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

The Grove

When Negan told her that he would follow her anywhere, he didn't think it she meant now or down the side of a steep mountain. When he woke, she was gone, one of the pistols missing along with some of the meager supplies. He was instantly furious with her. Why she insisted on making everything more difficult than it had to be was beyond his comprehension. Popping up, he started searching and it didn't take him long to find her. He actually heard her calling for him and she sounded panicked.
He followed her loud whimpering over to the side of a particularly steep ledge and found her clinging desperately to some jagged rocks that jutted out from the side of the small mountain. Her feet were barely planted on a thin strip of flat dirt and small pieces of loose earth were rolling down to the rapidly flowing river below.
"What the fuck are you doing?" He called down to her.
"I wanted you to follow me north." She confessed, her voice shaky and small. "Now I'm stuck!"
Negan let out a short bark of a laugh. Pet certainly knew how to get herself into situations. Sometimes it wasn't her fault but a lot of times it was. Just like now.
"Well baby, that ain't north and keep in mind when I get you back up here, I'm gonna light your ass up for this." He said, biting his lip playfully even though he absolutely meant it.
"I don't care!" She cried. "Please pull me up!"
Negan nodded.
"Stay right there." He teased, evoking a frustrated growl from her.
As he headed to strip Odin of his reins, he let out a sigh. It was unbelievable. She had finally got him to admit that he loved her and then she goes off and pulls this shit. She certainly knew how to keep him on his toes and keep him busy. Pet never had a problem doing that.
Negan tied the reins together to fashion a makeshift rope and headed back towards the cliff. Kneeling down he peered over the ledge to find her staring up at him, green eyes shining. She knew she had messed up and she couldn't blame him this time, although she might when he was punishing her. If she started that shit, the bumpy ride in the saddle was going to be very uncomfortable on her beaten butt. He found himself smiling at the idea. It had been way too long since he had reprimanded her for being a simple brat.
The line barely reached her grasping fingers but she managed to grab a hold of it, holding her breath as Negan began hoisting her back to the top. She started using her legs to aid him but the rocks were unstable and when one crumbled beneath her foothold, it jolted the line and she lost her grip. Now she was holding on with one hand and she let out a terrified shriek as Negan looked on helplessly.
"Grab it, Pet!" He called to her. "You can do it!"
He was trying to hide the panic in his voice to calm her but in truth, he was just as frightened as she was. He would have no problem raising her but if she wasn't able to re-establish her hold, she was in danger of falling. The churning water was about eighty feet down. There was no doubt she would be swept downriver but if she hit the rocks as she plummeted, she could die easily.
Pet struggled to reach up, trying to use her feet again but the earth was too loose and it gave out once more, this time pulling Negan forward and she screamed again.
"I can't!" She cried, desperately reaching and failing to catch it.
He began pulling, sweat breaking on his brow, not only from exertion but from gut fear. She was dangling now, her feet free of any ground she once had and one arm straining to hold her weight.
"Negan.." She panted, as she slipped farther down the line.
He laid on his belly, reaching over the edge and extending his free hand. She was so close but still out of reach.
"Reach!" He said.
Pet flung her free arm up to try and reach Negan's grasping fingers but her palms had become slick with perspiration and she slipped, the rescue line falling away and she dropped, a high pitched scream echoing off the cavernous walls. He watched in horror as she plummeted and he let out an anguished cry of his own, fearing her body would be smashed against the jagged, protruding rock.
Pet felt the rush of wind in her ears and her persistent screams as she was suddenly weightless and flying through the air. The face of the mountain was a blur and even though it had only been a few seconds, to her it felt like an eternity before she slammed into water, knocking the breath from her.
Negan scanned the river. She had avoided the boulders and rocks but went under and wasn't coming up. His heart was thundering in his chest. It was unfathomable that he could have lost her like this, not to mention cruel and unfair. His stomach was burning and a knot formed in his throat until he saw her head pop to the surface. He could barely hear her cries but she was yelling as the current pulled her down river. At least she was alive and seemed to be able to keep her head above the churning waters.
He was about to run towards Odin. Hopefully he could get to her down river where the current slowed but as he stole a last glance, Pet had stopped flowing with the rushing water and seemed stuck directly in the middle. It didn't even seem like she was treading water but then she started waving her arms and he could hear her screams that sounded more like chirps from the distance.
"What the fuck?" He mumbled under his breath.
What he was seeing made no sense. She was moving sideways against the strong current. Even a strong swimmer could never perform such a feat. It was then that he saw people on the wooded shoreline, hauling her in like a drowned rat. She had been caught in a fishing snare and he could tell she was trying to fight it. He raced to Odin and quickly refastened the reins before heading down to where he hoped she would be.