He put up his guard and stopped whistling, now aware of another living thing's presence. He stopped periodically and growled at certain movements, though it was usually just the wind blowing among the shrubs. Chest pounding with excitement, he continued on. He stopped just yards away from a cavern, treasure sense blaring uncontrollably. "Here we are," He said and crouched there, silent.

Smiling Shell set the emerald down between her talons. Noticing the echidna and used her tail as a barrier and scraped her treasure farther back and behind her. In the shadows she watched him crouch.

The echidna got up and moved, staying the same distance away from the cave. He recalled a legend about dragons living somewhere on Mobius, but it lacked so many details. like for instance, anything could've caused those deaths, rockslides, mountian lions, starvation, sickness..... and the list went on. and if nobody came out alive then who lived to tell the tale? "HA! What a load of cloudfluff!"

Shell laid in wait imagining the echidna's face when she kills him for trespassing, or if he's not worthy of the emerald. Cloudfluff? I thought clouds were cold and wet...uhhm...yeah nevermind. she thought.

He heard it. It was a small sound, but whatever "it" was it had to be big. He pulled down his glasses, double tapped the lens and looked into the mouth of the cavern, thought not going in there himself. He took of the glasses, looking confused, tapped the lens four times more, and inspected them. "That... cant be right."

Shell breathed steam slightly onto the emerald activating its yellow glow.Looking amused at the echidna trying so hard to see her.

He put on the glasses once more, blinked, and almost burst out laughing. "So the old fella wasn't blurting out folklore!" He snickered, taking off the glasses to rub an eye. "Wheeew..... ok, ok I'm done," OK, so dragons do exist, he thought fitting the glasses back on.

Shell snarled and stepped out the emerald once again in her talons. She spread her pearl studded wings and looked down her emerald studded snout at the echidna, her ruby studded tail twitching, and the diamonds on her chest twinkling. "What are you doing here?" she said in a low growl. "Sssssspeak now or die." she hissed.

"Knuckles The Echidna, ma'am, last of my kind, Guardian of Angel Island, one of the best fist fighters and treasure hunters this world has ever known" he said, sounding a bit like a salesperson. He stood up straight, making sure the dragoness could see the white crest, birthmark of the guardians. He continued, "I come in search of a relic, a jewel 'bout.... err.... eh big?" He said, holding his hands out 5 inches apart.

Shell snorted rolling her eyes. "Prove to me you just didn't paint that on like the other fools." she said her forked tongue flicking like a snakes.