There was a hint of fog covering the wetlands to either side of the road, and the sun was hitting the tops of the trees. It was a very peaceful scene, beautiful really, and Daryl leaned back against one of the trees to take it all in. He had spent a lot of time in the woods throughout his life but he didn't usually have a chance to just enjoy the moment. He wouldn't have much longer to enjoy this one either, but he was going to take what he could get.
The others would be waking soon and then the wildlife in the area would scatter, and they would have to be on alert for walkers. This small area had been given a natural barrier of the swamp waters and the thick woods, so they had seen very few of the walkers as they traveled the road North. It had been a nice break, but Daryl knew that it was coming to an end soon since the woods were showing more evidence of past timber removal. There were more houses along the road too, with long driveways for privacy and a good distance between neighbors, but definitely a sign that they were coming closer to a town and cleared land.
He jumped slightly as a hand touched his arm, and he barely restrained himself from jerking away. Carol still smirked at him though.
"Sorry, I should have made more noise, but I guess I'm getting used to being quiet all the time." Her head tilted to one side as she studied him for a moment, and then she held out a mug, "I thought you might like some coffee. We're almost out, but we might as well enjoy it while we can."
He hadn't even noticed that she was up, or that she had been boiling water. He took the mug though, nodded, "Thanks."
"It's pretty here. Would have been a nice place to live, you know, before everything happened. A nice view of the woods, maybe have bird feeders and see deer every day." She glanced around the clearing, smiling softly, "I can imagine mornings out on the patio with a cup of coffee and the newspaper. Of course that would never have happened with the way things were before."
Ed. He knew what she meant. He would never have had that because of Merle. As much as he loved his brother, he could see that there were things that had held him in a rut for far too long, and the biggest obstacle would have been his brother. No matter what Daryl might have tried to grasp in his life, Merle would always have been there to taint it in some way.
"Lots of pretty places to see still." He shrugged, "Maybe we'll be lucky and find one to settle in one day."