the-sacred-heart

[the-sacred-heart]

Prologue

We reached the site. It only took about six different stops to fix up my shoe wraps to get there. Xersaur checked the letter again. I think I saw sweat trickle down his scales.

“This is nuts. I mean, is he serious? He isn’t well equipped to be here at all!” Xersaur said. He glanced at me and Trix, “Well, he doesn’t have assistance, is what I mean.” He adjusted his shoulder pads and tucked away the letter. “Be prepared for an ambush, you never know what that pig is planning. Clearly we didn’t.”

“What if he does have assistance?” I asked. Xersaur sighed and looked at me.

“Lets pray he doesn’t,” Xersaur said.

“You never struck me as the religious type,” Trix commented.

“There’s a lot you have yet to know about me,” Xersaur looked out towards the vast ocean of lava. I still don’t understand how he can look right at that bright lava. He stared at it like he meant business.

“Good evening!” That posh voice said. Sir Vincent stood on a platform in front of us. I guess he really wasn’t lying, huh? A gold lever was placed on a wall next to him. “So glad you all could make it. It looks like we’re still missing a friend, though?” He shot a look at Xersaur. Xersaur glared and positioned his hand on his sword's handle. “Woah, woah, did I strike a chord? Let’s not forget what we promised.”

“I made no promises with you,” Xersaur said. Are we gonna die here?

“Is that so?” Sir Vincent stepped towards his lever. “You won’t disband your little fangroup? Even if it’s for the greater good of our worlds? You lizards truly are selfish, aren’t you?” He shook his head and laughed.

“Explain to me what the lever is for,” Xersaur said.

“Curious! This here, if you refuse to comply, will rebuild the ancient beast,” The ground began to rumble. With a shriek, a platform behind Sir Vincent rose to reveal the body of the Beast With Three Heads. Trix pulled me closer to him.“Interesting, right? I figured it out. In that time you spent trying to take down my village, I was cracking away at this.”

“How did you…” Xersaur said.

“That’s for another day. Let’s get back to the topic at hand, yes? So, which do you choose?” 

“There’s no way. I know you, Vincent. You wouldn’t have the gall to even place your hoof on that damned lever.”

Click.

“What? You really didn’t think I’d do it?” Sir Vincent scoffed. His hoof rested on the now pushed down lever. It was obvious to me, he had no idea the true damage he would soon cause. I watched in horror as the heads reconnected themselves. Rotten flesh meeting ends and intertwining, hollowed eyes flickering light, and teeth sharpening themselves. This might just be scarier than death itself.

“You…” Xersaur started to say, “You…” He couldn’t even reach for his sword in his fear.

“Cat got your tongue?” Sir Vincent smiled.

[the-sacred-heart]

Welcome to Villurton Village.

This page is best viewed on a computer. Enjoy your stay.

CREDITS: Dizzykitteh (writer), Meowmello (co-writer), 343guiltyshark (editor)

Use NAVIGATE to access chapters.

[the-sacred-heart]

Chapter 1, “Fresh Start”

It had been a week since Cookie made the big move to stay with her cousin in Villurton. She still couldn't decide if it had been a good idea or not. She spent her mornings gazing out the window, studying the birds perched on the tree out front. Occasionally one of the birds would land on the ground and peck at the dirt or uproot a perfectly fine looking flower. Cookie thought it was sweet. What could those birds possibly need those flowers for? Do they have a special bird that they bring them to? She'd stare at the birds every morning and let her mind wander. Eventually, Trix would wake up and the day would have to start. If only she could spend all day admiring the birds, lost in her thoughts.

It had been seven days of catching up with Trix, but Cookie still felt like there was a barrier between them. Even if they had been waking up in the same house for seven days straight and making eachother breakfast- though it was mostly Trix making the meals-Cookie still felt some sort of distance, like there was a secret being kept from her. She hated secrets. 

For almost all of Cookie's life, up until she was seventeen, Trix had been a part of it. Trix was three years older than her, but they still got along for the most part. Every summer, they would have a sleepover once a week. Cookie reminisced about it; they used to stay up all night playing video games together and downing pizza. They were inseparable.

Trix moved out at 20, just when Cookie turned 17. It practically happened out of nowhere. Trix up and left Cookie, without a chance to say goodbye. Cookie tried calling everyday to try and catch up, but it just wasn't the same. Everything was different.

She had to move on and make new friends, and she did. She met Oatie and Diane. She spent two years trying to push away her worries about her cousin. She didn't need him. He was better off without her. But now, here she was, back with Trix. Everything was supposed to go back to normal, but did it really feel normal? They cooked together, they ate together, they went on walks together. Why didn't it feel normal? Why didn't it feel like the old times?

“Cookie? Come downstairs, will you? I've made breakfast for us,” Trix called.

“Yeah, coming!” Cookie moved away from the window and made her way downstairs. It was a weird house design, there was an entrance and then the entire rest of the house was underground. To be frank, it bugged Cookie. How could her cousin expect her to live like this? It felt like the entire world was constantly hiding from her. Not only was the house design far from ideal, the house was distant from the village. It was among three other houses that resided beyond the bridge to the entrance of Villurton. But yet it was still considered to be under Villurtons residence. Cookie knew her cousin to be a bit of an introvert, but he wasn’t that shut-in. Why he would ever decide to move into a house like this was beyond Cookie.

“Goodmorning!” Trix said as he placed down a plate of sunny-side-up eggs. He was pretty good at making those. At least in his opinion. Cookie thought he had a habit of oversalting it. “Tell me if I did good this time.”

Cookie examined her plate. Trix had put pink sprinkles on the eggs. “So… what's with this?” Cookie asked.

“Hm?” Trix's head perked up. “The sprinkles? Oh, well,” He glanced away and covered his mouth. “I was thinking, today, I'd have you run over and introduce yourself to some neighbors. Well, with me of course.” His eyes trailed back to Cookies.

“Oh?” Of course. Trix never goes the extra mile unless he's trying to ease Cookie into something. “I'm not meeting anybody.”

“I knew you'd say that. Please? It can just be one guy. He's nice, you know.”

“Who is he?”

“Xersaur. He's super kind, maybe a bit direct– but you know,” Trix poked at his food. “You'll like him. I can promise that.”

They finished their food and got ready. Cookie tried to dress nice but the summer heat denied her. The two stepped outside and began their walk to the neighbors.

“I just don't see why I have to do this. I can meet animalfolk on my own,” Cookie argued. Trix took his key out of the door and turned to Cookie. 

“Any more of this and I'm picking you up by your tail and dragging you there,” He said. “Enough.” Cookie always found it easy to accidentally piss off Trix. She never knew why. She guessed that's just what happens when you grow up so close to somebody. Some things never change.

They walked through the grassy plains to the stone house. The building was made of flattened rocks. Overgrown vines wrapped around the home and dark green moss was snuggled into the cracks. The door was definitely a… statement. It was wooden with a half circle window, but instead of a glass pane it was metal bars. It felt like she was in the presence of a medieval castle. Or, mini-castle.

Trix knocked loudly on the wooden door. It echoed somehow. He glanced at Cookie, as if to check if she'd decided to run off. She didn't. She stood still next to him.

“H-hello?” A voice peeped from the crack of the door. “Ah, hello Trix,” The door opened. A tall green scaled lizard loomed over them. He wore a scarf that was almost too big for him and a large long-sleeved shirt that covered him up to his knees. His pants were just about the only thing that fit him. Cookie was baffled by his appearance. So this is Xersaur. “And who is this?” The lizard, Xersaur, pointed to Cookie. His sharp fingers startled Cookie.

“Cookie, my cousin.” Trix proudly stated. Cookies ends of her mouth curved up nervously giving her a misshapen smile.

“Hello,” She waved.

“Cookie! Come on in you two,” He stepped back and gestured for them to come inside.

Cookie and Trix nodded, though Cookie was a bit hesitant. 

Inside was a kitchen, cabinets on the right, and a big table on the left. The floor was made up of odd blue wooden planks. Some planks were curved upwards, poking out. The walls were the same as the outside, stone with moss in the cracks. Cookie shivered from the cold breeze inside. No wonder this guy was dressed like that.

“It’s freezing in here!” Cookie blurted out. She rubbed her paws up and down her arms. Trix shot a look at Cookie.

“My heater’s busted,” Xersaur said, “Sorry about that.”

Trix and Cookie sat down at a rustic table. There was wood peeling off at the ends and screws poking out.

“You still haven't talked to Sir Vincent about it?” Trix asked him. That name. Cookie had heard it in the brochure about the village. She tried to do some research before she moved but ended up finding nothing online. Trix had to send over a brochure for Cookie.

“No, no, I haven't,” Xersaur glanced out the window. You could see the entire village plaza from here. “It's just too much. The Village is a bit of a long walk from here.”

“You lazy bum,” Trix scoffed. He smiled and shook his head.

“Would you two like some tea?” Xersaur asked them. He was already opening the cabinet and picking out mugs before they could reply. “I've got green tea, peppermint, hibiscus, black, pumpkin spice…” he counted the tea boxes.

“Green tea,” Cookie said. She could already hear Trix's answer coming up. Any is fine. And then he'd take two sips to be polite.

“Hibiscus– come on, do you even have to ask me?” Trix said. Cookie had a tinge of jealousy strike her. Oh? As far as she knew, Trix hated tea. Now he has a favorite?

“Well, I wasn't asking you,” Xersaur playfully snarled. His tongue slithered in and out of his mouth every time he spoke. His teeth were a bit too sharp for comfort. They seem to know each other well.

The conversation continued and eventually it was time for them to head back home. They had a bed to put up after all. Cookie had been sleeping on an air mattress for the past seven days and she was growing tired of it. There was a point in the conversation that stuck in Cookie's mind as they walked. Xersaur had stopped Cookie before she walked out the door and looked Cookie dead in the eyes, he told her to be careful. To make her cousin proud. Cookie said she would, what else do you say to that?

  “I’ll go make you some dinner,” Trix said, “You coming inside?” He stood, holding the door knob.

“Yeah! I just, uh, need to text my friends,” Cookie said. She heard the door shut behind her and then took a seat on the porch steps. The cool evening breeze tickled her fur. She was sure of it, Trix was hiding things from her. She looked up at the sky, the cool sunset made everything a pretty orange. There were no sounds of cars passing by, no sounds of honking or barking, just silence. Cookie liked the silence. She leaned over and ran her fingers through the grass. She started to question if there was another reason why Trix had brought her here. That neighbor had something about him. Something that made her uneasy. He even pulled her aside before she left. Literally what was that about? Make my cousin proud? She let out an annoyed sigh.

The crickets started to buzz, which scared her at first. She hadn’t heard that sound in so long, so long she couldn’t even recall how old she was when she heard it. What was I thinking about? A light flicked on and off from inside, illuminating her surroundings. The door creaked open.

“I need some help picking out something to eat,” Trix said.

“I– Okay!” Cookie jumped up. She took one last glance at the green grass before going inside.