Warm hands cupped either side of Juniper's cheeks. Three pairs of warm, soft lips pressed against her forehead and temples, causing fuzzy fondness to warm her heart. The warmth and affection soon withdrew, allowing Juniper to lift her head and gaze up at the three women that stood before her.
The Sacrae Prophetae- the three most powerful women in Yonyth, second only to the Holy Empress. They were her beloved mothers. Adoptive mothers, of course, but no less beloved or real to Juniper.
"Are you ready, little love?" Lorelei domina Maris asked, giving Juniper a gentle smile. As she spoke she stepped towards Juniper and held out a vial of kelp oil. She poured a little onto her thumb and smeared it on Juniper's head, before stepping back again.
"I think I am!" Juniper nodded as she smiled back. Lorelei domina Maris, or 'Lady Sea' as she was known by the masses, was perhaps the most gentile of Juniper's mothers, and definitely the most motherly.
Lorelei's path to Sainthood was practically a part of the country's mythos by now- a Noblewoman betrothed to a violent man, she had run from her husband on their wedding night to take refuge at the Shrine of the Sea. When her husband found her there, the Sea God himself swept the evil man away. In some versions of tales told among peasants, the Sea God asked for her hand afterward, but the virtuous lady asked only to be his oracle.
Lorelei had never felt like a living myth to Juniper, though. She'd always just been 'Auntie Lorelei.'
Fayre domina Terrae stepped forward next, gracing Juniper with a pendant made of silver, moonstone, and petrified wood. She clasped it around the young woman's neck, before fussing over her appearance and running her hands through Juniper's emerald hair.
"Don't stray from the path or clearing, do you hear me? Come back straightaway after. Full moons are a sacred time, but they're also dangerous. Especially out in the woods," Fayre warned. Juniper wasn't sure she had ever seen the regal woman so worried. She knew this ritual was imperative to the stability of the nation, but it was still strange.
Then again, it was always said among the Grandmothers that Fayre had never been quite the same since her own rite in the woods when she was an apprentice. Perhaps it had something to do with that.
"I'll be careful! Promise!" Juniper said, trying to not sound too indignant as she took a few steps back from the fussing Fayre. "May I go? I'll be just fine. I've brought along a few pre-prepared protection spells just in case anything happens, but I'm sure I'll be fine!"
"Not just yet, Sapling, hold on a moment!" Kore domina Caeli et Lunae stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Juniper's shoulders and giving her a squeeze. She murmured a few words under her breath in the Ancient language, before kissing both of Juniper's cheeks and stepping back to inspect her work.
Seemingly satisfied, she gave Juniper a thumbs up. "Safe Travels, Sapling. Do not stray from the path, but do not fear! This is what you were born for. Feel it in your bones."
Kore's words sent an elated shiver down Juniper's spine; she was speaking to a call that only they out of every woman in the temple could feel, for they were the only ones with the tell-tale Emerald hair. One woman roughly every twenty years was born with the unnatural color, showing how the Gods favored her above every other woman. They always possessed enhanced magical and holy powers.
Due to these enhanced abilities, it was the decree of the Emperor that the babe be brought to the Temple to be raised to be the next High Prophetess, the Lady of Sky and Moon. As the current High Prophetess, Kore was the previous generation's green-haired woman. As the current puella Prophetissa, Juniper was the one belonging to the rising generation. They both felt a pull towards the divine; an unmistakable urge to connect with the very Deities that favored them so highly.
Juniper grinned a little to herself. It truly felt like the beginning of the rest of her life. Completing the Ritual of the Mother would mark her ascendance from a simple Apprentice to a bonafide Temple Maiden. She'd finally be able to do more than just train; it felt as though she'd spent the majority of her life training, and now finally Juniper would be able to do more. Travel, pursue her own studies, teach- Juniper wanted to do it all.
Unwilling to waste even another second waiting for the rest of her life to begin, she blew the Sanctae Prophetae farewell and hurried away.
~~~
The journey into the woods was less unremarkable than Juniper would have hoped. She'd set out from the Temple just as the sun hung low in the sky, so it was plenty dark once Juniper arrived at the mouth of the Sacred Wood. With the full moon not yet at its peak in the sky, Juniper had very little light to guide her as she entered into the forest. She heeded Fayre's warnings and stuck to the path.
Honestly? It was… creepier than Juniper had anticipated. A lot creepier. As she crept down the trail to the ritual clearing, it felt as though the Forest was threatening to close in on her. It took every ounce of inner strength and bravery Juniper possessed for her to not turn and flee down the path back to the entrance of the forest.
It was all in her head, clearly. She needed to stop letting Fayre's warnings mess with her head. Everything would be fine, surely. Nothing lived in the woods. They would have told her if something lived in the woods.
Wouldn't they? Anxiety began to curl in Juniper's stomach. Surely they would have said something, or have prepared her better if there was any reason to fear. They loved her.
Repeating those words to herself- that they loved her, Juniper pushed her fears away. There was nothing in the woods.
Nothing at all.