Throughout his lifetime, Merle had been called a myriad of things. From troublemaker to dumbass to piece-of-shit-asshole. He’d been called a thousand things by a thousand different people -- but he always got up in arms about it.

Perhaps that was why this particular nickname got on his nerve. ‘Dog.’ He hated it. He was no one’s fuckin’ dog. Even if he was loyal to a fault, even if he only listened to him -- that didn’t make him a dog. He didn’t appreciate it. The second it was uttered, his body grew taut.

“The fuck’d you call me?” he scowled, starting towards them with intense irritation. What he wouldn’t give to knock their teeth down their throat....