"Anything?" Rick called out as he held the pistol steady toward the trees, scanning the area slowly with focused eyes.

"Nothing" Daryl grumbled and shouldered his crossbow before stalking back toward Rick. They had been out in these damn woods every day at sundown for several weeks looking for any sign of that woman that supposedly lives in them. Both men met back up in one of the many clearing surrounded by trees and just stood there in frustration as the darkness swirled around them and mist rolled through like a bad horror movie.

"This is a total waste of time Rick and you know it." Daryl huffed and gave up scanning the area and just stood there waiting impatiently for Rick to come to his senses on how stupid this situation was.

"You know it's not." He started. "Those people didn't know each other so how the hell could they talk about the same damn woman? You have got to see that that cannot just happen now days." Rick turned around and trudged deeper into the forest with his gun lowered to his side in hopes of looking as 'non-threatening as possible'.

"She's out here and we need her help now come on." Daryl groaned but followed after his friend whilst snatching his cross bow from his shoulder.

Unbeknownst to them that up in a tree that over looked their every move, a sharp tipped arrow followed their every waver and breath. Hazel eyes with anger knitted brows watched as they marched deeper within her tree and it was when they disappeared did she release the tension on her bow. With a deep breath through her nose the woman calmed her nerves before placing her arrow back in its quiver and bow back upon her back.

She was getting annoyed with those two! For forty-nine damn days they have been coming into her woods, poking their noses around, killing her beasts and taking her animals all the while looking for her? What the hell did they want her for? With a disgruntled sigh she pinched the bridge of her nose as hard as she could handle.

She never should have taken that brat to them; she should have just left him there or killed him herself! Releasing her nose and sliding her hand to hold her mouth and chin in thought, she tapped the tip of her nose with her index finger. He must have told them about her about how she saved him and possibly where he came from. Those two men weren't much of talkers from her watching them the only thing they would say every so often the few hours they were in her forest was that they needed her and needed to find her.

Needed her for what?

Slamming both hands to the thick branch she was crouch upon the woman braced herself as she swung her lower body backward, legs swinging to catch another branch about two feet down before swinging off of that one to land on her feet a bit harsher than she would have liked. Shaking her shoulders that were aching from her bow use she slinked beyond the trees and followed the two men that still crept deeper into her home. With her hood pulled tight over her head and fabric rippled to conceal her face, she used the darkness of her cloak to blend herself into the black of the forest as she paced herself closer to the men; who were now talking amongst each other more so than they have before.

"Rick what is she refuses to help us? Like they said, we can't force her we don't roll like that." Daryl mumbled as he shot to the left with his bow up and ready when a twig snapped in the distance.

Rick sighed. "We have to try. We don't know if she'll refuse or not besides it worth a shot I mean." He spun around with arms out in emphasis of the vast woodlands around them "She survives here alone in a forest crawling with walkers; you have to say that is impressive after what our group has been through."

That caught her attention and silently she poked her cloaked head from behind a tree that was maybe six yards away from the men. Ducking away from her tree and gliding to another when they began walking once more, they spun when they heard a twig snap under her booted foot and she had to bring herself not to smirk.

She had no intention of coming to them when they called but she would enjoy fucking with them while she could.

"How do we know she's not somewhere near us right now?" Daryl mumbled with his crossbow aimed right at the tree where she was hiding.

Bingo.

"She could very well be anywhere, in front or behind us, we're on her turf."

Double bingo.

Rick sighed and looked up at the sky as it began to lighten to very soft purple. Had they really been out here that long? Each night was getting shorter and shorter every time they had no contact with her and he was starting to lose hope. Maybe it was for the best to leave her alone. Shaking his head and checking the rounds he had left in his pistol, he would try just one more time and he'll come in here yelling if that's what it would take.

"We better head back." Rick yawned and shook his shoulders. "We'll try again tonight." Upon the look that Daryl had thrown him Rick locked his gaze on the hunter.

"We'll try just one more time, I promise." With that the two men mad their trek back toward the safe zone all the while followed closely by the very person they were hunting.

A/N: Next chapter will be a time jump to a very crucial moment in Walking Dead because I need to hurry and get that out of the way. I intended this to start during season 7 and now that the season is over, I'm ready to start so be prepared!