I jumped, barely suppressing a shriek. I hadn’t even known he was there. “Sorry, I - “
“Hush!”
I obliged. Satisfied, he inched gingerly away from me, turning his attention back to the gloom.
There was nothing to see beyond the confines of our crate. I knew that. Nothing that could hear me shivering with anticipation or fear. Nothing that wasn’t in a cage, anyway. Not a single creature would approach us, whether from curiosity or malice, for the next several hours. Still, I wanted to do right by the mission, and the mission required that we remain both silent and watchful.