Word Count: 952
Prompt: [Setting] A seaside village that was once an important port.
Category: Short
For the Houses Competition
Beta'd by Aya Diefair (check out her stuff it's awesome, she's under my favorite authors on my page)
Newt sat on the very edge of a cliff. The ocean view was one of the most beautiful he'd ever seen. Even with a slight chill in the air, he had removed his shoes and rolled his pants up to the knee. He might have forgone the pants, too, but next time he might not be so lucky.
Back when he was looking for demiguise in Southeast Asia, he took his pants off for mending (he only had one pair at the time). When he set them down, he found them walking away from him. Quite literally. He then learned that demiguise liked the color red. He brought Dougal back in with a shiny red apple and his red pants which Dougal still had in his nest.
Newt had to make due until he could buy a pair in a nearby village. Not a fun weekend, but it still turned out alright.
Even so… never leave your pants unattended.
Newt had originally come to Turkey to research its magical wildlife and instead found a new creature. It looked like a duck with a turtle shell on its back and were rather adorable. The muggles of the town were not familiar with such a thing, and thought him crazy for even mentioning it, and the wizard who sold portkeys (disguised as an odds-and-ends store) didn't know of it, either.
He liked this town. Well… more of a village, really. It had about two hundred residents, and two of which had magic. He did his research and, once upon a time, this was home to thousands of ships. But that was ages ago. Centuries ago. Now, the abandoned buildings were home to many of the creatures in this area. Mainly cats.
So many cats.
One creature he came to study was a Fluffy Trog which was a cat with large ears and a tuft on the tail. They were fond of swimming and could mimic bird calls. Fascinating creatures.
Even so… he wasn't expecting this new creature. He found it when he was sketching a trog. The little thing had stolen one of his notebooks and led him up to this cliffside.
Newt looked over the edge again at the small ledge holding her nest. The creature clacked her beak and fluffed up her russet feathers, standing up just briefly enough to show her white and grey speckled eggs, the same color as the cliff.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, am I disturbing you?" Newt asked the turtle-duck.
She squawked an odd, creaky sound at him before settling back down.
Smiling, Newt leaned in close to his sketchpad to add the details on the shell. It was beautiful with swoops and swirls in brown and swishes of red.
"I meet many fascinating creatures," he said. "But I hardly meet ones that I get to name. Most people have names for the creatures I find and I make sure to use those names like… like the Taniwha of New Zealand. The Maori take special care of them. Now, you… I get to name you." He smiled. "Perhaps you can help me with that."
She squawked and flew up to sit beside him.
Newt swung his feet and held up the sketch pad.
"What do you think?" he asked.
The turtle-duck pecked at the page and ruffled her feathers again before settling down.
"I love moments like this," he continued, starting a new sketch of her head. "Just sitting with the animals I meet. I think it proves there's a side to them that we don't get to see. Not all creatures can be pets, but whether they're domesticated or not, it doesn't mean we oughta destroy them. Every single creature has a purpose in this life. A beauty about them. Harmony amidst chaos. I prefer them to people sometimes. They can't judge you and if they do… well, they can't tell you."
A cracking sound reached his ears above the roar of the wind and ocean waves. Leaning back over the ledge, he saw a crack appear in one of the eggs.
Exhaling softly, Newt switched positions, so he could watch this miraculous event on his stomach. He gazed down at the nest, feeling his heart swell at each little crack of the shell. Finally, the babies emerged. Three eggs in total… and only two hatchlings.
The mother flew down and checked on her babies. She then tapped the unhatched egg with her beak and studied it. She tapped it again.
"I'm sorry…" said Newt. "It's probably—"
His words halted when the mother flipped the egg out of the nest with her beak. Newt drew his wand.
"Accio egg!"
He caught it before it could fall to its fate and cradled it to his chest.
"Perhaps you're just late," he said to the egg. "Come, we'll get you all warmed up and then I can think of a name for you."
Newt opened his suitcase and climbed in. He quickly made a nest and placed it in his workroom. Without a mother to protect it, it was at the mercy of his other creatures. He couldn't stop the circle of life.
"You know," he said. "It just occurred to me that it's my birthday. I've never spent a birthday by myself." He smiled at the egg and rested a gentle hand on it. "When I was little, Mum always said I could get one birthday wish. So, here it is: I wish for you to live. I wish for you to see the sea. I wish for you to feel the wind in your feathers. That's three but I don't mind using up my next two."
At these words, a crack appeared in the egg.