wer usin' our advantages, then why not go all the way?'

Glenn mock glared up at him. 'Oh, you sneaky little…'

'Wanna play again?' Daryl asked while getting off of Glenn. But before Glenn can answer back, they suddenly heard their pack.

"It was over here that I heard movement."

One of the women spoke, Carol, it sounded like. And her scent confirmed it to the wolves, who were now not moving. They also smelled some of their other pack members nearby; Rick and Shane.

"Okay, stay here, we'll check it out." The wolves heard Rick say.

Then they heard footsteps and sensed Rick and Shane coming closer as Carol's scent was weakening. That could only mean one thing; Carol took off back towards camp while Shane and Rick were coming towards Glenn and Daryl to check the insistent rustling in the woods. Daryl and Glenn were slightly panicked by this sudden turn of event. They were both now up on their feet standing next to each other closely now feeling very worried and a little afraid, the bone now on the ground forgotten; their ears laid flat but outward, foreheads are furrowed, eyes are now slit-like and peering, muzzles twitching and lips are pulled back but not so much so for the teeth to be bared, their fur was slightly bristled, and their tails were up and tilted to the side, and somewhat flicking imposingly.

'Crap! I didn't know we were close to the camp, did you?' Glenn said in surprise and worry.

'No, I didn't. We must've been too distracted to realize it.'

'Great, Rick and Shane are coming this way! If they see us like this, they won't even know it's us.'

'Quick, we have to change back!' Daryl said frantically.

They quickly shifted back to human, their forms returning from a four-legged creature to a two-legged one in a flash of shadow before Rick or Shane got to them. Just in time, too, 'cause just seconds later, Rick and Shane came out from behind some bushes with guns propped in their hands ready for use. When they noticed Glenn and Daryl, they pointed their guns away from them and exhaled in relief.

"It's just you two." Said Shane.

"What are you two doing in the woods?" Rick asked curiously.

"None uh yer business." Daryl stated defiantly and defensive.

Glenn rubbed Daryl's arm to calm him. "It's okay, Daryl," Glenn then looked at the two former cops calmly. "We were just playing around. Is something going on?"

"No, no, Carol thought she heard something in the woods, so we were checking it out to make sure it wasn't a walker. If it's just you two out here, then everything's fine." Shane explained.

"Alright." Glenn replied before Rick and Shane left back to the camp. When they left, Daryl and Glenn sighed in relief.

"That….has got to be the closest I've ever come to being caught." Said Daryl.

Glenn huffed in amusement that Rick and Shane had no idea what they almost walked in to. "Me, too. I'm so glad we shifted back in time. That would've turned nasty fast."

"Yeah…thank goodness we did. I don't even want to know what could've happened if we didn't."

"Same here."

A few hours later that same day, Daryl took his crossbow and went out hunting for their pack for dinner tonight. Glenn decided to stay at the camp this time. Glenn goes with Daryl sometimes when he has to hunt for all of them, Glenn helping out with the hunting but this time he decided to stay at camp because he noticed some of his pack mates needed some help with chores. Daryl didn't mind of course, he enjoyed hunting period, whether he was accompanied or not, so he went off to hunt while Glenn helped out his pack mates. He went over to help Lori and Amy who were washing the dishes at the lake, which was in the middle of a rock quarry behind their camp. Glenn walked over to them and sat next to them.

"Hey, you guys want some help?" Glenn asked the two women.

Lori and Amy smiled pleasantly. "Yes, that would be nice. Thanks, Glenn." Lori replied happily.

Glenn then started grabbing some dishes that was in the tub, grabbed some dish soap, and then started washing. As they washed, Amy struck up a conversation and asked the question that had crossed mostly everyone's minds at least once.

"So Glenn…" She started. "…Since you've known Daryl longer than anyone here, I thought you might know why he's so against talking to anyone here but you; it's a little strange, no one can make sense of it."

Glenn smiled. "Oh…well…as far as I know, he's always been like that with everyone…everyone that isn't family, that is. The reason for it….well…he's had a rough time socializing with people in the past. Every time he would try and others got to know him, they would betray his trust the moment they found out one important thing about him; they would say and do cruel things to'em until they ran him off and didn't see him again. After that happened a few times, he….just gave up and started closing himself up from people so he doesn't get hurt anymore from them. He thinks that if no one knows anything about him, then no one can use anything against him. That's been his motto since."

Amy and Lori were shocked by this new information about Daryl. They thought he was just being an anti-social jerk for no reason at all. But now they see that Daryl was just a scared and hurt guy trying to protect himself. Now they felt sad for the guy and really wanted to be his friend.

"Wow….we had no idea he was this way because of bad experiences. We thought it was just because he wanted to be like that." Lori said now fully understanding.

Glenn huffed in a bit of amusement that they honestly thought Daryl would be like this on purpose.

"Trust me, if he was being like that on purpose, I would have left him long ago." Glenn stated.

Lori and Amy smiled at that. "So what's the one important thing about him that people can't seem to accept?" Amy asked.

Glenn had an apologetic look appear on his face at that question. "….I uh…..I'm sorry…I can't really tell you that. That's for Daryl to tell." Glenn doesn't like to tell something so personal about someone if they weren't there. It's Daryl's personal life; he should be the one to tell it, not someone else, especially without their permission. Amy seemed to get what Glenn meant by that and respected his choice.

"Oh…yeah, I understand. I went a bit too personal, didn't I? I'm sorry." She apologized.

"It's alright, I wasn't offended or anything. I just think that deeply personal things about someone should be told by that person that it's about, you know?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

A short silence formed between the three of them while they continued washing. Lori soon started up another conversation, though.

"So how did you and Daryl come to know each other if he's so closed off to people?"

Glenn smiled happily at the memory. "I did pizza delivery and ended up going to his house to give him his order."

Amy smiled. "Oh, wow, how lucky."

"Yeah….despite him being reserved and rude to everyone, he was actually really nice to me. Actually, he never treated me like he does other people. He was always so nice, sweet, and fun to be around."

Lori and Amy couldn't put the words nice, sweet, or fun to Daryl when they thought about him. Those words to them seemed to fit a totally different person, not someone like Daryl. When they thought of Daryl, the terms were the exact opposite to how Glenn described him. To everyone at the camp, they thought he was bitter, harsh, and frustrating to be around.

"It really sounds like we're talking about a different person here, when really we're not." Lori commented feeling perplexed.

"Yeah, it totally does. He can be nice? Sweet even?" Amy asked in surprise, genuinely wanting to know.

Glenn giggled. "Yeah, he can. He can be amazing when he's not guarding himself from people."

"Wow." Lori stated in amazement with a pleased smile.

"So then….why doesn't he guard himself from you? You're not a part of his family, right?" Amy asked out of curiousness.

Glenn smiled fondly while thinking about his dirty blonde-brown wolf. "No….it's because I was the only one who got passed his defenses and saw him, understood him, and accepted him for who he was. Now he sees me as family."

"How long have you two known each other?" Lori asked very interested by the mysterious duo.

"About a half a year." Glenn answered, which caused the two girls' jaws to drop in surprise.

"That long?" Lori asked.

"Really?" Amy asked after.

Glenn smiled at them. "Yeah, really."

"….Wo-w…." Both girls drawled out of amazement.

Glenn laughed. "Really, you guys, he's not as bad as you think. When he lets someone in…..he's an amazing guy." He swooned.

"If only he'd let the people here in, he'd gain some pretty loyal friends." Stated Lori.

Amy nodded in agreement. "Yeah, totally! The people here at camp are really great people. He's missing out."

They all stood up when they finished their task and Amy carried the tub of now freshly cleaned dishes back up to camp. While they walked back, Glenn spoke thoughtfully.

"Maybe he won't have to miss out for too much longer."

Amy and Lori looked over at him curiously. "You mean….?" Amy trailed off questioningly.

"Yep," Glenn decided. "I'm going to talk to him about it. I've talked to him about this before but it was always about random people, so he was always reluctant, but this time, he at least knows you guys, so maybe he'll relax a little."

"Yeah, maybe." Lori agreed in hope.

"I hope so." Said Amy.

A day later around noon, the camp members were out and about. Daryl and Glenn in particular were sitting down on a log talking.

"It was so real; the peace, the people, not a dead person in site. It was great….just you and me enjoying ourselves together with no worries." Daryl stated wistfully.

They were talking about a dream Daryl had last night. He dreamed that the world was back to normal and they were able to enjoy life easily without worry like they use to before the walkers.

Glenn sighed. "I guess that phrase people have been saying for years would apply now better than ever: 'You don't know what you got till it's gone'. And boy is it gone. I never thought I would long for things as simple as walking outside without looking over my shoulder, coffee, stake…hell, a nice warm shower."

"Ya got that right. I never thought I'd long for those things and be unable to get them either. It's like we're in Iraq or suh-m, fightin' for our lives."

"That's the most accurate description I think I've heard; couldn't have said it better." Glenn stated looking at Daryl with a smile. Daryl smiled back fondly with eyes soft and full of adoration. Then suddenly Daryl and Glenn heard something. It sounded like some sort a rushing noise.

"Did…..did you hear that?" Glenn asked Daryl uncertain.

Daryl nodded still focusing on the sound. "….Yeah…a whooshing sound?"

Glenn nodded back. "Yeah…that's odd. What could make that sound?"

Then everyone heard a distant but still loud boom. It came from the southeast of them. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked around in confusion.

"What in the world?" Dale mused at hearing such a sound. He then went to get on top of his RV and looked in the direction the noise came from and he froze in shock. "Oh no…." He said in dread at seeing the city covered in a shroud of thick, black smoke with embers flying at the top; an explosion….explosion in the city. Then Glenn and Daryl sensed it. It smelled burnt and foggy.

Glenn looked at Daryl in confusion. "What's happening?"

"I don't know." Daryl said while looking around them.

"Guys….we got a major problem!" Dale shouted so everyone could hear him. The whole camp looked up at him. "Look at the city!" He called then turned back to look at the disaster taking place before his very eyes.

Everyone went around the RV that blocked their view of the city and stood near the edge of the cliff that held the lake, and they looked out to see the city covered in smoke, pitch black smoke…and embers.

"Oh my god…." Carol stated with her hand covering her mouth in shock. Everyone else had a similar reaction to what they were seeing.

"No…no, no, no, what are they doing!" Rick said in distress.

"They're nuking Atlanta!" Jim stated in disbelief.

"Why the hell would they do that!?" Andrea said in anger, not only because it was a good city or that living people could still be in there, but also because that was their only way to get supplies.

"Someone out there had to of known it was highly infested…so to stop further infestation, they decided to stop the problem at the popular sources, one of them being Atlanta." Dale said sadly.

Glenn and Daryl were behind some of their pack mates and some were behind Glenn and Daryl. They looked on with wide eyes, Glenn's filling with tears. The city was more than just a supply stock to Glenn. To Glenn it was also his home and it hurt to see it being destroyed. Daryl sensed salt water coming from very close to him.

'Tears.' Daryl figured.

He looked around him to find Glenn crying. Crying! Daryl has seen Glenn cry before but that was all because of sad movies or T.V. shows or they were tears of joy. Not this….he's never seen Glenn cry from real loss or grief. When he noticed this he pulled Glenn to him and comforted him.

"Oh, Glenn….ssssh…it's gonna be okay. Sssh, sssh." Daryl whispered while hugging him tightly and rubbing soothing motions on his back and stroking his head.

Amy and Lori were the few that were behind Glenn and Daryl and understood why Glenn was crying.

"Poor Glenn…that was his home." Amy mused sadly.

Glenn sobbed in to Daryl's chest, trying his best to calm down but it was hard. He hadn't cried like this since the loss of his parents. Now he had to live with losing his home and all his belongings….the things he worked so hard for, all the memories of him and Daryl there… just gone, just like that. Glenn successfully calmed down his crying to where he can talk.

"I'm sorry….it's just hard to take in that…that my home is gone so horrifically like that."

"No, babe, you have every right to cry. What they did was horrible." Daryl whispered.

Glenn nodded and leaned back from Daryl enough to wipe his eyes then Glenn went back in to Daryl's arms and Daryl held him. Some of their pack members that were in front of them started discussing ideas on what they do next since their supply stock was burned down.

"Great….now what do we do?" T-dog asked at a loss for any affective ideas.

"Well, we can't stay here, not with nowhere to get supplies from." Dale mentioned now back on the ground.

The four men thought a bit. Soon enough, Rick got an idea. "Hey, what about the CDC? I heard they were working on a cure."

"I heard that, too, heard a lot of things before the world went to hell." Shane replied.

"What if the CDC is still up and running?" Rick posed.

"E-h, that is a stretch right there." Shane stated.

"Why?" Risk asked, not understanding how it could not so easily. He was sure they had protocols. "If there's any government left, if there's…there's any structure at all, they protect the CDC at all costs, wouldn't they? I think it's our best shot. Shelter, protection-" Rick got interrupted by Shane.

"Okay, Rick, you want all those things, I do, too, okay? Now, I think there is a better place…if they exist….they are at the army base, Fort Benning." There was a brief pause between the four men before T-dog spoke.

"That's 125 miles in the opposite direction."

"That is right," Said Shane. "But it's away from the hot zone. Now, listen to me, if that place is operational, it will be heavily armed….we'll be safe there." He argued.

"The military were on the front lines of this thing, they got over-run; we've all seen that. The CDC is our best choice."

After that, they all decided to think on it for a while. Then an hour later, everyone was rounded up around the non-lit fire pit to discuss their final move for good.

"I've been thinkin' about Rick's plan," Shane began. "Now, there are no guarantees…either way, I'll be the first to admit that. I've known this man a long time,"

Shane said while now looking over at Rick thoughtfully. "I trust his instincts. I say the most important thing here is we need to stay together,"

There was a long pause before Shane continued. "So….those of you that agree….we leave first thing in the mornin'….okay?" Everyone either nodded or didn't say anything, still feeling a bit shocked that Atlanta was gone and they had to move out but they all agreed with the plan. After their meeting, everyone continued with their day….their last day at the quarry. When night fell and everyone was getting ready for sleep, Glenn and Daryl laid together in each other's arms, shirtless with only boxers on inside their tent/den. They were still awake but they were about to go to sleep.

"I can't believe we have to leave this place." Glenn said softly, the both of them laying on their side facing each other.

"Yeah….I was getting use to this place. I like it here."

"Me, too; it's nice and pretty, great forests, a huge lake, good animals." Glenn listed.

"This area does have tasty animals. Of course, we might be the only ones that like this place so much because we're wolves and they're humans."

Glenn smiled. "True." Glenn then sighed, feeling content in Daryl's arms.

"Well, we should get to sleepin'; need to get up early after all." Daryl stated before kissing Glenn and both going off to sleep.

And when they wake up, they'll be going to a new place with new people….and new hope.

End chap. 7