Yeah, I bet you can never guess whom this is going to be about.

Personal notes: Just to make sure to avoid confusion, this is a story about Jake and Neil playing together as kids. And I might have increased their age differense a little.
About the title, I blame child-Neil's wild imagination. I think his crazy mind possessed me when I wrote.
Enjoy.


My name is Neil Marshall, and I, am the toughest cowboy in the whole Wild West.
Together, me and my brother Jake, fight the most evil of criminals and the most vile scumm that exists on this side of the world.
No one dare fight us as we ride through the streets to bring peace to the people who live here.
Today is quiet, not a soul in sight, as we march on to protect the people we know and love. But something lurks around the corner, something unknown, something alien, something... evil.
No matter what, we will fight it.
If we fall, we will stand again.
When things look bad, we will turn it to our advantage.
We will not let them succeed.
For we, are the dread of the west.

“Come on, Jake!”

“Neil? Don’t you think you’re... overdoing it a bit? Just a little?”

“Aww, Jake! It will be fun! Trust me!”

“Yeah, if you say so, Neil.”

I’m Jake, and this, is Neil, my baby brother. He loves to play heroic, and sometimes his imagination can carry him real far.
Right now, his favorite occupation is “Cowboys and Demons”. Yes, demons, the demons being the criminal part of his wild, western, mind. He claims that “demons” sounds more interesting as a gamename, and, it keeps people from confusing it with “Cops and Robbers”, even though it’s practically the same thing.
When I questioned him about the last part he went all crazy and kept ranting on how demon-fighting cowboys were nothing like regular cops.
As his older brother, it is my duty to stay with him, and save him from any conceivable dangers he might put himself in. Though I admit that his games can be fun sometimes.
But sneaking into the field where the neighbors crazy bull, “Manfred”, is kept, and escape to the nearest tree, is not what I would call “bravely fight the wild hyenas while saving the beautiful damsel”.
So, here I am, chasing after my little brother while he runs all over the family ranch making up wild stories about his surroundings.

“Jake! Stop daydreaming and get over here!”

“I’ll be right with ya, Neil.”
Yes, chasing.
It’s hard work, but someone has to do it.
Besides, it keeps me occupied, and as long as I’m taking care of Neil, our uncle can’t put me to work in the stables.
...God, I hate working in the stables.

“JAKE!”

“Easy! I’m coming, I’m coming.”
Here we go again.



The two brothers, walking side by side up the empty street, were a sight no living man would want to miss for his life.
The confidence they radiated, the power, the might.
They were... invincible.
Something was disturbing the quiet citizens, something they didn’t know anything about. Now, it was up to the two brothers to rid the city of this unknown fear.

Neil Marshall, also known as “the slayer of the west”, walked up to one of the empty buildings, looking at it critically.
“What do ya think of this, Jake?” He asked his older brother while taking a look at the deserted town.
“I think there are some real madmen we’re dealing with this time.”

“Yeah, sure. I don’t think much about this at all.”

Ignoring his brother’s rejecting answer, Neil continued. “I think we should head out of town to look for further clues.” He said determinedly.

“Whatever my brother suggests.”

*

Well outside, the two cowboys split up to look for anything that could help them on their way.

Jake, carefully examining a cactus, shrugged.
“There doesn’t seem to be anything here.” He informed his young colleague.
“Maybe we should just give this up?”

“No way are we giving this up! Have you forgotten why we are here? They believe in us, Jake!” Neil scolded his brother.
“We have to protect them from any kind of evil. We can’t fail them now! We have to keep trying.”

“Whatever you say, Neil.” Jake said and went back to his intense cactus studies.
He was just about to examine a particularly interesting part when his little brother let out a scream.

“Jake! I’ve got it! I’ve got it! They’re here!”

“Sure, Neil, that’s very good.” Jake said without listening to what his brother had to say.

“Horses, Jake! Look!” He pointed at something in the sand. “And a whole bunch of them it seems. Let’s follow them!” Neil hurried away but stopped.
“Jake! You’re not even listening!”

“ Huh? What?” Jake unwillingly left his newfound interest to attend to his brother.
“What have you got there?” He asked.

“Hoof- marks, Jake! See?” Neil bent down to take a closer look. “And they look fresh too.” He added.
“They’re close, hurry!”

“Hold on, don’t you think that could be a little dangerous?I mean, these marks are everywhere. From what we know, this could belong to an entire army!”

“Jake.” His brother sighed. “Do I have to remind you of who we are? We are the incredible Marshalls! No one’s a match for us, being a couple of simple robbers or the entire cavalry. We can fight them all.” He smiled at his brother while lighting a c-”


“Neil! NO!”

“What?”

“Don’t you even dare!”

“But, Jake!” Neil whined. “All the cool guys in those movies does it!”

“Well, yeah. But they’re all older than you.”

“Aww, come on! Just this once, please?”

“No! No smoking, Neil.”

“...Fine! But then you will have to get caught and let me do a heroic entrance to save you.”

“We’ll see about that, Neil.”


“You hear that, Jake? Let’s go get them!”

“...I guess taking a look wouldn’t hurt.” Jake said. “Just to get to know what we’re dealing with. Ok, let’s go.”

*

“Hey, Jake! Take a look at this!” Neil hastly laid down on the ground and looked out over a small cliff.
Right beneath the two brothers, was a camp of some sort.
“I think we’ve found them!” Neil said happily.

“Yeah, it sure looks like it. Now let’s get back before they find us. ...Neil?”

Neil didn’t listen to his whining brother but left for a closer look.
Carefully not to be seen, he crept closer to his destination, hiding behind nearby trees as he went.
“Jake! Look at this. There’s something lying over there by the fire.”

“Neil! What are you doing? Come back here at once!” Jake hissed at his brother, but it was already too late.
As quietly as he could, the cowboy went after his uncareful brother to try to keep him from doing anything too stupid.

“Come on, Jake. There’s no one here. Let’s take a look.”
Neil took a quick glance around and then walked up to the campfire.
“Jake!” He whispered with an immense delight in his voice. “You should see this! Get over here!

“Neil you...!”
Jake quickly followed his brother to where he stood, staring at a muddy bundle on the ground.
“Come back! We shouldn’t be here. We need to think of a good plan for this.”

“But, Jake, what is this thing?” Neil asked curiously, poking at it with his foot.

“I don’t know, and I don’t care! Let’s get out of here while there’s still time!”
He turned to walk away, dragging his brother in one arm. But as he turned he quickly let go as he found himself facing a dozen or so men.

One of them, a huge man with a terrifying appearance, stepped into the enclosed light of the campfire.
“Now, what do we have here?” He asked with a slightly amusing look on his face.
“Two simple cowboys, intruding on my ground?

Neil glared at the man with disgust.
“Simple?” He spat. “Simple? Don’t you know who we are? Jake, let’s take this guy.”

“Neil! Look now what you’ve done!” He sighed. “We might as well give this up. They’re too many for us.” Jake said and raised his hands.
“I’m not going to fight you, this was all his idea.” He pointed at Neil. “Go ahead and do you’re worst, I’m ready for it.”


“Jake! What are you doing? Stop it! You’re ruining the whole story!”

“But, Neil, we both know this can’t end well.”

“It so can! Watch me.”


Neil looked at the people in front of him. First there was the enemy, the men they were after, the men they would fight. Then there was his brother, ready to give up and hand himself over to their undefined terror.
“Stay cool.” Neil thought to himself. “Show them what you’ve got, show them everything. Show them that no one can mess with a Marshall and get away with it.”
Neil smiled as he walked up to stand next to his brother.

“Stay where you are!”
The huge man said.

Ignoring his powerless words, Neil continued to walk, and when he reach his brother’s side, he indifferently struck a pose. (Man he looked cool.)
“You can cut the act now, Jake.” He said while lowering his brother’s raised arms. “We’ve got them. Let’s show them who they’re dealing with.”
Still smiling, Neil looked at the men surrounding them.
“We,” he said, pointing at himself and his older brother, “are the incredible Marshall brothers. You’ve probably heard of us. Fighting criminals in the west, disposing of useless scumm in the east. We fight through rain, we fight through the srtongest wind, we fight for anyone in need, but most of all, we fight, for justice!”


“...Jake?”

“What now, Neil?”

“When I grow up, I want to be a real cowboy.”

“I’m sure ya will be, Neil.”


Quickly Neil drew his gun, pointing it at the man directly in front of him.
“You have been disturbing the peace in our town, and we won’t let that slip unnoticed. Prepare yourself!”
He quickly spun around to parry a coming attack from one of the men standing behind him, elegantly, he stepped aside and gave his attacker a push that sent him flying into one of his comrades.
He raised his gun once more and-“


“Neil!”

“But, Jake! It’s cool!”

“Maybe, but NO maiming! Remeber last time?
It took me a week to clean up the mess in the barn.”

“...Fine!”


The two brothers were surrounded, standing back to back, they saw the men closing in on them.
They were unarmed apart from their combined senses, and with it, they would fight.

“And there we stood, all hope had seemed to abandon us when the thirty or so men-“


“I thought they were twelve.”


“-when the dozen men came closer and closer.”
“Any ideas, Jake?” Neil asked.

“Not that I can come to think of.” His brother answered.

Neil’s eyes sparkled. “Then let’s take them!”
Neil grabbed hold of Jake’s arms and spun him around, taking down three of the surronding men in the process. He made a quick side step, skilfully avoiding the next attacker, back flipped, and landed in front of the mastermind himself.


“NEIL!”

“Okay, okay! Geez, I’m just trying to have some fun...”

“Of course you are, Neil. But let’s finish this simple, okay? And quickly, please, it’s getting late.”


The Marshall brothers were surrounded, but they couldn’t give this up, not now, not like this. They had to keep fighting, fighting for what they believed in.
Now, was the time to do what they did best.

*

The fight was over in a few minutes, but oh, were those minutes the most intense, awesome, crime-fighting minutes ever!
The brothers had done it again.

“We did it, Jake!” Neil screamed at his brother. “We did it again! We are the best!”
He was practically jumping up and down of excitment.
“Dude, that was wicked!”

“Sure was, Neil.” Jake said as he walked up to his little brother, jokingly ruffling his hair. “You did great, cowpoke, as always. Now let’s get back home, we’ve deserved it.”

And so, the two brothers could be seen walking side by side, slowly disappering with the setting sun.
Jake and Neil Marshall, the crime fighting cowboys of the Wild West.
Together, they sought evil, together, they fought it, and together, they saved the day once again.



“Jake, that was awesome!” Neil said with a huge smile on his face.

“Sure was, Neil.” Jake said with a quick look at his smiling brother. “Just try to stay out of harm next time, ok? For me?”

“Of course.”

“Good, cowboy. Now it’s time for you to sleep. In you go.”

“Aww, but, Jake, I’m not tired yet.” Neil said while trying to hold back a yawn.
“Just a little longer, please?”

“No, Neil. You’ve had your fun, now it’s time for bed. We’ll play more tomorrow.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

“Awesome!“
Neil ran off towards the house, but in the doorway he stopped and turned to look at his brother once more.
“...Jake?” He asked carefully.

“Yes? What is it now, Neil?”

Neil ran back to his brother and threw himself around his neck, burying his head in his comfortable arms.
“I love you, Jake.” He whispered in his brother’s ear.

Softly wrapping his arms around his little brother, Jake returned the hug while carefully whispering his answer.
“Me too, Neil. Me too.”

---