"Well, you gals ready?" Merle asked as he looked at the group of women.
"This should be interesting at least." Michonne said. "I'm kind of tired of just hanging around this place. I think it will do us good to get out and learn a little bit."
"Don't you think we should take our guns?" Andrea asked.
"Hell no!" Daryl replied as he joined them. "Last thing I want is the pack of you at my back with guns. Probably shoot me in my ass." he said looking at Carol. "Besides I ain't takin' y'all out to go huntin'. I'm takin y'all out so you can learn to read a trail. That way you can tell us if you see one and let us handle it."
"Sexist much Daryl?" Andrea asked. "I think we've proven we can handle ourselves."
"You can handle yourself Andrea, Michonne can handle herself. Maggie and Beth may be able to handle themselves."
"But I can't." Carol finished for him.
"No you can't. And as long as you can't, you ain't nothin' but a danger to the rest of us." Daryl said.
"Well that was a Dixon worthy comment if I ever heard one." Maggie said.
"I'm a Dixon, whadda you expect?" Daryl shot back. "I ain't doin' this out of the goodness of my heart ya know? I'm doing this so's the next time I got walkers on my ass and Carol is standin' there she'll do somethin other than just stand there. Cause if she don't, I ain't got no reason to worry about any ass but my own."
"Merle thinks maybe seeing herself compared to all the other women will get it through her head. We can't keep carrying Carol. We can't afford it." Rick said.
"It's harsh, but I can understand the reasoning behind it. It's sound logic." Hershel said. "But Carol is in denial. I don't know if it's even possible to get her to face reality."
"Maggie doesn't like this anymore than I do." Glenn said.
"None of us like it, but it's my call. If we had done this sooner, we wouldn't have our backs against the wall now.
And it's not much progress, but Carol stood watch. That's some progress. She just has to progress faster. And Merle is committed to it." Rick said. "He's putting a lot of effort into her, more than I expected him to."
"Merle has changed. He's not the same as he was when we were back at the quarry." Glenn said.
"Y'all talkin but me?" Merle said as he joined them.
"Glenn was just saying that you've changed. You're not the same man you were in Atlanta." Rick said.
"Ain't none of us the same people we were. Guess it's cause there ain't a lot of us left. Still don't mean I'm gonna join arms and sing "We Shall Overcome" with nobody I don't think is worth it. But for those I do think is worth it? I'll kick the devil's ass one handed." Merle said.
"And what does it take for you to think someone is worth it?" Lori asked snidely. "Lily white skin?"
"Believe you me Missus Grimes, lily white skin ain't got nothing to do with it. If it did There's some folks wouldn't be here, even if Daryl calls em friends. As a matter of fact lily white skin ain't even enough with some people." Merle said and walked away.
Daryl continued walking along the stream, trying to ignore the gaggle of women behind him. So far they had managed to startle every bit of wildlife in the woods. Why Merle insisted on him taking this bunch of hens anywhere was beyond him. He was startled from him private grumbling by a shrill scream behind him. He spun around looking for walkers, tigers or any other danger. Not seeing anything he looked at the women and saw them all trying to hide behind each other and pointing at the ground.
Looking down he saw the cause of the screams. A small green snake. He looked at the snake, then looked at the women, and looked back at the snake. He shook his head in disgust and leaned against a tree.
"Kill it! Kill it!" the women were all shouting at once.
"It ain't hurtin nobody. Just a little green snake and all y'all got your panties in a twist?" Daryl snorted. "Guess there's a reason men do the huntin' and women stay home doin' the cleanin'."
"I thought you were better than that. I thought you were different. That's the same kind of thing Ed would say before he hit me. He'd tell me women belonged at home doing a man's bidding." Carol said. "I put up with it for 15 years from him, I'm not taking it from you!" Carol said launching herself at Daryl.
"Hey Merle! They're back !" Glenn called.
Carol was stomping off in the direction of her room, and a 'damp' Daryl was stomping off in another direction. Maggie, Beth, Michonne and Andrea watched quietly.
"What's wrong with them?" Glenn asked.
This started a fit of hysterical laughter among the remaining women.
"What's so funny?" Merle asked as he joined them. "I'd think y'all would be a bit more serious."
"Well Merle, we just learned the meaning of madder than a wet hen." Andrea said.
"Except in this case the hen was a rooster!" Maggie said with a giggle.
"What?" Glenn asked. "I'm totally confused here."
"You've been wanting Carol to grow a backbone and she just grew one." Michonne explained.
"And gave Daryl a swimming lesson!" Beth finished.
"Huh?" Merle and Glenn questioned at the same time.
"She shoved his ass in the creek." Andrea clarified.
"Wait, Carol shoved Daryl in the creek? Well that is progress!" Merle said. "I think I'll go congratulate her."