Attacked by sluagh in the spectral realm, Chiktikka's (the young female) and Piccolo's (her squirrel) souls were forced back to back in a vain attempt at defence. When suddenly, through their fear of the sluagh, the souls merged together, combining the speed and agility of the squirrel, with the intelligence and awareness of Chiktikka. Using the combination of new speed, agility and intelligence, Chiktikka and Piccolo managed to outdistance the sluagh, but now they had no where to go, nothing to do, they were all alone in the spectral realm. 

     As such they eventually drifted back to where they had been slain, and saw the killers frozen in the same position they had been as they struck the killing blow. Filled with rage, the Chiktikka-Piccolo soul managed to somehow cross the border between the material and spectral realms. Instinctively flying for her body, Chiktikka arose from her death and laid about her in a frenzy, killing those who had killed her and drinking their blood in the maddened hunger of the newly arisen. 
     Then she stopped, as she saw the sight of Piccolo's still body, she fell to her knees and wept, wept tears of blood that spattered to the ground. In her grief she thought she heard a voice in her mind.. "Don't worry Chiktikka I’m here with you, I’ll always be with you now" and she knew it was Piccolo and that they would be together forever. 
 

      Luckily for Chiktikka, it had been near dusk when she was struck down and she escaped the death that sunlight brought with it. Looking around in awe-struck shock she realised two things, she had managed to kill half a dozen trained hunters and she was now a vampire. She had only heard rumours of vampires before, “blood sucking demons” the men in the local tavern would say, “monstrous abominations that deserved to be staked before they could propagate more of their kind.”

     She had not realised that vampires were birthed into existence through rage and agony, she felt sympathetic to her vampiric kindred, not because she was now one, but rather because she knew what they had gone through. What a human could never understand. She also realised that she could never go home again. She was outcast, homeless, a ronin. Looking around she slowly stood up, glancing at the newly risen moon she headed west, not sure of where she was going only that it was away.

     Thinking back over the brief snatches of conversation that she had heard, she tried her best to remember what she could of vampiric lore. Recollection was hard however, after all they had been just stories to frighten the children into obeying. Two things did stand out in her mind. Sunlight, it would be death for her now and blood, it was supposedly all she would be able to eat or drink. Hopefully they had been wrong about both. 

     Where are we going? Asked Piccolo in her mind.
     Away she thought back absently, glad of Piccolo’s presence, unsure if she would be able to survive alone.
     Why aren’t we going home? Back to the nice warm fire? It is dark-time, home-time. Why must we leave? 
     Falling to her knees with the enormity of what had happened, Chiktikka started to cry once more.
     We cannot ever go back Piccolo, they would kill me for what I, what we have become, replied Chiktikka, wondering to herself how Piccolo would adjust to their new life.
     It is not hard, and now we can be even better friends than before.
     True, so let us go on my friend. You can read my thoughts, and though you might not understand them you can see what would happen to us if we did ever return.

     And with that they set off once more, Chiktikka wiping away the tears that were strangely enough of blood. She wondered if this meant she would have to drink blood after all, the thought horrified her - that she would have to kill, again and again and again.

     Why does this terrify you? Asked Piccolo curiously.

     Because it goes against my nature, I am not a killer. I have never killed before nor did I wish too, and now I will have to kill nightly, Chiktikka thought with despair.
     But you did kill before, the cow and the chickens, you killed all the time, what is different now? You drank the blood of the people that killed us and it tasted good. I know you enjoyed it because I did and we are one now.
     It is different now because I will be killing my own kind.
     You won’t be, you are a vampire now, the people are no longer your kind.
     This will take some getting used to, Chiktikka thought ending the conversation although she did lose some of her despair.

     Walking on throughout the night, Chiktikka managed to find a cave where she stayed for the early hours of the morning, she wasn’t tired, in fact she felt as fresh as if she had just woken up from a night’s sleep. She stayed at the cave to make sure she would have shelter from the daylight if it should prove harmful.
 

     “Dear, Chiktikka hasn’t come home yet”, said her mother worriedly in the morning when she woke up.
     “What? Again, well don’t worry she’s probably just out in the forest somewhere, I’ll go look for after breakfast”, replied her father calmly.
     “But there’s been all those rumours of vampires…What if she was attacked and … and turned into one?” her mother asked, starting to panic.
     “Alright dear”, comforted her father, “I’ll go look for her now then.”

     With that, Chiktikka’s father gave her mother a last hug and set off into the rising sun to look for his daughter. Leaving behind the cabin where they lived, he quickly left the small village for the forest. Being an accomplished tracker he had no trouble finding Chiktikka’s trail and little trouble following it. After about half an hour he came to a clearing that made him stop in shock. 

     Lying around the area in various positions were half a dozen corpses. There was blood sprayed all over the area and upon most of the trees as well. Then he fell to his knees… In the middle of the clearing lay Piccolo, dead, with an arrow through her chest. But where was Chiktikka, what had happened to her? He stood up to see if he could find a trail.

     He carefully circled the clearing, on one side was Chiktikka’s tracks leading in, on the other side was the tracks of the corpses, and leading off to the west was a last set of tracks. They resembled Chiktikka’s but were different somehow. Carefully he checked the clearing for other footprints but could find none. He did however notice that there was less blood than there should be. Six fully-grown men should produce a lot of blood, but there was only enough for two, possibly three. But not six.

     His worst fear had come true. A vampire had come to the area, but not only that Chiktikka was somehow involved.
 

     Dawn arose slowly, at least that was how it seemed, the first rays gradually brightening the outside forest. Not that it made much difference, Chiktikka realised she had seen quite clearly during the night, even after the moon had gone. It was not until the sunlight had lit the cave entrance that Chiktikka worked up the courage to test the myth. She approached the light cautiously and gradually stretched out her shaking hand till her finger was almost in the light.

     Oh just stick our finger in already, complained Piccolo, and thoroughly annoyed she forced the finger into the light.
     Shrieking in pain, she pulled her hand back from the burning light of the sun, and watched curiously as her finger regrew the damaged finger almost instantly.
     Well Piccolo it seems we are stuck here for the day, she thought to herself morosely.
     I’m sorry, came a small thought from the back of her mind.
     It is not your fault Piccolo, I had to stick my finger in the light eventually. It seems however that we are stuck here till darkness though.
     With that thought she sat down, leaning against the cave wall, as far away from the sun as she could possibly be.
 

     Running back to the village, Chiktikka’s father hurriedly went to the temple, and where the emergency bell was. Knocking on the door, he roused the priest inside. Who quickly opened the door when he saw the look on Koyaba’s face.

     “What is wrong Koyaba? You look like you have seen a ghost”, asked the priest, worried that the answer might be worse.
     “It is worse father, there is a vampire in the area, and Chiktikka is missing”.
     “No, it cannot be, how do you know for sure?” the priest questioned, fearful now, not only for Chiktikka’s sake, also for the sake of the village should the vampire attack.
     “It is true father, I found six corpses in the clearing to the north-west of here, they looked like they had been killed by animals. However no flesh had been eaten, the only thing missing was blood”, explained Koyaba.
    “Very well I shall ring the bell and summon, the townsfolk, we must deal with this threat before darkness falls again”, declared the priest.
     So saying he walked the steps of the steeple tower and started to ring the bell. In response people started to gather outside the temple, looking at each other worriedly. The bell was only rung for a dire emergency. 

     “What is wrong father, why have you wrung the bell?” asked the town leader.
     “My friends there is a vampire in the area, Koyaba saw evidence to the north-west, I ask for volunteers to help hunt the beast,” the priest stated.
     Voices called out, “We’ll hunt the monster”, “Yeah lets stake the beast”, and seven men walked up to the priest and Koyaba. 
     “I am going too”, Koyaba said, “My daughter is out there somewhere and I will find her. Dead or alive.”
     “Noooo”, cried Tikka running to Koyaba’s arms and hugging him.
     “Yes”, replied Koyaba, “There is a vampire and I fear it has done something with our daughter.”
     With that Tikka started to sob in her husband’s arms. Gently he turned around and walked into the temple with her. Leading her up to the front pew, he sat down with her.
     “Dear, please pray for our daughter today, and for those of us who are going to hunt the beast”, looking up, Koyaba saw several other women entering the temple to pray as well. 
     Tikka nodded her head and began to pray for the safety of all involved. Koyaba stood up and walked out the temple with a grim look on his face. Outside were gathered the volunteers armed with spears and torches. One of them handed him a spear and a torch and waited for him to lead the way.
     “May my blessings go with you”, said the priest, “With all of you”, while making holy gestures.
     “Thank you father, we will need all the help we can get”, replied Koyaba, and saying that he headed off towards the clearing. The men following behind him.
 

     The day passed slowly for Chiktikka, she had nothing to do but sit and think, which was not her favourite activity. She would much rather have been running through the trees, enjoying the wind and the sun. Her thirst was growing too. There was a small pool of water at the back of the cave and she had tried to slake her thirst, but as soon as her hands entered the water there was a searing pain, much like that of the sun and she withdrew her hands quickly. 
     It appeared she would only be able to drink blood after all… Her only hope was that the hunger did not overtake her before she could find a suitable target.

     The suns rays eventually faded from the sky, and as dusk arrived she made her way out into the night. Where in the distance she saw a figure that was headed in her direction.
 

     The hunters arrived in the clearing soon enough and were shocked by the violence that was displayed. Not wishing to stay, they quickly left on the only trail leading away from the clearing. For hours they walked, slowly following the trail, making sure they didn’t lose it, or mix it up with animal tracks.

     Around midday some of the men began to get jittery and nervous, constantly looking up at the sun to check it’s position.
     “What’s the matter?” asked Koyaba.
     “Well it’s midday you know….” Replied one of the men.
     “And?”
     “Well that means, we need to turn back now iff’n we want to get back to the village before dark”, the man muttered nervously.
     “Get back?? How will we protect our families if we let this fiend ravage the countryside unchecked???” Koyaba asked, starting to get angry now.
     “Well it’s just that we don’t want to get caught out in the forest after dark… I mean you saw what happened to those others back there”, the man said more firmly, looking around and seeing that he had the support of most of the group.
     “Coward”, accused Koyaba.
     “Here now…”, another man started to say, but was cut off by Koyaba’s angry tones. “Fine then! Go back to the village with your tail’s between your legs you cowards. I will not let my daughter go un-avenged!!”
     And saying that, Koyaba headed off, following the tracks, leaving the rest of the men behind. They looked at each, the sky and the back of Koyaba, as he headed off alone.
     “Fool”, one of them muttered, then they turned and headed back to the village.
 

      The figure got closer and closer to Chiktikka, until all of a sudden she recognised it. It was her father, come to take her back, he did not care what she was.

     “Father”, she cried happily and ran to his arms.
     “Chiktikka”, he murmured looking incredulously at her, “You are alright, I’m so glad I thought you had been taken by a vampire.”
     So saying he took out a torch and lit, as the darkness had become complete then. The flame caused Chiktikka to instinctively flinch away. Looking closer at her, her father noticed she was different to when he had last seen her. Her eyes were a more luminous shade of blue, her skin was paler than before, and the most obvious, her clothing was covered in blood.
     Gasping he pulled away, “You… you… no say it isn’t so.”
     “Yes father”, Chiktikka replied simply, “I have become a vampire.” 
     Looking up she hoped to see acceptance on his face, but he could now see the tips of the fangs in her mouth and was horrified beyond belief. His daughter, his beloved only daughter had become a demonic creature of the night. There was only one option left to him. Put her out of her misery.

     Watching his face closely she saw the shift in his features as he decided to kill her, but she could not believe it.

     Attack him now cried Piccolo in her mind, He means to kill us.
     No, she thought back, He is my father he would not kill me.
     Yet the hunger was growing, and she was finding it harder to resist both Piccolo and her instincts.
     “Stay back father”, she managed to cry out, “I don’t want to hurt you.”
     “And I don’t want you to suffer”, he cried back, and so saying lunged at her with the spear.

     Unable to fight her instincts any longer, Chiktikka grabbed the spear with one hand and pulled her father into her embrace with the other.
     Looking up at her blood red eyes he whispered “I’m sorry Chiktikka, I’m so sorry…”
     As she arched his head back and bit through his neck, drinking deep of his life’s blood. 
     Dropping his still warm body to the ground she murmured, “Don’t be”, and so saying she headed off to the west, and whatever destiny awaited her there.