MANHUNT {dreamnotfound}

17 • Moonlight

A/N: hope this is....uhhhhh....satisfying? 
Idk why I wrote this so fast lmao but like— enjoy.

Edited 16/8/22
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"It's getting dark," Dream noted, his voice low and gravelly. He hadn't spoken in a while. He was afraid of scaring George away, who's hand was joint with his, warm and safe, stabilising.

Sure enough, his speaking was enough to make George let go. Dream concealed his disappointment well. Or, he hoped so. He wasn't sure how obvious he'd be, without his mask.

The Hunter's gaze was fixed on the horizon, where the sun was setting. Dream followed his gaze, squinting.

George said, "There are lights up ahead, maybe a village?"

The distant lights cast a blur against the murky blue and green horizon, smudges of yellow and warmth and hope.

Dream acknowledged how his limbs ached at the thought of a bed. "Somewhere to rest, then?"

Then again, a part of him didn't want to rest, for fear of the past few hours catching up to him.

"Yeah."

They'd pretty much left the vast expanse of sand behind as it gave way to grass again, and it gave Dream a surge of optimism. Maybe in the village, he could ask for his missing family, see what the people knew.

For the first time in three years, he was distinctly hopeful. And — he glanced at George, who was striding onward with beaming confidence — Dream was glad that he wasn't alone, for once.

Drax wouldn't have left me alone — the intrusive thought snaked its way into his conscious, baring its fangs. He mentally batted it away, his shoulder blades tightening.

Later.

He'd deal with that... what he'd done... later.

He was immersed in his thoughts, so by the time he'd come up with another distraction to keep from feeling the guilt, they had arrived. A village indeed, and rather run-down, although nice.

He let George take the lead, even as the Hunter cast paranoid and dubious looks around at each tower, each house. Like he was afraid of being watched.

When Dream asked, he explained in a low voice, "In each village, the King has an outpost. Like... a base. For me, and the other Hunters."

That was probably classified. That was also probably massively dangerous, for them. For Dream.

Dream felt himself examining the houses, too. "Are there even any guards posted this far out?"

"Not that I know about."

Dream marked the concern shining in his eyes, though. Because George was convinced that his knowledge wasn't enough now, not since he discovered the King was keeping things from him. It meant both men were clueless to what awaited them at the Kingdom... well, not that Dream ever intended to go back...

"Just in case," George murmured under his breath, "you should act as prisoner."

He grimaced. "How on earth am I meant to act like—"

George turned swiftly and grasped Dream's hands, pinning them together.

Dream blanched as those damned handcuffs made a return with a click. He was quick, he was one of the best fighters in the Kingdom, and again he'd let George bind him.

How did this keep happening?

"You still have these?"

George was all smiles. "Obviously."