continued from here ft. @sharpnosedscout
Gav had barely gotten half a word out before warm, dyed leather pressed over his mouth. He was led by his jaw and elbow to a narrow alley, made even narrower by an attempt to hide both him and Clive behind stacked crates and sacks of grain. Were they not on their way back from a mission - well, more of an errand - he might've thought this was another of those pleasant yet embarrassing dreams his brain liked to pester him with. Still, better to focus on what or who they were hiding from, before he blushed too much. Whatever Clive had spotted had been to Gav's right, which these days meant he'd only heard footsteps before being manhandled. He trusted Clive's instincts so he didn't fuss, but there was questioning expectation in his stare.
Clive pulled Gav even closer against him when someone passed by their hiding place a little too close for comfort. A moment passed and when it was clear no one had spotted them he leaned in, keeping his own breathing shallow as he spoke lowly into his friend's ear. "Look," he whispered, nodding towards a rugged looking man they could just spy from inbetween the storage crates. "It's that slaver." He hissed, gaze sharp and cold as it settled on the man.
A few weeks back they had prevented a group of young bearers from being sold as slaves. They'd been abducted from their homes, treated little better than kettle. When they freed them they'd been dehydrated and malnourished, scared out of their minds, too. Clive felt the anger rise inside of him just thinking about it. Most of them had barely seen their 12th winter. However, the man behind the operation as well as a few of his cronies had given them the slip and managed to stay entirely hidden from their scouts since. Until now.
"We should follow him." Clive said with urgency when the man stepped out of their sight and it was only then that he realized that he still had Gav grabbed by the jaw and pressed to his chest. He let go immediately, pulling back his hands, bringing some distance between them again.
"Sorry—"