"Many were born on the return trip. They slowed up the females with their sucking. For eight days they are a burden on the mother." Sue exclaimed, "Eight days? Then what happens?" The subject did not greatly interest Joe. "Then they find their own food--if the _koodi_ does not find them first." "What in the world is a _koodi_?" Sue asked with a shiver. Joe was silent for a minute. He wrinkled his broad brow and looked at me. "Samrogers, you asked me many questions about how we die. I did not understand this death for a long time. Now I know. It is when the _koodi_ comes. He comes to the very young and to the old. The babies are too small to hold him off. The old drink much tala, then the _koodi_ comes to them. This is my third year, and my thirst for tala is great. The _koodi_ will come." His words painted a clear picture of a superstitious concept of death, personifying it even as humans refer to the "grim reaper". But Sue took a different view. "What does the _koodi_ look like?" she persisted. Joe looked puzzled. He raised a long, four-segmented finger and pointed to a corner of the room where Toots was curled up like a fur neck-piece. "He looks like that. There is a _koodi_." My first impulse was to reject the statement as ridiculous. Toots was as harmless as an over-sized kitten. Besides, the manual made no mention of-- Sue made a small sound in her throat. Her face was colorless. "Sam! Get him out of here!" "But the manual--" "The manual didn't mention Joe's people, either," she said half-hysterically. "_Get Toots out of here._" Still unbelieving I walked over and hauled the little fuzzy animal up into my arms. Instantly, he cuddled close and rammed his pointed snout under my open collar and began nibbling at my neck. I took him outside, and out of perverse curiosity I let him have his way with my neck. At first it tickled, as always, but instead of batting his head away I let him nibble with his soft, pointed lips. Sue called out, "Sam what are you doing? Kill him, Sam!" His lips spread into a little circle on my flesh and began sucking gently. There was no pain, just the throb of my jugular under his mouth. Now his long, soft, hairy arms became firmer around my neck. I jerked back and they gripped hard. A chill of panic stabbed me, and I could feel the taut flesh of my neck drawn more deeply into his puckered lips. I tugged at him silently, not wishing to frighten Sue. He wouldn't come loose. In broad, noon-daylight I had a Sirian vampire in my arms, threatening to rupture my jugular vein and kill me within speaking distance of half a hundred people. I tried to level my voice. "Joe, would you come out here, please?" He came at once, stared with a blank expression and said, "You have been drinking much tala?"