The Radiant Rangers

Chapter 4

The flecks of golden sunshine mingled with the few wispy clouds in the sky. The bright blue sky overhead showed no signs of rain. It was the perfect weather for walking as Cynthia and Juliet were close to approaching the mountain's peak.

Juliet trailed off a bit of a distance behind Cynthia who was enjoying the view. The wolf trotted along side of Juliet, wagging its tail happily. The wolf had been silent and obedient. Once they finally reached the top, Juliet stood atop the rocky surface and raised her arms in victory.

The beauty and the thinness of the air overtook Juliet's senses. They could see so much from where they were. The sense of awe she had was enhanced. Few clouds above them swirled in an icy greeting and soft snow coated the mountain's peak. Juliet's eyes began to water as the wind whipped her short black hair across her face. When she looked down at the dizzying drop, nothing met her gaze but flat clouds, hiding the treasure of their landscape directly below.

Cynthia closed her eyes, then reopened them and exhaled slowly, her breath clouding her view of the mountains. "How truly beautiful and vast the earth is..." she marveled to herself. "How truly good and powerful was the creator who put the mountains in their place!"

Juliet felt like she was on top of the world. All she could see were the clouds above blowing in the wind and thousands upon thousands of trees which peaked through the clouds. Cynthia's eyes pealed the forest which they were now completely on top of. She felt her heart ache. The tops of trees covered the entire area, there was nothing but trees and other mountains which rested gently in between some of the patches of trees. 

Cynthia realized that they had wondered too far into the forest. They were completely lost.
"Juliet," Cynthia started. "I'm sorry."

Juliet looked over at Cynthia who seemed upset. "Why man?" She asked petting the wolf who remained by her side. "This is epic!"

"Because we're lost." Cynthia said bluntly. "I don't know where we are and I thought we'd be able to see everything from all the way up here but I was wrong."

Juliet shrugged. "It's alright man." She said. "I got to meet a cool wolf."

Cynthia half smiled at the furry creature that stood by Juliet's side. It acted just like a dog.
Cynthia looked up at the sky. She noticed that the sun was sinking fast now. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but realized they had spent the entire day walking through the forest.

The sky had turned to a clear, purple-tinged grey, but to the west there was a ruby-red glow. The brilliant orb of amber and tangerine sunk lower and lower in the sky until it dipped down into the horizon, painting the sky in magnificent hues of fiery red and crimson. A brilliant orange colored the world when the sun descended.

Cynthia looked over at Juliet, who didn't seem to be too worried about the sun setting. Juliet's focus was on the wolf; she couldn't take her attention off of it. Juliet claimed she wasn't scared of the dark, but Cynthia could see Juliet's body movements get tighter and more fidgety as she played with the wolf.

Juliet was the kind of person to put on a tough face, a face that possessed zero fears, but deep down inside Juliet had extreme anxiety and feared small things. Nobody knew this side of Juliet besides Cynthia and a few of her brothers. Cynthia was her best friend after all.

"I don't think we'll be going home tonight Juliet." said Cynthia. She was worried about her younger sister. Haisley was home, completely alone, in the middle of a lonely forest which could be miles away from where they were now.

"My parents still believe that you live in a normal house, in a normal neighborhood, with a normal family." said Juliet. She sat down on the rocky earth, focusing her attention now on the sunset. The wolf that had been following her around sat down next to her. "Usually when I'm not home they assume I'm with you at your house."