Fauna sat on the altar in the crumbling stone temple, the light that sluiced through the jagged rocks and heavy forest canopy warm on her fair face. She kept her amber eyes shut as she allowed the sun's energy to flow through her. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves and combed through her nearly white blonde hair. It pushed through her thin cloth dress and caressed her narrow body. She welcomed it, as she did with nearly all of nature's gifts. Soon, she would enter the sacred lands at her back, but first she needed to undergo a ritual cleansing. Strange things had been happening in the Woods of Wonder, and it was her duty to discover the source of the happenings.
The breeze grew stronger. It sent her hair flowing like a banner. A cloud veiled the sun, and a trace of the fragrance of rain touched the air. Fauna brought her gaze forward and opened her eyes. Grass crunched just beyond the temple walls. As the beast rounded the corner and came into view, she smiled. When she spoke, her voice was bright and merry like a songbird's call.
"You must be Storm Caller."
The creature nodded. "Indeed I am," it said, its voice deep and rich. Storm Caller was a unicorn with the most striking coat, a swirling mixture of white, greys, and black like an approaching summer storm. Its mane and tail, two grand masses of wavy hair, flowed independent of the wind. Its horn was the color of a lightning bolt, and Fauna could feel the immense power radiating from it even from several yards away. It approached, its hooves clopping against the stone brick floor and crunching the wispy vegetation that ate away the grout. It towered over her, its sky blue eyes fixed on her delicate form. "And you must be Fauna Wistwood."
Fauna nodded, a broad smile stretching across her lips. "Indeed I am."
Storm Caller's tail twitched. "Excellent. Are you ready to undergo the ritual?"
Fauna nodded again.
"Very well." Storm Caller tilted its horn and tapped both of Fauna's shoulders. "Fauna of the elf clan Wistwood, you are about to enter the Woods of Wonder, the most sacred place in the region. But before you can purify others, you must first purify yourself." A chill bloomed in the air, and an aura seemed to crackle from Storm Caller's horn. "Please, open your mouth."
Fauna parted her lips as wide as she could, her strawberry tongue coming to rest just past her teeth.