Challenge Submission Throne of Blood and Bone (Rewrite)

[Rose for the Hunter]

Spoiler

Song: Everlore - I'm Dangerous​

Walking through the battlefield of old had never felt so strange, the scent of blood still heavy in the air as the coal-haired woman's leather boots met the bloodied ground. Smoke rose up all around them, biting the eyes and searing the lungs of those that could still fly. Howls of pain echoed around as angels and demons alike slaughtered the women and children, with only the glimmer of blades visible in the hell that surrounded the young woman. Her wings half wrapped around her body in terror as she stood helpless in the chaos that had engulfed her home. Each step she took hurt, tears filling her mismatched eyes to stream down her cheeks as the voices of those she couldn't save echoed in her ears even now. It was only when she reached the old stone well, when it's bottomless depths opened up that she realised that she could not answer those silent screams. For these were the last cries of those long dead; of those she had failed to protect.

Awakening from the trance the image crumbled before her to the painful reality before her. The smell of blood had long since washed away with the winds leaving the air as clear as the night sky, the moon providing the only light as the torches and flames were long since gone. This was her home. Stone buildings crumbled with pieces of wall having long since fallen, bones of enemies long dead littered the paths, slowly devoured by nature as they wound through the village. As her mismatched eyes looked once more into the abyss of the well before her, it too was falling away, loose stones having fallen to the ground whether through age or war. "We should carry on…" a motherly voice that caught her attention, her gaze turning to its origin. Her companion, a wolf with a coat as pure as snow and eyes as warm as honey, had stepped to her side and tilted it's gaze upwards.

Relenting a sigh fell from her lips, her eyes closed for a few seconds, her gaze redirected to the world that was falling around her as her dusty boots resumed their steps. But she was not alone, for walking at her heel was the old white wolf, who much like a ghost, made no sound as they trudged across the earth towards their final destination. As she walked through her 'home' her feathers dragged across the ground, their eerie beauty reflected the night sky with the ends of each feather appearing as though it had been dipped in the darkest of shadows. However, there was one more building she could not help but stop at, she turned towards it's brittle walls and smashed windows as she could hear the echoing screams and laughter mixed together in a haunting melody. The wolf looked towards the young woman as a faded figure ran from the building they'd stopped beside, laughing like a child before it turned to scream mere seconds later. It was then that the wolf took the lead.

Once her composure was regained she began to follow, her soft breaths turning to smoke in the cold air. Her attention turned briefly "They're here", to the sky. In that moment the beast at her side was replaced with a twin bladed scythe. Attached to the engraved black handle that was wrapped in bloody bandages were two silver crescents that oozed with darkness causing the ground beneath it to crack like glass. Mismatched eyes locked to the sky, her pale hand grabbed the bandaged handle, the blades soon aimed towards those that had appeared before her. She had so little left and she was not about to let them take it without a fight. It was broken and faltering all around her but she would protect what she could not all that time ago. She had become so efficient over the years that the creatures had barely a minute before their heads rolled to the ground and silver was stained with crimson.

In the blink of an eye the scythe was one more replaced by a white wolf that stood at the woman's heel, a look of acknowledgement before they continued on the overgrown path. Looking towards the old palace, the path she'd once known now becoming more unfamiliar with each step, the path that was once lit up by fire was now coated in a far gentler light. As the light of the moon reflected from the pure white arum lilies along the path, the pair continued forward, up the path that only seemed to grow colder with each breath. Finally, they reached the palace doors, one of which was no longer on its hinges and had long toppled to the ground. Walking through the main hall she soon noticed that nature has reclaimed this place long ago. Leaves and roots covered the floors, trunks of trees filled holes in the ceilings along with the darkness of night that crept through the smashed windows. How long had it been since sunlight had filled these halls? The echoes of their steps could be heard on the marble floor, the click of claws and the gentle thud of boots.

Old doors creaked open into the throne room, one falling to the ground as they entered and now they stood before the crumbling throne. But with each step it's form morphed into something new once again. Their steps stopped just before it; the once brilliant white ruin of a throne was now formed from skulls and bones, the seat a deep velvet blood cushion. A smirk appeared on the pale lips of the young woman before she took her place in the throne. The white wolf sat to its side like a loyal guard dog would. "They really are fools" her voice sounds more exasperated at their 'guests' as opposed to anything else. Her mismatched eyes looked through the broken window, her left eye was a rich golden amber, but her right eye was a brilliant blood red, both stood out against her coal hair. Her ivory skinned hand tapped the armrest of the throne she now sat in.

"Indeed, I wonder how long until they understand this is not their territory.", once again a smirk decorated those pale lips. "That… Deadly, will take some time. Shall we see how long it takes for them to find us?" the wolf raised her maw and seemed to chuckle at the young woman who rested her head on her hands. "Now that is a game I can entertain Seclusion." It was but a moment before more angels crashed through the windows in the throne room, their swords drawn, but not for long as they soon joined their brethren, their bodies now fodder for the earth beneath them.
For when one throne falls, another must take its place.