The sun beams in as it tickles the young ruby red tiefling's skin as she sits as still as she can for her mother, Her cloud white hair sectioned into four sections with two buns on top and two long braids down the back with her mother tying two red bows at the ends of them.
"There you go Juniper all beautiful like always," Her mother hugs her from behind with her own black hair tied back out of her face.
The young girl smiles brightly and let out a laugh that was as joyous as a bell during the holidays,"Thank you Mama!." She turns and hugs the older woman back being careful not to hit her with her horns, letting go after a moment she gets up and dusts her new white dress with red apron that her mother had bought her the day before for her 16th birthday. Today was the day she finally would go to the medical center with her mother and oldest brother Atlas, Young Juniper has always wanted to be a healer like her mother but she's still learning which herbs help with what wound.
"Come on June-Bug don't wanna be late on your first day now do ya?" An older boy about the age of 26 pokes his head around the corner with his dark curly brown hair bouncing as he moved.
"AH! Wait for me! Come on mama!"She leaps to her feet grabbing her hip pouch fun of fresh herbs that she and her mother had gathered and dried a couple days before.
Juniper runs other and grabs the mans hand and begins to drag him out the front of the cottage, She leads the way with her brother and mother following to the medical center that's further in town. The young girl happily waves to a few older sailors that pass by and they greet her like she has known them her whole life, Juniper lets the older boys hand as she pushes open the heavy doors that blocks her from her destiny.
Upon opening the door she is greeted with a bustle of busy men and women calling out what the needed and a few older clerical women look over and give little Juniper a small wave, she smiles up excitedly and puts her shoulders back with her chin up before she waltz right up to the front and looks at the lady at the front desk.
"LaRoses are in to help today" she speaks with confidence and a sparkle of excitement in her eyes.
"Welcome back LaRose your patients are just down west wing at the end, There was an Altercation amongst some sailors and a stranded pirate, they need to be tended to" the woman with long greyed hair motions towards the west wing. "Have a good day"
Juniper looks back to her mother as her mother gives her a nod and leads Atlas and Juniper down to their first patient who awaits them. There sits a large man with long black hair,shaven sides and beautiful piercing blue eyes, He sits there with a cut in his forearm and smiled softly upon seeing Juniper.
"Hey little one, here to help your ma?" He speaks with a gruff voice
"Yes sir! I'm Ms Juniper sir" she speaks with excitement as she watches her mother closely assess the mans injury and almost dances around the room gathering materials she needs.
"It's not to bad just come cotton bandages and some Chamomile ointment should heal you right up, come on Juniper I'll show you." her mothers voice was as smooth and light like a feather floating about.
Juniper walks over and helps her mother put ointment on the mans cut and places a cotton pad on it, She smiles as she wraps the mans arm with a linen bandage and ties it in a perfect bow. She excitedly runs over to her to her big brother who waits by the door and hugs him, "I did it!" She exclaims and getting a chuckle from everyone in the room.
"Alright sir your good to go just remember to put this ointment on every time you change your bandages." Junipers mother speaks as she hands the man a small jar of ointment and waves him off as he leaves.
The Trio cleans up the room before making their way to the next room where they are greeted by darkness as they walk closer they finally notice the curtains closed.
"I'm so sorry about the darkness allow me to-" Junipers mother stops mid-sentence as she hears something scrape behind the trio.
Atlas grabs Juniper and starts backing up towards the door for his back to meet a dresser pushed in front on the door and he reaches his hand out casting create flame lighting the room up into a dim-light. In the corner is a man with chunks of his hair missing, and broken almost deranged as he clutches a dagger and smirks towards Atlas before pointing his cooked finger.
"Darkness" the croak from the disgusting man speaks and the whole room goes dark, Atlas' flame no longer producing light. Juniper lets out a small scream as she clings to the warmth of her brother next to her as she can hear scuffling of feet for what feels like forever, She hears her mother let out a gasp and in the moment the spell lets up and the room is dimly lit and she sees her mother in front of her slumped holding her stomach.
"Mama!"she yells out and breaks away from her big brother and throws her arms around her mother. "It's okay mama I'll heal you like you showed me it'll be all okay" she presses her hands over her mothers hands as she hears a scuffle behind her.
Her mother reached over and cups her cheek with a bloodied hand."Juni its okay if you can't ill be okay." She stands up, "Nobody hurts my children and lives to see day again" her mother draws a symbol in the air and a blast of energy ripples the air blowing both Atlas and the man into a wall.
The man scrambles and grabs Atlas and holds a bloodied dagger to his throat and begins to speak, "Any closer and I'll kill him you devilish witch! You and him will be damned" the man begins to smiled wickedly as Junipers mother begins to breath hard. "Not that you will be alive long enough to save him anyway." With a swift move he slices across Atlas' Throat and the crimson blood squirts out and decorates the room in ruby blood.
Juniper lets out a thunderous scream shaking the walls and windows in its wake upon seeing her big brothers life be ripped from him so quickly and it causes the man to drop her brother and cover his ears.
"SILENCE YOU PEST!" The man yells after having gathered himself and lunges his way towards the tiefling girl brandishing his dagger ready for it to strike the child. But the pain never came as she opened her eyes she sees her mothers back slumped forward as the steps backward taking the dagger out of the woman with a wicked smile.
"Juniper....fight like hell baby girl" her mother falls to her knees and casts her one last spell and reaches back touching her daughters leg as it feels like a tree bark like armor encases the young teen girl.
"Oh juniper juniper juniper you weak little child, good for nothing" the man uses his dirty pants too wipe his bloodied dagger as there is banging on the door as the nurses try to get in. Juniper quickly goes top grab her small ankle dagger her big brother have her and hold it tight as she makes her way to a trembling stand, she lifts her head and speaks, "I-I'm not weak!" She lunges forward and gets shoved to the side by the man as he easily dodges her advance and lets out a hearty laugh, The man then lunges himself at the teenage girl and pulls her down to the ground and wrestles her small dagger out of her little hand as it clatters to the floor and he pushed it out of her grasp and laughed.
"Come on little juniper fight like hell isn't that what that fucking devil said? Come on little shit" the man growls at her and grabs her by one of her horns and slams her head back as he's sitting on top of her legs.
With a scream Juniper throws her hands out toward the dagger he clutches and grabs the lower half and a portion if the handle and yanks as hard to the left to pull it out of his right hand. The man tried to grab it from her but she pulls up the courage to stab up and into this mans hand that was on her horn, the man lets her go and climbed off yelling in pain.
"YOUR GONNA PAY FOR THAT BITCH!" The man raises his voice and longed back at her.
Juniper takes the moment to roll away and scramble to her feet quickly holding the dagger with two hands and letting out another scream she lunges forward just as the man was getting his bearings once more, It was as if luck was on her side once more as she drove he dagger into the mans chest and he grins wickedly at her.
"Be Damned Devil child" he croaks before his body falls limp and hits the floor>
As his body hits the floor the dresser is pushed forward and the medical center staff look around the large man that stands in the doorway, the light shines in on the young trembling girl staring down at the man she just killed as tears roll down her cheeks as looks over towards then.
"H-he attacked us, he killed Atlas and mama." She lets out a loud sob as she collapses to her knees as the medical staff rushes in to scoop her out of the situation. The young teen is quickly taken away from the room and to a safe room where they clean the cut on her hand as well as clean the blood from her body.
Over the next few hours, the guards had questioned her about the whole event sending the young girl into a hysterical crying fit several times before they decided to stop for now. Junipers two last remaining older twin brothers were asked to come down to get their little sister, begrudgingly they did as they were asked, Juniper never had the best relationship with the twins Pine and Oak.
The next few days were a blur for the young Tiefling, with her brothers planning and preparing the funeral for their mother, Holly LaRose and eldest brother Atlas LaRose. Oak, the eldest twin had most of the responsibility put on his shoulders and has has to invite all his mother and brothers closest friends to the funeral at the local temple.
The da was cloudy and cool the day of the funeral and those who have known the dearest Holly and Atlas had shown up, even former patients who loved them had showed up that day to like the streets to their grave sight in rose petals. The ceremony had lasted awhile and young Juniper followed behind her two remaining brothers as the coffins were carried out by friends down the streets and to their final resting places on a hill under a beautiful and large Oak tree, Tears run down her cheeks as she watches the coffins be lowered down into the holes and slowly buried. Family friends around her let out soft sobs and cries as the coffins were fully buried and people start to leave but not Juniper, The young girl pulls out a water tin and a cloth and wipes her mother and brothers head stone down.
"It's okay Mama and Atlas....I fought and got him for you." She lets out a soft sob as she cleaned the headstones down the rest of the day.
The sun began to set as Juniper walked home down the darkening roads, She pulls the black cloak hood over her head and wiped her tears away with a sniffle as she walked up the small path to her small home. She pushes the door open softly and walked in where the twins waited for her.
"Lets get you to bed Juniper, go wash up and get ready for bed we'll come tuck you in." Pine brushed his reddish brown hair back with a sigh.
"Okay..." Juniper mumbled before getting a night gown from her room and made her way to the small washroom in the cottage.
"We can't stay here Oak.. not with her" Pine continues their previous conversation before Juniper had arrived.
"I'm well aware Pine I don't want to raise her just as much as you don't. Maybe we can try and find Dad and he will take you and I in." Oak spoke very monotoned.
Juniper stayed quiet listening to her brothers for a moment before washing up and changing.
"We can leave her with Fran the tavern lady owner and her weird lover Lex, Fran loves Juni anyway so why not just leave her there." Pine leans back in his chair.
"Your leaving me?" Juniper opened the washroom door with a scared look on her face.
"Yes." Oak was blunt about it
"Juniper we don't wanna raise a teenager, Besides we are going to go find dad." Pine says as he sits up.
"Why dad? He left us can't we go find one of mamas family?" Juniper walked over reaching out to Oak.
"Dad left us because of YOU being born, It's your fault dad left and besides if any one from moms side cared they would have showed to the funeral today, Face it June-Bug no one loves us" Oak pulled away from her hand. "Well no one loves you actually"
"But you guys do don't you? Your my brothers." Tears began to well once more in her eyes.
"By force if you weren't so annoying maybe we would, besides the point go get packed we are taking you to Fran in the morning" Oak gets up and motions her to her room.
"Okay.."Juniper had no idea what to say to the brothers she loved.
Juniper quietly walked to her room and packed two bags of clothes and personal belongings, after abit Pine walked in to put her in bed. She climbed into bed feeling completely numb and Pine tucked her in as if she wasn't just told that they didn't love her, Juniper rolled over as Pine left closing the door and hoping that all this was just a bad dream. She lets out a soft sob and buries her face into her pillow and cried her heart out until she fell asleep, The loneliness she felt didn't fade as it followed her into her dreams.
The young girl felt completely empty as she woke the next morning, She climbed out of bed and walked out of her room to be met with emptiness. The cottage had looked like it was ransacked and things had been taken and fear flooded the young girl as she ra to Pine and Oaks room.
"Pine?? Oak??" She called out and pushed open the door to find it practically empty, Her brothers didn't have the decency to give her a goodbye.
She collapsed to her knees having officially lost her entire life in just a few days, she let out such a feral pained cry out into the nothingness and sat crying in the empty house for hours.
After awhile she had finally tired herself out and stood to her feet and quietly made her way to her room and grabbed her two bags, she can't stay here anymore because she doesn't have the money to keep it and her only choice is to ask Fran for help. She left in her night gown and made her way down the busy roads to the tavern she frequently hung out at and talked to sailors and learn stories of the sea, she stood in front of the big doors. Taking a deep breath and looked around she finally pushed open the doors to start a new chapter of her life, One that she was absolutely terrified to start.