9 Months   von Alaiya
                                 (Trephacard)
================================================================================
                                   2nd Month
                                   ---------


Their village was coming along nicely. The first few houses had been built and
the next were in the making. At this pace the entire village would be standing
in only two more months. 
For now, the people, who had not finished houses yet, were living in the castle.
Where else was there for them to stay?
Yet the house building was only one part of the work, that had to be done. They
needed room for fields, so that they could have a harvest come autumn. After all
the supplies would not last them all year. This was the problem with the vampire
castle: Apart from the pigs there was nothing much for a human to eat. 
Those were all the things Sypha had to worry about. Who, if not she, would take
care of those things? The people needed somebody to organize all of that.
Somebody who made lists of their supplies. Somebody, who knew, how to plan out a
village. Somebody who made the decision about the order in which the houses were
built. There was so much to do!
Right now, a troop of villagers had returned from old Danesti with some of the
supplies still found in the old village.
“We’ll need that grain to sow,” she told them. “Bring it to the storage
for now.”
Their biggest problem for now was the room for the fields. They needed fields
both for the sowing, as well as for the livestock to graze. As the castle had
ended up in the middle of the forest this meant a lot of logging and uprooting
of trees.
“Trevor!” she shouted. “Trevor!” The villagers could use his help with
the transportation of the grain. “Trevor!” No reply. He should be outside.
After all he was mostly healed up by now and thus able to work. She had seen him
leave the castle earlier.
“If you’re looking for your boyfriend: He is playing with the children,”
Greta informed her. She had come over to help. At least one adult.
“This stupid child,” Sypha cursed definitely talking about Trevor.
Greta could not help but laugh. “He and Alucard both.”
“That’s what makes it this hard,” Sypha said. 
Indeed, the two men had spent at least as much time fooling around with the
children, as they had helping. All of that while they would make for great help,
considering their strength.
Of course, there was the fact that both of them had not really have healthy
childhoods. Trevor being on his own since he was twelve or thirteen and Alucard
growing up on his own in the big castle without any other children. So probably
they were making good on that in their own way. God knew, that those children
also needed this kind of distraction. More then a few of them had lost at least
one of their parents in the night horde raids.
Still … 
“You have any idea where they are?” Sypha asked.
“Last I saw them was at that old creepy tree.”
Obviously.
“I will go fetch them,” Sypha said. “Can you take care of the grain
getting into the supply rooms?”
“No problem.” Greta smiled. “You take care of your two big children.”
“Thanks.” Sypha grunted and got on her way. 
She knew exactly what tree Greta had been talking about. Trevor’s childhood
tree of course. What else?
And indeed, she found both men as well as nine children by the tree. Trevor was
sitting in the old branches together with some of the children, while Alucard
was underneath it with a little girl sitting behind him braiding his long hair.
“What do you two think you are doing?” Sypha asked.
Both men looked to her with surprise in their faces.
“What are you doing here?” Trevor jumped down from the branch. 
“Looking for you.”
“But we were …”
“They were playing with us,” one of the little boys said. “Trev was
telling us about how to kill a night creature.”
“I want to be a monster hunter, when I grow up,” a little girl chimed in.
“Is that so?” Sypha asked with a stiff smile on her face. Where the two
really getting those dangerous ideas into all the children’s heads?
“Yeah, I wanna be like a super cool monster hunter with a crossbow and then I
will kill those night creatures, just like uncle Alucard did back when they
attacked!” There was a spark in the girl’s eyes.
“Well, if that is so, we’ll have to start training soon,” Trevor said.
“First of all, we’ll have to take care of our supplies.” Sypha went over
to him and grabbed him by the arm. “Something two strong young lads just as
yourselves could be very helpful with.”
“But somebody needs to take care of the children,” Trevor replied.
“I think the children can very well take care of themselves.” 
“But …”
“Come on, you big child, first work then playtime.” Sypha looked over to
Alucard with his crown of braided hair. “The same goes for you, too. We need
all the help we can get.”
A long sigh, then Alucard got up. “Fine.”

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