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

Fox Hunt

The forest seemed to swallow her up as she raced through the darkness, Odin's powerful body tearing through the ripping branches and dense overgrowth. Pet couldn't see through the tears that had spilled from her eyes and she trusted the horse to get her as far away from Alexandria as possible. Her plan was to eventually make her way back to the Haven and regroup. It was the safest place she could think of at the moment even though it wasn't safe at all. It stood empty, abandoned and barren of any kind of front gates but she knew she could hide there for a while at the very least.
The only thing she carried with her was Maggie's gun. 'Negan should be with you!', her mind screamed. 'You left him there!'
Shut up, she told herself, trying to calm her reeling mind. He never loved you. He just wanted to own you just like he owned everything in his empire. If he had gotten his hands on you, he would have killed you. You saw it in his eyes and leaving him there locked up potentially saved his life. That was the logical part of her brain talking but her heart was telling her something very different.
By the time the sun started bathing the sky in warm, pink hues, she had reached the Haven and she was exhausted. Her old headquarters had long since burned and the standing homes had been ransacked and picked clean of any thing of value. Pet could only hope that the secret place beneath the floor of the old storage building still held some kind of emergency stash. She had packed it when she had held the title of leader. It contained jars of baby food, powdered formula and and bottled water in case there was ever a time that food went scarce. She had actually hid it from Negan and his group before he took her away and stripped her of her title. When she ruled, she looked out for her own first and foremost.
There had only been three straggling walkers in the compound which she took care of easily before making her way to the storage building. The morning sun shone through the dusty windows as she threw back the hatch in the floor and it didn't take long for her to find the crate. She had hidden it under a huge pile of lumber and piping debris. Letting out a sigh of relief, she grabbed a just a few things to eat and drink and then carefully tucked the crate away again. On her way up her eyes fell on Lucille. She had hidden her here too after her first solo trip back. Negan's legacy. She grabbed the bat, the handle cool and smooth in her palm. It was hers now.
Pet set off to the barn with Odin, her small bit of supplies and Lucille swung over her shoulder. Her legs were like tree trunks. She felt like she could sleep for days as she led the horse inside and dragged in an old bucket of rain water for him. It was hot outside but as she swung the wooden doors shut, it cooled the building somewhat and blocked the direct sunlight. The boards that latched the entrance shut would deter the dead too. It was not a perfect place but it would do for now.
Climbing the ladder to the open loft, Pet settled on a bed of pungent smelling hay and ate. Tomorrow she would embark on a dangerous quest to seek out some ferals. Of course she wouldn't be able to walk right up on them. Observing them was the best way to see how they lived. She wondered if they really were like the animals everyone said they were. It was a very frightening prospect but no one could make it out here on their own anymore. Everyone needed someone now. But if Pet had known what was coming, she wouldn't be so afraid of the roaming bands of survivors. Negan and his wrath were closing in.

By the time Pet had laid down to sleep, Negan was very close. There was no guarantee that she had headed back to her home community but if he knew Pet, she would go back to what's familiar. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face when he finally got to her. She would either run to him or away from him but he certainly hoped it would be straight into his arms, making it much easier for him to have at her. Nothing about tracking her been easy so far. Being out here alone in the depths of the Virgianian woods had been difficult and dangerous. The roads would have been simpler but he had to consider the ferals as well as anyone from the other colonies. Even his own Saviors could be a threat now that Dwight was running the show and despite Rick's agreement, he could still be a marked man. And of course the walkers seemed to pop up everywhere. He counted his blessings that he hadn't run into a herd of them.
Making his way the overgrown trails, he cut branches from the wild cane and stripped them of their bark at the times when he rested. They were insidious little whipping devices from way back in the day. When he was a prisoner, Pet had been quick to remind him he no longer owned the belt he had so sensually punished her with so long ago but he had it back now and she was going to taste it again along with the exquisite bite of the switch. This time she wouldn't enjoy it though. The deal was to bring her back alive not unscathed. She had too much to answer for. He had also been lucky enough to obtain a length of rope that had been left behind at a recently abandoned camp. It undoubtedly was a feral area although he hadn't seen any lurking about. If he kept moving through the night, he would be at the Haven by mid morning.