Daryl had been out on his own for long enough to get his thoughts together. Losing Sophia had been hard...at least when he lost Vera it wasn't after weeks of searching. He didn't feel like he'd been wholly responsible for her well being. It took a long time out here for that to sink in, but luckily this time unlike before he knew that his leaving wouldn't put any great strain on the group he was in. The prison could function without him...it allowed him a degree of independence that he hadn't had since the time with his brother. If life with Merle could really be considered to be independence.
Eventually he knew he'd have to return to the prison but life was so much easier out here by himself. All the thoughts of returning had slipped his mind. He wanted to at least drop supplies off to the prison and check in on Carol, Julia, and Sookie. But other than those girls there was no real reason to run back.
Of course he had no idea that the life from the prison and even further back was about to drop into his lap. He heard the rustle of the trees and brush but the sound of the footfalls told him it was too heavy to be a creature. That meant it was either a person or a walker. He stalked up with his hand grasped tightly around his knife, moving as quietly as he could to get behind the body.
Once he had the person in his sights he huffed out a big sigh of irritation. It was in part to let Carol know that he was behind her and in part to express how annoying it was that he almost drove a knife into her skull. "The hell're you doin' out here by yourself?" he asked as he straightened up, sliding the knife back into place and looking her over subtly for injuries. "Somethin' happen in the prison?"