I'm not sure when I'll get to update again. My charger is messing up for my laptop so I'll need to order a new one of them and then wait for it to come in. Hope everyone has a great weekend though. Thanks for all the reads, reviews, favorites and follows. I just have a few things to address and a review.

I was asked how old Sophia and Brian are. It can be confusing at times, I apologize for that. Brian is now 15 going to be sixteen and Sophia is just a few months shy of fifteen. I've never given exact birth dates for them.

Phantom chapter 77 . 10h ago

Why havent you even mentioned Beth in this story? All you guys do is disrespect her fans when you either write her badly or dont even include her. She was a member of the group to.

If you cant at least write the group right then you should just give up writing at all. You only dont write about her because you are jealous. Beth's life matters and so do her fans.

First of all Phantom. If you have indeed read this story you would be aware that Beth was discussed in chapter 21. It clearly states why she isn't in this. Let me refresh your memory- she DIED on the farm with Patricia. Since we've all watched the same show I'm sure you can recall how she held onto the woman sobbing while several walkers were eating her. Not big of a jump to see that she could have easily been next. What did you want her to do sing her way out of that since she had no weapon? Hershel willfully let his daughters be weak and sheltered them, so the fact that she died isn't hard to understand.

I disrespect her fans? I'm jealous? What the fuck do I have to be jealous of from a dead fiction character? I'm happily married and live in the real world. Maybe you should try that. If Beth's life matters then let HER FANs deal with her in stories when THEY write them. Don't come to a Caryl story acting surprised that Beth isn't a main character. I don't write her because to write her I need to build a personality for her. If I wanted to make a new OC then I'd make one. I just don't find her interesting. See thats the thing about fans and characters. If I don't like a character, find one boring, or she literally would serve no purpose in MY story for any reason at all then I'm not going to write her.

Eyes on the ground he refused to think about the destruction behind him. If he did he was going to lose it. He couldn't think about the shit that could have happened because he was barely holding on. The sound of Carol and Andrea's sniffles and his brothers boots were the only thing grounding him. They were missing people. They were missing Martinez and Carter. Martinez was in the town trying to keep things together but Carter was just gone. It was a sick feeling but nothing compared to the shit running through his head right now.

"Daryl." Merle's voice was sharp.

He turned his head away from the blood he's spotted and surveyed what Merle was looking at. It was a deep impression of a much too big boot to be Brian or Sophia's. Someone was hunting them. Daryl growled low in his throat and started tightening his straps. Mac was watching him his eyes wild. There was a mirrored fire in each of their eyes and Merle nodded.

"What's happening?"

Merle looked over as Daryl tightened Mac's straps. "One of them is hurt, possibly both." He gripped her shoulders and Carol looked up at him, "Someone is hunting them."

Carol stared over at Daryl and he could feel her eyes burning into him. "Then we need to move."

Merle nodded, "We will but those two will move a lot faster than all of us moving together. Daryl can track faster and Mac can watch over him."

Carol swallowed then and shook her head swiping at tears. "I'm not separating from him!"

Daryl swallowed as he jerked the last strap. She slapped Merle's hand off her shoulder and turned to Daryl. She worked on getting her stuff in order all the while tears slicked her cheeks. Daryl looked at Merle and nodded. Carol was coming with him.

Mac moved to Andrea and she nodded. "Me and Merle will search for more tracks. Make sure that there isn't anything else out here."

"We'll be just behind you." Merle stared at Mac and Daryl looked away. Merle was making a point to let him know he'd watch over Andrea.

"Calm down." Daryl pulled Carol to him. "You're coming with me."

"You're goddamn right I am." Carol snapped. "Did you honestly think I would let you go alone! That's my fucking daughter out there!"

Daryl flinched back from her and he could see regret immediately on her face. He turned away and whistled for Mac. He nodded to his brother and stepped into the trees. If someone wanted to hunt their kids then he'd fucking hunt them.

He ignored hearing Mac talking to Carol. He ignored that she was trying to get his attention. He was to keyed up to deal with shit right now other than tracking. Mac silenced her though and they started lagging behind him. Mac was doing what he always done. He would work circles around him from all sides and Daryl would track, without having to really so much as worry about something coming up behind him.

Carol watched as Daryl faded through the trees. A mist from the rain filling in where he'd just been. Mac, Merle, and Andrea were all staring at her. She wanted to reach out and grab those words the second they'd left her mouth. She didn't mean it the way it'd sounded. Of course she thought of Daryl as Sophia's father but she'd slapped him right in the face with her words. The hurt that shown in his eyes was sinking into her chest.

"Come on." Mac ordered.

Carol walked with him and watched as Daryl slipped further away. Carol called out to him but Mac shushed her.

"Leave him alone." Mac's voice was lower. "Let him do his thing and clear his head."

Carol sighed, "I'm just worried."

"We all are." His voice was defensive.

They were silent Carol noticed they weren't just behind Daryl anymore. Mac was moving like the wind through the trees. He was all silence and death. He was killing walkers before they'd even seen him. She'd yet to need to draw her knife. She kept searching for Daryl but didn't see him. She felt uneasy knowing that they were likely hunting a man right now and he was alone.

Mac appeared panting and pushed his hair back. It smeared blood and mud over his forehead and up into his hair. Carol grimaced but he didn't notice. In fact he looked partially camouflaged in the stuff.

"Where's Daryl?"

Mac looked at her for a second and pointed behind them. "He's coming up through there."

"How did we get in front of him?"

Mac smiled, "I forget sometimes that you and him haven't always been together." His voice was thoughtful. "When we hunt we've always moved around each other. Orbiting I guess you could say. If one of us miss it the other is likely to pick it up."

"Won't our tracks mess with the ones he's after?"

Mac smiled at her for a second even though it looked broken. "No. He knows both ours tracks. He knows what he's after."

Just then Carol could see him. He was like a hound with it's nose buried as it tracked. He didn't look up at them but he inclined his head as if he was aware of them. Carol swallowed. The tension in him was almost painful. He was moving quick and Mac pulled her both of them looping around searching for walkers.

Mac paused at the edge of a ravine and eyed it. The sides were thick with mud and Carol could see trapped walkers. His grip on her wrist was bruising as he held her close to make sure she didn't go over.

"Explains why the path veered off." Mac muttered. "You know they'll be okay. We taught them how to hunt and track together."

"What if she was already hurt or him?"

Mac looked at her for a second and swallowed, "We'll deal with like family always does. Together." He pulled her with him then and Carol felt tears in her eyes.

It was so much different than anything she'd had with Ed. Ed and his family were just that, Ed's family. Her and Sophia didn't matter to them and it'd always been that way. But she was truly a part of the Dixon's family and so was her daughter. It wasn't Daryl just wanting something from her and being nice to her daughter to pacify her. No, he truly loved her daughter and considered her his. He'd bonded with her before he'd ever even met her mother and Carol had to play catch up.

Mac dropped low suddenly and he jerked her down. His eyes were watching intently to the side and Carol watched quietly too. Two men stepped out about sixty yards away and Carol felt herself tense. One of them was holding his side and blood was gushing out. She started to move but Mac jerked her back down roughly. Her knees buckled and she was in the mud.

"Mac!" Carol hissed. This was what they were here to do. Make sure that Daryl could track without someone sneaking up on him.

Just then Andrea was on the man as he howled in pain. The other man was already dead and Carol realized that Merle was over him his knife dripping blood. Her eyes were glued to Andrea though as she drove her knife into the man's chest over and over. The noises she was making raised the hair on Carol's arms and she sucked in a breath. Merle pulled her up and both of them disappeared again into the thicket of briars.

"Did you think we were the only ones working that loop?" Mac questioned, "Merle's who taught us to hunt together as good as we do."

Just then Mac stood as he tilted his head. There was a faint cawing noise echoing through the woods. Mac shifted and took off at a dead run in the direction the noise came from. Carol raced after him but he was gaining ground fast and it was obvious he'd been raised in the woods.

When she collided with his back he was listening again. HIs breaths were heaving and suddenly Merle burst into the same area. Andrea right on his heels. Mac looked at neither of them. Andrea met her eyes as they checked each other for injuries. The cawing grew and then tapered off.

Both Dixon's moved at once. Andrea and Carol both vaulted a limb that Merle and Mac jumped and tried to keep pace. It was like they were moving through quicksand though. The mud was thick and the limbs were grabbing them. Carol pushed herself though unsure what the caw meant but knew that it was Daryl.

When they met up Daryl was watching up the side of a hill. It was steep and Carol was gasping for breath. He looked back at them and jerked his head. Mac and Merle both started inspecting the area.

"That's it. Nothing else." Daryl's voice was hoarse.

Carol moved to him her fingers linking with hit and she swallowed around what that could mean. How did they even end up in a goddamn ravine. Did that mean all those walkers from before were close to them?

"We have to get up there." Merle ordered.

Daryl swiped at the sweat on his forehead, smearing blood and mud just like his own brother. It looked like war paint on them.

"I've been up there. I came down here in hopes that I'd just missed something."

Mac put his hands on his knees and leaned over. "Fuck."

"WHat does that mean!" Andrea snapped. "You saying you can't find them?"

Daryl looked over then, Merle and Mac mirrored him. All three looked like they were going to kill any and everything in their path. There was a solidarity between them that was almost shocking as they mirrored movements and started planning.

"We follow the man." Daryl interrupted ignoring Andrea. "The trails were too layered for him to have been far behind. If I'm guessing right then the bleeding stopped on it's own. They didn't stop."

Carol swallowed not liking that one of the kids was hurt. Her eyes went around them and thundered crashed. The day was new but the heartache that was climbing through her wasn't. This was losing her daughter all over again. They'd been in running in the rain as the tears fell but she'd begged and wished for her daughter to be by her to end her pain.

"Why did they run?" Andrea questioned, "They had to know the walls were safer."

Mac looked up and exhaled, "Brian would have gone outside the walls if he couldn't find me or his uncles." He made a noise in his throat, "If things ever fell apart he knew to keep himself and Sophia safe first. He knew that...we drilled that into them. We made a point to teach them to fight together and hunt together."

Carol looked over at Daryl and he nodded. Her grip tightened on his hand and he swallowed.

"So what now?"

Daryl looked up the mud slathered hill side and grimaced. "We start hunting."

All three Dixon's face looked dangerous and feral. Daryl pulled Carol around and pushed her up the hill. She dug her heels in and started climbing. Daryl was almost on her as he climbed. For each of her steps he was taking her immediately vacated foothold. She was panting at the climb through the mud. For each inch gained she lost several more. Without Daryl she would have been at the bottom still. Carol peaked over and watched Mac done Andrea the same. The Dixon's moved almost like machines but their was a grace about them in the woods that was like a wild animal.

Carol slipped her chest hitting the ground hard but Daryl's arm went around her hips and he hauled her up. Her body collided with his keeping her from sliding. He steadied her and they started moving again.

"Steady." Daryl breathed.

Carol nodded and the climb became steeper. Merle was ahead of them almost to the top when he did disappear over the edge. Carol grunted digging in more and pushing herself. Her legs were burning and weakening, her breaths heavy as she struggled.

When they neared the top Merle appeared and reach down grasping her hand and hauling her up the last few feet with Daryl's hand planted on her ass and thighs shoving her up. Carol turned to off her own hand when she watched him climb the hill like a damned animal. He was on all fours, his knees slightly bent and his body low. Mac was mirroring him now that Andrea was over. They were completely silent and Carol was hit with just how dangerous these men really could be.

Merle directed her eyes to boot prints and Carol let out a breath. Tracks. Daryl was over and already moving. How he had the energy after that climb she wasn't sure. She stuck close to him refusing to separate. Her anxiety was climbing and she needed him close.

The day was moving towards night and it was making her anxiety almost smother her. Mac's facade of cool was cracking. The anger and need to find his son was starting to make him volatile. Carol met his eyes and he blinked slowly at her when his hand wrapped around hers. Merle and Daryl were tracking like bloodhounds with Andrea wielding a knife like a butcher. Mac and Carol struggled to breathe through the crushing knowledge that one of the kids were hurt and the other...the other Sophia could be in bad shape.