The next morning Ruby went out for another hunt, bringing back only a handful of rabbits. It made her think of what Hershel had told her yesterday and she frowned. She needed to speak to Rick. She had let it go last night, not wanting to wreck the good mood but now it was imperative, she needed time to decide on what she wanted to do. Whether to stay or to go. Ruby shook her head and started cleaning the rabbits. She had thought about asking Daryl for help but then thought he'd probably enjoy the time off to just relax. It had seemed to take a lot of effort and pain for Daryl to join her yesterday so she thought he should have time off while still healing.

She was just starting the third rabbit when Daryl joined her. He sat next to her quietly and just snatched up one of the rabbits grumpily.
"Why didn't you come and get me?" he grumbled to her.
"Thought you might like to just relax and heal up," she answered, not looking at him.
"Prefer to be busy," he muttered.
She could understand that, she was much the same. She wondered if he knew that they couldn't stay on the farm. She wanted to ask but Lori's stunned face kept flashing in her mind. If Lori, Rick's wife, didn't know she found it difficult to believe that Daryl would. Asking would just be stirring the pot and that was the very last thing she wanted to do.
"You're looking pretty red," he muttered after a moment of quiet.
She looked at him in surprise and discomfort, her knife hovering above the rabbit's breastbone. Was he… complimenting her? Was 'Red' a new nickname because of her red hair? She cautiously fingered a stray lock of her grubby, dyed red hair and frowned. She shifted uncomfortably, feeling like he was entirely too close for comfort. Her eyes quickly darted to Loki for reassurance before glancing over at Daryl. He didn't seem to even be fazed with what he had said, just continuing to bone his rabbit. He had never shown any signs of being interested in her and now he was casually just whipping out he thought she was pretty? Ruby didn't know what to make of that; Daryl was one of the few people she actually started to trust. She had started to find that she liked being in his company, mostly because he made no advances on her and Loki liked him. She could feel her whole body tense up and becoming more defensive.
"Excuse me?" she asked tersely.
He glanced up at her, briefly meeting her eyes and pointed his knife at her shoulders.
"Your sunburn," he said.
She felt her cheeks burn as she realised what he meant and she laughed to hide her embarrassment. Of course he wasn't complimenting her, this was Daryl after all. She felt the tension melt out of her body and an easy smile came to her face.
"I was helping Hershel with the fences yesterday. It's not actually as bad as I expected to be honest," she replied.
"Should be more careful," he muttered.
"Yes, Mom," Ruby responded teasingly.
He responded to her with a small glare which she ignored.

"So, do you think we could stay here forever?" she asked him.
She wondered what he thought about the farm, whether it was worth staying. When he didn't answer straight away she looked up at him to see what he was thinking. His blue eyes looked almost thunderous as any number of thoughts spun through his brain. She waited patiently as his eyebrows knitted together. He seemed to be really deliberating on what to say as his tongue peeked out between his lips.
"Please, be honest," she implored softly. He pressed his lips together and shook his head.
"Don't matter what I think," he said.
She raised an eyebrow in disbelief. If she hadn't wanted his opinion she wouldn't have asked.
"It does matter, I'm asking you," she persisted.
His forehead creased as his eyebrows drew down giving him a rather severe look. His icy blue eyes eyed her suspiciously.
"What's it matter to you?" he snapped.
Ruby growled in frustration, why did he behave so infuriatingly? All she did was ask him a question. She 'tsk'd' with her tongue and dropped her gaze to her rabbit, finally gutting the thing.
"I just asked for your opinion," she grumbled.
"Well, I don't have one," he said abruptly.
His blue eyes glared into hers and she threw her hands up in exasperation.
"Fine! I won't ever ask fer yuur opinion again! I won't ever fucking bother ya and yeh can try to convince me to 'stay with the group' while you, yerself, isolate and ostracise yerself!" she snapped sarcastically, her Deep South accent becoming more pronounced due to her frustration.
She angrily grabbed another rabbit and quite viciously ripped the fur off its body. She was seriously doubting her decision to stay with this group of people. Between Shane's unnerving looks, Rick's dishonesty and Daryl's never ending PMS, she wondered if she should just leave. At least then she wouldn't have to deal with anyone else's bullshit. She'd never needed anyone before in her life and she didn't see why she'd have to start now.
She could feel Daryl's infuriated gaze on her but she refused to meet his eyes, they'd probably just start yelling at each other again. It seemed that that was what they were best at.
"Thought you was stayin'?" Daryl grumbled.
Ruby growled under her breath. She didn't understand him and his obsession with her staying.
"Thought I was too."

Ruby and Daryl didn't speak a single word to each other after that, they just finished preparing the rabbits. Loki got his customary carcass and innards breakfast and before Daryl could, Ruby gathered up all the meat and took it over to Carol for breakfast. Carol nodded her thanks and started preparing their meal. Ruby didn't linger, she had always hated cooking. She was okay at it, enough to survive, but she just generally couldn't be bothered with getting any better. Pre-apocalypse it hadn't mattered, she could always order take out or pop something in the microwave. Post-apocalypse she didn't care what went into her, so long as it didn't kill her.
As breakfast was served Ruby could see people chatting idly and cheerfully amongst themselves but she didn't particularly care to join in with anyone. She felt like she'd snap at them for no apparent reason and she didn't really want to piss off or insult anyone for no good reason. She just kept her mouth shut and finished off her breakfast.
"Um, guys?"
Ruby looked up at the sound of Glenn's nervous voice. She could see him hesitate about saying something and she rolled her eyes, turning back to her plate of food. Great, another person in this group keeping secrets.
"So, the barn is full of walkers."

Ruby's plate dropped from her lap to the ground in shock as her head snapped to Glenn. She faintly registered the sound of silence as everyone in the camp processed what Glenn had said.
The barn is full of walkers. Thebarnisfullofwalkers. The BARN is FULL of WALKERS.
It circled through her mind like a hurricane. She stood up from her seat and stared at the nervous Asian kid.
"I'm sorry," she started in a slow but sharp voice. "I think I misheard you. Did you just tell us there are walkers in the barn?"
Glenn bit his lip and nodded. Ruby ran a hand through her messy hair and shook her head. She drew a shaky breath as she heard a ringing start in her ears. This was meant to be a safe place. A haven; instead, it was a fucking shooting gallery. Ruby felt sick to her stomach.
"We need to check it out," Shane demanded.
Ruby looked up to see most of the group were now standing up looking at the barn. She saw mixed expressions of shock and horror but most of them were fear. She could see Rick, looking like a deer caught in headlights and she could feel her anger boiling up. He was the leader and he was supposed to make sure this place was safe! Ruby whistled sharply for Loki and he immediately stood and looked up to her. Ruby turned to Shane, her green eyes commanding his onyx ones.
"Let's go," she growled at him.

Ruby, Shane and Rick strode out purposefully towards the barn, the rest of the group following behind them. Loki trotted along next to Ruby with his head low. When they got closer he growled and his hackles rose. That was all the proof Ruby needed, but she followed the men closer. The disgustingly familiar stench of rot, decay and death wafted over and Ruby bit her lip in frustration. How could she have not checked out this barn? How could she have not inspected this place first? She broke the basic rules of the apocalypse! Always check and clear your surroundings! She should have known better than to trust these strangers when they said it was safe.

Shane stepped in closer to the barn and peered through the timber slats. There was nothing for a moment but then walkers started banging where he was looking and growling at him.
"You cannot tell me you're all right with this!" Shane growled to Rick as he stepped closer.
"No, I'm not, but we're guests here," Rick reminded Shane. "This isn't our land."
Ruby's blood boiled at Rick's calm tone. There were walkers in the barn and he was behaving like they found squirrels in the barn. Did Rick even care? Did he even understand the dangers this posed?
"This is our lives!" Shane shouted, voicing exactly what Ruby had been thinking.
"Lower your voice," Rick hissed at him.
Ruby couldn't help the scowl that twisted across her face. How dare he?! They were camped out next to a bunch of relentless cannibalistic machines and he wanted to preserve dignity? To hell with that!
"We can not just sweep this under the rug!" Ruby spat out, her hands clenched.
Rick glared at her, his blue eyes piercing, and she glared right back. He clearly didn't like her voicing her opinion right now but she didn't give a damn about what he thought of her; this was serious. These were their lives he was playing with and she was not going to sit back like some damsel.
"It ain't right. Not remotely," Shane said, clearly making an effort to rein in his anger. "Okay, we've either got to go in there, we've got to make things right or we've just got to go. Now we have been talking about Fort Benning for a long time."
Ruby rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest, there was that magical place again. The one she'd never been informed about but apparently they'd all been discussing for a long time.
"We can't go," Rick told him with frustration in his voice.
"Why, Rick? Why?" Shane demanded, his whole body taut with aggression and frustration.
His onyx eyes burned with an unbridled fury and it was enough to even make Ruby want to take a step back. Which made her flinch in surprise as Carol brushed past her to step forwards and put her thoughts into the fray.
"Because my daughter is still out there," she said quietly.

Ruby felt a pang of guilt stab her, in all this commotion, she had actually forgotten about Sophia. Shane clearly had and didn't seem too pleased at the reminder. He took a deep breath and rubbed his hands over his face, almost as if he wanted to tear his face off in frustration.
"Okay," he said in a slightly exasperated and irritated tone. "Okay, I think it's time that we all start to just consider the other possibility."
Ruby wasn't too shocked at this revelation. She knew he wanted to stop the search a long time ago. However, Carol obviously had no idea and she could practically feel the hurt radiating off the older woman. Ruby gently placed a hand on Carol's shoulder, trying to offer her some comfort as the argument continued.
"We're not leaving Sophia behind," Rick said firmly.
"I'm close to finding this girl. I just found her damn doll two days ago," Daryl butted in.
Ruby could see this all going butt up in seconds. Shane and Daryl did not mix. Shane was bullheaded and refused to see any other way than his, whilst Daryl was a hothead, plain and simple. It was like mixing oil and water.
"You found her doll, Daryl. That's what you did. You found a doll," Shane snapped.
She could see the smoke practically billowing out of Daryl's ears as he bristled. His shoulders tensed and his hands clenched into fists as his eyes narrowed into slits.
"You don't know what the hell you're talking about!" he shouted furiously, stalking forwards.
He looked like he was about to start swinging, but Rick put his arm out in front of Daryl to stop him. Miraculously, he actually did, fidgeting on the spot but respecting Rick's authority.
"I'm just saying what needs to be said!" Shane started yelling. "You get a good lead, it's in the first forty-eight hours!"
"Shane, stop!"
Rick tried to intervene but Shane just kept on like a juggernaut. He was now circling around like an animal closing in on the kill. His eyes were dark and his face was going red and Ruby was sure he was going to punch someone soon—probably Rick or Daryl. Rick placed his hand on Shane's shoulder but she saw Shane push it off aggressively and turn back to Daryl.
"Let me tell you something else, man. If she was alive out there and saw you coming all methed out with your buck knife and your geek ears around your neck, she would run in the opposite direction!"

Ruby felt a surge of protectiveness come up in her, despite her and Daryl's disagreement this morning. Daryl had been through an obviously traumatic event and he had nearly died trying to look for this little girl! How could Shane bring that shit up?! When Shane, himself, had done nothing for the little girl. Daryl, meanwhile, was already shouting unintelligible things and trying to hit Shane, completely bypassing Rick.
"And what have you done for her?!" she found herself shouting as she stood next to Daryl.
Shane's dark, shark-like eyes turned to her and she glared back at him. She refused to let Shane with his dark eyes and bulk intimidate her.
"He's done more and tried harder to find Sophia than you have! He nearly fucking died for her! What gives you the right to lay shit on him!" Ruby shouted at him.
Daryl was the only person she actually considered as… somewhat of a friend in this group and she would not stand by and let Shane talk down to him like that. Shane's whole expression darkened and he stepped in closer to her; close enough she could smell his rancid breath and count his teeth as he bared them at her.
"You, stay the fuck out of this!" Shane spat at her, shoving his finger in her face.
She could see in his eyes that he wanted to hit her, smack her into submission and she felt her hand drop to her hunting knife—she was not going to back down from him. Loki growled threateningly at Shane from his spot beside her, Loki's lips drawn back in a vicious snarl and Ruby glowered at Shane. She felt her blood boiling in her veins as his finger taunted her, just a few inches from her nose. She felt like biting it.
"Get that damn finger out of her face before you lose it," Daryl threatened, standing in front of her.
Loki's growl elevated into a snarl next to Ruby as she stood dumbstruck, trying to process the fact Daryl was defending her. His entire body shielded her from Shane, protecting her from the man's wrath. In fact, Daryl was standing so close to her, she could see tendrils of his hair moving against the back of his neck from her breath. She was by no means short, coming in at an average 5'6; however, Daryl, all bristled and ready to fight nearly towered over her. She could only just see over his shoulders, just in time to see Shane roughly pull his finger back, raising his hand into a fist. Daryl responded in kind, his elbow nearly hitting her in the head.

Despite knowing how much she would have loved to see Daryl hit Shane, Daryl was still injured and a fight was not in his best interest. Shane had at least 50 pounds on Daryl and would flatten him in his current state. She and Rick moved in unison as they both stepped in between the men. Rick pushed against Shane's chest and she ducked under Daryl's raised arm and moved in front of Daryl, turning her back on Shane, trusting Rick to handle him. She raised her hands slightly, bracing them against his taut shoulders, trying to keep him from punching Shane's lights out.
"Cut the shit and stop, Daryl!" she snapped.
Daryl completely ignored her as he tried to step around her. She could feel Rick stumbling back into her as he tried to keep Shane in check, he was clearly having more trouble with him than she was with Daryl. Loki, meanwhile, kept growling and snapping at the men around her. He clearly didn't like the situation she was in; being jostled around by several men.
When Daryl finally tried to barge over her, making her stumble on her injured ankle and causing her to yelp in pain, Loki growled and leapt up at Daryl. Loki snapped at him several times, his teeth inches away from his nose. Daryl finally stopped, surprise and fury burning in his eyes. He pushed Loki away, but stepped back from Ruby, allowing Loki to stand protectively in front of her. Daryl turned his head and spat angrily before glaring down at her.
"Move!" he snapped at her.
His face twisted into an ugly scowl and if looks could kill she would be dead, a million times over. It pissed her off that he was being so pig headed about this; he was injured and Shane wasn't, plus Shane was built like a brick shithouse. One solid punch from Shane and Daryl would be knocked back on his ass—longer this time.
"Don't be an idiot!" she retorted.
He scowled again at her and made to shove past her again but she was having none of it. She shoved him as hard as she could in the chest and he stumbled back a few steps, breaking away from the fight.

She could hear Shane yelling from behind her and she turned back to check on Rick. To her immense surprise, Lori was in the fight too, trying to keep him from punching Rick.
"Back off!" Rick was shouting at Shane when all of a sudden he did.
Except his dark eyes focused on Lori, not Rick.
"Keep your hands off me," Shane snarled at Lori shoving his finger in her face before stalking off.
She could see the bewildered look on Lori's face and the frustrated one on Rick's. She looked back to Daryl and he just shook his head at her before turning away. Ruby just rolled her eyes, what a fucking child.
"Now just let me talk to Hershel," Rick called out to Shane.
"Let me figure it out."
That seemed to be the wrong thing to say because Shane rounded back on Rick, murder in his eyes.
"What are you gonna figure out?!" he roared at Rick.
Even Ruby was surprised and a little alarmed by the fury he projected. Rick didn't even flinch, his eyes focused solely on Shane.
"If we're gonna stay, if we're gonna clear this barn, I have to talk him into it. This is his land," Rick explained in a frustrated snap.
He sounded like he was trying to explain something to a rebellious child and he was sick of it. She had to give Rick props for not backing down to the near uncontrollable man though, not many would have the guts he did.

"Hershel sees those things in there as people—sick people—his wife, his stepson," Dale interjected.
Ruby's mouth fell open and she turned on Dale, her green eyes accusing. He knew? And he didn't say anything? Didn't anyone tell anyone anything in this group?!
"You knew?" Rick asked incredulously.
All of a sudden, Ruby felt almost bad for Rick. He was trying so hard to do the right thing and consider every angle, every outcome, for every person, and his own people were keeping secrets from him.
"Yesterday I talked to Hershel—" Dale started.
"And you waited the night?" Shane demanded, cutting Dale off.
Ruby hated the thought, but she agreed with Shane. She couldn't believe Dale had known about something like this and not told anyone. What if their music and noise carried and the walkers had burst through the barn? They could have been killed!
"I thought we could survive one more night. We did," Dale snapped at Shane.
Shane scoffed and turned around, running his hand over the back of his neck.
"I was waiting till this morning to say something, but Glenn wanted to be the one," Dale continued in a much quieter and calmer tone.
"The man is crazy, Rick, if Hershel thinks those things are alive or no-" Shane started.
He was interrupted by a loud banging on the door behind them and they all jumped. The doors shook and the chain around the handles rattled as the walkers thumped and growled menacingly from behind them. Ruby glared at the offending doors as half the group began to run back to the camp.

Shane glared at her, Daryl, and then finally at Rick, clearly still feeling the adrenaline. Ruby decided it was enough.
"Okay, lets all just take a breather and we can revisit the issue later," she said firmly.
Rick looked at her and nodded, she visibly saw the fight leave his body as it hunched slightly. Shane, however, looked like he was ready to punch on.
"There is nothing to revisit!" he shouted.
Ruby rolled her eyes in annoyance and stomped up to the irritating man.
"Shut up. This fight is over and done with. If you really have a fucking problem, go and inspect the barn to make sure it's safe!" she spat.
Loki stood next to her, his teeth bared, hair raised and tail, ram-rod straight, out behind him. A snarl was rising in his throat and his glittery lupine eyes were warning Shane to stay away from her. Ruby raised her eyebrow challengingly at Shane. He growled in response and sharply turned away, stalking off. She blew her breath out and dropped her hand from the handle of her knife to give Loki a pat. His tail dropped, as did his hackles and his ears pricked up when he looked up at her.
"Thanks," Rick said quietly to her.
She shrugged, she was still mad at Rick but it wasn't going to help the situation any.
"It's okay. Everyone's too volatile to think rationally right now," she said quietly.
Rick sighed heavily.
"Don't I know it," he muttered.

"Rick?"
He looked up at her and she could see the weariness in his eyes as well as all the stress in the creases of his face.
"I do think Shane is right, even if he went about it the wrong way. If we stay, we need to clear that barn. If Hershel says 'no', what are you gonna do?" she asked quietly.
Rick shook his head and leaned against the gate, lifting one leg up to rest on a steel bar. His hands clasped together tightly in front of them as his head dipped.
"I don't know. We can't go," he whispered.
"Why not?"
"Lori's pregnant."
"Well, fuck."
She couldn't help the words she blurted out to him and wanted to take them back straight away. Such a rude thing to say when she should be congratulating him. However, she couldn't help but think in nine months Lori would be bringing a tiny bundle of walker bait into the world. It would scream and cry and attract every damn walker for miles. Rick nodded slowly beside her and ran his hands roughly through his curly hair.
"Are you guys keeping it?" she asked quietly.
Rick looked at her as if he was trying to evaluate her, to see what angle she was working. His eyes studied every inch of her face and she rose an eyebrow at him.
"Yes, we are," he said finally.
She could see the hesitation, the question about whether or not it was a good decision and she bit her lip. She didn't want to impose her opinions on him but she couldn't see this as being a good idea unless they could stay at the farm.
"Well, I guess congratulations are in order then," she said, trying to force a smile.
Rick gave a short, humourless guffaw and smiled wanly at her.
"Thanks."

After they walked back to the camp Rick said he was going to speak with Hershel. Ruby nodded and let him go. She looked back at the camp and towards the stable and shrugged. She may as well do some work in the stable, where she could. Still favouring her ankle she walked over to the stable, to see Daryl lugging around a heavy saddle. He was clearly still in pain as she could see how much effort it took for him to bring it in front of the bay. She smiled to herself as she realised he had learnt his lesson from Nelly.
"Need a hand?" she drawled.
Daryl whirled around and scowled at her.
"I'm fine," he snapped, his southern accent thick and twangy.
"Suit yourself," she chirped cheerfully.
If he wanted to be a sourpuss, she would let him be a sourpuss.

"Still haven't fixed yer ankle?"
"There never seems to be the right time to ask," she replied, leaning against Athena's stall door.
She gently stroked the mare's face, allowing her fingers to run gently over the top of the mare's eyes. After a few minutes, Athena's head began to lower and her lower lip began to droop, indicating she was relaxing and starting to fall asleep.
"Ain't hard. Jus' walk up and ask," Daryl muttered.
"Yes, I know. But asking while fencing doesn't seem smart, or while Rick's trying to talk to him doesn't seem smart. And late at night after dinner doesn't feel right… I'll just let it heal on it's own. It'll be fine," she responded quietly.
Her gaze wandered over Athena's form and she sighed. How could she ever take Athena away from this? Here she was, safe in a stall with plenty of food and water. Her saddle hadn't even been on her in a full day and she had time to just be a horse. This was the first time since before the apocalypse started that she could do that.
"Don't be stupid. You'll hurt yurself more if ya don't get it taken care of," Daryl grumbled at her.
Ruby looked over her shoulder at Daryl to see him staring at her like she was an idiot. She smiled lightly and shook her head.
"'Ah'm fiiine'," she mocked playfully, trying to imitate his thick accent.
He glared at her, his eyes seemingly trying to make her burst into flames.
"Shut yer fuckin' mouth. I don't sound like that," he snapped, his accent growing thicker in frustration—thus proving her point.
She smirked and gave him a look as if to say, if you say so.

"Siddown," he growled.
Ruby's eyebrows crinkled slightly in confusion, but nevertheless, sat on the floor, stretching her injured leg out in front while crossing the other. Daryl disappeared into the tack room for a moment before returning with a red, plastic container with a white cross emblazoned on it. Ruby's brow furrowed some more until Daryl dragged out a horse bandage.
"That's a horse bandage, Daryl. Last I checked, I wasn't a horse," she teased lightly.
Daryl ignored her and pulled her boot off. Ruby sucked in a sharp breath as her ankle stretched slightly and Daryl's eyes snapped back up to her face.
"Ya okay?" he asked.
She nodded with a short exhale of pain.
"Just a bit concerned for your nose, I haven't washed my socks in a long time," she joked, trying to take the attention off herself.
Daryl's mouth twitched slightly in amusement as he peeled off her sock. She fought the urge to squeal as his fingertip grazed along the underside of her foot. Her feet were highly ticklish and consequently, she hated her feet being touched. Daryl's hands gently took her ankle into his lap and he began to gently feel the ankle and carefully twist it around. Ruby's teeth sank into her lip as pain shot through her leg.
"Definitely not broken. Just needs a wrap, I think," Daryl muttered.
Ruby's eyebrow rose.
"If you can wrap it, why didn't you wrap it the other day?" she asked.
"I ain't a doctor. You shoulda seen Hershel, but apparently you'd rather not inconvenience him," Daryl's tone implied he thought she was an idiot who couldn't take care of herself.
Ruby just shrugged.
"It would've healed up eventually," she mumbled.
"Before or after ya broke it 'cause it weren't wrapped?" Daryl shot back, his eyes staring into hers confrontationally.
Ruby grumbled incoherently under her breath and leaned back against the stall. Daryl's eyes dropped from hers and focused back on her ankle. He began to wrap the horse bandage around her ankle and she had to admit, it was nice having someone look out for her. She thought it was a bit unnecessary, a sore ankle wasn't going to kill her but she appreciated the care. Warmth spread through her leg as Daryl's fingertips grazed along her skin and she shifted uncomfortably.
"Too tight?" Daryl asked, his eyes glancing back up at her face.
A touch of concern had entered his eyes that made Ruby give him a reassuring smile.
"Nah, you're good. I mean—it feels good. Good pressure." Ruby felt her cheeks flame as Daryl's eyes narrowed at her awkward response.
Ruby didn't know what the hell was wrong with her, and thanked her lucky stars as Daryl said no more on the topic.

As his hands carefully wrapped her ankle she could see faint scratches on him from where Loki had jumped up at him and felt a small stab of guilt.
"Loki didn't get you, did he?" she asked him quietly.
Daryl's eyes flickered up to hers before he ducked his head, shaking it in response.
"Nah, just a couple-a scratches. If he'd bit me I'd've punched him," Daryl grumbled.
She wanted to glare at him, but she couldn't fault him. If a random dog bit her, she would probably respond the same.
"Sorry he jumped at ya," she mumbled.
"Don't be. He was protectin' ya. Be thankful ya got him," he replied seriously.
Ruby couldn't help the smile that grew over her face.
"Oh, I am. Don't you worry."

Daryl finished wrapping up her ankle quietly and had at least three feet of excess bandage. He drew out a knife and made to cut it.
"Stop!" Ruby yelped, jolting forwards with her arm outstretched.
For her, horse bandages were a precious commodity. After she was done with the bandage she could use it on any potential injuries Athena could attain. She only had two in her pack and a third would make a useful addition. Daryl cursed and fumbled the knife, dropping it, at her sudden loud outburst.
"What d'ya do that for?" he practically shouted at her. "Damn near stabbed ya in yer leg!"
"Sorry! But don't cut the bandage! I can use it after," she explained.
He stared at her in disbelief.
"Ya want to save a fucken bandage?"
"I can use it on Athena, if she gets injured. I don't have many."
Daryl stared at her intently before picking up his knife back up and quickly slicing through the fabric at her great protest.
"Daryl!" she growled.
He ignored her and tucked away the last of the bandage so it would stay secure. He then picked up the excess bandage and swiftly ran the knife down the centre length-wise. He rolled the strips up and then chucked them at her.
"Now ya got two dog bandages," he muttered.
Ruby blinked in surprise at the two rolled up strips of bandage and picked them up thoughtfully.
"Thanks," she said softly.

Daryl shrugged and dug back into the red container, throwing another bandage into her lap.
"Is this Hershel's?" she asked him.
Daryl nodded and Ruby frowned, holding the bandage back out to him.
"I'm not stealing from Hershel. He has animals to take care of too," Ruby said firmly.
"He's got a whole box of the damn things. He ain't gonna miss one," Daryl insisted.
Ruby felt her determination waver and bit her lip in contemplation. It was tempting, especially knowing he had many spares while she didn't. However, her good nature won out.
"I just can't, it wouldn't feel right. There is precious little of us left now, and I don't want to ruin what little good we have left by stealing," she said softly.
Daryl's blue eyes sharpened slightly and a frown set in.
"Ya gonna take that bandage off yer ankle too? Di'n't ask to use that either," he snapped at her.
Ruby frowned back at him and bit her lip.
"No," she admitted reluctantly. "But there's a difference between using a single bandage for an injury, and just taking supplies willy nilly."
"Stealin's stealin'. Don't slap fancy words or purpose onto it to try an' make it sound better," Daryl growled.
"Whatever then. I'm only going to steal one bandage! And if I remember correctly, it was you who insisted I use the damn thing," she spat in annoyance.
"That's right. I'm the fuckin' thief—not you so who cares?!" he shouted, standing up and snatching the bandage back.
She growled in frustration and quickly tugged her sock and boot back on. It drove her mental how easily her and Daryl switched from nice conversation to shouting at each other. Daryl quickly packed up the first aid kit and disappeared with a slew of curses. She huffed in frustration and decided she didn't want to hang around any longer, lest Daryl came back to yell some more.

Ruby decided she would wander over to the RV where Glenn was sitting atop, keeping watch. Ruby joined Glenn at the top of the RV, noticing he was wearing Dale's hat instead of his own and she could admit she was curious as to why.
"Hey," he called to her conversationally.
"Hi," she replied, somewhat warily.
So far, she'd never really had much to do with this kid. As such, she didn't know him or trust him. Especially now after finding out he knew about the walkers before anyone else. This was going to be her chance to get to know him and decide whether or not he was trustworthy.
"How long did you know?" she asked him.
He turned to her and she could see guilt etched into the lines in his face.
"Since yesterday," he mumbled.
She was surprised. He had an oddly large amount of guilt on his face for only knowing a day. She had expected him to say a week or something like that.
"Maggie wanted me to promise not to tell anyone but… These guys, this group, they're my family. I just couldn't… not tell them. Y'know?" Glenn replied.
Ruby sat down on the RV and leaned back on her arms and she looked up at Glenn. He couldn't have been more than 23 and he seemed to be looking for validation. He wanted to know if he did the right thing. He reminded her somewhat of a child and something tugged in at her heartstrings; the ones she had buried years ago.
"Yeah, I get it," she answered quietly.
He gave her a small half smile which she returned.
"Thank you for telling us. That was something we needed to know. And you went against Maggie to tell us, and I want to say how much I appreciate it. I know everyone else does too. Whether they say it or not," she continued.
Glenn gave her a bigger smile and she could see a small modicum of relief in his eyes as well.
"So, anything happening out there?" Ruby asked him.
Glenn shook his head.
"Nah, not much usually happens. I don't even think we've seen a walker on the property since the walker in the well," Glenn answered.
Ruby rose an eyebrow at that.
"I'm sorry?"
Glenn looked at her and tilted his head slightly.
"Don't you know about the walker in the well?" he asked.
"It's honestly the first I've heard of it," she replied, shaking her head.
Glenn gave a dry laugh before launching into his story of how they found a walker in Hershel's well and they had lowered him down into it to get him out.

Ruby's mouth fell open as Glenn regaled her with his story.
"I can't believe you willingly became walker bait," she breathed in awe as he finished.
Glenn gave her an impish grin and she shook her head at him.
"You are a whole new brand of crazy," she laughed.
"Not too crazy any more. I won't do that again," Glenn admitted.
"Gave you a bit of a scare, huh?"
"I admit to nothing," Glenn said with a small laugh.
Ruby laughed loudly in response, a grin spreading across her face. She couldn't actually remember the last time she laughed that hard. It would have been well before the apocalypse—probably when she went to visit New York to see a famous Australian stand up comedian. She looked back over the farm to see Daryl stomping away from the barn with his arm cradled around his injured side. The smile slid from her face as she noted Carol walking back to camp looking downtrodden. Her eyes flickered between the pair and her lips pursed. It seemed to her that Daryl had said something to upset the older woman and she was none too pleased with that. Carol was a lovely woman whom had been nothing but kind to her and was suffering through an awful trauma.
"Sorry Glenn, but I'm gonna go and see Carol. See if she needs any help with anything," Ruby said abruptly.
Glenn nodded amicably and waved her off. Ruby

climbed down the RV and strode over to Carol, going at a brisk pace, but not brisk enough to cause alarm. Daryl veered wide of her so she resolved to talk to him later, but for now she wanted to check on Carol.
"Hey," she called out to the woman as she got closer.
Carol looked up at her and quickly wiped at her face and gave her a small smile.
"Are you alright?" Ruby asked gently.
Carol gave her a small nod.
"Yes. Thank you, Ruby," she murmured, brushing off whatever it was that was upsetting her.
Ruby's eyes narrowed speculatively. Carol's eyes were red and glassy and she could see where tears had fallen and been wiped away. Carol's lips were pressed together and she could see a slight indentation where she had been biting down on it. As far as Ruby could tell, Carol was anything but alright. Loki whined from next to her and gently nudged the woman's hand, which prompted a small sniffle from her. Ruby could see more tears building up in her eyes and without thinking, threw her arms around the older woman in a consoling hug. Carol's arms circled around her and Ruby could hear and feel the cries and whimpers coming from her.
"I'm sorry!" Carol weeped.
"Hey, hey, shh," Ruby soothed. "Don't worry, we will find her. We'll find her and she'll be okay and I will love getting to know your little girl."
Carol pulled away and looked down at her feet.
"That's just it… I don't feel like she's out there any more a-and maybe Shane's right? Maybe it's time to stop… we can't lose Daryl or you to the walkers out there… we need you two," Carol whispered.
Ruby could hardly believe what she was hearing. Carol was losing hope? A flash of her own baby girl entered her mind and an echo of the pain stabbed through her. Her eyebrows drew down as anger stormed through her veins. She had been in Carol's shoes, searching for her daughter and not knowing. She would give anything to know. She tried to put herself in Carol's shoes but all she could think about was how much she wanted to punch Shane for putting all this through Carol's head. She was furious that a mother was giving up on her child because some asshole with a rod up his ass didn't want to search any more.
"Don't you dare for a second give up. Just because we haven't found her yet does not mean we won't," she said fiercely.
Carol flinched a bit at her tone and her eyes dropped to the ground.
"Now, I know I haven't been out there much, looking for her—but I'm going to go out right now. I'm going to tack up Athena and go out and I won't come back until dark or until I find Sophia. Whichever comes first."
Ruby felt her eyes blazing in ferociousness and promise and made sure that Carol could see her resolve. Part of her was screaming at herself for giving a grieving woman hope, but the other part of her felt that Sophia was alive and that she would find her.
"And Shane's a fucking dick. Don't you listen to a word he says."
Carol gave her a small smile as her eyes overflowed with tears.
"Thank you," she whispered, reaching out.
Carol enveloped her in a hug and clutched at her for dear life.
"I don't know if it'll help… I didn't want to ask, in case it was stupid—but I have a ribbon of Sophia's… Can Loki track with it?" she asked Ruby hesitantly.
Ruby took a deep breath. Theoretically, Loki could track with it just as all dogs could follow a scent, however too many factors were coming into play as to whether or not Loki would be able to track down the young girl successfully.
"I can only try," Ruby said optimistically.
Carol's smile grew and she handed over a red, satin ribbon. Ruby took it in her hands and studied it. She could see a few stray blonde hairs and pocketed it, looking back up at Carol with determination.
"I'll see you at dinner."