Claws gave a slight frown as he listened to what the snake was saying . He could understand why one would want to have the gift of flight. It was useful in many ways. But there was also some down fall to having wings. They often were hard to fit into cloths. And if you did not take care of ones like his that had feathers you would end up with them not flying right. And that was never good .” oh ……really. …….Hum……. I …….see…….. Well ……..that ………is ……..good.” he said softly. He really was not sure what to say to the snakes statement. Indeed he was lucky to have been born with that sort of gift. Though claws did not let it get to his head. Most people thought they were better then other due to their ability being better then some one else. Claws found that sort of way kind of stupid though he would never say that. He saw everyone as equals really. Until they did something that made him think less of them. That really was a hard thing to do though as claws never got angry at anyone unless they hit him or something like that. Even then he tried not to fight them too much. He thought fighting was useless. Violence one breeds more violence after all. He now gave the snake a slight smile as he spoke again.” hum ………that ………..is …..true………. Yeah ……….we ……….would……… not ……….want ………to …….ruin ……anything ……….like ………that. …….You ………know……… though………. They …….would ………have…….. To …….have ……..done ………a ………lot …….of ……..work …….to ……..cut ………stone …….out ………of ……….the ………ground ……….like……. That…….. I ……..mean…….. they ………would ……….have………. To………. Have…….. Some ……….. Special ……….tools ……….to ……..do ………..that …………with …………right” he asked now. He had to wonder how they would have made the hole in the first place. Because surely they did not just blow the hole out here. Unless they wanted the cave to collapse or something.

"Hmm, good point. I completely overlooked that, and it means it wouldn't be something like a dragon. If there are any more little hiding spots there's probably not many considering the effort that'd have to go into making these things. Not even sure if it would have been worth all the effort someone would need to hide the little treasures." But they were already looking and at the back of the cave basically so why not keep looking a little longer. He wasn't even sure what tools would be needed to make something so clever, and he prided himself on knowing all of the old tricks in smuggling and other less than legal activities. Not that he was involved in any of that, especially not now that he was a teacher, but he wasn't too interested in discussing that if it came up.

Claws gave a slight frown now. He had not thought of dragons hiding treasure. But he did not really know all that much about dragons in the first place. All he knew was that they were rather large and some could breath fire and some could not. Some could fly and some could not . Other then that he could not tell you anything about them. He now looked the cave over as he was looking at the cave he saw that there were many rocks that was growing along the floor of the cave. The looked like they could be sharp . He had to wonder how they would grow like that though. Maybe water made them sharp like that. He did not wish to find out rather they were or not. It did amaze them that they seemed to be only near the back of the cave. “ oh ………really? ……….Hum ……….well ……….at ……….least ………..we ……..can ……..say ………..we ……….looked……….. Maybe……….. They……… did ……..not ……..want….. It …….to ………be …….found …………or ……….something. ” the falcon said softly. He was not really sure why someone would go threw that much effort either. Unless they stole them and did not want the cop to find them. He would keep those thoughts to himself though. Claws did not like to think that there could have been robber here at one time. Or even worse the robber could still be lurking here someplace. And they could be upset that their stash was found. No that was not possible. Was it?

"Well no need to worry about it anymore. There hasn't been anyone in here for a while. Your tracks were the only ones I saw when I got here, and there's been no sign of anything moving through the cave. No tracks inside or out means the place is abandoned and probably not even a spider in here. So that little treasure we found, no need to worry about anyone coming back for it." Now if it had a note or a name on the bag then Athos would have reconsidered his stance but it really didn't seem that way. Who would have even been up here that would have had a reason to stash the stones, and the time to make such a hiding place? He caught the falcon glancing at the surrounding area in a curious manner, smiling to himself. "The rocks that are standing up in those points? Stalagmites. Water drops down, there's some minerals in every little drop, and over a really long time it all piles up. Can usually see them from the ceiling too, but for some odd reason they felt like giving those a different name."

Claws gave the snake a slight smile when he said that there was no need to worry about someone being here still . He could not help it if he was paranoid about most every thing that was around him. However claws would try his best to put such thoughts out of his mind for the moment. In the least he would keep it to himself and not say anything so he did not bother his new friend here. “ yeah ……..that ………is ……..right. ……….You ………saw ……..my ………tracks? ……….That ………..
is……… pretty…….. Interesting ………to ……..know …...at ………least ………we ………were ……the ………only ………ones ………there …….though. ……..Hehe. “ claws said with a slight smile now. He was showing the snake that his words has some what assured him. Claws was pretty sure that if someone stole the gems they would not have wanted to put their names on them. Either way though it did not really matter anymore. The falcon gave a slight smile when he hared what the snake said now. Oh he must have saw him looking at the rocks around the cave. That made him smile slightly now. “ hum ……..so ……….that ……..is ……what …….they ………are ……called. ……hum Really? ………That ……….is ………interesting. ………Yeah ………..I …………seen ………them …..up ……..there ……..not ……..long ………ago. ………..They ………did? ………. So …..uhh ……What …….do …..they……. Call…….. Them…….. then?” claws asked with a smile on his face. He was now interested in finding out some more about the cave again.

"They're called stalactites. They hold "tight" to the ceiling so they don't fall and the stalagmites are reaching up toward the ceiling with all their "might". Depending on the type of cave and the region it's in they can be made of a couple different minerals, I was never a real expert on that but I think it's mostly limestone or calcium. Not sure on either of those really, but I do know that some of them are pretty sensitive and they can take hundreds of years to grow." He was smiling, good. Athos hoped he could provide an interesting tour even though he wasn't the best expert on all these things. He knew enough to get by and enough to know about how likely a cave would be inhabited. Of course tracking helped a lot with that, and seeing only their own marks around here was a plus, but he used to need to know this sort of stuff in case he had to hide in a place like this. Most of his previous... assignments had been in more urban settings but Athos was always prepared.

Claws listened to the snake as he answer his question now. Claws found the names of the rocks interesting as well. It was almost easy to be able to remember them. Almost though. Claws was sure that he might get it confused a couple of times when he told others about them. But it was not like claws was going to be telling anyone about them anyhow. He was listing now as the snake said what they were made of. Hum that was certainly interesting . “ hum ……..I ………see. …..Heh ……..the ………..names …………make …………them ……….easier ………to……….. Know ………..witch ………..is …………witch………… Really? ………..That ………..is ………..interesting . ………Wow ……….that …………means ………….that …………this ……….cave …….is ……..pretty ……..old ……..them ………..because ………..some ………of ……….then………. Are ………very ……..big.” claws said looking at the stones again. He was enjoying the snakes company right now. It did not matter to claws that the snake was no expert on such matters. He knew more then claws did that was for sure. Claws loved to learn new things about what he was around every day. He also really liked to learn about things in the natural world. Though he did know quiet abit about plants and things considering his traveling habit and all. After all you did not want to be out in the woods and not know what you could and could not eat out there.

"Yep, cave's probably a lot older than the school down there. Heh, but when dealing with nature that can be said about a lot of things. It's been around a lot longer than us after all. So where should we go after this cave? Keep going up the path and see if we find another like this one?" As far as Athos knew this was probably the biggest one around, and it wasn't too likely to find another wide open cave above or beside this one. Still they could run into something interesting, maybe one that used to be a path for a river or runoff water from the peaks. He just wanted to spend a little more time with this kid and get to know him more, make sure he had a good friend he could count on. "Eventually want to get those stones to our local expert. Blake should know everything about them just with a glance."

Claws gave a thoughtful look as the snake said that the cave was a lot older then the school below them was. Now claws had never really thought of just how old the school really was. Claws did not think of age as a number . He thought that one was only as old as they felt. Then again caves could not really feel things though. At least not the as living creatures could. He now gave a smiled when the snake said that nature was a lot older then they were. That was certainly the truth. He then smiled when the snake asked him his questions. So the snake still wanted to be near him. Well that was certainly good news for now. Claws just had to hope that he was not making some sort of mistake in hanging around the snake. “ humm……… I …….see. …….Wow. Yes………. That ……..is …..true. …..Nature …….also …….has …….a ……lot …….that ……….it ……..could …….teach…….. Us …….if …….he ………listen …….carefully …….enough ………to …….what ……it ……has …….to ……say. ……Well ……..I ……..had ……..not ………..really ………thought ………that ………far ……ahead ……..yet. …….Yeah …….we …..could ……..see ……..if ……..we ……….could ……..find ……another ………cave. ……..It ……..could ……..be ……fun.” claws said with a smile on his sharp beak. He was happy hanging around with the snake for now. And he hoped that the snake felt the same way bout him. Though claws knew that he could be awkward to hang around at time due to how shy he was. Though he was not all that nervous right now. He now smiled to what the snake said next. He was not really sure who Blake was. But claws was sure that he would find out eventually. “ yeah ……….we ……..will ……..have ……..to ……..do ……that. ……You ……know ……..what …….ever ……they …..are …..I …….want ………to………. Share ……..them ………..with ……….you ………though. ……Would……… that ………be ………okay?” claws asked now. He wanted to share what they had found since really the snake had found the hiding place. And claws did not feel right keeping the stones to himself.

"Thanks, I'd like that. First we'll see what they are though and then we can discuss how to share them." Maybe the kid just had a really tough definition for who he called a friend. It was possible he liked or knew a lot of people but just never let them get as close as they could have. Or... it was possible he didn't have any friends for other reasons and the snake was happy to be there for him. At least it was a beautiful day and they'd have plenty of time to explore and get to chat, now if only he could get the falcon to open up a little more about himself. Athos wanted not only to teach but to learn, if he could tell the kid all about caves and such, eventually he should be able to know more about the person he was educating. Well he wasn't going to press it just yet, that could wait for later. After all he didn't want to spook him into thinking he had to answer anything before they really got a chance to explore more.

Claws smiled to what the snake said. Claws liked the snake well enough for right now. After all he was nice and all of that. Claws thought that he was a pretty interesting person as well. He really had never made a true friend himself. Most just were nice to him but that was about it. They found it hard to talk to him and seemed to just give up on him. At least the snake had not done that yet. He was actually starting to think that perhaps he now had a friend he could talk to from time to time. Claws though did have a lot of trust problems due to being paranoid about what others thought about him. Though the snake may have been able to see that he was not as nervous around him as he first was. And that was saying a lot considering that he was also very shy. “ alright. ……..okay …..that …..will ……work.” he said softly. He wanted to learn about the snake himself. But he was not sure what he should ask him though. Claws had never been good at asking questions , even when he was in class. He always thought that he sounded like he was stupid or something. However if the snake wanted to ask him something about himself claws would be happy to try to answer him.

"As a teacher I'm fond of a certain saying. There are no stupid questions. So, mind if I ask you a few about yourself? And you can ask a few about me if you want." Maybe that would help break down any walls that were still up between them. He wanted the falcon to be able to trust him and know him. And he wanted to learn more about his new friend. Anyone Athos didn't have in class he wanted to know more about, maybe persuade them to join one of his courses and show them school can be fun if you let it. And there was a chance he could help this kid with quite a few things, mainly he wanted to be there as a good friend that knew how to help when he was needed.

The falcon gave the snake a slight smile as he heard what he said. It was almost as if he knew exactly what the falcon was thinking or something. He did not mind though if the snake wanted to ask him questions. Though there was not much that claws could say about himself. Though he would try to answer his questions anyhow. “hum …….that ………is………. A ………good ……..way ……..to ………think. ………Heh ………..no ………I ……….do ………not ………mind . …….Feel ………free…. To ……..ask ……….what ……..ever………. You …….like. ……..Okay …….I …….will ……..keep …….that ……….in …….mind ……….then. “ the falcon said softly. The falcon was trying to ignore his paranoid thought right now. He could not help it if he thought that other only wanted to criticize him. But he was wanting to relax more now that he was in a school setting. He kept the thought in mind that he could wonder off after his learning was done. In fact that was why he had not left yet. That and he did like the teacher and classes that were offered here. He wanted to be able to act like he was more then just some odd loner. So a few months ago he had tried to change all of that. But that was a task that was easier said then done. But he was working on it. Though he had just about given up on trying to change himself. Maybe he was meant to be a loner type. Maybe all he needed was someone who accepted him for who he was and not what they wanted him to be. Maybe the snake was that person.

"Guess I should start off with a couple easy questions then, heh. And you're free to say you don't want to talk about something or don't want to give an answer. Have you been at the school long? Enjoying all your classes so far or bored with any of them? And do you know many people here or do you have friends somewhere else? Like if you've moved here after a long time somewhere else I guess." Pretty basic questions about his school life, and one that might be a little tricky, but hopefully nothing that would upset him. Athos smiled as he took one last look around the cave and figured they might want to head out soon, since it didn't seem like there was anything else here to interest them.

Claws carefully thought about the snakes questions before he answered them. It was not often that others asked him about himself. However the falcon actually could talk about himself quiet a bit. Though claws really did not like to talk about himself as it made him feel abit awkward to be the center of attention. “ okay …..that…….. Sounds …….good. ……… Alright. ……….Well ………I ………..have ………been …….here ……..a ……..few ……….months ……..now. …….Yeah ………I ………like …….my ……classes ………well ……….enough. ……..They …….are ……pretty…….. Easy ……..and …….fun ……….for ……….me ………so ………I ……..do ……..not …….get…….. Board …….with ……….them. ………If ……..I ……..did …….I ……….would ……….not ……..be …….taking…….. them. ……….Uhh………. Well ………..actually …………I ……….have ……….met…….. A …….few ………but ………I ………really ……….do ………not ……..talk………. To ………others …….very …….often……….. So ……….no ……….I ………….do ……..not ……..really ……..have ……..one …….yet ……….but ………I ………..think ………..it ……….will…….. Change ……….soon ……..enough………. All ……….things ……….happen ………in…….. time ………you ………see. …………That ………..is ……..what ………one……… family……… I ………stayed …………with ………always ……….told………. me. ……. You……. See …….I…… am…….. A ……loner…….by …….nature……… I……… travel……….. The……… land……… searching………. For ……..a …….place ………to ……….stay ………..for ………..A ………..while ……….then ……..move …………..on …………again………. So ……….I …………guess ……….you ………can …….say ……..that ………I ……….have……….. Never ………had………. A …….true ………home.” claws said softly. He hoped that he had answered the snakes questions good enough. He would ask him questions back latter though. That was they way claws did things after all. The good thing was that it was hard to upset the falcon for the most part. He never got mad at others or anything like that. He now saw the snake look around the cave. He was also thinking that it was about time for them to find another cave. he would just follow the snake where ever he wanted to go.