Red Is for Traitor

As I stood completely numb with my eyes glued on Sindri, the hunter leader looked confused. Who the hell was 'Sindri'? To him none of the wolves were worthy to have names thus he did not know who this wolf was. It took a moment for the party to figure out which wolf I meant and then the swapping began. I hardly paid attention (knowing Arawn, Jasper, Luka, and Rami would watch carefully) as the captees were returned to their respective side. I do not think I breathed as I looked at my mate. I saw every emotion run through his face and eyes. Although he agreed to be the one to say behind, it still tore him apart to be left. He knew the horror he was going back to and he wanted none of it. Slowly Fear and despair changed to acceptance, steeling himself against everything they were going to do to him. His turquoise eyes shone then with love. He was telling me the best he could how much he missed and loved me. I bit my lips as I resisted letting a cry escape. I knew my eyes mirrored his. Telling him that I would be back that I was not abandoning him. I was telling him to wait for me. Everything we felt for each other were silently exchanged through our eyes. How could the world be so cruel?
Our eyes only parted when he was roughly pushed towards Liberty City. I felt a hand curl around my bicep and pull me back to the safety of the forest. I stumbled backwards unable to look away from Sindri. Up until I was enclosed by the forest did I track the group that held my beloved. After that, I walked silently with my face blank. No one spoke while the small group reunited with the rest of the party. My husk of a body went through the motions of taking care of the emaciated wolves until I knew they were fine for the moment. We ended up walking for a few hours wanting to distance ourselves of the city just in case the hunters and supporters decided to surprise us.
All was silent as we traveled and eventually made camp. The captured wolves collapsed to the ground and almost immediately fell asleep, while the rescue party set up for the night. Only when all the chores were done, shifts were agreed upon, and everyone settled for the night did Arawn wrap his hand around my wrist and lead me a little ways off. When he finally stopped he turned to me and opened his mouth. "Do not!" I growled in a low voice.
"Macha, it is okay." He tried to console. Anyone who did not know me would have thought me a wolf from the growling I managed to produce. It did not deter my brother though, he merely took slow steps towards me. "You had to make a terrible decision, it is okay."
"Shut up, Arawn!"
"It is those men's fault, not yours Macha."
"Shut up!"
"We understand."
"Stop!" I snapped.
"Sindri understands."
"I said stop!" I launched myself at him and started pounding on his chest. Tears of frustration, fear, and devastation poured down my cheeks as I attacked my brother. Using all my pent up emotions I pounded and pushed him. I hardly did any damage and barely moved him beyond a slight step back. He merely stood in the one spot letting me release the chaos inside me. My wrath ebbed quickly, leaving me to fist his shirt and sob into him.
Arawn wrapped his arms around me and guided us to the ground. He curled around me as if he was trying to keep the outside world away so I could release all the sadness I held inside. "Shhh." He murmured into my hair, rubbing my back. "We will rescue him dearest sister. We will save your mate." He spoke softly the promise as I continued to fall apart in his arms.

As I slept from (emotional) exhaustion, Rami, Luka, Mina, Arawn, and Jasper quietly congregated together while the rest of the Red Cloaks and wolves stood on watch or slept. "I know that face, what are you planning Arawn? You wouldn't have waited for Macha to fall asleep if it was something she would agree to." Mina asked with crossed arms.
Arawn rubbed the back of his neck, "It is not so much she would not agree, rather quite the opposite really." He grew serious and stared at his trusted friends. "I want to go back and rescue Sindri." He heard everyone take a sharp breath. "You as well as I know he will not survive much longer. We have upset their plans for a mass murder, but that will not deter them from killing a wolf. We cannot let him die."
"Macha would be devastated..." Luka muttered as he turned his head to look at me.
"The Moonshadow pack would be devastated." Rami commented.
Jasper frowned. "If they fall apart it would cause a huge blow to our movement. Your pack is basically the cornerstone of our side." Looked at Arawn as if he did not realize this fact long ago.
"My sister and the pack have seen and experienced too much for us to let Sindri die." The small group nodded at each other. "We are in agreement to save him?" Again everyone nodded. "I was thinking one human and two werewolves go." He held up his hand when Mina went to object. "We want a small group to go in and three is a perfect number. We need a human in case the jail is surrounded by wolfbane or silver and two wolves to help Sindri."
"When are we planning on going?" Jasper asked knowing that since he was the only other wolf in on the plan he was going.
"As soon as possible. We need to agree on a human."
The three humans looked at each other. "I'll go with you." Mina replied. "If anything I can use my womanly whiles to distract the guards."
"And they haven't seen your face yet." Luka commented.
"That too." She grinned.
"Will you be able to make it? You've been up for over ten hours already."
"I've stayed up longer doing exactly this. Let's go before everyone wakes up and we lose the night."
Arawn looked to Luka and Rami, "Do not tell anyone, especially Macha, where we are going in case we are unable to return with him. I do not want to crush her more than she already is." The two men nodded and watched as the trio melted into the shadows. After traveling a few miles the small group stopped.
"Mina, get on my back." Jasper knelt down on one knee so the woman could climb on.
"What!?" She cried.
"I mean no offense but you are slow compared to Arawn and me. Even with you on my back we can run faster."
"Fucking werewolves." She grumbled but carefully wrapped her arms around his shoulders and then waist. Arawn shook his head with a chuckle earning him a glare from the woman. The miles melted away as the two wolves ran as fast as they could back to the city. By the time they made it back to enemy territory it was late into the night. The trio easily slipped in and weaved through the darkness the houses created.
Liberty City was near silent this late at night. A few guards walked the streets, but nothing that caused them alarm. It was not until they arrived at the jail did they spike in alertness. Hunters were everywhere inside either sleeping, relaxing, patrolling, or guarding their last prisoner. With a nod from Jasper, Arawn helped Mina climb through a window before following after her and then lending a hand to the other wolf. They silently crept through the jail house only stopping when a hunter was too close for comfort. They were almost to the jail cells when Jasper and Arawn paused abruptly nearly causing Mina to crash into them. She looked at them in alarm to find Arawn's eyes glowing a molten silver, his fangs extended beyond his lips, and his nails were now sharpened lethal weapons. Jasper had grabbed his upper arm and talked him in a voice only the angered wolf could hear. A few seconds later she find out why he reacted so violently. A soft yelp bounced off the walls and hit her like a brick wall. Sindri was being tortured.
"Arawn, you need to relax or we will be caught." Jasper's voice raised to stress how dire it was for Arawn to regain control.
"They. Are. Hurting Him." He lowly growled through his clenched teeth. "They. Are. Hurt My. Pack Mate. My Sister's Mate!"
"I know, but if we're found we can't help him and Macha will be even more hurt." At the realization that his actions could hurt me, my brother closed his eyes and took a calming breath. After a moment he shifted back to his more human form ready to once again rescue his brother-in-law(ish).
"Thank you." He whispered.
"You're welcome. Besides I don't want to deal with Soinnach. She'd kill me for letting you get caught."
"You'd be caught too."
"Oh she'd find a way. Have you met her?"
Arawn chuckled, "I hope so, she is my mate. Let us go and save our wolf." Once again on the move, they managed to overcome every hunter they came across. Knowing how important it was to show everyone werewolves were not monsters, they never killed only incapacitating. When they took care of the last hunter that stood between them and Sindri, Arawn whined to his pack mate. Tiredly, Sindri looked up from where he laid on the ground and mewed in return. "Mina, I need you to open the cell now." He was restless, needing to go to his hurt pack mate.
"On it. She replied trying four different keys before unlocking the cage. "Go." Within seconds Arawn was kneeling beside my fallen pack mate. "Move, I'll get the collar and restraints off." He shifted over while keeping his hands on Sindri. "Alright, he's fee." Mina stood and discarded the collar in a nearby flame while ditching the chains off to the side.
"We need to get him out now, the guard shift will be changing soon." Jasper's head was tilted up and sideways trying to listen to the humans above.
"Sindri can you shift? It will be easier to carry you." Not saying anything, Sindri easily shifted to his canine form before passing out. "Hopefully it will be easier." Shifting the large wolf around, Arawn picked Sindri up and the trio was once again off. Their pace was slower now that one of them was carrying the dead weight of a shifted werewolf, but by the time they made it back to the edge of the forest it was still dark.
"Your sister is going to love you and insist that she is forever in your debt." Mina commented while looking over at Arawn.
He snorted, "I know, but she should not. She has done so much for me and the pack-"
"And every other wolf she has come across." Jasper added.
"The least I could do-"
"And we."
"Is to bring her mate back to her." He shifted Sindri into a more comfortable position with his eyes gazing in the past. "I never thought she would ever marry. I had hoped, but even when we were in our teens and hormones were raging she never seemed to have an interest in men. Or women for that matter. She liked them as friends but never anything more."
"Maybe she was waiting for Sindri. They were friends when they were younger right?" Jasper wanted to confirm. He had heard they were but was never quite sure.
"Yes, she met him a little while after our father died. Maybe she was, but I do not think even she knows if that is true. It was years after we reunited with the pack that Sindri started courting her. I am glad she has him though." His eyes softened. "Like everyone we know she had been through a lot, the least life could do for her was give her something to treasure and who treasures her in return. She adores Zane and loves Sindri. She has a family when she never thought it would be more than just me, my future wife, and her."
"You also suffered though." Mina pointed out.
"I did." My brother agreed. "But not like her and I also have Shoon." His face transformed into a dopey smile at the thought of his mate.
"You are so sickenly sweet." Jasper barked out a laugh while Arawn shot the Red Cloak a playful glare.