“A human!”

“A human!”

“How did it get here in this spot?”

“It has to be a trap. We have to kill it.”

“No! We could use it for research.”

“What are we gonna research Qylis?! How long it takes them to kill us?!”

“Oh, you know what you can suck my—”

“QUIET!” My roar startles them silent.

Think Nia, think. We have a human baby. We’ve never encountered anything like this before. It would be a shame to pass up this opportunity to learn more about them. This could even be the key to our freedom. On the other hand, it may be a trap to lure us out. But why now after all these centuries? And why a baby? Do they not care for their young? Maybe they accidentally lost it? It doesn’t like a trap.

I sniff around for any unfamiliar scents.

There’s nothing out of the ordinary but this baby.

“Qylis carry the baby back”

“What?!”

“Roger that”

“Nia, are you seriously going to take this ticking grenade into our homes?!” Troy exclaims.

“Troy, sometimes you need to learn when to shut up,” I say.

I hear Qylis quietly snickering and missing Troy’s fist by a inch as he flies back to the kingdom, baby in hand.

“What is the meaning of this? Are you trying to get us killed?”

“Qylis, why did you let her bring it back?”

“He’s a old man. There’s nothing he could have done.”

“Who says it was Nia’s idea? This had to be the brain of that trickster Troy.”

“Let’s not go pointing unnecessary fingers.”

“Maybe it’s a opportunity sent by Gasha.”

“Gasha has never sent us a baby. Why now?”

“HEY!!” I say.

All eyes turn to me.

“I know you guys have many, many, many concerns about the human baby. Yes, there are a lot of risks, but it’s only a baby. How harmless can a baby be?”

“I heard human babies are worse than the big ones. The adults are even terrified of them,” says Taz.

Taz is the leader of all Demons. She has the personality to match too.

“Did you really hear that or did you forget to take your meds?” Troy jokes.

Taz hisses at him. He flicks his tongue back at her.

“Qylis and I have already analyzed and examined the baby. There’s nothing it can do to implicate us. Qylis even carried it on the way back and he is perfectly fine.”

“Actually, It is a she. Cleo informed me that baby humans are indeed harmless as long as they are fed. They also need to be tended to because they are not intelligent enough to look after themselves. That includes changing their under clothing after they release waste.”

“They also pick up on language and behavior,” Cleo adds.

The faces surrounding the table started to retract from anxious faces into relieved sighs. I look at Qylis and with my eyes as I thank him. He grins at me and nods reassuringly.

Most of the counsel is made up of senior leaders. The seniors were crowned around the same time as my mother, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that their views are old fashioned. There are 11 clans; Fissle, Tiger, Serpent, Rhinosi, Demon, Fyrèt, Watcher, Hunter, Lizuma, Starlet, and Avey. 7 of them are run by senior leaders, who are not easily persuaded. They have been living in one spot for countless of years, and they don’t exactly like that I’m trying to change that. They won’t come out and say it because the leader of the Tiger Clan is also the over head of the kingdom, as well as the Rhinosi Clan to co-rule. Troy and I decide how the kingdom functions. If we want to punish or outcast a clan, we can. But I had already established in the beginning of my ruling that I don’t plan on doing that. I don’t want power. I want freedom.

“So what exaclty are we going to do with this human baby?” says Kota, Omega of the Serpent Clan.

“We’re going to keep it of course,” I say with a smile.

“Where?” says Zaun, Alpha of the Fissle Clan.

“With me. And Qylis and Cleo will come over every week to do an examination,” I say.

“Sounds good to me.”

“Great! Counsel adjourned.”

I wake up at the sudden sound of

a loud and deafening screeching noise. It has to be someone dying right? I roll over with a start and out the bed I go to the door of my bed room when I stop abruptly.

Ah shit! The freaking human baby!!

I turn and hastily make my way to the crib I had Fabumi build for me. Cleo said that’s what human babies sleep in. I look at it, I mean her in disgust.

I already fed you. What else could you possibly want?

She continues to cry as I stare at her.

Maybe she wants her mother. Or her daddy.

I stand there studying the ugly face of the crying baby. Her face is turning a bright red. She looks like a lighter version of Taz. I giggle. She starts reaching out above her, as if she’s grasping for air with her tiny little hands.

Maybe she’s lonely.

I hesitantly reach out my hand for her to touch. She immediately stops crying and curiously looks at my hand. She then reaches out and grabs my finger. We stand there silently observing each other until she makes a obscure sound.

“Say it again. I can’t understand you,” I say.

There’s a pause before she repeats the sound. She then reaches both hands out again grasping for the air.

“You need me to get closer?” I ask.

I lean in as far as I can. I wait on her to speak, when out of no where she puts her mouth on my cheek! I draw back immediately.

“Ew! You grimy, juvenile little thing,” I exclaim while wiping my face.

The human baby starts whimpering. I think she’s about to cry.

“No,no! Please, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any harm.”

It’s no use. She opens her mouth as wide as possible and let’s out a high pitched cry. I see why babies are worse than the adults. I don’t know what to do so I pace back and forth.

Come on, Nia. Think! What calms babies down. When I was a baby what did mama do?

She picked me up and.....

“Come here you belting cow.”

I scoop her up in my arms and sway to my window. Mama always stood by a window when she was coaxing me back to sleep. She would tell me glorious tales about how the world was so big even daddy would like a ant compared to it. She said the stars were created for us especially by Gasha. When we were sad and low we would just look up and see the bright stars and be rejoiced and happy again. Mama always reminded me that one day, we would be able to see the rest of the world. Sh said that there were more than just trees and grass, but mountains higher than the sky and water holes bigger than kingdom called oceans. A whole unknown land that I want to see.

I snap out of my thoughts and I notice the baby has gone limp in my hands. I look down to see she is asleep. I lean in this time caref of her mouth to get a better look. She doesn’t look as bad when she’s sleeping. Almost adorable. Or I should say tolerable. I move to put her back in her crib, but second guess it and decide to lay her in my bed. She might get lonely and wake up again. I lay her down beside and cradle her body so she doesn’t roll anywhere. I look down to make sure she’s still sleep and then I close my eyes with oceans and mountains on my mind.

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