Skire Prompt: Portal Practicality

The clouds over Stonewing were special. Hatchling showers could happen anywhere where the ambient magic was strong enough, but they were more common in some locations than others. These were the places where Gravent populations naturally formed, and Stonewing was the largest of all. 

Gravent hatchlings were adapted to fit into whatever communities they landed near, but being placed with developed flocks was preferable when possible. Having access to consistent gossip was beneficial to their vocal and social development after all. In the past, Gravent nurseries typically stayed close to the cities they worked out of, but modern communication gave them a much wider reach. This was also helped along greatly by the use of portals.

Ciconia stood in front of one such portal, gently holding the hand of the young Gravent standing beside her. She could feel their nerves in the stiffness of their grip. Nervousness was common enough when meeting a new flock for the first time, especially for the younger Gravents in her care. Ciconia was patient, however. She knew better than anyone trying to force it along would only make that apprehension worse. 

She peered down in their direction and spoke gently.

“They’re waiting for you, you know?” she said. “Right on the other side of that portal. All we have to do is step through.”

“I know…” the young Gravent said, trailing off. An anxious sounding chirp rose in their throat, as if they didn’t quite have the words to express what they were feeling.

“Which part are you worried about?” she asked. “Are you worried about them? Or the portal?”

The young Gravent cocked their head as if in thought.

“Hm… the portal.” they admitted, staring into the pale purple color of the magic vortex before them.

Ciconia felt a bit relieved to hear that. Going through portals for the first time could be a bit intimidating, especially when one didn’t fully know what was on the other side. However, it was ultimately an easier sell than nervousness about placement.

“That’s why we’re going through together.” she said with a nod. “And if I’m holding your hand, there’s no chance we’ll be separated.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” they said, gripping her hand tighter.

“Come on, then.” she said. “We’ll walk through at the same time. It’s more than big enough for both of us.”

The young Gravent closed their eyes, and took a step toward the portal. Ciconia walked with them, taking one step after another until they were fully on the other side. When the young Gravent opened their eyes, they were on the other side of the portal near Uto, with several Gravents sitting on the other side and talking amongst themselves. When they saw Ciconia had arrived, they got up to greet her and their new flockmate, some even stumbling in their excitement. The two were quickly surrounded with shaking hands and a seemingly endless stream of questions. The young Gravent broke into a shy smile at the attention, while Ciconia answered in kind.

“Hello it’s good to see you too. Yes they were looking forward to meeting you too. I have their things in this bag. Yes it was their first time using a portal and they were very brave.”

Once she felt confident they were settling in well, she asked for just a moment to say goodbye before heading on her way. She took their hand one more time and smiled.

“Goodbye and good luck.” she said. “I just know you’re going to do great here.” Then she waved them off as they took the young Gravent’s hands and flew away to their new home. The handoff was always a bit bittersweet, but she couldn’t help but feel pleased when a placement went well. And besides, there were always more hatchlings who needed her attention.

Once the flock and the latest addition was far off into the distance, Ciconia turned and walked back through the portal.