Roxy choked out a sob.
Lyra lifted the bundle. He wasn't a human baby. Not entirely.
He was covered in slick fluids, but underneath, his skin was a soft, pale color. Tiny, black scales dusted his shoulders and his small neck. He had a small, nubby tail that lashed back and forth, and two tiny, soft bumps on his forehead where horns would be.
Lyra cleaned him quickly with a warm cloth Roxy had made and handed him to Roxy.
Roxy took him, and as if sensing his mother, he opened his eyes, and Roxy gasped, a strangled sound that escaped his lips.
[TheMotheroftheWorld gasps in awe, saying that the child was the most beautiful being he had ever seen.]
The little one's eyes were brilliant, glowing vertical slits of molten gold. Just like Zarek's. The baby was heavy, but Roxy didn't mind. The baby looked up at her, blinked, and let out a little hiccup that released a tiny smoke ring.
Roxy laughed. She laughed until she cried, hugging the scaly little baby to her chest.
