Disclaimer: I do not own anything Rango related. But I do own these OCs!

Prologue

"You little bugger!" Amy hissed as her sister laughed, glaring as her twin looked over her prize: a humiliating picture taken just seconds ago, at around the same instant as when Amy inadvertantly made a rather disturbing face. "Gimme that!" She made a grab for the photo, which Amethyst immediately jerked out of reach.

"Nah uh! This one's going in the memory books! Or the newspapers!" She stood triumphantly, raising the picture in the air like some kind of trophy. "I can see the Headlines now: 'Amy Muñoz González! Living Proof That El Chupacabra Does Exist!' " Her resulting laugh was cut off when her sister tackled her in the gut, sending them to the floor of their cart. It took a moment for the stunned and winded Amethyst to realize what was happening, but before long, she started to struggle. "Ow! Get off!"

"Give me that freakin' picture!" Amy shot back, reaching for that photo of doom! But Amethyst wasn't giving it up that easily and she curled up, holding the photo close to her body as if it was the most delicate baby in the world.

"No way! This is gold!" She gave the picture a mocking kiss. "With some luck in blackmail, this might pay for my college tuition!"

"As if you'd live long enough to make it into college!"

"That's enough, hijas!" The basilisk twins froze in their current position: Amy pinning her sister down while reaching for the picture, Amethyst pushing her sister's face back with one hand while the other held straight out to keep the precious photo out of reach. They both looked to their mother, whose face was stern and scornful. "Now if we're gonna visit our friends in America, then I suggest you two behave."

At this warning, Amy got off her sister, giving her mother a defensive pleading look. "But Mamá, Amethyst is being obnoxious...Again!"

"I was not." The other sister denied the obvious, standing up and displaying the picture like it was some kind of parade float. "This could genuinely be my lucky break!" Or so it would be as her sister immediately took the opportunity to snatch it and tear it apart, which Amethyst immediately protested. "Hey! That was my future!"

"Not anymore!" Amy retorted as she threw the pieces up like confetti, apparently celebrating her little victory and smirking at her growling sibling.

"I said that's enough!" Mamá snapped once more before pointing to their seats. "Now sit down before your father turns this cart around and we head back home."

Defeated, the two siblings sat back in their seats sulkingly. They didn't wanna spend their school vacation stuck at home and it'll certainly no fun if they got grounded for this vacation either. Bored already, Amethyst looked out the window at the landscape, which was dry and barren, a complete contrast to their home in the rainforest. She wondered how long it would take for them to pass by this place; it was so boring looking at nothing but sand and cacti. Taking her camera, she took a few photos of the landscape, just because it was something to do. She didn't mind as her sister leaned over her shoulder to have a look outside too. Although they do have their moments of conflict, they're still sisters and actually got along more often than not.

"This is the Mojave Desert? Wow, this place looks dead." Amy muttered with an amused smile. Amethyst quickly nodded in agreement.

"Tell me about it; how can anything live here?"

As if on cue, a large shadow passed over head and the sister froze instinctively, both silent for a long moment before Amethyst looked over to her sister. "Did you see that, or was it just me?"

"I saw it..."

"Hawk!" Came a cry from Papá and the cart suddenly jolted, sending the girls off their seats and on the floor. Shocked, the panicked girls looked to their mother to tell them how to react to this. They both knew that their normal defenses won't work right now: freezing would be a bad idea, and they couldn't exactly run away inside a cart. Plus, they seriously doubted that there would be a body of water to run on around here. The mother basilisk seemed just as stunned and afraid as they were, but she recovered at a quicker rate. Instantly, one goal made itself known in her head: Save her daughters. Although the cart was jerking erratically as it moved along the terrain at high speed, she pushed her children towards the door.

"You two have to get out! Rápidamente!"

"What do we do when we're out?" Amy asked frantically.

"And what about you?" Amethyst added in her own frightened state.

"Follow your instincts! I have to help your father!" Was the reply as their mother jerked open the door. The ground sped by unbelievably fast. They were expected to jump out of a moving cart? That's insane! But they had no choice in the matter as their mother shoved them hard from behind, sending them tumbling out and rolling across the hard ground, no doubt earning a few painul bruises in the process. But the two had no time to properly recover from the impact as they heard a few last words from their mother. "Find somewhere to hide, hijas! We'll come back for you!"

Looking at the speeding cart getting further from them, they could just catch sight of their mother bravely climbing out the door toward the front of the cart to assist their father, disappearing from sight as the cart rushed downhill as the predatory bird swooped down in pursuit. There was a silence before a horrible crashing sounded. Amethyst couldn't hold in an anguished cry. "Mamá! Papá!" She was just about to dash over to save them, unable to comprehend that it was probably too late to do so, when Amy grabbed hold of her firmly.

"Amethyst, no!" She piped through her distress, always the more rational twin. She couldn't let her sister go over there and more than likely get herself killed before being served up as dessert.

"We have to help!" The other sister screamed, struggling to get out of her sibling's grip, but she was held fast.

"We can't... It's too late..." Amy hiccuped in response, heavy moisture rushing down her cheeks.

"Mamá! Papá! Regresa a mi..." The hysterical lizard choked on her own tears for a second before shouting again. "Come back! Please!"

"They're not coming back, sis..." It was agony for Amy to say that, but she knew it was true. Horribly true.

"No..."

"There's nothing we can do..."

"No...No..." Crying heavily, Amethyst stopped struggling and snuggled close, burying her face in her sister. She felt her remaining kin pat and rub her back comfortingly, though she could feel the shakiness of her sibling's breath, the tears dropping onto her head crest and sliding down into her black hair. She could hear both their hearts racing from residual fear, seemingly in sync. Her crying turning into uncontrollable sobs, she pressed even closer. For a long time, the two stayed this way, not caring that they were in the open under the merciless sun and surrounded by the dry hot air. It felt as though something broke inside their hearts, giving the two young lizards a terrible pain that was worse than any kind of physical torture. They just lost their parents...Both their parents... There was nobody left to look after them, to protect them from life's dangers. To ground them whenever they do something stupid, to cheer them up whenever they had a bad day. Nobody...

They were alone and vulnerable in this strange desert place...

This probably won't be a very long story, but regardless! Another 'side-project' to satisfy my love for the movie...Particularly, of my love for Rattlesnake Jake. Anyway, just an introductory chapter to the main characters of this fic. Hope you guys like it! :)