MANHUNT {dreamnotfound}

4 • The Caves

Edited 8/8/22

•

George stared at the entrance to a cave, frowning. The ravine had, after becoming progressively narrower, ended, leading the two men to a gaping cave entrance. Only this entrance happened to have several other interlinking cave mouths, curved inwards into the cliff edge.

There was no way of telling if they went up or down, and there were so many different routes.

They'd been walking for a few hours since the spider attack, since Dream agreed to being complicit. He'd been oddly silent, actually, ever since he'd given in to George. He was probably embarrassed. Or... probably plotting to kill him. Maybe both.

Dream looked up at him and spoke for the first time since they'd set off. "Are you stuck?"

Automatically, George scowled. "No."

"You know which one leads up, right?"

"Of course," George snapped.

He eyed the four cave entrances. Three to his left, one to his right: all embedded in the ravine wall, and of varying sizes.

He pointed hesitantly at the one in the middle at his left.

Dream immediately laughed, and George was so hungry and tired that he had to fight the urge to punch him for it.

Instead he demanded, "What? Do you know?"

"You don't have much experience in the wild, do you?"

"I'm an ally to the King," he seethed, "not a common thief who struts around in caves."

He imagined Dream rolling his eyes under the mask as he sighed.

"You can tell which caves go up by the wind. You see how this one," he nodded towards the one closest to them, on the right, "it's a little breezier than the others, like kind of cold? That's because it branches out the top somewhere, that the air channels through."

George stared at him.

Dream glanced back fleetingly. "And yes, I learnt that strutting around caves."

As the thief walked towards the cave entrance, George called, "How do I know this isn't a trick?"

Dream didn't turn around as he called, "You think I want to stay down here, with you?"

Uneasily, George followed his prisoner, crossbow on his back, sword in hand. Dream had given up the weapon earlier, though he had definitely been pissed about it.

George realized Dream was still limping, and seemed to lurch towards the right as he walked... his left shoulder was hurt, then. A lot more than he was letting on, clearly.

Before he could venture far into the dark chamber, George said, "Wait, wait. Let's not go in yet."

"Scared?"

"We need light. It's foolish to walk in there blind."

Dream lifted the mask just slightly to show off a smirk. "Aw, George, I'm sure you'll protect me."

George gritted his teeth. How tempting it would be to leave him here, cuffed, in the darkness, all alone...

Still. George had to be smart. He needed Dream alive. He was worth a lot more that way.

Forcing out a breath, George said, painfully, "I can heal you up. I can tell you're... hurt."

Dream was still for a long moment. It was hard to read him from just body language, but his head being cocked to the side told George that he was as incredulous as George felt in proposing this.