Calista was neither surprised nor disappointed. On the contrary, she thought even more highly of Rick now.
As expected of the protagonist, the man who could pull together a group in the apocalypse and make people rally around him. His charisma and leadership really were something.
He gave these people more than survival. He gave them hope for a life.
Calista took the initiative to walk toward the three men, a smile on her face as her gaze passed over each of them in turn. "Axel, Big Guy, Oscar. Looks like you've done a good job protecting this place."
She did not bring up the subject of choosing sides.
Axel rubbed his hands together awkwardly, his eyes darting away. "It's… it's all right. Everyone worked on it together."
He did not dare meet Calista's eyes, as if he felt guilty about the hesitation in his heart.
Big Guy gave a deep, muffled grunt, his gaze still shifting between the two sides.
Oscar took a deep breath and met Calista's eyes. His tone was steadier than the other two, though there was still a trace of difficulty in it. "Everyone… put a lot into this place, Calista."
He did not say outright that he had chosen to stay. It sounded more like he was trying to convince himself, but his stance was already clear enough.
Calista saw the brief struggle that flashed through Oscar's eyes.
She understood it.
Calista smiled, her tone sincere. "Wow. I'm glad to see you've found a place you belong. Keep at it. Rick is a leader worth following."
There was no reluctance in her words at all. Instead, all three of them quietly relaxed, and the way they looked at her gained a little more gratitude and respect.
Oscar's tense shoulders loosened slightly. He nodded and said quietly, "Thank you, Calista."
Calista knew forced loyalty was worthless.
Besides, Rock Fortress was not exactly short on three people.
If it had been thirty, that would have been a different story.
After handling this small matter, Calista brought Leah, Carver, and Michonne to the livestock pens behind the prison.
Danny went to coordinate the vehicles and called the rest of the team over to prepare for loading.
Before they even got close, they heard the familiar calls of various livestock and smelled the mixed scent of hay, feed, and animals.
Inside the enclosure, several black-and-white Holstein cows were lazily chewing cud. In a separate pen nearby, there were three bulls.
Five horses paced around the limited open space. Eight large white pigs grunted in the pigpen. The sheep pen held more than twenty gentle-looking goats and sheep, while the chicken coop beside it was filled with noisy clucking.
At the sight, even Leah's expression softened a little.
Carver gave a cheerful whistle. "Hey, this place looks pretty damn good. More than we found back at the ranch when we first started out."
Hershel looked proud as he opened the gate. "They're all here. As agreed, you can take half. Take a look and choose whatever you want."
The selection began, and the mood became relaxed, even a little cheerful.
First were the horses.
Calista had a clear goal. Horses were essential to Rock Fortress for scouting and fast movement.
Although the base already had a few horses from Twilight Manor, there was no such thing as too many.
"That chestnut mare," Leah said, pointing at a horse with long legs and smooth muscle lines. "Sharp eyes, good frame. She'd be good for riding."
Hershel nodded. "Cherry. She's a good horse. A little spirited, but she's fast once she gets going."
Calista nodded. "We'll take her."
Good.
She remembered Hershel had a timid mare that had been spooked by walkers when Daryl was searching for Sophia, throwing him straight off the saddle.
It seemed this was not that one.
Then she picked out a black gelding that looked especially steady and strong. "This one should be good for carrying supplies or pulling a cart."
"His name's Anvil. Strong, with a good temper," Hershel explained.
For the third horse, Calista chose a young brown stallion with good potential, planning to bring him back to the ranch for breeding.
The process of choosing horses was quick and professional. Leah and Hershel discussed the horses' temperaments, while Carver and Mike stood off to the side making comments as if they were choosing luxury cars.
Next came the pigs.
Turner was the most interested in this part.
"We want those big ones! Just look at them. You can tell they've got plenty of meat!" Turner pointed at the fattest pigs in the pen.
Hershel laughed. "You can't just take the fat ones. We need to leave a few sows for breeding.
How about this? You take the two biggest meat pigs, and take this young sow too. She only got pregnant recently. Raise her well when you get back, and you'll have a litter soon enough."
That was a fair split. After all, Calista had already taken an extra horse, so she accepted gladly.
Turner had already started calculating how long they would have fresh meat once they got back.
Then came the sheep.
The sheep were easier to divide. Half goats, half sheep.
Calista specifically chose a few ewes that looked like they had plenty of milk, along with two strong breeding rams.
Goat's milk was also an important source of nutrition.
The sheep were mainly for wool later on.
The cattle were a little more complicated.
Dairy cows were an important source of milk and could not be divided casually.
Hershel suggested, "Let's leave the dairy cows for now. Once they calve, we'll give you the calves according to the agreement. How does that sound? For now, you can take the young bulls back. Raise them, or… butcher them."
He said it tactfully.
Calista agreed. The base already had a few dairy cows, so what she really needed were bulls.
She had Hershel help her choose a healthy-looking young bull and an adult bull.
Last were the chickens.
That was simple. They just took half.
Several team members grabbed baskets and began chasing chickens in complete chaos, making everyone burst into laughter.
Looking at the livestock they had picked out, Hershel rubbed his chin and said to Calista, "With this many live animals, transporting them won't be easy. We brought out a livestock truck and two fenced trailers before. Take one of the trailers with you."
That was exactly what they needed.
With this many animals, their own convoy clearly would not be able to carry everything.
Calista thanked him sincerely. "Thank you so much, Hershel. This solves a huge problem for us."
Soon, everyone pitched in. The chosen horses were carefully led into the trailer compartments, and the pigs and sheep were herded up as well. The bulls were a little stubborn, and in the end, Mike and Carver had to work together to push them aboard.
The chickens were put into cages and placed in the empty spaces of the trailer.
The whole process was lively and busy. The people from the prison helped pass things over and chatted casually with the Rock Fortress team members.
Maggie and Beth helped the entire time, especially Maggie. She carefully told Leah which sheep were more docile and what to watch out for with the horses.
By the time all the livestock had been loaded, it was nearly afternoon.
Calista said goodbye to Rick and Hershel once more. "Rick, Hershel, stay in touch. If the prison needs anything, contact us through the radio."
Rick nodded solemnly. "We will. Be careful on the road, Calista."
Maggie and Beth reluctantly held Calista's and Leah's hands, quietly telling them to take care.
The convoy slowly drove away from the prison. This time, there was a long trailer added to the rear, giving the team a bit of a pastoral air.
In the rearview mirror, the figures of Rick and the others standing at the gate and waving grew smaller and smaller.
Inside the vehicle, Leah listened to the occasional animal calls coming from the trailer behind them, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly. "Never thought we'd come out this time and bring back a mobile farm."
Calista looked at the long convoy behind them through the rearview mirror and smiled too.