Starfish returned home heartbroken. Why had someone abandoned their eggs? And in tide pools? The tide would’ve gone up and frozen the poor dragonets to death. Well, she had no choice. She couldn’t just leave them there, waiting for their horrible death. The eggs bounced on her chest as she flew home, safe and snug inside a pouch she had quickly weaved.

Her island came up ahead. It wasn’t a big one, like the richer SeaWings that live closer to the palace. But it was home, and it was perfect. The island was very tiny, but the hut she had built stood strong. The dried reeds on the roof swayed in the breeze, creating the perfect system that cooled down the house.

Starfish’s children were waiting outside, building a garden. Drown looked up and noticed the eggs. She was very observant and smart, and could solve her math homework problems twice as fast as her siblings.

“What’s that, mom?” She asked. Droplet, her twin brother, looked up as well. Bubble’s eyes were still fixed on planting seeds.

“Someone abandoned these eggs in the tide pools,” Starfish answered. She walked into the hut and her children followed in curiosity. Droplet had to elbow Bubble to get him to pay attention. His mind was always either in the clouds or hyper-focused on whatever he was doing. Droplet tended to follow his sister’s lead.

Starfish emptied the pouch on the kitchen counter, putting the oysters and clams separate from the eggs.

“Drown, listen to me,” Starfish commanded as her children walked through the door. Her daughter snapped to attention. “I want you to get the driest grass you can find. And Droplet, gather some twigs.”

The twins flew out of the door, each taking a separate route to find their items.

“What am I gonna do?” Bubble squeaked in his small voice.

“You’re going to stay here and help me identify these eggs. I think they’re hybrids, so I want you to practice your colors and figure out which tribes they are.”

“Can’t I gather things? I’m real good at that, mom.”

“No, sweetheart,” Starfish said gently. “You’re much too young. I’m sorry, but you remember our rules. No tasks on your own until you’re three.”

“Ookaay,” Bubble sighed. He gingerly took the eggs as Starfish handed them to him, taking them to the kitchen table. He propped the eggs up and got a book from his hammock. It was his favorite. The book talked all about the tribes and what they were each capable of. Bubble then grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil and started looking through the book.

Starfish got her cookbook from the top of the kitchen shelf and opened it to the page labeled Oyster Recipes: Soup, Sauce, and Sushi.

Not too long later, the twins returned. Drown and Droplet placed their items on the table and sat next to Bubble. Drown started constructing the nest while Droplet peered over Bubble’s shoulder.

“What’cha doing?” Droplet asked.

“Figuring out who these dragons are,” Bubble answered.

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“I’m pretty sure this one’s a SkyWing LeafWing one,” Droplet said, holding up the dark red egg and wiping the saltwater from it with his talons.

“No, I’m sure it’s SkyWing RainWing.” Bubble corrected.

“Bubs, it’s definitely LeafWing. See how it’s got a green tint?”

“RainWings are green, too. And don’t call me ‘Bubs’.”

“It’s totally a LeafWing!”

“There’s no real way to tell until it hatches,” Drown commanded, “so stop arguing with Bubble and help me make the nest.”

Droplet shut his mouth and helped Drown. Bubble went back to scratching notes on the paper.

A few days later, the pale yellow egg’s shell got thin. Drown noticed it first, as per usual, and pointed it out one day at breakfast.

“What does that mean? Is it sick?” Bubble worried.

“No, Bubs. It means it’s going to hatch soon.” Droplet said.

“Stop calling me Bubs!!” Bubble demanded. Droplet made a sly face as if to say, In your dreams.

After the kids came back from school, they were eager to watch the eggs hatch. It took a while, but the pale egg eventually decided to crack.

Light drafted in from the windows, illuminating the egg in warm sunlight and outlining the dark shape within. It twitched, which made Bubble jump.

“Before it hatches,” Starfish said to her dragonets, “We should think of names. Remember to think of a boy name and a girl name for each of them.”

“I’ll write it down!” Bubble said enthusiastically, grabbing a notepad and pencil.

“I’m thinking the pale egg should be something unique and weird,” Drown said. “Like, for instance, if it’s a girl it should be Opal.”

“Ooh, I like that,” Droplet cooed. “Maybe Melt if it’s a boy.”

“Or Pounce, or Flair” Bubble chimed in.

“These are all wonderful names. Let’s agree on one boy and girl name. It might hatch any second now.”

“Raise your talon if you vote for Opal as the girl’s name,” Drown declared. Drown and Droplet raised their claws.

“Now raise your talon if you vote for Flair as the girl's name,” Droplet said. Bubble raised his talon. Bubble made a face.

“Howabout you, mom? Aren’t you gonna vote?? Bubble asked.

“If I did, there could be ties on everything,” Starfish explained. Bubble’s wings drooped.

“Now raise your talon if you want Pounce as the boy name,” Bubble said. He raised his talon. “Why does nobody want my names?”

“Well, ‘Pounce’ isn’t really a name. It’s more like an action.” Drown tried. Bubbles humphed in annoyance.

“Raise your talon if you vote for Melt as the boy’s name,” Drown said. Both she and Droplet raised their talons.

“Then it’s settled,” Starfish said. “If it’s a boy, he’ll be named Melt. If it’s a girl, she’ll be named Opal.” Another crack appeared in the egg. The sunlight coming through the windows allowed them to see it moving its talons toward the thin shell, wanting out.

“It’s hatching!” Bubble said excitedly, suddenly forgetting how mad he was. Another crack appeared, and bits of shell fell off. A small white claw appeared in the hole. Everyone went silent, watching.

More cracks appeared, and a quiet tapping sound came into earshot. More bits of eggshell gave way as a pale blue snout pushed through. A tiny talon poked through and was followed by an arm clawing through. The arm went back in, revealing a larger hole. A wide blue eye covered by eyelids came into view and opened dramatically.

There stood a pale blue eye. A color only seen on blind dragons, but it looked around and locked on Starfish’s. Starfish let out a soft breath. Her first adopted child wasn’t blind at all. The eye closed in the brief moment it was open. The dragonet forced its head through the hole. The shell gave way and collapsed around the dragonet.

“Welcome to the world, Melt.”