These were Aria's favorite things. To her, there was nothing compared to soaring through the open air with the wings you were born with. She was a Skyian. Half human, half bird. She had always wondered what a human was like. Did they have wings, stronger bones, and larger lungs, like the Skyian body did? From what she had heard, that was not the case. The elders had said that the humans were dirty and greedy. They saw Skyian's as angels or gods in old times and prayed to them. The elders saw Skyian's as superior beings. As pure as newly drifted snow. But snow comes from dark clouds, Aria thought solemnly.
Aria swooped down to the water. In it she could see her reflection on the rippling surface. She could see her wings, her tattered clothes and her bruised body. As she looked down at the face that was her own, she wondered. "Is this the face of my mother or my father? Do these eyes match hers or my hair matche his?" She smiled. So did her reflection. She looked pretty even though she was bruised and beaten. How could that be?
Her mother had fallen in love with a crow. Her beautiful mother, a royal in Skyian society, fell in love with a disgusting crow. Aria had never seen a crow outside of a book. She was told that crows were horrifying, contorted creatures that preyed on living and dead things. That they were nothing but savage beasts and that she was no better. But she wasn't contorted. Was she? She hid, embraced by her gray wings. She felt so warm. She'd have stayed there but she heard shout behind her. "I saw a harpy, grandpa! " The voice pleaded. "I swear! It looked exactly like the one's you talk about."
"Oh shut up, boy!" Another voice yelled. "There ain't no such thing as harpies." The footsteps were getting closer. Quickly, Aria flew away. Soon she heard echoes of her people hateful words. The voices pounded in her head, over and over. She hadn't noticed the kites drifting around her until she got tangled in the string and fell. The ground drew closer.
She couldn't open her wings. She twisted and fought but couldn't get free. She hit the ground, her bones, stronger than metal, throbbed from the impact. Tears burned in her eyes as she tried to escape. The birds mocked her as they flew away, like she wished to. Her tears slipped off her dirty face onto the ground.
For a moment it was silent and, for that, she was grateful. Her body hurt and she wanted to cry in silence. The thin ropes were wrapped around her like a snake and the kite itself was stuck to her head. The position was so embarrassing. Sprawled on the forest clearing, tangled in a kite string. Aria sobbed a little harder. She couldn't do anything right. The silence made her sobs echo through the forest as a voice called out to her.
