"It's nothing."
Facing Rick's slightly surprised teasing, Louis waved his hand and gave a somewhat embarrassed smile. "Even if I didn't say anything, you would have definitely found it in a bit."
Morgan stepped forward and patted the gentle-looking brown horse, his eyes also full of joy. "Regardless, this is a huge help to us!"
After the brief surprise, the team immediately began discussing the next plan.
"We aren't far from Atlanta now."
Rick pointed to the highway in the distance. "My idea is for me to ride the horse into the city alone to scout the way and see if I can find gasoline or a drivable car to bring back."
"You guys stay in this farmhouse for now. It's relatively safe here and there's a water source."
"I'll go with you," Morgan said immediately.
"No, you need to stay." Rick shook his head, his attitude firm. "Jenny and the children need protection. You're the only other adult male here besides me; your responsibility is here."
"And..." He glanced at the horse and made a joke, "I don't think this guy can carry the weight of two grown men for long."
Morgan thought about it and felt that Rick made sense, so he stopped insisting.
Just as Rick thought the plan was settled and was preparing to mount the horse, Louis appeared from nowhere and called out to him.
"I'll go with you, Rick."
Upon hearing this, Rick immediately frowned and refused, "No, Louis, absolutely not. You must stay here."
"Why?" Louis asked back.
"Why?" Rick was somewhat amused by the question. He crouched down, trying to keep his eyes level with Louis's, and explained patiently:
"Because it's dangerous out there, child. There are monsters everywhere now. I can't even guarantee my own safety, let alone yours."
"But you said before that I wasn't a burden."
Louis didn't back down. Meeting Rick's gaze, he began to state his reasons methodically, his voice clear and calm.
"I..." Rick was a bit troubled; he certainly didn't mean it that way.
Taking advantage of his hesitation, Louis immediately launched into his persuasive speech: "I won't get in your way. I'm fairly familiar with Atlanta."
"Before the disaster, I came here with a school summer camp. I know several backroads that can bypass the downtown highways."
As he spoke, he even pulled a folded map of downtown Atlanta from his backpack, which he had specifically found earlier. "I can be your guide and save a lot of time."
This reason left Rick unable to argue.
He indeed wasn't very familiar with the terrain of Atlanta, but this still wasn't enough for him to take Louis on such a risk. "Listen to me, child, I know what you mean, but there are many Walkers in there..."
"I know." Louis didn't give him much time to think. "I can protect myself. Have you forgotten? When I was with Shane, we worked together to deal with several Walkers."
He patted the weapon at his waist. "Besides, I'm small and move quietly. I can be your eyes and ears, helping you keep watch and spot danger ahead of time."
"The two of us will be much safer than you alone."
These words were logically sound and well-organized, leaving Rick unable to find a reason to refute them for a moment.
"I can't deny that you make a lot of sense, Louis." Rick was silent for a long time before finally speaking, his voice carrying a hint of struggle. "But it's still too dangerous for you..."
"But in this world now," Louis interrupted him directly, "where is absolutely safe?"
Rick was instantly speechless.
Yes, safe?
In this world where the dead had risen to prey on the living, danger could be anywhere.
Was staying in this isolated farmhouse necessarily safer than entering the city? No one knew if a Horde of Walkers would pass by in the next second, or if living people more terrifying than Walkers would break in.
Seeing Rick's wavering expression, Louis took a step forward, his tone softening, his eyes filled with trust. "Take me with you, Officer. You need my help."
"And if we really encounter danger, you can protect me... right?"
Rick looked deeply at Louis for a long time, finally sighing helplessly and standing up, a slightly weary smile reappearing on his face.
"Alright," he ruffled Louis's blond hair, "you win. At least this horse will be happy to add one of you without worrying about the weight."
The corners of Louis's mouth finally curled up into a bright smile.
When Rick told the Morgans of this new decision, the expected voices of opposition immediately rang out.
"What? No! This is crazy!"
Jenny expressed her disapproval, walking quickly to Rick's side, her face full of worry. "Louis is still a child. How can you take him to such a dangerous place?"
"I'm the one who wants to go with the Officer, Aunt Jenny." Louis looked up, his attitude firm. "And Rick has already agreed."
Morgan also had a dark expression as he looked at Rick. "Rick, you should know how irresponsible this is."
"I'm sorry, Morgan."
Rick's expression was calm. "But I promise you, I will do everything I can to protect him. Just as he said, there is no absolutely safe place in this world. With him there, maybe we can even come back sooner."
Actually, there was one more thing Rick didn't say.
He always felt that if he didn't take Louis, this overly clever child might try to find other ways to follow him, which would be even more dangerous. It was better to keep him right under his nose.
Seeing Louis and Rick's firm attitudes, Mr. and Mrs. Morgan knew there was no room for negotiation.
Morgan was silent for a moment, finally walking up to Rick and saying word for word, "Rick, you must protect him. Bring him back safely."
"I promise." Rick nodded heavily.
Jenny crouched down and straightened Louis's collar one last time, her eyes a bit red. "Child, you must be careful. Don't try to be a hero."
"Don't worry, Aunt Jenny," Louis comforted her with a smile. "Nothing will happen. My luck has always been good!"
"Louis! I'll wait for you to come back!"
Duane shouted from the side, waving his hand vigorously as if seeing off a hero about to go to war... After a simple farewell, Rick handed a walkie-talkie to Morgan, indicating he would contact them if there were problems, and then walked to the backyard with Louis.
When the brown horse saw Rick approaching, it snorted warily and backed up a few steps, looking somewhat resistant.
"Hey, hey, big guy, don't be nervous." Rick raised his hands, trying to soothe it.
However, when Louis stepped forward, a magical scene occurred.
Instead of dodging, the horse took the initiative to lower its head and affectionately rubbed its soft nose against Louis's cheek.
"Whoa..." Louis laughed from the tickling. He reached out and gently stroked the horse's mane.
The horse squinted its eyes comfortably, as docile as a big cat.
Rick watched from the side with wide eyes.
"It seems it really likes you," he said in surprise.
Louis just smiled and didn't explain.
He tentatively pulled the reins and whispered, "Follow me," and the tall steed actually started walking, following obediently behind him.
This scene made Rick even more amazed, assuming the child just had a natural affinity for animals.
But in Louis's heart, another wave of emotion surged.
He remembered not long ago in the hospital, the rat whose wound he had healed with "Episkey" had actually brought a dead bug to his door the next day as a reward.
Now, this horse was showing such obvious closeness to him... A bold guess emerged in his mind.
"Could it be... I have some kind of Magical Creature Affinity?"