It was a light peaceful afternoon. The sea below them lightly brushed against the shore. A dragon sat by a cave entrance, looking out towards Terragon Heights. The dragonet had green eyes that showed wonder, her scales an even iridescent pastel purple, they glinted whenever the sun shone it's bright light into their cave. She was an odd dragon, she looked mostly like an Air Dragon but her jaw seemed too small and her horns straight and jagged. The dragonet wondered if she'd ever get to go to Terragon Heights, probably not anytime soon...

"Hey Melody," Melody felt a dragon sit next to her.

"Heya sis," Melody took her wing and draped it over her sibling. "Do you ever think we'll get to go there one day?" Melody daydreamed.

Her sister shrugged. She had the same eyes and same irridescent scales.

"I don't know, Mom says it's kind of dangerous," her sibling said timidly.

"Awe, what don't you want to explore the world?" Melody said pleadingly.

She felt her sister shrug again.

"Awe Harmony, you're no fun," Melody said sighing.

Melody loved Harmony, but sometimes she wondered if Harmony ever wanted to see Terragon Heights at all.

"Well, if you're just going to talk about those sky islands then I'm gone," Harmony said standing up.

"Careful," Melody chastised. "The cliff." Melody held open her wing to prevent Harmony from falling.

"I'm fine, you don't have to do that every single time I sit here," Harmony grunted annoyed.

"Sorry, force of habit," Melody said, watching Harmony walk away. She was reaching that point where she began to feel sorry for Harmony. She didn't have wings like a normal Air Dragon. Feathers, who was she kidding, she herself wasn't even a normal Air Dragon. She had always asked her mother why Harmony was like that. She had always said it was the way nature intended. As Melody grew up she realized it wasn't as simple as it seemed. Being a twin with another dragon was incredibly rare, and most of the time only one or neither survive. They we're lucky enough to have limbs. Twins are born in the same egg, but with that came a price, apparently the price was Harmony's wings. For some reason Melody couldn't get the thought out of her mind that she was the reason Harmony was this way.

Melody heard a rustling motion behind her and a small yawn. She turned around only to find her brother. He was small in stature and had dark blue wings. He was, as Melody would say, "Momma's boy". He held the same hair color, same blue freckles, same scale color, everything. He could play off an Ice Dragon if he really wanted.

"Do you know if dad's back?" Her brother yawned.

"Haven't seen him Stormy," Melody said, looking back towards the sea.

"Aweee, I'm starving," Stormy said whining. For a 15 year old he sure was whiny.

"Stop complaining Storm. This is OUR day, rememeber?" Harnony said from another nest across the room.

"Yeah, for my 20th I said I wanted a piece of rock from the sky islands," Melody said proudly. Today was supposed to be a great day, their 20th birthday. Her parents had always told her it was a step closer to adulthood. Maybe then she'd see a bit of the world. She laid her head on her arms, a soft seaward breeze brushing her face. The sky had become cloudy in the east, but of course the Air Dragons avoided the clouds by pushing them away. Just then she heard more movements.

"Guess who?" A large dragon spoke.

"Dad!" All three siblings said at the same time.

"You'll never guess what I got," their father was holding a beautiful orange orchid.

"OoooOOo," Harmony said, her eyes glittering in awe.

"I told you I'd find one," he said, handing the delicate plant to his daughter. It was encased neatly inside a stone pot. Melody wondered how he managed to get a pot.

"And for you," he started, digging around a side bag. "I have this." Her father pulled out an elegant stone carved into a smooth heart shape.

"Woahh," Melody breathed.

"Is that straight from Terragon Heights?" Stormy said curiously.

"Yep. I knew a friend who was good with stonework," their father exclaimed.

"Thanks dad," Melody hugged her father, gazing at her gift.

"Storm dear, are you home already?" A voice came from the back of the cave.

"Mom! Look what dad got me!" Harmony showed her mother the orchid.

"Storm, how did you get this?" Their mother smiled and looked at her mate skeptically.

"I have my ways," Storm said, reaching a nest in tge far back and lying down.

"Well while you were out," the mother said grasping a plate. "I managed some food."

She laid before everyone a rack of food. Mostly made up of bunnies or seagulls, but it was still food.

"Calcite," Storm said confused. "What's this supposed to be?"

"Hm? Oh it's fish," she answered.

"But you hate water mom," Stormy pointed out.

"I don't," Harmony said proudly.

Although her sister didn't have wings, it didn't mean she couldn't excell in other things. Harmony was a surprisingly good swimmer, as well as climber. With her having no wings she realised she could get into spaces normal dragons couldn't. Melody heard light pattering from outside. It was raining now.

"Awe," Stormy whined. "Now we can't fly dad."

"Tomorrow Junior," Storm ruffled his son's hair.

"So guys, now that we're 20 and all, I think we're finally old enough to go outside and enjoy the world," Melody started.

"Melody, no." Calcite said strictly.

"Awe what, but why," Melody complained.

"Melody, you don't know what could happen," her father came into the conversation.

"But even just to look around. I don't have to talk to anyone," Melody urged.

"It's more complicated than that," Calcite said solemnly.

The rain began to pour outside, and a large gust of wind was blown into their cave. It was now storming.

"But we're already 20, we can handle ourselves," Melody said defiantly. "Harmony back me up here."

"I think we should listen Melody," Harmony said softly, a crack of lightning from outside startled her.

"Are you kidding? I've waited 20 years for this?" Melody said distraught.

"Melody, why can't we just enjoy the dinner," Harmony said.

"Because it's our 20th and I still can't have my freedom," Melody said sternly, walking into a seperate cave in the back.

"Melody-" Her mother called out.

"Just leave me alone," Melody said, plopping into a nest. She laid her head down and frowned at the floor. All she wanted was freedom. She heard footsteps near the entrance.

"You don't want food?" She heard her younger brother say.

"Go away Stormy," Melody turned her head farther. She heard his footsteps leave then return, what did he want now? Ughh. She lifted up her head and saw a plate with a bunny and some fish near the door.
.
Later that night everyone had gone to sleep, Harmony was silently sleeping on the same nest as her and Stormy was over on his nest snoring away. Their parents were in the next room. Melody quietly stood up from her nest, edging her way to the door as soft as she could. She sat there, gazing at the stars and their eternal glow. The sea below her had died down and became only a soft churning of water every now and then. Her green eyes glinted when she set her eyes on the moon, the sky islands far off in the distance. It was a clear and calm night, not even a breeze.

It would only be for a while. Only for a while.

She spread her wings and quietly glided into the silent night.