Reaper's War

Chapter 32: Equals

A/N: I am so incredibly sorry for the very long wait for this chapter. Truthfully, I've rewritten it one too many times and even with this version I'm uncertain.
I've also been rather unwell and it's sucked so much I've had no motivation to write anything more than this.
In any case, I hope you all enjoy the new chapter. If there's any errors please don't afraid to let me know what and where they are.

As the dust settled around the battle site and the sun began its descent below the horizon, Winter rushed through the forest, worry coursing through her at the prospect of what she'd find.

After witnessing the sky light up red with an unknown energy and the explosions that came after, the Specialist had wanted, more than anything, to find Weiss and Ruby.

She and Alex had ended up arguing over the fact that it was dangerous to go alone. Who knows what Grimm could be lurking in the dense forest, let alone if there were other enemies to be wary of?
When another explosion of crimson and black shot up into the sky, Winter bolted out of the airship's broken door, ignoring the shouts of protest from Alex.

As she ran, using time-dilation glyphs to move faster, she couldn't help but let her worry gnaw at her insides like a ravenous beast. On more than one occasion, she almost lost her footing through the distracting and negative thoughts.

The battle site didn't take long to find; the Specialist immediately figured out the clearing she stood in was where the battle began.
Scorch marks marred the once pristine green grass, trees either stood askew or were completely blown apart, extending further into the forest.

Winter made to follow the scorched ground and missing trees but stopped in her tracks abruptly as black and crimson invaded her peripheral. Turning her head to see what it was, a gasp caught itself in her throat at the gut-wrenching sight.
Ruby lay at the edge of the battered clearing, unmoving and pale, covered in what looked to be a lot of blood.

Winter immediately ran over to the younger girl, sliding to a stop on her knees and taking in the state of the young Faunus.
Her heart stopped and felt as though it was now in her throat at the amount of blood on and around the younger girl. There was a small hole in her abdomen that continuously leaked her precious lifeblood and her legs; they were missing. One above the knee and one below, completely mangled and still bleeding profusely.

The Specialist knew what she had to do and rushed to do it. First, she took off her jacket and began shredding it into long strips, tying two smaller ones around Ruby's mangled legs to ease some of the bleeding. Next was wrapping the girl's abdomen and keeping as much pressure on it as possible.
In all of the time it took Winter to tend to Ruby's wounds, not once had she seen the young Reaper take a breath. She held her breath as she carefully placed two fingers against the pulse on Ruby's neck and released it again stutteringly. Not from relief, from heartbreak.

She was gone. She'd probably passed a while ago, succumbing to blood loss. No matter who or what you were, no one could survive losing so much and evidently, Ruby was no exception to that.
Tears pricked at the corner of the Specialist's eyes, only slightly surprising her at her emotional response to the passing of the younger girl. It was given considering she'd not long ago finally accepted and understood that Ruby was a victim. That she'd suffered the most and that she'd become rogue for good reason when she'd killed those huntsmen. Even though she had become a corrupted, ruthless monster in the research facility, Winter understood why the young Reaper had murdered her father so brutally. He was one of the aeons she had become such a thing in the first place.

In the short amount of time Winter had been getting to know the real Ruby, she had come to realise she had begun to see the younger girl as a little sister. Now she would never get to tell her or treat her the right way, as an older sister should. Finally, the dam of tears broke, the Specialist no longer able to keep her emotions back, nor could she keep the quiet sob from escaping as she looked upon Ruby's broken body. She cried as silently as she could for a while, eventually somewhat composing herself enough to know she had to find Weiss and take the both of them back to the downed airship. She had no idea how she was going to break the news to everyone, especially Weiss.