The Armadillo with No Heart

Chapter 2: Postponed Sacrifice

A sense of foreboding seemed to cover Greentown on the morning of July 7th. It was as if the town itself were as anxious as all its residents. This was the day spoken of in legend – the Day of Sacrifice, the sixteenth birthday of the Dillo with No Heart. Today, his blood would be spilled, fulfilling the prophecy and ensuring that tragedy did not befall the Dillo race.

Lord Shiro, governor of Greentown, an old Dillo with piercing gray eyes, looked out the window of his study toward the town square, where the residents were already beginning to gather. They appeared uneasy, as if what they were about to witness were something shameful, indecent. Even the weather seemed moody; thick clouds blocked out the sun and made the town very dark for this time of day, a clear sign that it would be raining in a few minutes. Lord Shiro had sent his subordinate, Gerald, to the house of the Wretched nearly ten minutes ago, and was waiting for his return. He sighed and went back to his chair, hoping he could get this over with quickly.

-----

Lord Shiro's subordinate, Gerald, knocked thrice on the door to Kuro's house. No one answered, so he knocked again, more loudly.

"It's time!" he called.

Again, there was no reply. Losing patience, Gerald pushed the door open. The parlor was deserted, and rather dim, since the curtains were shut. Still, it was a fairly cozy and welcoming room, with varnished floorboards and a couple of padded armchairs. On the wall, above an old wooden dresser, hung a family portrait – a young Dillo, who looked about ten years old, and his parents. Gerald looked away from the portrait, the sight of it unnerved him.

"Mr. Trivol?" he called again. "It's time. Let's go."

No answer.

A worry arose in Gerald's mind... was it possible? No, certainly not... Trivol was probably a heavy sleeper. Surely, he would not do that...

Gerald began to climb the stairs. Aside from the sound of his footsteps, all was silent. At the top, he reached the bedroom door, which was ajar.

"Mr. Trivol?"

Gerald opened the door. Trivol was not in his bedroom. Not only that, but the wardrobe was open and empty, as were all the drawers on the nightstand.

Although Gerald did check the rest of the house, he knew he would find nothing. His worst fears had been confirmed.

-----

Lord Shiro's reaction was not unlike what Gerald had anticipated.

"I knew we should have locked him up a long time ago!" the governor shouted, pounding on his desk. "Damn that bastard... damn him... Gerald," he added, turning to his subordinate. "I need you to inform the citizens. And tell them we will find him, no matter what."

"Of course, sir. I'll do so immediately."

Gerald left the room, appearing relieved that Lord Shiro had not taken his anger out on him. The governor sat down, breathing hard, thinking about what to do next.

He must have headed for the Nymphwoods, he thought. He can't have gotten far... although, we don't know how long he's been gone...

There was no time to lose.

"Gerald!"

The assistant came back in, startled.

"Before you inform the citizens, tell Cyrus I want to see him."

"Yes, sir."

Almost three days had passed since Kuro had entered the Nymphwoods, and he was nearly exhausted. His body was covered in cuts, some of them still bleeding. He had no idea how long it would take to find a way out of the woods, so he was trying his best to spare the food he had brought, but his hunger was more unbearable with each passing hour. At night, he had to stay alert, and was lucky to get a few hours' sleep. He knew that strange and mysterious creatures lived in these woods, and, when all was pitch-black, he could never shake the feeling that something was lurking in the darkness, watching him... sometimes, he thought he heard them howling somewhere in the distance...

Even now, during daytime, little sunlight reached the forest floor, but it was at least enough for him to find his way through the trees and thickets.

Finding a large rock, Kuro sat down to rest for a while, panting, his heart hammering in his chest. He closed his eyes, listening to the chirping of the birds. The cuts on his face and arms stung, but they did not bother him nearly as much as the thoughts that had been hidden in the back of his mind, and were making their way to the surface again.

It was the third day since his escape... knowing that today was his birthday brought no joy to him all. This was meant to be the last day of his life...

By now, had they noticed he was gone? Were they looking for him already? If they were to find him...

The sound of thunder came from overhead, bringing Kuro abruptly back to reality. Within a few seconds, rain was upon him. He had to find shelter.

Kuro began to make his way through the forest again, but the heavy downpour, and the feeling of something weighing in his chest, made it much more arduous than before. For the first time, he wondered if he would make it through this. Perhaps this really was his fate...

The rain fell over him mercilessly, soaking him to the bone... the weight of what he had done sapped what little strength he had left...

There is no salvation for those who refuse to play their parts...

Kuro collapsed on the forest floor.

I'm a traitor, he thought. I'm a filthy, despicable coward... How many people will suffer because of my selfishness? How many lives will be lost because I refused to give up mine?

Tears fell from Kuro's eyes to the earth below.

I don't deserve to live...

With one final sob, Kuro's head drooped to the ground, and he felt nothing anymore.

-----

Lord Shiro watched as the rain pounded on the window of his study, blurring his view of the town. Although rain was common in Greentown – it was a seaside town, after all – thunderstorms this heavy rarely occurred more than once a year. The howling of the wind sounded almost like an eerie, ghostly lament... some might say the worsening weather was the first sign that their town was being punished for letting the heartless Dillo get away. Shiro would normally scorn this sort of belief as a trite superstition, but today, a part of him couldn't help but wonder...

Over the sound of the relentless rain, Shiro heard a muffled knock on the door behind him.

"Come in," he said.

The door opened with a creak, and Cyrus Bailey came in. Cyrus had served the town guard for over twenty years, and had been captain for seven years now, longer than Shiro's time in office. Although he had been named captain at the relatively young age of thirty-one, he was unanimously considered the right man for the job, even then. Today, Cyrus was admired by most Dillos for both his competence and his amiable nature – he did not have to feign toughness to be respected. He was the sort of person everyone felt they could count on, and even Lord Shiro felt that way right now, partly because he had no choice.

"Did you want to see me, Lord Shiro?"

"Yes," the governor said as he turned around. "I'm afraid I have terrible news, Cyrus... the worst possible. The Wretched decided to run away."

Cyrus' eyes widened in shock.

"Are... are you sure, sir?"

"Absolutely. He's not in his house or anywhere in town. I can only assume he's headed for the woods, but we have no way of knowing exactly when he left. As far as I know, he hasn't been seen in town for some time. We have to take action immediately, Cyrus. I need you and all of your men to search the woods for him. Search the whole forest if you must."

"Understood, sir."

"And one more thing, Cyrus..." Shiro took a step forward and seemed to lose some of his temperance. "When you find him, bring him to me alive. I want to hear what the miserable fool has to say for himself."