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Sophia wandered through the dark, cold, forest. All she could think about was the time she spent lost in the walker infested woods, only this time she wasn't alone. She was with the strongest force in the universe.

Daryl Dixon.

"Get down". Daryl hissed as he dropped to the ground.

Sophia quickly mimicked the hunters motion. Her knees banged into her chest as she crouched. The girl spotted a walker as it shambled aimlessly yards in front of them. Daryl had told Sophia that today would be the day that she practiced her newly acquired skill on a moving target. He had originally wanted to practice on one of the many crows that hung around the farm, but Sophia protested and said that the birds were living just like them, and that they didn't deserve to die for target practice.

When Daryl had suggested that they take out some of the walkers that strayed to close to farm it sounded like the perfect idea, but now that the young girl was so close to the ragged corpse she began to have serious second thoughts.

Daryl sensed her discomfort and held two fingers, his ring and his middle, behind his back so she could see. Their signal for 'wait'. She raised the black gun as the man put down his middle finger, and left the ring finger by itself. The signal for 'ready'.

Sophia gathered her courage and sprung to her feet as Daryl lowered his last finger, giving the signal for 'now'. The girl held her arms out, like she had been taught, and aimed the gun at the approaching walkers forehead.

She couldn't help but let out a small whimper as she pulled the trigger, and let a powerful bullet rip through the walkers brain. The fresh smell of not so fresh blood hung in the air as the now, truly, dead body fell to the ground. Sophia grinned with pride, and turned to Daryl as she lowered the gun.

"I did it". She exclaimed as she shook with adrenaline.

"You sure as hell did kiddo". He said taking the gun out of her hands.

Sophia smiled at that, "Kiddo", he called her kiddo. Not even her own father had ever called her that. As much as she feared Daryl, especially when he was angry, the girl couldn't helbut feel safe knowing that he was looking out for her.

Daryl suddenly looked off into the forest in alarm. Sophia shifted her gaze along with the hunter, and scanned the horizon. She didn't see anything, but that only added to her stress.

What could he be looking at? She thought as anxiety exploded within her.

It couldn't be a walker, he would just shoot it if it was. An animal maybe? No he would shoot that to. Sophia realized just how many situations Daryl had gotten out of by shooting. If whatever was causing Daryl's alarm wasn't dead or animal that meant it could only be human.

"Wait here". Daryl whispered urgently.

Sophia felt a conflicting mixture of fear and curiosity as Daryl stalked off towards their unseen watcher, she wasn't quite sure that a human visitor would be that bad. After all Hershel was a stranger to her yet he help her and the others, even the Vatos had turned out to be good in the end.

A new wave of pure fear snuffed out her curiosity, as the memory of the creep from the house flooded back to her. What if this was him? She wasn't sure that even Daryl could take on a sneak attack from three guys with ropes and knives.

Sophia's last nerves snapped as a large arm wrapped around the stomach from behind. She let loose an animalistic scream, something that boarded a howl, and tried to give a hard kick as she was hoisted over her attackers broad shoulders. She left her injured foot connected with a large jaw, and a wave of pain shoot up her leg.

"Ow Jesus Christ kid!" Her assailant yelled.

"D- Daryl?" Sophia asked looking back in surprise.

Daryl rubbed his, now black and purple, jaw with a rough hand. The hunter had been glad to see the girl feeling better after day of antibiotics and bed rest, but was beginning to wish she had a little less energy. That kick was one hell of a blow from such a little creature.

"Yeah it's me. And watch those damn hooves!" He said.

"I'm so sorry! But don't do that!" Sophia yelled in a mixture of anger and slight fear. After all not many people can say they hit Daryl and lived.

"You're right, you're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have scared you like that. I won't do it no more". The man said as he tossed the girl into a more comfortable position around his neck, in a hogtie like fashion.

"Was that some kind of training?" She asked, squirming her self out of his grip. "Like rel

"The responsible thing to say would be yes". He answered. "And stop movin' around!"

Daryl started the long trek through the woods, back towards camp, with Sophia still wiggling on his back. He felt her thin legs wrap around his thick neck, as she finally found a comfortable spot, perched atop the hunters broad shoulders. Sophia had been allowed to go out way from the farm on the condition that they wouldn't walk to much. The solution? Daryl became be her personal mule.

"What are you? A parrot?" He asked pushing her bandaged foot away from his face.

"An owl actually". She responded.

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow at the girl.

"Yup! Mama says my name means I'm wise, like an owl". She said with a small sense of pride.

"A shoot an owl one time". Daryl commented.

"What?! Isn't that illegal?" She asked surprised and outraged.

"Damn right it is". He smirked.

"You're an odd one ". Sophia frowned in a calculating look.

"Careful". He warned, "Or you might just be the next owl I shoot".

Daryl lowered Sophia off his shoulders as the two stepped back onto Hershel's property.

"What's this I hear about shooting my daughter?" Carol asked approaching the new arrivals. She held a pair of crutches in her hands.

Sophia giggled and rushed into her mother's arms. She dropped the crutches to return the embrace, and Daryl simply shrugged.

"Hi mama!" She chirped happily.

If there was one thing Sophia missed during her time spent in the woods, it was her mother's warm hugs.

"Did you have fun with Daryl?" Carol asked as her daughter pulled back out of the embrace.

"Yeah! I shot a waker!" She said happily.

"Really?" Carol gave Daryl the classic "I'm gonna kill you later" look that mothers seemed so fond of, "Well why don't you go wash up, then get some math done with Carl?"

"Okay mama".

Sophia took the crutches from her mother, and hobbled off to go find her friend. Carol watched her disappear around the back of the farm house, before she turned back to Daryl. He swallowed, despite the fact the she stood at only 5' 6", something about the way her warm blue eyes could turn to ice in seconds was fighting, and slightly intriguing?

"You taught her to shoot?" Carol asked in exasperation.

"She needs to know how to defend herself". Daryl huffed.

"She's a little girl". The mother said as she folded her arms.

"Times are different". He countered.

"I know… I just wish they weren't". She sighed

"We all do. Look I know you don't like the idea for your little girl using a gun, but imagine what would have happened if I hadn't found her. The only weapon she had was an old wrench". He told her.

"You're right, and I'm happy she can defend herself. I mean she does seem to be coming out of her shell a lot lately. I just wish it was over something other than guns". She sighed once more.

"Look I promise I won't let anything happen to Sophia". Daryl said wrapping his arm around Carol.

"I know you won't". She whispered as she gripped his hand.

He gave her delicate hand a squeeze and the two stood for a moment as they exchanged farm gossip, and their thoughts. Daryl didn't trust easily, but something about Carol just made him feel safe. Just by looking at her you could tell this woman was a mother.

"Well I better go work on my bike". He said releasing his grip on her hand.

"Oh! Okay". Carol said in surprise.

Daryl rubbed her back with his rough hand, and gave her an attempt at a smile, before he started off across the yard towards the barn. Hershel had been clear about not wanting "Metal scrap" cluttering his lawn, so Daryl had been forced to move his little project to the ex-walker barn.

He pulled the large wooden doors open with a grunt, and grabbed a pitchfork off the wall to prop the barn open. The man set to work pulling apart the metal guts of his bike. He was a surgeon operating on the president, he moved with precision, afraid of doing anything to hurt his beloved chopper.

After what felt like hours Daryl was pulled from his work by the roar of a car engine, and Glenn's call.

"People!"

Daryl bolted up right, and rushed out of the barn. He grabbed the pitchfork as he passed the door. You could never be too careful, especially in the end of the world. As soon as he reached the farmhouse a familiar rainbow flashed across his field of vision, and he was greeted by Sophia's anxious face.

"What's happening?" She asked as she nervously thumbed the hem of her blue shirt. Daryl noticed that is was the same shirt he had found her in, "I heard Glenn say there's a person here".

"Don't worry kiddo, I'm sure it's nothing". He said softly to the girl.

Rick, Shane, Glenn, Andrea, Lori, Carol, and the rest of the rag tag farm survivors gathered around the white house. They exchanged murmurs and nervous glances as the waited for orders from Rick one how to handle their new coming guest. Carl bounded up to Daryl and Sophia with pure curiosity on his young face.

All conversation ceased as red car pulled slowly up the long drive way. Everyone stared in a careful silence as the car came to a halt, and the door creaked open.

Sophia watched as the figure of a large man stepped out of the vehicle. A large man with empty, yet wild eyes, eyes like her father's. She felt her breath as caught in her throat and turned to ice. What he said next drove the ice through her small chest.

"Howdy there folks! I seem to be having some trouble with my car".

AN: Big trouble in little Georgia's brewing! (I'm deeply sorry for the line) Anyway if you're just chapter skipping it's important that you go back and read the whole story so far.

Thanks for reading! New chapter soon~