The Wolf You Feed

Chapter 24

Enid woke up just after sunrise. She knew she would wake up early since she had gone to bed so early the night before. Her body finally felt rested after the constant strain and stress of the last week. She had pushed herself to her breaking point and then beyond, not allowing herself to give in to the intense need for rest until she and Carl were both home safe in Alexandria.

Carl was still snoring softly beside her. Only the first few streaks of light were creeping in through the cracks in the blinds painting pale strips across the bare skin of his chest. Enid eased herself out from under his arm and shoved her pillow close to him. The way he rolled onto his side and nuzzled into it made her smile, since she knew in his dreamlike state the young man believed the warm pillow was her.

She had fallen asleep naked the night before and the cool morning breeze blowing in from the open window felt refreshing on her bare skin. The elastic Enid used to tie her hair up the night before had come loose. She found it tangled in a lock of her hair, gripping it she pulled it the rest of the way out, then took her brush from off the top of the dresser and combed the tangles out of her hair. Her long dark locks were getting greasy at the roots. What her hair really needed was a good scrub and she briefly considered heading across the hall and taking a long hot shower. But then she decided showering was pointless.

Enid was going to spend the morning taking care of the horses and the goats, then working in the gardens. Olivia and Rosie had been watching the gardens while Enid and Rowan were gone. The women would go out and pick whatever was ripe, but there was no doubt every bed was going to be filled to the brim with weeds. There was no point to showering now, Enid decided she would rather wash later so she could go to bed squeaky clean with freshly shaved legs. The sensual thought of her bare legs against the cool sheets almost sent her back under them to wake the boy that had been sleeping next to her, but Carl looked so peaceful she knew she should let him sleep until he woke up on his own.

Carl's hair was spread out on the pillow under his head. It had grown so much that it was down to his shoulders now. He was talking about cutting it off for the summer. Enid didn't want him to be uncomfortable, but she loved his hair the way it was. Long and soft with just the right amount of wave to it. Not fine and stick straight like hers.

There were clean clothes folded up in the drawers of her dresser, a welcome luxury after weeks of camping and being on the road. The morning air was cool but Enid guessed the day was going to warm up quickly, so she decided on a pair of cutoff shorts and a colorful tank top. At some point Rowan had gotten ahold of a tie dye kit and then proceeded to dye everything she could get her hands on, including all the curtains in her father's house, which now looked like it was host to a gay pride parade. Enid was fairly certian that even some of Daryl's undershirts and probably some of his boxers were now rainbow colored, which made her want to giggle. Rowan had colored Enid a few tank tops and one short cotton dress. Enid liked one top in particular, the one she was pulling over her head. It was snug but not too tight and had turned out a pretty aqua color where the green and blue mixed together.

She pulled on a nice clean pair of socks, another item she used to take for granted before the turn that now felt like heaven on her feet. Enid slid out the door, shutting it softly behind her before padding quietly down the hall. She peeked in on Judith, making sure the she was still asleep. The little girl had been upgraded to a toddler bed since she learned how to climb. The crib on the opposite wall was empty, which meant Michonne was either awake or that she had given up and taken the baby to bed with her. He was cute as a button, but there was no denying that her son was a demanding little fellow. Enid felt like every time she saw the baby, he was either latched on to Michonne's tit or screaming because he didn't have a tit in his mouth.

Enid eased into the room and pulled Judith's blanket up over her to keep her warm. One of Enid's cats was curled up near Judith's little feet and Enid ran her hands over its soft fur a few times, smiling when she heard it's little purr motor kick on. With Judith and the cat safely tucked in, Enid headed back down the hall towards the steps, avoiding the third one down because it squeaked. She found Michonne in the living room, stretched out on the couch with her baby cuddled close to her breast.

Moose was on the floor next to the couch, snoring with his long pink tounge dangling out. When Lily had her pups, Rowan had given one of the only two black dogs to Carl. He was determined that the dog was going to be his best friend. Carl was going to train the dog to hunt and kill walkers with him, just like Rowan's dogs did for her. Sadly, the dog had ideas of his own. Moose had taken an instant liking to Michonne. He followed the woman everywhere. Once she had her baby, he got even more intense about staying close to her. Eventually Carl gave up and moved the dog's bed into the room Michonne shared with his father.

At the sound of Enid approaching, Moose opened his sleepy eyes. She knelt down and scratched him behind his ears. Then she leaned over him and pressed a kiss into Andy's wild head of curls. Michonne yawned and reached over to clasp Enid's hand with hers.

"Glad you're back," Michonne said, smiling up at her. Enid smiled back. She liked living with Rick and Michonne. Rowan had always been more of a friend, despite the difference in age between them. Living with the Grimes made Enid feel more like she had parents again.

"You thirsty?," Enid asked the woman. Michonne nodded. She was always thirsty. It felt like for every glass of water she drank, her son sucked twice that amount of liquid out of her. "Milk or water?," Enid asked.

"Would you mind making me a cup of tea?," Michonne whispered. Enid nodded at her. She had to make tea for herself anyway, unless she wanted to end up in Michonne's predicament. Heading into the kitchen, Enid filled the kettle halfway with water from the tap. Running water, another thing not to be taken for granted. She put the kettle on the electric burner and switched the stove on.

The teapot and the other items she needed to make Michonne's tea were already out on the counter. Enid guessed the woman had been about to make herself some tea when her baby started crying. Michonne had a large jar of loose leaf tea that Rowan made for her. Enid wasn't sure on all the ingredients but she knew there was a lot of fenugreek in there, that stuff had an unpleasant licorice smell to it that was hard to miss. She had been watching Rowan make teas and salves for so long she was starting to pick up on most of the more common ingredients and their uses.

Enid made a potfull for Michonne but only a cup for herself, with her own tea blend. The tea she drank to keep herself from getting pregnant. With all the craziness of Carl being kidnapped and having to hurry back home for help, Enid knew she missed her morning tea several times in the last week. And then she and Carl had sex. More than once. Enid sighed and forced herself to stop stressing over it. All she could do was drink her tea now. If she was already pregnant, there was nothing she could do about it now.

Enid took Michonne a large mug of tea and let the woman know she had made a whole teapot full and the rest was on the kitchen counter. Michonne thanked her with a grateful smile. Enid gulped down the rest of her tea, grimacing at the slightly bitter taste. Then she grabbed an apple and a large travel mug of ice cold water for herself and headed out the back door. She walked around the side of the house, smiling when she saw the horses had gotten out of their enclosure again and were milling around in Rowan's front yard. Molly was getting to be as bad as Tank, always looking for Rowan, stomping her hooves and throwing a regular horse fit if she couldn't find the woman.

Coming around into the front yard, Enid whistled for the horses and encourged them to follow her down the street towards the back of town. If she was feeding the goats, she figured she might as well feed the horses at the same time. They had probably already filled up on grass and whatever they had picked out of Rowan's frontyard gardens, so she would just make sure they got some grain and plenty of water to drink. Comet was in a playful mood. He nibbled at her hair as they walked and kept nudging at her with his big horse body like he wanted her to chase him. She laughed, telling him Tank and Lily would be home soon to play with him.

"Hey Enid!" The voice came from behind her and Enid didn't recognize it. She stopped and turned to see that it was Ron. He was hurrying down the street after her, as fast as he could hurry with two large buckets in his hands. She waited for him to catch up and took one of the buckets, flinching away from the smell of it. "My mom's been having everyone save their eggshells and coffee grounds," Ron explained, "to fertilize the gardens." From the smell of the buckets, a few rotten eggs had ended up in with the shells.

"I'm glad you're back," Ron announced. Enid cocked her head at him, feeling her body tense as she wondered what brought on such a friendly statement. He smiled at her and added, "That big white goat went after my mom. Then he went after Olivia. And then he even chased the wolf girls around. So I've been feeding the goats by myself." Enid smiled back, thinking she was a silly girl. She had read way too much into Ron's first statement. Of course he was only glad she was back because he wanted help with the animals.

"I never thought I would say this," Enid joked, "but I'm glad to be back too." There was a time when she hated this town. But that was before she had people here she cared about. Ron laughed.

"I heard you saw some crazy shit out there," he mentioned. Really no one had told Ron anything. No one ever told him anything. But he saw Enid and Carl come flying in on lathered horses and then all the heavy hitters around here had taken off with loaded up with guns. So Ron figured there had to be some kind of trouble. Honestly, he was a little jealous of Carl, being that the boy was almost the same age as him but yet he seemed to be allowed so many more privileges. If Ron would have even mentioned leaving the safety of the walls and going camping for weeks for no real reason, his mother would throw the fit to beat all fits. She didn't even like him going out to the lake. And of course there was Enid. The only girl his age. Before Carl came around, Ron had been hoping something might happen between them. Now it was like she barely knew he existed. Just another reason to be jealous.

Enid and Ron walked along at a casual pace. She tried to keep Comet away from the apple she was nibbling on as she filled Ron in on the adventure that she and Carl had. Telling it all made all the events sound even crazier than she remembered them being in her head. Ron's mouth dropped open a few times, especially when she told him about her and Rowan riding into that camp with their faces painted up like crazy indians. He wasn't sure if he believed her about the tiger, but he also couldn't think of any reason that Enid would have to make something like that up.

When Enid went into the goat enclosure, Ron followed her. He made sure to keep an eye on the large white goat that liked to knock him down any time he turned his back on the animal. It looked like the goat was thinking about having a go at Enid, but as soon as she hollered at it, the silly thing took off running in the other direction.

"That damn goat 'sbeen after me every damn day," Ron announced. He turned the hose nozzle on and started filling the trough with fresh water. "He didn't come near you..."

"That's 'cause last time he tried it I smacked him up good with a rolled up magazine," Enid explained. That goat was nothing but a big bully. She only had to hit him back once and he never bothered her again. Ron laughed. The goat never really bothered Rowan because if he even got neat her the dogs would chase him off.

"Maybe I'll try that," Ron mentioned, still watching over his shoulder for the goat.

The horses had followed them into the goat enclosure. Enid didn't know what had gotten into them but they were full of energy. Maybe it was the change in the weather. The moon is almost full, Enid thought. Then she smiled at herself. She had been spending too much time with Rowan. That woman thought the weather caused everything. People argued more during certain phases of the moon. After a rain was the best time to start a new project. The more it snowed the more people would get pregnant.

"Going to have to take them for a run if Carl ever gets up," Enid mentioned casually, watching the horses play. She had really been talking more to herself than Ron. Making a mental list of things she wanted to get done before dinner time. And a long ride around the lake with Carl sounded much more enjoyable than sweating it up in the garden all day. They could stop at the cabin on the other side of the lake. Go for a swim. Maybe even pack a lunch and make a day out of it.

"I can help you with the horses," Ron offered. Enid startled a little when he spoke to her. She had gotten lostin her thoughts and almost forgotten Ron was there. When she didn't respond right away to his suggestion, he added, "I'm a good rider, used to go trail riding with my mom back before the turn."

Enid considered the idea, mostly trying to think up a good reason why she needed to wait for Carl. Nothing was coming to mind, except for reasons she couldn't say out loud the involved what she and Carl liked to do when they took the horses out riding. And Ron seemed so eager for a horse ride. He wasn't exactly Enid's favorite person but she didn't dislike him either. Everyone knew he watched his dad die in front of his face last year. She had lost her parents too, and felt empathy for Ron even though she knew his dad was a dick that got what he deserved. Enid didn't want to hurt his feelings.

"Uh, okay," she agreed, "we can take them out for a quick ride."