#☆ ───── AUGUST WOLFHART ( VERSE. WE SURVIVE BY PULLING TOGETHER NOT APART )

[jundlcndwastes]

daryl offers august a worm he's dug up out of the ground. he's just eaten at least two others in front of him.

AUGUST WAS STARING. As impolite as the mannerism was he couldn't help himself. Would anybody else be able to when watching a fellow comrade down two worms he dug right out of the ground? No hesitation either. Just ate them like they were strands of spaghetti. ❝ Daryl, can I ask you something? ❞ Palm rubbed over his mouth and down his chin. ❝ What the fuck was that? ❞

[jundlcndwastes]

Juniper had been dehydrated for so long that it felt like every gulp of water wasn't nearly enough. Even the plate of food that the doctor had brought her didn't feel like it was ever going to be enough. As much as she wanted to scarf it all down, she had been taking her time with it, as if that was all that would be able to be divvied up to her while she was here. That kind of mentality came from someone used to having to ration out their food because they didn't know when they'd be fed next. The funny thing was, Redstar had the supplies, they just kept it all locked up; another form of control Slade had over his people.

She thought about his words, how he said that she had made the right decision coming here to Alexandria. As hesitant as she was about coming here, uncertainties still not shaken just yet, so far she was glad that she had made the decision to come here after all. The worn-down girl hadn't been past the gates five minutes before she was being whisked away to the infirmary to receive immediate medical assistance. She'd been given a bed to rest in, water to drink, and food to eat. Nobody had meant her any harm (as far as she could tell) and Daryl had even come to check on the newcomer to make sure she was doing okay so far. That didn't mean she still didn't feel on edge just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

❝ Thank you, ❞ she spoke quietly, a croak in her voice, echoing the hardships that she had been through leading up to being here. That 'thank you' meant a whole lot and even if she couldn't convey it all right now, she hoped that he at least understood to a certain degree that she really was grateful that he had told her about this place. For all either of them knew, she could have been dead instead of resting in a bed right now. When he mentioned having to leave, Juniper nodded her head, laying back down on her side once he disappeared from the room. Her body needed rest, but something deeper than fear prevented her from wanting to close her eyes to get the sleep she deserved.

Any time that August had been allowed outside of the walls of Alexandria, he was out there looking for his daughter, the only thing left he had in this destructible world. The day that they had been separated played on a loop in his mind day in and day out, questioning how good memory actually was. He constantly tried to recall details, to remember the faces of the people who ambushed them, specifically who grabbed Juni. He tried remembering any vehicles around that might have been lying in wait. Anything that engrained itself in his memory, he tried using as a clue to find her, but he always came back empty, and he always came back feeling guiltier and guiltier, like it was somehow his fault he'd been shot in the leg and couldn't stop them from taking her.

The good people of Alexandria had taken him in not long after that, helping him with this injury and barely healing before he was adamant about getting back out there and finding her, constantly reminded that the world was too big and she could be anywhere. That was something that weighed heavy on his chest - she really could be anywhere; either far away or just within reach and he wouldn't even realize it. So when he wasn't out there, he was in here making himself a useful civilian, taking up mechanical work.

Despite his desperation, he'd just barely heard word that a newcomer was sitting in the infirmary. He'd been busy working on the innards of a rundown Chevy that everyone else said was scrap metal, but no, to a mechanic there was much potential. Hands were wiping away at a rag that was dirtied up as it was when Daryl rounded the corner of the garage, not bothering with a greeting but instead telling him something he'd been longing to hear since he got to this place. Juniper was found.

Everything was dropped immediately; the rag fell to the ground and there was a clatter of metal as a wrench was forgotten. August's legs couldn't take him to the infirmary fast enough and he practically kicked open the door to see if what Daryl was saying was true. The moment his eyes landed on his daughter, the only thing in the world that mattered to him, his eyes lit up like fireworks on the fourth of July. Just looking into her own startled gaze, he could tell that every fear he'd had about losing her was echoed tenfold.

❝ Juni, ❞ he gasped her name as he ran to her side, not giving her the chance to get out of that bed in the state she was in. A million questions ran through his head at once, wondering what had happened to her out there that she'd landed herself in here. His arms scooped her up and held her against his chest, peppering hard kisses against the crown of her head. He was never going to let her go again.

The door to the room slamming open had her heart rate jumping, Juniper immediately sat up in the bed wondering if now was the time the second shoe had finally dropped; that this place wasn't what Daryl had promised it would be but another nightmare coming true. It wasn't though. There was no nightmare emerging from the door, no threat that meant her freedom was being taken away from her again, and nobody that meant her any harm. How fast her heart had been beating before now seemed to freeze in her chest as she laid her brown eyes upon the one face she had been DREAMING of ever since the day she had been separated from him. He was alive.

❝ Dad, ❞ she choked on a sob that she couldn't hold back, immediately trying to scramble out of this bed so that she could get to him and throw her arms around him. He was quicker than she was though, at her bedside in a flash and pulling her into his chest. Juniper suddenly felt like a child again, that same little girl who had lost her mom in a horrible, life-changing accident and relied on the only other person in the universe that she had. They were two halves of a whole, two lone wolves that weren't so alone when they were together, and two hearts that made each other feel at home.

❝ Hey, hey, ❞ she heard him whisper against her hair as he held her tight in his arms, neither one of them minding how injured she might have been, and she certainly wasn't speaking up. ❝ I've been looking all over for you, kid. Where the hell have you been? ❞ He chuckled nervously, a gratitude dedicated to the universe for bringing them back together.

she gulps down water exactly as he'd expect anyone to at this point, and surely, her body needs it. he doesn't exactly know what happened to her out there between their meeting and her showing up on alexandria's doorstep, but daryl had not been lying when he said she didn't look good. it's nice to see her a little more cleaned up and getting some much-needed rest.

her name, though, gives him pause as she finally reveals it. thoughts stir in his mind as if they've all been pulled into a whirlpool. daryl recalls a certain newcomer, august, and the emotional plight he's been talking about for weeks now: that he'd been separated from his daughter and that he wanted to find her. a woman named juniper.

it's a unique name; one daryl wouldn't have forgotten even if he tried. rather than speaking up about this sudden revelation, however, he only nods. it will be up to august himself to confirm or deny her being his daughter. though he does feel that juniper is trustworthy, daryl doesn't know her. not really. the safety of the community always comes first.

‘ you made the right decision comin' here. ’ he chews on his lower lip a little, debating on whether he should let her rest or if he should bring august here now. she does need to sleep, to recover, but maybe that would be easier with her father there. that's if she even wants him there at all— daryl doesn't exactly know the whole story. she might hate her dad's guts. the last thing he wants to do is reunite someone with a parent who doesn't have their best interest in mind. will he risk it?

he decides that if juniper gives him any indication that she doesn't want to be near her father, he will do everything in his power to make it so. it's the least he can do for keeping it from her in hopes that it would be a nice surprise. ‘ i got somethin' i gotta go do, ’ he says, gesturing out the door. ‘ i'll come back later— make sure you're doin' alright. ’

it doesn't take daryl long to find august. all he needs to say is i think i found your kid and they're off towards the infirmary. august's anticipation is almost palpable. when they get there, daryl makes sure to remain by the door— should juniper need him, should this be a decision daryl would come to regret, he needs to be there to be the one to fix it.

[jundlcndwastes]

& VARIOUS QUESTION SENTENCE STARTERS. | ❛ can't sleep? ❜ ( for august ! ) asked by @aintashes

❝ More like on watch. ❞ August's head rolled to the side so that he could look over in Daryl's direction, a little smile playing on his lips. It didn't matter if he felt the weight of the day resting heavy behind his eyelids, he wasn't going to close them until he knew his daughter was going to be okay through the night.

He understood fully that she wasn't a little girl anymore battling the flu and was scared to be alone because she didn't understand why she felt so bad. God, he remembered those nights, letting her crawl into bed with him so he could monitor her. She seemed to sleep soundly once she was curled up next to him clutching her favorite stuffed animal. Even if she was much older now and able to sleep without him there, something inside of him still tugged at him, insisting that he needed her to get through the night without any fear.

August exhaled slowly through his lips as he tried imagining what she had been through. He was still in the dark as he waited for her to feel comfortable enough to let him in on it all. ❝ You try hard to protect your kid and when you can't . . . ya know, I can't even begin to tell you how it feels. It's like you failed them. It don't matter how old they get either. That's still my little girl in there and she's afraid to sleep because if she closes her eyes, she can't watch her own back. Speaks volumes about what's happened to her. ❞

[jundlcndwastes]

& AN ASSORTMENT OF DIALOGUE PROMPTS. | ❛ few more stitches and you’ll be as good as new. ❜ ( for august ! ) asked by @aintashes

Nothing felt worse than a deep cut to the palm of the hand. You couldn't flex it, you couldn't grab anything, you couldn't do anything but be at another person's mercy while they bandaged you up. ❝ That's just a few more than I think I can stand, ❞ he grunted through a strained voice, withstanding the pain as much as he could. He said just a few more stitches, and August was counting every one of them. ❝ Ya pride yourself on being careful and something stupid like this happens. ❞

[jundlcndwastes]

August never wanted to think of himself as a shitty father, but there had been a time when his own ex, the mother of his child, thought that he had put his career before being a parent. He had come from a long line of mechanics that worked hard from the moment the sun came up to finishing the day with their hands coated in black motor oil. They lived their lives dedicated to fixing vehicles like it was a family tradition. Of course, it had been his own father that had introduced him to the unconventional career of smuggling people across the border. Smuggler, coyote, whatever you wanted to call him, that was how he made his living. That kind of lifestyle didn't exactly bode well with starting a family.

He and Joleen had loved each other to the ends of the earth, but that didn't mean his criminal activity didn't scare her into thinking about what that could do to their growing family. The thought of him being caught by police illegally taking people across the border one way or the other, or even someone taking advantage of him and killing him on the job, it was enough for her to finally stand up for herself and tell him that they had to separate. It broke his heart but despite such woes, he promised to be there for their little girl. Then tragedy struck not three years later when Joleen was killed in an accident and every bit of parenting responsibility fell on his shoulders.

August had promised her the day they called their relationship quits that he would always be the father their kid needed and he would see it through to his dying day that he kept that promise. She might have always been an independent person where it counted, but right now she needed him, just like she did twenty years ago when she found out her mama wasn't coming home from the hospital. While she was laying up in that infirmary bed, all he could see was that innocent little girl that he needed to protect.

❝ I think she knows she's always had me, ❞ he exhaled a slow sigh, a statement that he was mostly musing to himself, sure of it. Their bond was something unbreakable. ❝ I just know that right now she needs me where it counts. ❞

The ex-smuggler turned his eyes away from the sky above and looked back to Daryl. Mentioning Alexandria to her back there in those woods, well, there was really no amount of thanking that he could do to show his friend just how grateful he was. Say he hadn't told her about this place. She could be dead, something he didn't want to think about, something that made him shudder. ❝ She did though . . . cause of you. Ain't enough I can do to repay you for that. I want you to know that. ❞

Blue eyes stared hard at Daryl, hoping he understood the weight of his sentiment. There was the question of what had stopped Juni from coming here though. She had only spoken bits and pieces about what had happened to her but he didn't know the whole picture yet. She just needed time to heal and pull herself together enough to be able to confide in him. That was something he knew would take time. ❝ I don't much yet, ❞ he started, brows slowly coming together to form a small frown. ❝ I know she was held somewhere all this time and she got away somehow. By the looks of it, it nearly killed her. ❞

daryl has never had children of his own. he doesn't know what it means to be a father, or a parent at all, and he didn't exactly have the greatest examples growing up. as the saying goes, though, it takes a village; and daryl is never opposed to helping with the kids around alexandria. he's no expert, but he knows that they enjoy his company. they seem to, at least, especially when he agrees to play tag, or hide and seek— although they always say that he's too good at finding them.

and then there's judith. she's another story entirely. if anything ever happened, if daryl suddenly needed to be that father figure for her, he knows he could. that little girl is everything to him— to uncle daryl. it's still not the same, he knows, but it's something he can begin to relate to in a way. there's nothing on planet earth he wouldn't do for judith.

daryl nods, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. he contemplates august's words for a long minute as smoke exhales from his nose. ‘ she's got you now, ’ he says. a breeze wafts gently against the skin of his arms and daryl looks to the sky, observing the lazily passing clouds. august has been guarding the infirmary door for a while now, and daryl knows there will be no convincing him to leave and rest— but that doesn't mean he can't offer some momentary company.

‘ she'll be good. eventually. y'know— she almost didn't come. ’