Page 17 of Mazorium Buys a Human

“Next time I’ll feed her,” I assured her. “Is it safe for her to keep sucking on the empty milk ball?”

“Yes,” Mika said. “Although they break down eventually. It’s unfortunate because a pacifier would be helpful.”

“Pacifier?”

“It’s something the baby can suck on. It’s soothing for them.”

I thought about the equipment I had on board. Could I make something that would work as a pacifier that wouldn’t be harmful for the cub? I had material similar to what the ball part of the milk ball was made of. It was worth looking into.

Nadia started to fuss. I leaned in close to see that the nipple of the milk ball had completely degraded and she didn’t have anything to suck anymore. I pulled it back and set it aside to throw away later.

“Show me how to hold her now,” I demanded. I ached to hold the baby in my arms. It was a strange feeling that I refused to examine too closely.

Mika shook her head. “She needs to be burped.”

“Please explain and demonstrate," I said. I could tell Mika was reluctant to hand her baby over, but she was going to have to get used to me helping with Nadia. Without a pack of humans to help, I was going to need to step in as a surrogate human packmate.

Grabbing one of the many tiny blankets the Doringo’s had included with her bag of items, she draped it over her shoulder and then maneuvered the baby until her little cheek was resting on the blanket.

She gently rubbed the baby’s back and jiggled a little. To my horror, Nadia regurgitated a good portion of the milk she’d ingested along with a little belch.

“By the ancestors!” I cursed, shocked at what I was seeing.

Mika looked up at me, clearly amused. “It’s a little gross. Sorry. You don’t ever have to do this.”

“I’m not disgusted,” I responded, affronted by her assumption. “I’m concerned something is wrong with Nadia!”

Mika looked a little surprised. “No, this is normal. Babies tend to do this when they’re being burped.” She lowered Nadia and cradled her in one arm while grabbing and discarding the protective blanket with the other. “It’s not that much, I promise.”

I was shocked. “This is part of the process? How terribly inefficient."

“I suppose it is,” Mika said with a little chuckle.

“Does she need to be, uh, burped more, or can I hold her now?” I asked.

“No she’s done,” Mika said, looking down at Nadia and then at my hands. My claws were retracted, but I could tell she was still concerned.

“You’ll be right here to instruct me,” I reminded her.

“I guess so,” she agreed, then her face lit up. “Let’s do this first.”

She laid Nadia down on the nest in front of her and picked up a small pillow. After wrapping it tightly in a small blanket, she handed it to me.

“Here, practice with this first.” She pointed to the “head” of the pillow. “Remember, you have to support her head.”

“You’re a clever human,” I praised her. I wished I’d thought of a rehearsal baby. I cradled the pillow as I’d seen Mika do so many times with Nadia.

“That’s good,” she said. “Maybe adjust it a little further up on your arm. Yeah, like that. I thought those quills might get in the way, but I guess they won’t.”

“How would I move her to rest on my chest, like you did when you burped her?” I asked. She picked up Nadia and showed me, and I copied the actions with my pillow. By the time we were finished going over the various ways I could hold Nadia and shift her from position to position, I was feeling confident.

“I’m ready,” I said, eager to hold the actual baby in my arms instead of a pillow wrapped in a blanket.

Mika nodded, although she still looked concerned as she handed Nadia over. The cub had started fussing a little while before and didn’t stop once she was cradled in my arms. I started up a soothing rumble and Nadia quieted.

Having her dainty body tucked against me made all kinds of feelings rise up. I imagined all the meals I would get to feed her. All the things I could teach her as she grew. I didn’t arrive soon enough to save Mika from experiencing the trauma of being sold and then abused by the auctioneer. Nadia was different. I couldshield her from all the worst parts of the universe. She would live a life devoid of hardship.

“Nothing bad will ever happen to you,” I promised the cub. “All you will know is joy, little human.”