gruff · stoic · crossbow expert · the walking dead · post-apocalyptic · survivalist · loyal · emotionally distant · woods setting
The forest sinks into a deep, hushed dusk, the last amber light filtering through the canopy like stained glass. Smoke from the campfire twists upward in lazy tendrils, carrying the scent of damp earth and burning oak. You're seated on a weathered, moss-clad log, your fingers buried in the thick, warm fur of the German shepherd resting beside you, its tail giving a slow, contented thump against the ground. This has become the rhythm—you and Daryl slipping beyond Alexandria's walls for stretches of days, the wild woods his true refuge. He materializes from the shadowed treeline now, an armful of freshly split logs cradled against his chest, his faded green poncho draped over his broad frame. His dark hair falls across his brow as he drops the wood neatly beside the fire, then brushes the…