Feral: Love, Hate and Fine Lines....Negan and Pet

Keeper

Alexandria was exactly how Pet remembered it. It was larger than Hilltop and people lived in actual homes here not just empty tractor trailer containers. And while the trailer at her old home was comfortable, she was looking forward to windows and carpeting and all the simple things that maybe would remind her of life before everything went to hell. She was glad to be away from Maggie as well. Pet had tried everything to win Hilltop's leader over but to no avail. Rick's decision to bring her to Alexandria was a god send, alleviating her stress and hopefully giving her a chance to finally make friends. Even when she was at the Sanctuary, she didn't have any. She had belonged to Negan and it had been such a whirlwind of a time that she hadn't needed or wanted any. She was bound to him heart and soul and there was no room for anyone else. He kept her mind and body occupied like no other.
When she and Rick rolled through the gates of Alexandria, a few of his main people were there waiting for him. He wasn't out of the truck for five seconds when they started throwing a slew of questions at him. It was like she wasn't even there as they inundated him with news on the gardens, the strained relationship between Hilltop and the Sanctuary and anything that was an obstacle at that moment. Rick took it all in stride, firing off answers like the true leader he was. Every one of them seemed to satisfy and they slowly dissipated until Daryl was the only one left.
"Daryl, you remember Pet?" Rick asked, grabbing her bag out of the back of the truck.
His question was answered with a grunt and quick once over making her avert her eyes.
"Yeah. I remember her." Daryl grumbled. "Ain't nothing but trouble if ya ask me. She's bad luck."
"Seems like Maggie feels the same but that's not the only reason I brought her back here." Rick responded casually.
Daryl lit a cigarette and strode up to her, rudely grabbing her chin and pushing it up. Pet shoved his arm away roughly and narrowed her eyes at him, her jade irises flashing angrily.
"Hiding her pedigree papers under a damn scarf. Why did you bring her here, Rick?"
Daryl was glaring angrily and Rick returned it with a killer look of his own.
"Is that any way to treat our new community member? I brought her here for the horses Aaron just brought in. Jesus says she's a pro at training them and Maggie wanted her gone." He explained.
"She's good at it cause she was living with a bunch of animals. You should send her back there." Daryl responded coldly.
Pet's breath caught in her throat. She could never go back to Sanctuary. Dwight would certainly stick her in the lowest position possible, ensuring as much suffering she could handle. And then there was Simon. The last she saw of him, he was hauling ass out of the Haven when Alexandria took control. The Sanctuary would be the most logical place he would turn to for safe harbor. Dwight would probably welcome him in since they both wanted Negan overthrown anyway. He would gladly put her in a hole too. But the worst of all would be the memories. Negan would be everywhere just like in her dreams that haunted her every night. Being sent back there would be a death sentence in every possible way.
"She was Negan's bitch." He spat, flicking the cigarette butt at Pet's feet.
Pet couldn't hold her tongue any longer.
"If it wasn't for me, you all would have been slaughtered at the farmhouse." She hissed, stepping up until she was toe to toe with him.
Daryl met her gaze and didn't break it. He actually took a step closer till they were nose to nose.
"You knew it was a set up. How many more people you gonna get killed?"He growled.
"Can't tell you." She answered. "But I can tell you who's gonna be next."
"Cut it out." Rick ordered, stepping in between them and shoving Pet's backpack in her hands. "She works for me now and she's already explained she was a captive. That's right, isn't it, Pet?"
"You both saw me that night." She quipped. "Did I look like I was having a good time?"
Daryl broke his hard stare at her reminding words. She had been beaten so badly it took eight weeks in Hilltop's infirmary to heal up but she was also in Negan's arms when he was shot down. When she was well enough to be interrogated she told them she had no memory of that night at all. The lie excused her for having to explain herself.
"That mark on the inside of your thigh says you were a Savior, maybe more." Daryl challenged. "And a bad behaved one at that it seems."
Pet kept quiet after his last remark. She was trying to leave that part of her life behind her and it seemed that it would never be done with everyone trying to remind her. She was beginning to think no matter where she went to live she would be ostracized and that her broken heart would never be able to mend.
After that exchange both she and Daryl avoided each other. Rick had set her up in a small guest house on the property of another home. It was close to the horse corral and Pet soon realized she had her hands full. The horses they had wrangled were all unbroken and training was a slow tedious process but she had time. That was all she had.