The Heart of the Storm
-At The Fox's Den: Two Hours After Noon-
"You make me happy when skies are grey!"
The little buck couldn't help but begin singing his new favorite song as he finished up outside. Last night the poor little kit had been plagued with nightmares, but that had been soothed so much by the fox that stood with him… and now, when things weren't feeling alright, when worry or fear crept in, little Ashes could simply sing that trouble away.
Nevermind that he didn't have the whole song down, nor did he always sing the lines in the right order, but that was okay, the lines he knew were plenty for him and the lines he didn't know he could just hum through. Plus, that one catchy line of the chorus was enough to comfort him as he looked up at the scary black and grey clouds in the sky.
The buck sighed in relief as he pulled up his little scraps of clothing, that had been a close one! Ashes really appreciated that Nick let him go outside, he didn't want to even think about having to go in a bucket! He also was glad that the fox never looked when he had to go, he gave a lot more privacy than bunnies were used to.
But still, usually Mister Nick noticed when he was all done with his business.
But not this time, strangely. Mister Nick wasn't cracking any jokes or teasing him, in fact he looked withdrawn, focused on something else entirely… and scared?
Why did Mister Nick look so frightened?
Do the clouds scare him too? Little Ashes wondered, all too aware of how worried the fox had been about this storm.
The grey buck tugged on the side of the fox's tunic, "M-Mister Nick? Is everything okay?"
Ashes didn't expect to be scooped up into the fox's arms, and as a result he let out a little 'eep!' before settling in Nick's firm grasp. The tod placed him tightly against his chest, both arms wrapping around him protectively. It was obvious to little Ashes that something was really worrying Mister Nick. The kit could hear the pounding drum of a heart within the fox's chest: the same kind of quick and heavy panic his own little heart had felt when he, Ollie and Cotton had fled from their home not so many days before.
Ashes didn't like that, he didn't like knowing how scared Mister Nick was of the clouds that were above him. But the little bunny knew what to do when another mammal was scared, the fox had taught him after all. And just like Mister Nick had sung to him the night before, the buck thought that maybe the little song that calmed him so much would help calm down his favorite red friend.
"You'll never know, dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away!"
Ashes only knew the chorus of the song, but he simply restarted the verse and sang it again and again. His singing voice was… what you'd expect from a little kit, uneven and a little tone deaf.
But that didn't really matter, the heart rate of the fox was slowing and his attention slowly shifted to the bunny in his arms, or at least what attention wasn't dedicated to the threat that sat in the brush perpendicular to them and the den's entrance.
Ashes felt a warm, wet drip land on the top of his head, and when the kit looked up he could see how watery Mister Nick's eyes were.
He's crying… The little buck noticed.
"I love you too, Ashes." The fox said softly to the bunny, tightening his grasp in a way that said he wouldn't let the kit go without a fight.
Nick's mind was struggling to stay in the now, however. The kit had struck something within him and…
Why are you thinking about that memory at a time like this? This isn't the time… this isn't the time… to…
But with his tears flowing and the kit held protectively in his arms starting to continue that oh so familiar song, and with his attention never fully taken off of the brush near him- the fox felt his mind force him back to an age oh so long ago.
-0-0-
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey."
The red vixen kept up the tune as she gazed into the little emerald eyes that peered at her. It pained her to see those tear tracks that had dried in her little boy's cheek fur. Even now her son struggled to stem the watery flow from his eyes.
"You'll never know dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away."
The arms of the red kit were wrapped around his mother, clinging to her with everything he had. Vivian Wilde couldn't help but note how strong his grip had gotten. She had mothered him for how long now? He was born nine winters ago, and it was the spring now, so… just over nine years?
"I'll always love you, and make you happy, I'll pick you up when you've fallen down."
Her son, her precious little Nicky, was nine years old. Which meant that they had successfully sheltered him from the harsh reality of the world for nine years. It had been as difficult a feat as it was a foolish one for her and her mate to even attempt… They knew it had only been a matter of time until her sweet baby had to learn how cruel life could be, and as she sang to her sobbing boy, she couldn't stave off the guilt in her own chest for letting today be that day.
If… If we had just told him… maybe… maybe he wouldn't have found out like this…
She silently mourned over her son's loss of innocence. His rose-colored glasses had been shattered. And although Nick didn't understand why, he knew it had to do with what he was and those sharp tips at the end of his paws.
Vivian could feel her husband's calm rhythmic breathing behind her. John had pulled both her and their beloved son Nicholas into his lap the moment he came home and saw the sad state of his beloved mate and their weeping son.
It didn't take long for him to grasp the basics of what had happened earlier that day when he heard the mournful blubbering of his son… Oh it had been a pitiful thing to listen to, and immediately he understood just how bad of an idea it had been to shelter their boy so thoroughly from the facts of life.
But he was the father of the family, and now wasn't the time to mourn his mistakes, but to bring comfort and solidarity to his mate and his son. And like any Wilde worth his salt, John would be there for the ones he loved. He had taken that oath, after all.
Protectively, he held his mate in his arms as she held their son. As he held them, he silently admired the emotional strength that his mate had within her. He always held such pride for her, they truly made a great team.
John gave a soft, comforting lick to the back of Vivian's neck, his little way of letting her know he was there to support them both. His warm tail further testified to that reality as it coiled around them, creating that perfectly familiar and content cocoon that young Nick loved and enjoyed… and so desperately needed right now.
John listened to his mates singing and the slowly softening cries coming from his son. Nicholas was finally calming down from his sorrow, but even so, Vivian kept on singing, making sure he knew just how much he was loved. That was her one purpose right now, for her son to know that no matter how bad it seemed, he was loved.
"You turn the sky blue, when it is raining, you'll always keep the sunshine around."
John smiled at that line, Oh how true it was. Nick was what made their sky blue, and he would do anything to cheer their son up. There was no illusion, Nicholas is loved.
And it was a given that his mate felt the same way, she wouldn't let up her song until her baby felt better. John absolutely knew that she would sing to him until her throat was hoarse and dry and trying to close on her, and even then she would fight to keep going.
If Vivian could hear what her mate was thinking, she would agree. She would do anything for her precious little kit. Because…
He's everything that's good in this world, everything that's perfect and beautiful and true.
But the world wasn't ready to see him that way.
Indeed, she knew it may never be. And that's why she had to keep singing to him. Even if the world wasn't ready to see him for the goodness in his heart, she would never ever let that wonderful part of him die.
No, She wouldn't let him become callous and cruel like she had been before John. She-
"Mommy,"
Her eyes focused on the kit in her grasp. Little Nicholas was finally ready to try to talk. She quieted her song as she placed a tender paw onto his back.
He didn't flinch away from the paw, but he also couldn't bear to look in his mother's eyes anymore, he knew there would only be disappointment in him. So Instead, he found himself with his face pressed against her shoulder, and his nose inhaling that comforting scent only found from one's mother.
His words were mumbled, unsure and still racked with sobs, "W-why di-did he, why did he run from me? W-why did he say I was… I was- a monster?"
Vivian's heart felt as if it was slashed to ribbons at his words, her baby's voice was so small and wracked with guilt and hurt. But Nick continued before she had the chance to offer comfort.
"I'm not, mommy! I promise I'm-…" He buried his face deeper against her shoulder, hiding his face in shame. "...I'm not a monster…"
He thinks that I would think that about him?
Her chest had a weight on it that had nothing to do with the kit pressed against her. Vivian let out a deep sigh as she thought back to the earlier incident.
-0-0-
She had taken Nick to the river that day. It was a happy occasion, a time where she would show her son how her and his father hunted on pleasantly warmer days like this. And since John was busy with that strange new 'traders group' today, the responsibility of catching dinner had fallen to her.
Nick sat on the bank of the river as he watched his mother wade into the cool shallows of the spring waters. He watched in awe as his mom carried her sharpened stick (specially made for the large fish) into the water. Still, the little fox had seen his parents do this before, and as much as learning could be fun… the little fox wondered if there might be something more interesting he could get into. He turned his sights down the riverbank, wondering what other amazing things would come to it for fish and water.
Vivian focused on the waters in front of her. Spearfishing was a tricky thing to learn, but the river offered a generous influx of fish during the spring. The fish were all of the same species and all swimming in one direction this time of year, and no matter the obstacles in front of them, they were compelled to follow their instincts and reach their spawning grounds.
This was the perfect day for her son to develop such an important skill!
The vixen gave complete and utter concentration on the fish swimming in the river, keeping absolutely still as to not spook them from swimming out of her reach. It only took a moment for her to be seen as just another fixture in the stream, and soon enough she was all but ignored by the animals in water.
Vivian thrusted her spear into the clearness of the stream below, and with steady, experienced paws she easily scored a direct blow on the unsuspecting Atlantic Salmon beneath.
Triumphantly she pulled the fish out of the water, and with the unfortunate creature still writhing on the spear, she turned to where her son sat, "See Nicky! That's how we-"
Vivian's voice had died off quickly when she realized that she was alone. A wave of panic had struck her as immediately and as intensely as she had struck the fish dangling on her spear. It was a fear and anxiety that was as old as instinct itself.
A worry that only a mother missing her child could experience.
"NICKY!?" Vivian yelled, frantically looking in every direction.
It had only taken three minutes, maybe four, for her to have speared that fish, and he had slipped off!
Her eyes frantically darted but she couldn't find that familiar tinge of orange in the surrounding woods or in the river. Her baby, her child, her everything wasn't with her; he was alone and out of sight in this forest and she had let it happen.
She threw her spear on the bank of the river as her panic gave way to a domineering motherly instinct. In the place where her son had sat to watch her, she dropped to all fours, sniffing intently at the silty dirt, willing her to find what she knew had to be there.
It hadn't taken her long to get a hold of his violet scent. And tracking the wayward kit down wasn't proving to be difficult, not when his scent was so strongly imprinted in her mind… And luckily, her Nicky was making it very easy for her. He had stuck close to the banks of the river and had made his way towards… what looked like some waterlogged, wooden structure constructed out of limbs of all sizes, vegetation and mud.
And as she approached it, her ears perked, she could hear the excited voice of her son coming from the other side of the structure!
Relief swept over her. Nicky was nearby and he sounded just fine, he was-
"STAY BACK! STAY AWAY FROM ME!"
It was a shaky, shrill voice, one that oozed absolute terror, and one that made her paws tense up.
But that voice wasn't her son.
Vivian turned the corner of the wooden structure, and finally laid eyes on her kit. He was standing over another child at the base of the river, one that wasn't a fox by any stretch of the means, but one that was clearly a large, buck toothed rodent of some kind.
She could judge by the tiny mud and stick castle that stood next to the river's edge that the kit must have been playing by the river when Nick had snuck up on him and introduced himself.
The beaver kit cowered underneath the fearsome predator that towered over him, his knees were of no use so close to the fox hovering above him and soon he found his clothing wet with both the river water underneath him and the urine that he couldn't hold in after facing a strong wave of instinctual fear.
Even from her further distance she could see the complete and utter terror that the child had for her son, and if that wasn't enough she could already smell the scent of what the beaver had released in his fear.
Vivian's heart broke at the scene playing out in front of her, both for her son and the other kit. But she couldn't move… she was racked with concern for her kit but couldn't imagine how fearful the rodent would be if a much larger fox came lumbering in. She froze, she had seen that look of terror many a times before she had met John, a look that used to mean nothing to her but one that now crushed her heart with guilt- one that kept her from approaching any closer and pulling her son away from the terrified child.
Nick had froze too, he could only look in bewilderment at the cowering, shaky mammal lying in the river water.
Tears flowed from the woodchuck's eyes, "Do-don't hurt me!" He yelped as he continued his efforts to scoot away from the dangerous fox.
"W- What?" Nick was confused by the other kit's reaction, he wasn't going to hurt anyone… Why would this kit think that he would?
His tail lowered in between his legs and he pinned his ears back, hoping to calm the worked up rodent as he explained his intentions, "I- I just wanted to see if you wanted to play with-"
The fox kit had unfortunately made the mistake of reaching his clawed paw out to the cowering beaver as he spoke… The piercing shriek of terror that resulted had been so loud that even cupping his little ears didn't stop the ringing in his more sensitive ears.
"Stay back you MONSTER! GET AWAY FROM ME!" The kit threw little clumps of muddy sand at the fox, and continued screaming out as he scooted himself deeper into the water, "Y- you're not gonna trick me f- fox! I'll never trust a monster like you!"
With a renewed vigor, the beaver kit had finally managed to push his body far enough into the river for the flow of the water to pull him to safety. And now, being fully back in his element he hastily swam to the watery entrance of the home made of wood, mud, and vegetation nearby.
But the damage had been done.
No, not to the beaver, but to the fox kit staring off at the water in front of him. The whole confrontation had lasted no longer than a minute, a long terrible minute that had felt like it sapped all the life out of the kit, but yes, only a minute.
Vivian… she… she could finally move, shaken out from that moment of paralysis. She had frozen when it mattered most… and now her son had paid for it.
She took quiet steps until she was almost right behind him.
"Nicky…" Her voice was almost as shaky as his little body, and her eyes were already becoming glassy at what she had let happen to her kit.
He flinched, before realizing who it was that had called him. She sat on her knees and gently turned him around to face her…
The first thing Nick noticed was how his mother's eyes were full of tears.
She had seen it all, he realized. She saw it all, and now… Now he was ashamed. He had snuck away from her. He had just wanted to play, but all he had managed to do was scare his mother and that flattoothed kit so bad.
What did I do wrong?
He didn't know, but he knew it had been his fault.
And as a result, when his little green eyes met those scared, pitiable brown eyes of his mother, the shame that bloomed in his chest overwhelmed him. He knew he had just hurt her, and he knew he had hurt that other kit so much worse. The look in the rodent's eyes as he had crawled into the water to get away from him had cut so deeply into his heart.
And now, with a broken heart and a confused conscience, a terrifying question swept over the little fox… what that beaver had called him… a monster… was it true?
His tail hung low between his legs, and his little frame shook like a leaf in a firm breeze. The only reprieve he felt came from the tight grasp that scooped him up. But even that couldn't, stop the throbbing pain in his chest.
Vivian's ears folded back as she carried her baby back to their den, between her son's sobs and whimpers she could make out the most heartbreaking of whispers, "I'm not… I'm not… I'm not a…"
-0-0-
Vivian gave a light kiss to the top of her son's head. "No, you're not a monster, Nicky." She spoke softly into his ear, "You're my son."
He most definitely was not a monster, he was the furthest thing from that in this vixen's eyes. You're beautiful, loving, and pure… Nothing like a monster, nothing like how I was…
It was John who comforted the little fox next. From behind them both, arms tightening ever so slightly around his two cherished loved ones, the reynard spoke, "That's right Nicky, you've nothing to be ashamed of. You're our son, a Wilde, and there's nothin' wrong with you."
The little fox's heart still hadn't settled, he needed reassurance now more than ever, "Why… why did he…"
John sighed deeply, already knowing what his son would ask. They knew that one day they would have to give their son this talk. They had hoped to keep the kits innocence for as long as they could, but that had apparently been a poor idea.
Now they had to come clean.
And so it was that John and Vivian gave Nicholas the truth. They were foxes, and foxes were predators, and most predators did unspeakably evil things to prey. And although they weren't doing anything of the sort, they were a part of the group that hurts so many mammals.
They tried to break the truth delicately, but they knew they shouldn't hold any of the cruelties of their kind back any further.
So they told him everything. How predators would hunt prey for food, how most foxes would kill and eat creatures that were smaller than them, creatures that had families, and loved ones… and-
He didn't need to know the details of that. And judging by the renewed shaking, this information had done enough to break the kit's spirits.
"We… I-" He took a look at his paws, paying closer attention to the sharp tips at the end of his fingers.
Had they always been so sharp? His stomach sickened as he remembered the terrified look of the woodchuck when he had reached out to it. He understood now why the kit had wet himself, why he had been so scared of him…
Another tear ran down the little fox's cheek as he began sobbing again, "I- I really am a m- monster…"
"NO." Vivian had said that much quicker and louder than she should have, judging by the startled jump from her baby.
She calmed herself, and resettled the kit in her arms, making sure to rub her claws gently against his back in soothing circular patterns. She knew that little motion always relaxed her baby when he was feeling upset.
She tried again, much more softly this time, "No, you're not a monster, sweetie. You're my son, and you're a good boy." She tightened her grip around her baby, "You don't want to hurt anyone, and that's what makes the difference."
"You're mother's right, son," John untangled himself from his mate and kit before crawling out and sitting in front of them. He put one paw on his son's back, and the other on his own chest. "It's not what you are that defines you, but what's right here."
The little fox lifted his face from his mother's shoulder and turned to look at the reynard. His ears were pinned back and his face was uncertain, but John could see that hopeful glint in those green eyes. It was that hope, that warmness and compassion in those verdant greens that defined his son, and when he saw it he couldn't help but smile at his boy.
"The heart?" Nick questioned.
"Yep, that's right. Nicky. It's what's in a mammal's heart that really defines them. Whether they be prey or predator, moose or bear, fox or rabbit. It doesn't matter son, what matters is if they have a good heart."
A slight whimper came from the young fox, "I- I wanna have a good heart, daddy."
Oh, Nicky. Don't you know? John felt a bittersweetness at his son's statement. Sweet because of how good of a heart his son had already, and bitter for how bad of a father he must be for allowing his son to go through such a thing.
How could I have let this happen? The reynard angrily thought. He frowned slightly, as he considered how he could make this better. As he racked his brain the older fox recalled what his father had taught him…
The oath.
The old family creed that had been passed to him and one that he now felt his son was ready for.
A small, almost sad smile creeped onto John's muzzle "Vivian, darling, I think today's the day."
She looked at him with momentary confusion until she saw that small smile on her mate's muzzle. She knew what that smile meant, it was the same one he gave her when she had finally come to the realization that prey weren't any different from them. She had been so sorrowful that day for what she had done… for who she had been… and yet so grateful for him to have shown her the truth, to have taught her that she could be better… needed to be better… that she was better…
She had taken his family's oath that very day, and soon after she claimed him to be her mate.
She returned his smile,
"It's in the supply closet, my love. Top shelf, next to the winter garments."
John padded to their little closet in the wall, looking for the little article of clothing where his wife had directed. After a moment of shuffling around, he found what he was looking for. In his paws was a small neckerchief colored a deep shade of red and perfectly stitched together by his loving mate just the spring before.
He hadn't intended to go through this ceremony for at least another year or two. He wanted his son to keep that childlike innocence as long as possible. But life had that way about it where all your plans and ideas are thrown out like trash. And here he was now, standing in front of his son, holding that specially made red neckerchief, and about to explain the weight of their family's code of honor.
"Stand up Nicky." The older fox softly ordered.
Nick looked back to his mother who still comfortingly had her arms wrapped around him. She only gave him an encouraging smile before she lifted him to his feet.
Standing before his father, and with his mother's comforting presence just behind him, Nick locked eyes with the older fox.
John had bent on one knee, matching the height of his son. The older vulpine's eyes softened as he saw the uncertainty within his child's verdant greens, "I know what it's like, Nicky."
The little fox's ears perked at that, but he said nothing, knowing that his dad was about to say a lot more.
"I know what it's like for others to think of you like you're some kind of… monster… They think the same about me, ya know. And your mother."
If his intentions were to cheer the little fox up, it wasn't working. Instead, it only made Nick sadder. It had been bad enough to think of himself as some kind of monster… but now his dad, the best mammal in the world, was seen as a monster too?
"But you know what," John continued, "It doesn't matter what others think about us, what matters is what's right here." He placed a clawed digit over Nick's heart. "What matters is that you be the best mammal you can be for the ones you love, and always be there for them. No matter what."
Nick looked at his dad in wonder. He had always respected his father, but the moments where the reynard became this serious had a certain power to them that made the little fox stand in awe.
"When I was a little kit, just a bit older than you actually, my old dad gave me a talk a lot like the one I'm givin' you. Said that it's a Wilde's job to change what the world thinks about us."
John paused for a moment, summoning those old words and ideas that had been imbued to him so long ago, "He had this idea… this dream, really… that one day, the world would come together and be worth something to all mammals. That preds and prey might even get along and life could be good for everyone."
That small, prideful smile snuck back on John's muzzle, "An' you know what son, as crazy as it sounds… I believed him."
Nick was enthralled in his father's speech, he hung on every word as his old dad grew more and more passionate.
"Still do believe it, ya know." The flame in his eyes only grew, "He taught me that if we can do right by the ones we love, and try our best for them… then maybe one day, as that love grows and reaches more mammals, the world will change for the better…"
John let out a sad sigh, "But Nicky, that'll be a long ways off, somethin' that me and you will never see… But even so, we gotta try to be that change so that one day the world will come together."
John sighed, "It won't be easy Nick, but if you want to have a good heart, then you'll need to do that, to be there for the ones you love that change, and to try."
He gave a firm stare at his boy, "Do you want that son, do you want to try?"
To say that the kit's heart was already in the right place was easy. That idea, that dream, a world where mammals of all kinds could get along spoke to him. A world where him and that beaver kit could play by the banks of the river without fear- he wanted that.
"I- I do."
"You Promise?" John asked, eyes locked on the verdant greens of his son. Nick already knew how much promises meant to his father. They weren't something that you could just break, when you made a promise you had to keep it.
"Y-yes."
"Then I think you're ready to make that promise real." John raised his right paw and gestured for Nick to do the same, "Repeat after me, Nicky."
"I, Nicholas Wilde,"
"I Nicholas Wilde,"
"Promise to be brave,"
"Promise to be brave,"
"Loyal, helpful,"
"Loyal, helpful"
"And trustworthy."
"And trustworthy."
John smiled at his boy as he lowered his arm, "If you be those four things, Nicky, then you'll be able to say that you're doin' what's right for the ones you love. And if you always do what's right for them, then you'll always have a good heart. And if you're heart's in the right place, then you can change the world."
John handed the special neckerchief to his mate who was still sitting behind the little fox. Nick could feel his mother wrapping the little red bandana around his neck.
"Your mom made this just for this day." John said fondly, "Whenever you're unsure or you don't know what to do, I want you to hold it close to you. Remember that we love you, and always, always keep your promise. No matter what."
The young fox placed a tentative paw on the smooth linen of the fabric. He felt many things in that moment, he felt the weight of his responsibility to live up to, the trust that his parents placed in him, the pride of his family's honor…
But above all he felt love. His own love that he had for his parents, and the unconditional love that his parents have given him.
Another tear ran down his cheek as he felt the unending extent of their love for him.
"I- I love you, dad, I love you mom." He choked out, overwhelmed by the affection and support that they gave him. "I'll keep my promise! I'll keep it no matter what."
The young fox felt those tender paws of his mother grab him from behind and pull him back in her lap. His tears didn't stand a chance as the vixen licked them away, banishing them with her smothering affection for her son.
He giggled as she held him down and took away those tears. He knew it was useless to try to escape when she had him like this, but that was okay. He didn't want to leave. And soon enough the tears were gone without a trace.
Softly, Vivian looked her precious kit in the eyes, "I know you'll keep your promise, sweetie. You can show the world that a fox can be more than what they see us as. Show them Nicky."
As he resettled in her arms, and as his father had reclaimed his own place and pulled his mate and son back into his grasp, Nick's eyelids suddenly felt heavy.
Slowly he began to drift to sleep as his mother started singing their favorite song…
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…"
-0-0-
"You make me happy when skies are grey!" Ashes had gone through all the bits of the chorus he knew yet again, refusing to quell his honest singing until the fox wasn't scared anymore.
For Nick, the little bunny's song had brought back a memory that he had only briefly thought about when these little bunnies had told them of the horrific things that had led them to being out in the snow. It had been a memory that he had shoved out for so long and still hadn't completely come to terms with, a painful recollection that had spoken of promises made to a family that had died so many years ago.
But a faded memory that now sharply contrasted into clarity within his mind. A reminder of a promise he had made… a promise that he had renewed for these little ones and for Judy. A promise that he would always be there for the ones he loved. No matter what.
This singing bunny, this little bundle of fluff and joy and everything that was pure and perfect… he had to protect him. Nick didn't know what was in the brush to his left… But he had to get Ashes inside.
I won't break my promise… I won't let anything happen to you.
Nick didn't say a word, nor did he let the soreness in his injured thigh have a say in what he was going to do.
The fox only had a singular thought at the moment.
Get him inside now.
He was going to make a run for it, a mad dash. He would throw Ashes as deeply into the entrance tunnel as he could and then he would go in behind him. It was a simple plan, he only hoped that his leg wouldn't slow him down too much.
AN: The next chapter really hinges on a lot of what happened in this chapter, I didn't want to have a 14k-15k chapter sooo yeah sorry for the lack of movement as far as the actual plot. The good news is the next chapter is already partially written, so that's a plus!
Hope everyone is having a good day, stay safe :)