The Little Vampiress: chapter 8

Out of the kitchen, Timmy, Cosmo, Wanda, Poof, and Sparky were sitting at the dining room table together. Timmy was just looking out the window to the mysterious Vampire Academy, to mortals though, it was just an abandoned castle at day.

"Oh Timmy, be reasonable," Wanda advised. "Nice young ladies don't fly like bats rescuing people in the middle of the creepy forest and just vanish into oblivion."

"That's true." Poof turned to his godbrother.

"I'm telling you guys, she was real!" Timmy said, looking at his family, then back out the window. "I'm gonna find that girl, and I'm gonna marry her someday."

"Now, come on, don't be shy." Mama Cosma's voice rang in the room then walked out with Wren following. Wren was now wearing a golden dress with her hair in a bun, looking like Belle.

"Oh Timmy, isn't she a vision?" Cosmo looked with a thrilled smile.

"You look beautiful..." Timmy whispered with his cheeks flushing red.

"Come, come, you must be famished," Cosmo got up, took Wren's hand and led her to a chair. "Let me help you, my dear."

Wren smiled and sat as she stared at her empty plate and the silverware. As she saw a fork, she reacted with instinct and used it to comb her hair to please Timmy's family.

"Hey! You use a fork like I do!" Cosmo pointed with an ecstatic smile.

"Oh, Cosmo..." Wanda mumbled.

"It's not very often we have such a lovely dinner guest, huh Timmy?" Cosmo nudged his godson's shoulder.

"Yep..." Timmy still felt lovingly around Wren, even though her customs were strange to them.

Wren felt embarrassed that Poof and Wanda were eying her strangely and she decided to put the fork down. Cosmo then sat back down and took out his pipe, about to smoke it. Wren looked at it, and Cosmo noticed her glance, she looked to be very intrigued with it.

"Oh, do you want to see?" Cosmo offered, handing it. "I bought it eight years ago, I-"

Wren then took the pipe and blew into it making an ash face come on Cosmo's face. Timmy, Wanda, Poof and even Sparky couldn't help but laugh.

"Sorry Cosmo." Timmy chuckled.

"Why Timmy, that's the first time I've seen you smile in weeks." Mama Cosma stated.

"Very amusing." Cosmo said as he wiped his face to get the black marks off. "What's for dinner, Mama?"

"Yeah, I'm starving!" Poof added.

"Oh, you're gonna love it," Mama Cosma smiled. "The chef's making his specialty, stuffed cat."

Courage woke up and moaned in the kitchen. He then looked to see a humanoid white duck with a red stripe around his neck, blue wavy hair and a French curly black mustache. He also had a chef's hat on. He was the kitchen chef known as Le Quack.

Le Quack: Nouvelle cuisine
Les Chame Elyess
Maurice Chevaliar

Les poissons
Les poissons
How I love les poissons

Love to chop
And serve a little fish
First I cut off their heads

Courage turned green as he watched Le Quack purée and do disgusting things to cook and prepare domesticated animals like dogs, cats, and mice.

Le Quack: And I pull out their bones
Ah, mais oui
Ca, c'est toujours delish!

Les poissons
Les poissons
Hee hee hee!
Ha ha ha!
With the cleaver, I slice them in two!

I pull out what's inside
And I serve it up fried
Lord, I love little house pets, don't you?

Here's something for the tempting palate
Prepared in the classic technique
First you pound the kitty flat with mallet!

Le Quack pounded the cat while Courage tried to sneak away.

Le Quack: Then you slash through ze skin
Give the belly a slice
Then you rub some salt in
Cuz that makes it taste nice

Le Quack turned as he noticed Courage. The pink cowardly dog screamed in terror, then the evil French duck grabbed him by the throat. Le Quack and Courage were now face to face, much to Courage's horror.

Le Quack: Oh man, I have missed one!
Sacre bleu!
What's this?

How on Earth could I have missed
Such a tiny, succulent canine?
Quel donmage, what a loss
Here we go, in the sauce!

Le Quack forced Courage in the sauce. And began to prepare Courage so everyone could eat him and the stuffed cat.

Le Quack: Now some flour, I think
Just a dab
Now I stuff you with bread

It won't hurt, cuz you're dead
And you're certinately lucky, you are
Cuz it's gonna be hot in my big silver pot
Tootle loo, mon poisson
Au revior

"You stupid dog." Le Quack finished with a cackle as he was about to brutally murder Courage, knowing he was still alive.

Le Quack tossed Courage in his pot to serve. The pink dog escaped, but the evil duck slammed him down with a serving fork that looked painful, but Courage wasn't hit from it.

"What's zis?" Le Quack leaned forward.

Courage then bit Le Quack on the beak with his new vampire fangs. The chef then let out a painful cry, then chased Courage around the kitchen. Courage made Le Quack slip into several kitchen appliance traps, but he just couldn't get Courage for dinner. There was a lot of crashing and bashes heard from the kitchen which worried everyone. Wren looked the most concerned.

"Uh," Mama Cosma stood up. "I think I better go see what Chef Le Quack is up to." she then ran into the kitchen as Le Quack was obsessively searching for Courage.

"Come out, you cowardly dog and FIGHT LIKE A MAN!" Le Quack snarled.

"Le Quack!" Mama Cosma yelled to make him snap to attention to her. Mama Cosma glared at him with hands on her hips and tapping her foot in non amusement with his actions. "What are you doing?" the mint green haired woman demanded.

"I... I just..." Le Quack stammered and gulped. "I'm sorry, Madame Cosma..."

Mama Cosma groaned, picked up the tray and left to feed her family and guest.

"You know, Timmy," Poof piped up. "Perhaps our guest would enjoy seeing some sights around the place. Something in the way of a tour?"

"I'm sorry Poof, what was that?" Timmy asked.

Mama Cosma came back in the room with food for everyone.

"You can't spend all your vacation moping around, you need to get out," Wanda suggested. "Do something... With your friend, maybe?"

While they talked, Courage poked his head out from under Cosmo's plate. Wren noticed him and allowed him to come her way. Courage then scattered across the dining room table without being noticed and Wren quickly slammed her dish shut so no one would see. She then looked directly at Timmy.

"Well, whatya say?" Timmy asked her. "Would you like me to tour you around the place, tomorrow?"

Wren smiled and nodded.

"Good," Cosmo smiled as he took out his fork and knife. "Let's eat before this cat walks off my plate." Cosmo then looked at his plate to see there was no stuffed cat there, after all.



That night, Wren was staying as a guest. She wore a light coal-black night-gown and watched from the house balcony as Timmy was happily playing with Sparky and Poof.

"Come here, boy!" Timmy laughed and hugged Sparky. He then looked up and noticed Wren was looking at him. Timmy looked up with a wave.

Wren flushed a bright red color in her cheeks and quickly went back inside, nervous as a typical school girl. Courage was adjusting himself as Wren jumped in the big, cushy bed she was given.

"This is the worst day of my life," Courage groaned. "The things I do for love! I hope you're happy."

Wren ruffled up his hair and took out a piece of lettuce.

"Now, we got to make a plan to get Timmy to kiss you," Courage turned to Wren as she fell asleep fast. "Tomorrow, when he takes you for that ride, you got to look your best. You gotta bat your eyes, like this... And pucker your lips, like this..." Courage demonstrated, then sighed as Wren was fast asleep. "Okay, you're hopeless, Wren. You know that? Completely hopeless." Courage then yawned and slept in the corner, even though it was after dark.

Meanwhile, at the Vampire Academy, Nestor was pacing back and forth, anxiously. Ashley flew to him in bat form and transformed back to normal as he went to the older vampire.

"Any sign of her?" Nestor asked, worriedly.

"No, Nestor," Ashley shook his head sadly. "We searched everywhere. We haven't found a trace of Wren or Courage."

"Well, keep looking," Nestor sighed sharply. "Leave no leaf unturned, no tree unexplored, let no one in this school sleep until she's safe at home."

"Yes, Nestor." Ashley nodded, turned into a bat again and flew off.

"Oh, what have I done? What have I done?" Nestor sighed sadly as he thought sorrowfully of Wren, then looked at a picture of his younger sister, Morticia, who was Wren's mother. Nestor felt even worse seeing Morticia.