Mercy on Me

"Ew, don't touch me," I scoffed jokingly, lightly shoving Shane's shoulder away from my body.

He threw his hands up in defeat as a smile crept across his face. "Don't laugh! You're gross!" I continued, fighting off a smile as well.

"Oh come on, you know you love me, sis," Shane chuckled before lunging and putting my head in a headlock.

I squealed, trying to fight my way out of his grip but he was just too strong. As I began to yell for help from Amy, who was only a few feet away, Shane's large hand clamped over my mouth. Shaking my head back and forth, I shot my tongue out and licked the palm of his hand.

"The fuck!" Shane yelped, releasing me in seconds. I bent over laughing at the sight of him freaking out.

"I told you not to touch me.." I laughed as I rubbed my eyes. Shane shook his head and rolled his eyes, but not without a smile.

"Dork,".

"What? Me, a dork? Let's not forget your high school years when—," I started, but Shane wouldn't let me finish.

"Don't you dare, Harper!". I looked at him and winked, finally letting him see my smile.

"I'll let you go this time, I guess; I have stuff to do anyway,". I watched Shane run a hand through his curly black hair as he spun on his heel to walk away.

I snuck up from behind him quickly and kicked him from behind, only to have him spin around and knock me on my ass.

"Don't touch my ass!" he threatened, pointing a finger at me. I rolled my eyes as I pushed myself off of the dirt ground.

"Please, Shane, you don't have an ass,". Shane raised his eyebrows and spun around to look for himself.

"Are you kidding? That thing's fucking gorgeous!". After hearing that, I threw my hands up into the air and walked away.

"I'm so done with this conversation,".

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I assumed it was late afternoon when I headed down to the water to get Shane's and my wash done. I squinted from the top of the hill after seeing two people down below. I pulled my knife out of my boot when I saw one of them fall to the ground. Were they walkers?

I hurried down but stopped short when I saw that it was Ed and Carol Peletier. I watched in dismay as Ed's hand quickly struck Carol's cheek, knocking her to the ground. It was obvious that they weren't happy in their relationship just by watching them around camp.

Nobody knew that he was abusive, though; we all had an idea but none of us had ever seen him in the act. When I saw him kick Carol in the ribs, I ran over and shoved him the chest.

"Ed, that's enough! She's hurt,". I heard Carol squeak from the ground as if she was trying to say something, but whatever she was trying to say was drowned out by the sound of Ed ramming me up against a tree.

I let out a loud gasp of breath as the wind was the knocked of me. With Ed's hands wrapped around my throat, I couldn't breathe. I placed my hands over his and tried to pull him off, but it was no use.

"Are you a part of my marriage?" Ed sneered, holding on to my neck tighter. I choked out some kind of noise and managed to shake my head no.

"Exactly. So I suggest you back the hell off, I swear to God..".

I shook my head in agreement, but Ed wasn't hearing it. He lifted me off of my feet, making the back of my head scrape against the hard bark. I could feel my skin tearing, which made me worried for an infection.

"I'm going to let you go now. You're going to go back up to camp and act like nothing happened, got it? If you so much as tell one person about this, I will not hesitate to blow your fucking brains out," Ed threatened me, his hand shaking against my throat.

My vision was blurring, as I was still struggling for breath. I squeezed my eyes shut when I felt him slide a hand up my stomach.

"Such a pretty girl. If you weren't such a bitch I probably could use you.. Then again, that damn redneck of yours or that brother wouldn't be too happy bout that. Don't say I didn't warn you," he finished before dropping me onto the ground.

I hit the dirt on all floors, my arms barely holding up. I was visibly shaking as I gasped for air, inhaling dirt along with it. I glanced over to Carol who was sitting in the dirt looking terrified. I shot her a sorry glance before pushing myself back up onto my feet.

I grabbed my family's dirty clothes and shoved past Ed, who was laughing beside Carol's fallen form. When I finally reached the top of the hill, I made a beeline for my tent; if I didn't sit down sometime soon, I would surely pass out.

I zipped the tent flap open and threw the clothes into the tent before flinging my own body inside. I didn't bother to zip the tent shut as my body landed on the twin-sized mattress that Shane had found for me a while back.

I blinked rapidly over and over, trying to make the black spots blurring my vision go away, but it only made it worse as darkness took me.

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When I woke up, my tent was zipped shut and there was a blanket draped over me. I lifted a weak hand up to play with the end of the blanket, trying to figure out who's it was.

"Finally, you're awake," a voice said from the other side of the tent. I jumped up to see Daryl sitting in the corner of my tent, legs propped up on the tiny box I used to contain my valuables.

"What are you doing in here?" I asked in a rush, my brain still foggy.

"Well when I see a little midget running around like a damn bat atta hell, I'm gonna think sumthin's up," Daryl snorted, crossing his arms.

"I am not a midget!" I snapped, mocking his crossed arms. Before the apocalypse, I was always made fun of because I was so short.

"Look at'cha! You're a damn lawn-gnome!". My mouth fell open on shock.

"I'm five foot two, Daryl!".

"Yeah, you're a midget,".

"Fuck you," I shot back, clearly surprising him.

We sat in a comfortable silence for a while before Daryl spoke up.

"So why were you runnin' to yer tent like you had somethin' to hide?".

"What do you mean?" I asked innocently, tilting my head to the side.

"Don't act dumb, you know what I mean," Daryl replied, his eyes taking a long roll. I shrugged at him and laid back down.

"I went to wash some clothes when I got dizzy, that's all," I lied, only to hear him come back at me.

"That's bullshit. Don't lie to me,".

I watched him pull his knees up to his chest as he waited for a response. I glanced over at the tent flap, almost expecting Ed to be standing outside of the tent. Daryl noticed this and followed my gaze to the flap.

"What?".

"Daryl, don't worry about it, okay? I'm obviously fine now. Just let it be," I sighed, rubbing my hand against my neck.

"What's that?" Daryl muttered as he pushed himself off of the ground.

"What's what?" I asked back as I watched him take strong strides towards me.

I almost pulled back when he took my hand in his and pulled it away from my neck.

"The fuck is there bruises on your neck for?" Daryl growled, staring hard at the sight of my black-and-blue neck.

"I don't know, Daryl, I didn't even know it was bruised," I stuttered, even though I knew that Ed was the cause. I allowed him to sit me up and examine me.

"You runnin' around in the woods and not telling anyone?" he asked me quietly, so I shook my head no. I felt his hand freeze against my neck a few moments later as he stared down at my pillow.

"What now?" I turned to follow his gaze and felt dread pierce my body when I saw my white pillow now stained red.

"Who did this to you?" Daryl whispered, his rough voice breaking our silence.

"It doesn't matter. I don't even remember scraping my head, it's fine,".

"It clearly ain't fine if your head's bleedin'! We need'ta wrap that up, and then you're gonna tell me who the fuck touched you,".

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I didn't know how to feel as I felt Daryl wrapping a bandage around my head. His touch was soft and gentle, despite his rough hands. I could feel his breath against my face as he concentrated on making sure he didn't hurt the wounds I had even more.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked him, emotions flooding through me.

"You're hurt, isn't it obvious?" Daryl replied gruffly as he ripped the excess bandage off with his teeth. I winced at the rip as if put force against my head.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"It's okay,". We sat in even more silence as the pulsing in my head slowly left me.

"How ya feelin'?" I heard Daryl ask from beside me.

"Okay. I have a bit of a headache," I replied as I felt Daryl grab me by the waist. My eyes glanced over to his and he shrugged his shoulders, slowly forcing me to lie down.

"Should sleep then,".

I still didn't understand why Daryl was helping me. Normally he couldn't give two shits about anyone but his brother. Was I just a fill-in while Merle was away?

"Why don't you let anyone see this side of you?" I asked him quietly before looking up to face him. He looked uncomfortable, so he shifted away from me.

"This ain't no different than how I would treat anybody else. Stop actin' like yer getting special treatment," he snapped, but you could tell he regretted saying it. I didn't back down at his harsh words; it's how he is.

"I never said I was getting 'special treatment'. Don't be a dick,".

Daryl glanced back over at me with squinting eyes, as if trying to figure out if I was really mad. I smirked at him, showing him that I wasn't. He cleared his throat before changing the subject.

"Who did this ta you?". Now it was my turn to shift uncomfortably.

"Didn't I tell you not to worry about it? I can take care of myself,".

"Clearly not by the looks of ya; tell me, Harper," Daryl demanded, looking me straight in the eyes.

I probably wouldn't have told him until I saw the look that he was giving me. His deep eyes were full of concern, something that I had almost never seen from him.

"It was Ed," I whispered, feeling Daryl tense up.

"Did he..".

"No, he didn't. He wanted to, but he said something about me being 'too bitchy for his taste', and how you and Shane wouldn't be too happy," I replied, rubbing my temples.

It felt good to tell someone, and Daryl was clearly up for listening. I looked over to Daryl who looked as angry as I've ever seen him.

"But he did this to you?" he asked me, pointing to my neck and head. I nodded silently but panicked when Daryl stood up in a rush and reached for his crossbow.

"Daryl, what are you doing?" I asked in a rush, feeling dizzy as I stood up. Daryl noticed and grabbed my arm to steady me.

"I'm gonna kill 'em," he growled, unzipping the tent.

"No, don't!" I practically yelled, lunging for his body. I took Daryl's face in my heads and pulled him towards me, making his body tense up even more.

"Why shouldn't I? He hurt you, he.. He put his hands on you! He deserves it, that fucking bastard," Daryl yelled back, but in a harsh whisper. I winced at the grip he had on my wrists, but he didn't loosen up.

"Daryl.." I tried, but nothing came out. Daryl was watching my face as my emotions flooded through me.

"See? The look on your face shows that you're damn terrified of him. Let me help for once," he fought back before he ripped his body out of my hold. I lunged for him again as he lifted the tent flap.

"Daryl, he threatened me,". Daryl spun around slowly and dropped his head to the side.

"Gotta be kidding me. Is he fuckin' suicidal? What'd he say?" Daryl replied in a short, gruff tone.

"Well.. He said that if I told anyone he would, quote, 'blow my fucking brains out'," I managed to say, a shiver going through me.

Daryl turned to face me fully and gave me a onceover. Even in my battered state, I still felt a blush creeping up into my face.

"Are you okay?" he asked me quickly, so I nodded. Daryl gave me one more quick look before readjusting his crossbow and left the tent. I panicked even more when I saw him make his way towards Ed, even though everyone was around the campfire.

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"What the fuck!" Ed shouted as Daryl flung his crossbow into Ed's face.

"Give me one reason to not shoot an arrow into your sorry-ass head," Daryl growled before taking aim with his bow.

"Woah now," Shane stood up quickly and took Daryl's shoulder in his hand, trying to pull the bow down.

"Ed hasn't done anything wrong, Daryl. Calm down,". Daryl laughed darkly before turning to face Shane.

"Oh, he didn't now? Have you talked to your sister lately?". Shane's eyes darkened before turning to Ed.

"What did you say to her?" Shane asked him in a tone that he hadn't used in a long time. Someone hurt his sister? His sister? Ed crossed his arms but didn't say a word.

"More like 'what did he do to her'," Daryl spat, gripping harder onto the crossbow.

"Daryl Dixon showing emotion? Seems like this girl's got'cha whipped!" Ed cackled as he spat into the fire, making the flames sizzle. Daryl shoved his crossbow into Shane's arm and lunged for Ed, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.

"Ain't nobody making me whipped; I jus' don't agree with the way you go about treating women!" Daryl bellowed.

Everyone that was sitting around the dwindling campfire was dead silent, unsure of what they should do. Dale shot Ed a disappointed look when he noticed Carol staring at the ground.

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"Daryl, stop. Please," begged from behind the unfolding scene.

Everyone turned to look at me, but Daryl didn't let go of Ed. I was wrapped in a large grey sweatshirt with the hood up, not wanting everyone to see my bandage.

"Want proof? Go check your sister out," Daryl snarled a few feet away. I took a step back as Shane headed over to me.

"Don't, Shane. Not here," I whimpered, but he placed his comforting hands on my shoulders.

"It's okay, Harper,". I remained silent as Shane pulled the hood down, noticing the bandage wrapped through my hair right off the bat.

"He do more?" he asked me through gritted teeth. I shook my head yes and held my hair up so Shane could see my growing bruises. Shane's face went from furious to sadness as he ran his fingers across the bruises.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there," he apologized before kissing me on the cheek.

"You don't have to apologize, Shane," I sighed, shaking my head.

"No, I really do. Love you, sis,".

"I love you too, Shane,".

Once Shane released me, everyone thought that the fight had ended, but it quickly picked back up when Shane spun on his heel and punched Ed in the jaw.

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"Shane, stop! You'll kill him!" Dale shouted as he pushed himself up from his lawn chair.

Shouts and cries echoed through the camp as Shane continued to wail on Ed, not bothering to stop after we he heard a loud crack coming from his bloodied nose. The only one who didn't try to get Shane to stop was Daryl, who (for once) actually agreed with him.

It was as if everyone had forgotten about the true dangers in our new, crazy world: walkers. I ran over to Shane and caught his fist mid-swing. I winced a little and Shane automatically pulled back.

"Don't stop me, Harper. He can't touch you," Shane ordered through clenched teeth, but I wouldn't hear it.

"Shane, everyone is screaming. Screaming. Walkers love noise, remember? Look, I'm okay. Just calm down," I fought back, my voice firm.

Shane stared at me in thought, thinking about whether hitting Ed wax worth attracting walkers. I let out a deep breath when he nodded at me, kicked Ed once more and pulled Ed to his feet.

"You don't touch her. Hear me? Because if I so much as see you look at her, I will fucking kill you," Shane spat, shoving Ed once more before heading to his tent.

Lori shot me a look before grabbing a frozen Carl by the arm and rushing over to where Shane had gone. I stared at Ed, who was beaten to a pulp. Blood was dripping down his face and Carol was rushing around to get supplies to clean him up.

"Yer welcome," that voice with the Southern drawl said from behind me. I spun around to face him and crossed my arms.

"I'm 'welcome'? Daryl, this is all your fault!" I yelled, shaking my head. Daryl's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"My fault? He was the one threaten'en to kill you!".

"Daryl, I told you to leave it alone; sure, I have a few cuts and bruises, but Ed most likely has a broken nose and a few broken ribs! Was that really worth it?" I continued, raising my eyebrows to match his. Daryl scoffed and rolled his head.

"Unbelievable. You come to me for help and then get all pissed off when I do something 'bout it...". I shook my back in surprise in that comment. I went to him?

"Daryl, you came to me. You checked on me. You made sure that my cuts were better. Why do you even care so much? You don't give anybody else the time of day!" I yelled back, not caring that the rest of the camp was watching as they quietly dispatched to their respective tents.

"I told ya, you don't get no special treatment," Daryl muttered, taking a step forward.

"Clearly I do.. If Ed had put his hands on Lori, would you have done something about it? No. You would've said that it was 'her damn problem' and that she should go to Shane, not you. So why? Shane is my brother, after all," I continued, urging him on.

I knew that there was something he wasn't telling me; something that he didn't want to admit.

"Just fuck off! You don't know what'chur talkin' about!" Daryl bellowed from above me, and as he asked, I backed off.

"Fine," was all I said as I backed and headed for my tent.

"Dammit," Daryl muttered, shaking his head before heading back to his tent for yet another lonely night.

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Two days had passed since the fight between Ed and Shane had broken out, and Daryl was nowhere to be found. He had left in a hurry the morning before muttering something about hunting to Dale and hadn't come back yet. We all hoped it was just an overnight trip.

"Okay, everyone. Today's the last day before some of us have to volunteer to go into the city and search for the rest of our group, so start thinking about if you're gonna volunteer," Shane explained, arms crossed against his strong chest.

As if on cue, a loud wailing horn could be heard in the distance.

"T'fuck is that!" Shane cursed, worried about the noise. We all watched a nice red mustang appear in the distance, driving directly towards us. I looked at Shane with a smile.

"That has to be Glenn!".

"It might not be, Harper. Everyone get towards the RV! Harper, stay by me," Shane ordered, so I skipped over, practically floating.

They were back! Andrea, Glenn, Morales.. I couldn't wait. I heard Shane click the safety on his gun to the off position, but kept it holstered in his pants. As the car pulled up, we heard a loud voice yelling in pure glee from the car.

"You can put your gun away, that's Glenn," I laughed.

Shane, Lori, Carl, and I had come across Glenn first after the apocalypse. When the world went to shit, he was on his way to deliver a pizza. He insisted on delivering at least that pizza before we left, but the person who had called it in had already turned. Besides Shane (and recently Daryl), I could say that I'm closest with Glenn. We're practically best friends.

I waited for him to hop out of the car before bolting for him. He wasn't expecting me to jump into the arms, but he caught me.

"Thank God you're okay!" I whispered against his ear. I heard him laugh before speaking.

"Why can't all girls love me this much?". I threw my head back in laugh before planting an obnoxious kiss on his cheek.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked as he put me down.

"They are.. Ah, right there!" Glenn smiled as we all saw the approaching white box truck. T-Dog jumped out of the driver's seat as we all heard the back of the truck being opened.

"Come see everybody," Glenn suggested, taking me by the hand.

I gave T-Dog a giant hug and squealed when Andrea hopped out of the van. She gave me a hug before running over to Amy, embracing her sister.

"We found a new guy, by the way," Glenn mentioned, running a hand through his slicked back hair. I raised one of my eyebrows in shock.

"A new guy?".

"Yeah! He saved our asses in there; we probably would all be dead if it wasn't for him," Glenn explained to me, making me shiver.

We almost lost all of them? I headed behind the truck with Glenn as he shouted "Come on out, man! Meet the group!".

I wasn't sure if Shane would be okay with a new guy in the group, but forgot all about it when Rick Grimes stepped out of the truck, shielding his handsome face from the sun.

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"Rick..?" I whispered, hands shaking. Was I going crazy? Rick turned to face me and his jaw dropped.

"H..Harper?" I nodded my head slowly as I felt the tears start to fall. Rick Grimes is alive? I ran over to him and wrapped him in a giant hug, enjoying the feel of his strong, familiar arms.

"Oh my God.." was all I could say; I was in shock.

"You're alive?" Rick asked me in a whisper, placing his hands on my back. We pulled apart and looked at each other, as if we didn't believe that either was alive.

"Of course.. Shane said that he had to leave you in the hospital, that he couldn't get you out," I explained, pressing my hands into my stomach. I saw his teeth clench.

"Is that what he told Lori and Carl?".

"No. He told them that you died," I replied, hugging him one more time.

"Are they.." Rick tried, but he couldn't bear the thought of them dead. I smiled at him before wiping a fallen tear away.

"Find out for yourself,". I lead him around the side of the truck towards the group.

Shane looked over to see the 'new guy' and his eyes widened. I could see Rick shaking in the corner of my eyes as he stared back at his Shane; his best friend, his brother.

"DAD!" Carl's little voice shouted from the RV window.

Rick's head snapped to the RV window and watched in silence as Carl ran out of the RV. Tears began to flow from Rick's eyes and he put his hands up to his mouth as if he couldn't believe what was happening. He bent down and embraced Carl tightly, rocking back and forth with him as the tears fell between both of them. That was when Lori sprinted over.

"Rick.." she cried taking him in for a hug.

Rick kissed the top of her head, and I automatically felt jealous; why couldn't I have someone who loved me as much as Rick loved Lori? But that was when it hit me; Lori had started a relationship with my brother. Rick's best friend.

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The news of Merle not making it back had hit us hard. We weren't necessarily upset for him; we were upset (and scared) for Daryl. How was he going to react?

"Who's gonna tell him?" Glenn asked nervously, biting on his fingernail.

"I should. I was the one who dropped the key," T-Dog offered, rubbing his bald head.

"Yeah, I don't think that's a good idea.." Lori muttered, shaking her head no.

Although Daryl was nowhere near as racist as Merle, it probably wouldn't help that an African American man had dropped the key to his brother's life.

"I'll do it," I offered, raising my hand.

"Are you two close, Harper?" Rick asked me, raising his eyebrows. Rick was surprised.

After meeting Merle, he could only assume that Daryl was just as bad, maybe worse. He didn't want Harper getting close with the wrong people.

"Not exactly close.." I muttered, remembering our argument from two days prior.

"Closer than most," Amy piped up from behind Andrea, who looked confused.

"What the hell happened while we were gone?" Andrea asked me, a smile creeping up onto her face.

"Nothing good," I replied, her smile disappearing.

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"Merle! Get your sorry-ass out here; I need help skinning these squirrels!" Daryl shouted as he walked up the hill towards the Quarry.

Once I heard his raspy voice, I ran for him, hoping to get him as far away from the group as possible.

"Daryl," I breathed, gasping for breath.

"No need to say my name like that.." Daryl muttered, his interest peaked by the way his name had come off of my voice in a breathless whisper.

"Can we go by the water? We need to talk," I asked him, a serious look on my face.

"'Bout what?" Daryl spat, his eyes squinting. He clearly hadn't forgotten about our argument.

"Just.. Please," I sighed before taking a hold of his strong arm.

I could feel him tense up at my touch, but before he could yell at me for it, I dragged him down to the water.

"What's this about?" he asked me, readjusting the crossbow on his shoulder.

"It's about Merle," I replied, a sad look crossing my face. Daryl's face was like stone; unmovable.

"He dead?".

"No! At least, I don't think so,".

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I ran behind Daryl as he power-walked towards the RV where everyone was.

"Who did it? Who cuffed him?" Daryl spat, throwing his crossbow to the ground in anger.

"I did," Rick stated, stepping to face him.

"Who the fuck are you?" Daryl growled, crossing his arms.

"I'm Rick Grimes," Rick, replied, crossing his arms as well.

"Well, Officer, what gave you the damn right to decided what to do with my brother?" Daryl muttered, anger coursing through him.

"He was a danger to the entire group, I did what I had to do," Rick shot back, his velvety Southern voice was coated in sadness.

"So you just left him there!?" Daryl roared, clenching his fists.

"I was the only who dropped the key for the handcuffs," T-Dog stepped in, helping Rick out.

"Oh, well isn't that just fucking perfect! You couldn't pick the damn thing back up?" Daryl laughed in anger.

"I dropped it down a drain-hole, Daryl. I'm sorry," T-Dog apologized.

He felt even sorrier when Daryl lunged for Rick. Rick stepped out the way quickly and Shane lunged forward tackling Daryl to the ground. They wrestled for a bit until Shane had Daryl in a chokehold.

My hands were pressed against my mouth, as if I wanted to say something. I didn't want Shane to hurt Daryl, especially not like the way he hurt Ed.

"Shane's going to let you go now, if you can have a normal conversation with me.. Think you can handle that?" Rick asked, getting up close to Daryl's face.

I was surprised to see Daryl look over at me, as if looking for my judgment. I shot him a terrified look, which clearly showed that I didn't want him getting hurt. Daryl watched me for what seemed like forever before shaking his head yes, making Shane release him.

"Fuck y'all! I'll just get him myself," Daryl pushed himself off of the ground. "Where'd ya leave him so I can get him?" Daryl asked mockingly.

"He'll show you,". We all looked to hear Lori from the RV, Carl under her arm.

"She's right. I'm coming with you. Who else?" Rick asked, spinning to face everyone.

Glenn and T-Dog agreed to go back, but that was it. I started to panic. We had already lost one Dixon. For some reason, I don't think that I could handle losing the other.

"I'm coming too," I told the group, although Shane was the first one to object. "Shane, you can't protect me forever. I think what happened with.. Ed, showed that. I'm going, and you aren't going to tell me otherwise," I said to Shane quietly, but in a forceful tone.

I walked over to an angry Daryl and took him by the arm.

"Come on; let's get you cleaned up,". Daryl didn't say anything as I led him down to the water, and surprisingly, nobody else did either.