Wazaga says: "oh those darn Typos! I so hate them! And I read my work at least 3 times before I send it in. but the typos never show up until AFTER it's on line. What a drag."

To Daenis: "thank you. I try to write what plays in my head. When I think of a story or an event, there is like this little film that plays the scene in my mind. And I write down what I see. And one of the things I find interesting about vampires is the fact that they do sound human in a lot of ways. That's why I enjoy Anne Rice so much. Though Pandora was a little long winded compared to her other works; my favorite book (and Vampire of the whole group) is The Vampire Armand, which one is your favorite?"

To Kitala: "how come?"

Chapter 9: "Firefly and Glum."

Within the tower that looked over the main gate, Firefly was zipping about to reach the top. When she reached her destination, she landed on the window ledge and tried to see the path that lead to the gate. She was worried about her master. It wasn't like him to take so long when he left to feed. She paced the ledge, her wing fluttering nervously behind her.

"Where could he be?" she wandered out loud.

She flew off and circled the room a few times before checking out the window again.

"Maybe he returned through the back way." She said to herself "perhaps Glum has seen him already!"

She took off flying with the speed of a hummingbird. She zipped down the spiraling stairs of the tower and through the long corridors of the castle until she reached the back entrance. Over the great gate, there was a small lookout. This was where she and the other familiar usually stayed. It was the right size for them.

She entered the dwelling with a light step. Looking about she noticed that there was a new pile of bones lying about. Rat bones for what she could tell. She heard the sound of crunching and gnawing and turned a corner to find Glum the imp chewing on the scraps of meat left on a rat's leg bone.

"Disgusting!" she exclaimed with a sour face.

The imp turned his head to her with chunks of rat meat hanging out of his beak-shaped mouth: "not like I'm making you eat it, Moth."

She stamped her foot on the ground and pointed to the pile of bones: "you better be planning on getting rid of that mess when you're through eating. I live here too you know."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll get rid of 'em." He mumbled over the bone in his mouth "whaddaya want, Moth?"

She wrung the rim of her skirt with her hands: "have you seen the master come through this gate?"

The imp shook his head, chunks of meat flying from his face: "nope. Ain't nothin' passed though here, Moth. I didn't know 'e left in the first place."

She looked disappointed: "Glum, I'm worried. He's been gone too long. What if something happened to him?"

"I wouldn't worry about 'im. The master can take care of 'imself. Besides, we're not his baby sitters to be worrying about where 'e goes all the time." He said before tossing the clean bone and crunching into a head.

"I know, I know. But I still can't help worry about him."

"That's the difference between moths and imps. You and your kind take your jobs too personally; while we use our heads and don't get too attached to our clients. You see what I mean?" he said while sucking on the skull in his claws.

Firefly paced the lookout a few times before she turned to the imp, who was now chewing on the intestines of the rat he was eating: "what about the humans?"

"What about 'em?"

"Won't they figure out that he's not in the castle and, I don't know, do something?" she asked.

"Like what? Steal? There's nothing in this pile of stone and clay tosteal! The treasury is locked in the dungeons levels and the key to those doors have been lost for ever. Not even the master could open those iron doors."

"I'm not worried about them being thieves, you dolt! I'm worried about them finding out what he is!"

"And what if they did? You think they're going to kill him or something?" said Glum who had lost his appetite and stood up stretching his bat-like wings and scratched his tail.

"Well, no….. I just thought….."

The imp walked over to her: "look, Moth, all things considered, I think you worry way too much for your own good. Just relax. Ain't nothing gonna happen to the master."

"I suppose." She said.

Glum started picking up the pile he made and when his arms were full, he stretched his wings and glided out of the lookout to dispose of them.

Firefly still couldn't help worry. She flew off back to the front gate tower to wait.