Ren and Winni were unsure of how they got in this situation. Winni, being a practical and well-mannered cowboy, simply said that he couldn’t remember how it happened. Ren, on the other hand, being the eccentric and adventurous explorer slash samurai she was, changed the story every time she told it, first starting with the escape from an Amazon tribe, and was now updated to the thrilling defeat of a large, one thousand man, army (single handedly, of course. She was only there to rescue Winni.)

Ren was currently sitting down upon a mossy rock, heavily shadowed by the thick, jungle landscape hopelessly surrounding them. She removed the wicker straw hat, which greatly resembled a basket, and wiped the sweat off her brow. By taking off the straw headgear, a few strands of dark brown hair became loose from the short pigtails that hung close to her neck. They were fastened by small, orange ribbons, which made her peachy skin stick out more.

Ren’s attire wasn’t anything ordinary, either. She had removed her black leather jacket earlier, which was durable for all the harsh conditions she went through. Now she was exposed with a white, button down top, complimenting the water-resistant beige jeans that covered most of her brown hiking boots. Ren had a genuine Indiana Jones appearance. The only thing that didn’t fit with her outfit, apart from the straw hat, was the shiny katana supported around her thin waist.

Winni, on the other hand, had his tan cowboy hat in his left hand, brushing away the dirty blond strands of hair with his right. He had unbuttoned his suede jacket, one-inch thick loose strips hanging from the sleeves, to reveal a six-pack chest. His matching suede pants, which included deep pockets and a holster for his very own pistol, slightly fell over his leather cowboy boots, completely giving in to his cowboy attitude.

The two were hot, resting upon the ground, panting, and sucking in deep breaths. They both looked like they had just run a marathon, with sweat stains blotching their once-clean clothes. They hardly knew each other, yet the two had seemed to get along quite well for the adventure.

“What do we do now?” Winnie said after a long while, catching his breath and studying Ren closely. She looked bad, but he could only guess that he looked the same.

Ren had been off in her own world, thinking of god-knows-what, and her attention had been brought to Winni with and edge of surprise. She hesitated her answer, and then found herself shrugging her shoulders carelessly. “Honestly, I don’t know. I’m hungry though.”

Winni gave her a half smile, but only shook his head. “We don’t have anything to eat.”

“I know.”

They sat in silence for a while longer, listening to the birds squawk off in the distance. It was the only sign of knowing that there was something alive in this eerie jungle, apart from the overgrown trees.

Ren sighed, folding her arms, and staring at the muddy, moss infested ground. A rather large beetle scuttled by the heel of Winni’s shoe; avoiding it in the most randomized path Ren could think of. Her eyes traveled the direction of the beetle’s path, but stopped on the toes of Winni’s boots.

“Where did you get those darling shoes?” she asked with an out-of-the-blue perky manner. She had a dreamy look in her eyes, looking as if she longed for a pair just like them.

“Back in America.” Winni said, giving Ren a puzzled look. “They were a gift from my girl back home.”

Ren looked towards Winni’s face. His features were handsome; she wasn’t surprised that he had someone waiting for his return, somewhere. “Well, then where did she get those darling shoes?”

Winni found himself chuckling at the comment, half-heartedly. He didn’t want to be laughing; in fact, he didn’t even find the sentence funny. Maybe the intense heat was making him crack.

“She got them in a store, I suppose. Genuine leather; very comfortable.”

Ren sighed, moving her arms around to hold her stomach. “Leather, huh? Poor cows.” She shook her head suddenly, “Oh, who am I kidding? I could go for a giant bowl of beef stew right about now.”

“So could I.” Winni said, with a broad grin.

They were both laughing now, the two tired and completely devastated souls. They were enjoying what could have been the last moments of their life, or what could have been an eternity of suffering.

But their moment was cut short. In an instant, both, Ren and Winni looked up at the same time, instinctively listening in to the change of air around them. No more were there birds chirping cheerfully, but now there was music. It was soft at first, soothing and relaxing, but then it became louder and more aggressive, a war chant.

It was less than a second before a sword was wielded, and a pistol was drawn. Ren and Winni had moved to their feet, standing back to back, in ready position.

“Are you ready for this, partner?” Ren said, a small smile creeping onto her lips.

Winni took in a deep breath, giving a small grin to his new comrade. He checked his pistol, finger upon the trigger, ready to fire.

“You’d be damned if I wasn’t.”