In a wild twist, I'm not the growliest person around. Whoever this fuzzy person is, she seems to be having a nightmare as she pushes herself against me in her sleep.

I'm not sure what's going on with that, but a nudge might help settle those bad dreams. As soon as I nudge her, she grabs hold of my lip and pulls me closer, and I'm not sure she's awake to realize she's doing it, but it does help her settle down a bit.

It's obvious that I have no choice but to snooze here. I couldn't possibly wake up some stranger just to go for a walk or something, that would be rude. Which means I'm gonna lie here and enjoy a lovely rest.

"Kira."

Dang it.

Unwrapping myself and untangling from the cat person attached to me, I manage to turn my head toward Lauren, and judging by that expression, she appears to be quite annoyed as she stands there in pants and a loose shirt. Before I get a chance to inquire about her troubles, she stomps on over and climbs up on my arm to join the cat person.

"Who the fuck is this, Kira? Did you abduct someone?"

"Shh... She's sleeping. And no! I did not abduct anyone. She showed up and decided to sleep on me, I haven't done anything, and I'm offended at the accusation!"

"I can tell you're not, and I can't deal with this crap right now."

Apparently deciding the conversation is over, Lauren snuggles up to the cat person, appearing quite indifferent to the fact that she's a stranger. A lot of good could come from more snuggles, so I'm not about to interrupt them.

"Kira, could you use your magic a little? Just to strengthen yourself or something like that."

I'm not sure why she wants that, but I do as she asks by empowering my scales, and it doesn't take long for her to become more comfortable. Coiling up again, both she and the cat person begin snoring as they hold each other.

It seems now isn't the time to explain why my magic made her comfortable, but we can deal with that when she wakes up.

It does leave Raya alone in town, which makes me a little worried, but Raya is such a capable person that I have no doubt that she'll be fine. I can still worry, though!

Letting them sleep is all well and good, but I'm struggling with time being slow to pass as we lie here. The coming day promises fights with wolves, a bear, and the undead jerks! How can I sleep with such excitement at the tips of my claws?! That's just an unreasonable demand.

"Psst, Lauren. Are you awake?"

Waiting a bit doesn't help as far as getting a reply goes, leaving me with no choice but to take matters into my own claws.

Although, they do look adorable and Lauren does appear to need the rest... I'm stuck! Dang cats got me!

"Kira, do you need us to move?"

"How did you know?"

Lauren lets out a soft laugh as she continues to hold me hostage. Giving the duo a look, it appears they're both awake and haven't untangled from each other.

"You've been switching between growling and purring for a while now."

Oh, I didn't even realize. Before I get a chance to reply, Lauren climbs down as she helps the cat person down as well. With both of them steady on the ground, Lauren begins signing a bunch of things with her hands and I'm not sure how to interpret it, but it doesn't appear to be a formalized sign language. It really is just vague gestures and muttering words here and there.

Leaving them to that, it's time to get up and stretch now that I have the opportunity for it. With a mighty yawn and extending my body to my full length, a sensation of comfort overcomes me, making it clear that I need to get better at stretching on a more regular basis.

Oh! I should ask Lauren about that magic thing.

"Lauren, how come you wanted me to use my magic? It isn't a problem or anything like that, I'm just curious."

"I prayed to Merciferus as I always do and told her about the blue Dragon-..."

At the mention of the blue dragon, Lauren becomes quiet before she continues. Did I make a mistake retaliating when it tried to eat her? I hope she didn't get yelled at by Merciferus.

"-And she wouldn't stop laughing... She couldn't tell me why, but the laughing was getting to me and that's when I came to you. If I'm too close to you while you use your magic like you did, I can't hear Merciferus, and I can't use my mind bridge to speak to you either."

Oh, that explains why she couldn't tell me I had eaten her until I stopped empowering myself. That's worth noting, and I should get Raya a notebook so she can write down some notes for me.

Her using me as a shield to block out Merciferus sounds quite close to blasphemous, but I'm not quite sure of the rules when it comes to blasphemy, so who knows. There is one way to find out though, and I'm gonna use that way! So nudging her, I accuse her of blasphemy!

In return, she pushes my face away as she laughs at me, indicating that I was right! She's being naughty! Ooh, I want to tease her so much about this, but that dang responsibility of being a friend is standing in the way. Her faith is important to her and, while I don't understand it, I do understand that making fun of it more than mild teasing would be hurtful.

"Are you really letting it go, just like that?"

She does appear quite skeptical, but I am mature enough to recognize when to make fun of someone. Most of the time. Sometimes.

"I'm sure I'll have opportunities in the future as you descend into blasphemy under my influence, Lauren. So letting one opportunity go is fine."

"We shall see. To change the subject, what do you want to do now? We could head home now that the sun is up and Raya and I have rested a bit."

But that would mean no hunting, and we can't have that! I have heard rumors of wolves in the vicinity, and they must be dealt with! Telling Lauren as much yields an expression indicating that she expected me to bring it up. Instead of addressing that, she starts talking to the cat person instead by pointing.

"Tirafi? [Name?]"

"I didn't know you spoke their language, Lauren! You're full of surprises!"

"I don't. Raya and I exchanged a few words with the locals last night and learned some basic introductions."

That's smart. A few key words can get you quite far in an unfamiliar place. Unfortunately, whatever Lauren said doesn't appear to have the desired outcome as the cat person turns sideways toward her and bristles her hairs.

"Tirafi Kira. Tirafi Lauren. Tirafi?"

Now she's pointing all over the place, and I'm getting the impression that she's introducing us. Even as friendly as Lauren is, it isn't doing much good. Which is an excellent time to tease her by also speaking a language she doesn't understand! It's time to bring out my old world language!

"Haha! Lauren isn't great at every language and isn't immediately understood and accepted. Neener!"

As expected, Lauren rolls her eyes at me with a smile, but as not expected, the cat person now stares up at me with a very intense gaze. And now she's running off into the village... She sure is fast and definitely faster than the normal humans I’ve seen running. I’m not sure what to make of it and the lack of odorous input is growing frustrating. If I could tell whether she was scared or not before running, I’d have a much firmer grasp on the situation.

"Kira, what did you say? Do we need to prepare to flee?"

"I didn't say anything of importance, I just made fun of you for not knowing their language! And we're not fleeing without Raya and your Kirarmor."

Instead of addressing my demands, Lauren chooses to whistle for some reason, and it is loud. Geez, magically empowered hearing isn’t so great when someone is whistling close by... As I fail to hold back a growl, she looks up at me with her neutral expression turning into a frown.

“Sorry. I didn’t consider how it would affect you. It was a signal for Raya to move toward the meeting spot, which is here.”

That feels like something I should’ve been let in on, and nudging her about it, she informs me that it was something they agreed on last night. It seems they want to be prepared in case something happens. And she suggests that my signal be a roar, which suits me just fine.

Not doing anything while waiting is getting boring and it’s becoming obvious that I’m getting more antsy to do something. We’ve got so many activities lined up, but I can’t just leave Lauren and Raya behind to go have fun, that’d be rude. Especially considering we don’t know whether the cat person sprinting off is a bad sign or not.

I’m proud of myself for being this patient, and I haven’t even rushed into town to find Raya! I’m doing great growing as a person! I deserve a treat.

“Lauren, I’m doing a good job of being patient and not rushing off to find Raya, I deserve a treat.”

“I don’t have any treats. We will find something for you later.”

Boo. I wanted something now. I guess I could check out these fields of crops. If there are any root vegetables, they should be ready right around this season, and that means I can give them a taste. Meandering onward to the nearest field covered in uniform green leaves, I give the leafy crop a good look, but I’m no botanist or gardener, so I can’t tell what it is from the leaf alone.

Pushing a claw into the soil and pulling up a single crop reveals a treasure of tremendous magnitude!

“Lauren! They have beets! I love beets! Have you ever tried pickled beets? They’re incredible!”

Ever so gently, I take hold of the beet’s leafy top and smack it against my other arm a few times, knocking the dirt from the root, making the dark red color clear. These are definitely beets, even if they’re very small. Pinching the top of the plant off provides me with a significant problem as the beet itself falls to the ground... It’s too small...

Even using my most gentle claw technique, I’m unable to pick it up and I don’t want to squish or bury it...

“Hold on, Kira, I have an idea.”

Lauren to the rescue! Showing off her incredible dexterity, she picks up the beet with no effort at all and pulls out a knife. Cutting it into four pieces, she indicates for me to open my mouth and, as I do, she throws a quarter to me. It’s delicious! A lovely earthy and sweet flavor.

“They taste like dirt...”

“Shush, Lauren! Just cut the skin off before you taste it, and we can roast it! You’ll love beets too.”

She does as I suggest, and with a prepared quarter impaled on her dagger, she holds it out for me to roast. Using my simple heat breath, the moisture sizzles in short order, and judging by her eyes, she is a believer now.

“We need to buy some of these, Kira. We have to get some back home for other dishes.”

I agree! I do wonder what other sorts of stuff they have growing around here. My curiosity is stifled as a wave of frustration radiates across our mental link, indicating that Lauren is upset about something. Of course I nudge her about it.

“I turned down a few dishes last night because I didn’t feel comfortable with the ingredients, and this was one of them...”

Lauren is a picky eater! I didn’t know! Ooh, we can explore a culinary world together and learn what this world has to offer.

“Did Raya turn it down too?”

“No, she tried everything and encouraged me to try as well.”

Good on Raya! Hopefully, some of that adventurous spirit rubs off on Lauren. It doesn’t take long for Lauren to dig up another beet and cut it into smaller pieces, and as soon as she does, she starts involving me by asking me to roast them again.

Oh! Thinking of food, I am curious whether they had enough money to pay for it all, since I didn’t give them a lot, and as I ask Lauren about it, she starts to be remarkably unhelpful by laughing.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Kira, you gave Raya several gold coins. We’ve overpaid for everything so far. Significantly. Think of it as if I asked for a pebble and you brought a boulder because they’re both rocks, so it’s fine.”

That’s good. I might have to get Raya a purse, so we won’t end up overpaying everywhere, though. I like my hoard and I’m not about to give it away. These folks do seem nice, so I’m not gonna object too much to overpaying for stuff. We can afford it.

Our exploration of the root world is interrupted as the wind carries a familiar scent. Raya is closing in on us! Turning my gaze toward town, it appears she’s arriving with a crowd of ten people. There are three old folks and the rest appear quite young. Oh, to pile them up and sleep on their soft fur... No, I would be too heavy and I don’t want to squish them.

“Kira, what did you do?”

Now Raya is accusing me of doing things too? Geez, I can’t catch a break. Of course, I inform her that I didn’t do anything, in fact, I’m completely innocent of whatever accusation is about to be thrown my way. I hope.

“I think it might have to do with the felifolk running away earlier.”

“They’re called felifolk?! Why didn’t you say so earlier? I’ve been thinking of them as cat people.”

“No, they’re called beastmen, but I assumed that would be a term you would object to.”

She’s correct, I would. Felifolk sounds good to me, though. I wonder what they’re up to, given that Raya seems to assume I’ve done something and the whole ‘gathering a crowd’ thing. I hope it isn’t the start of a posse to chase us out of town.

As they approach, Raya joins us as Lauren hands her a roasted beet slice, which she’s quick to munch. I should get some more of them.

“Gudai. Aarh yuu Kira?”

Geez, beets distracted me as some old guy approached me. We might have to get these people scented soaps so I can detect their approach with less difficulty. He seems to be speaking specifically to me, and in a very broken version of my old language. Looking down at Raya and Lauren again, they meet my gaze and shrug in unison. It appears I’m on my own in this situation. Given that he seems to be trying to speak in my old language, I guess I should reply in the same tongue.

“Hello! I am indeed Kira, how are you doing?”

I wasn’t expecting much of a reply, but now they’re just murmuring among each other. Oh! The woman who slept on me is in the crowd too! Lowering my head to meet her, I give her a boop on the top of her head, which seems to interrupt the murmuring as all eyes focus on her. That wasn’t my intention, but it did bring focus away from me.

The guy who spoke takes his eyes away from the woman to stare up at me again before pulling an old book out of his shirt. As he opens it and holds it out to me, Raya climbs up on Lauren while they both have a look at the contents.

“Kira, that looks like the nonsense you wrote on my home.”

Raya is right, it does look like the nonsense I wrote on her house. I don’t like that at all. And looking closer, it appears to be a diary from some old weirdo describing their daily life in paradise. As I tell Raya and Lauren about it, Raya appears to be quite interested in the book. In fact, she’s so interested that she jumps down from Lauren and holds out her hands for the old guy to hand her the book.

And he does! Holding it gingerly, she looks through the pages, leaving very little time for me to actually read any of it. From what I do read, the gist of it seems to be a traveler coming here and unifying the clans with ideas on how to expand agriculture, new food sources, and medicine. Geez, it sounds like this person knew a bunch more than I do.

It also reveals that we had a shared interest in the soft fur of these people. Reading some more reveals that these felifolk used to be nomadic until some weirdo came along and focused on agriculture. I should probably distance myself from the kind of behavior that starts a civilization to satisfy weird desires like that...

Reading a few pages aloud to the crowd earns murmurs of excitement as they talk among themselves in their own language. I’m not sure what it is about, but they appear quite happy that I can read, and that feels like the bar is a little low for me.

A drop of rain changes the general mood from excitement to worry, as the old guy slams the book shut and hides it away again, protecting it from the rain as he power-walks back to town. They throw a few more broken words my way, thanking me.

Having lost her book, Raya looks up at me.

“Can you teach me your language? I wanna read books like that.”

“Of course! We’ll get started right away when we get home!”

“Kira’s excitement aside, Raya, most books are written in the blessed tongue, so if you want, I could teach you to read that as well.”

Sounds like we need a lesson plan and some coordination. I am quickly finding myself out of my element with things like ‘plans’ and ‘coordination.' Nevertheless, teaching Raya everything about the literary world is on the list of goals!

With the rain here and losing the crowd, now appears to be a good time to go find those wolves. Once we get Lauren’s Kirarmor, anyway. Looking around for it, I don’t see it anywhere, and that suggests Raya didn’t bring it out here. Lauren seems to have observed the same as she asks about it.

I’m sure Raya didn’t forget, and as she starts explaining where she left the Kirarmor, she proves me right! It turns out she didn’t want to get it dirty, so she left it at a nearby house to keep it dry and safe from the mud. Very considerate of her. The two of them go to fetch it as I wait out here.

It takes them a while, but as they return, they’re carrying small boxes wrapped in cloth, and as the wind carries the scent of food, my mouth begins watering again. There’s something very delicious in those boxes, and I want it.

"Kira, stop looking at us like that, the townsfolk are preparing something for you for when we get back."

Ooh, that sounds fantastic. We'll have to make quick work of these dastardly predators prowling the area. Laughter behind me alerts me to the fact that I may have almost left Raya and Lauren behind.

"That's your fault, Lauren. You distracted her with the promise of food."

I'm inclined to agree with Raya, especially since it moves the responsibility away from me. Taking a few steps back, I lower my head, allowing them to climb onto me.

"Lauren! Wipe your feet, you're dragging mud all over my Kira!"

I'm gonna need to find some way to punish Raya while she's sitting on my head for objectifying me like that. I don't have time for that right now, we've got mighty foes to fight in the name of someone who asked us to!

Spreading my wings, and...

"What's wrong, Kira?"

Raya is quick to inquire about my sudden distress with a gentle head pat.

"I don't know where the wolves are. I haven't heard any howling, and the felifolk didn't tell me."

Responding with some scritches and a chuckle, Raya points out that we need to go south, past the second village, and we'll find a large open area with rocks dotting the landscape. As I mention the lack of trees, Lauren interjects with a biology lesson.

"The wolves in the wolven forest have a particular affinity for the woods and rarely hunt outside of that. They favor agility and speed, and struggle to take down larger prey. In an area like this, open with the terrain shifting between soft and hard, the wolves favor endurance and strength. While they are too slow to outrun any of their prey, they can chase the same prey for days from multiple angles. Together, they are powerful enough to take down a steelback with little difficulty and almost no risk."

Okay, that sounds kinda scary and now I'm happy that my egg was on top of a mountain, even if I got thrown off the mountain on day one. Geez, what if it was near some snakes and got eaten? Hatching in the belly of a snake would've been a terrible way to start life.

Right, we've got places to be. I can't stand around here contemplating terrible fates that didn't happen. With a mighty beat of my wings, we set off into the rainy day as the clouds keep the light levels low. It won't affect me much, and I'm sure Raya is fine, too, but I haven't heard much about how Lauren handles darkness. If she has gained my affinity for it like Raya has, then she'll be fine.

Flying over the fields reveals just how well these felifolk do with agriculture. And they're doing very well. The crops are spaced with meticulous precision as rows upon rows sprawl through the landscape. It feels like too much food for this cluster of villages, but I guess that means they've got plenty of opportunity to trade.

The upcoming village appears to be almost a copy of the previous one. Tall buildings with ropes spanning the gaps allow the people to not have to descend to street level to move through the street. I think that's quite clever, since it means they can have people climbing up high while carriages and wagons keep the streets busy.

It's a shame that even going slow, my flight speed is quite high and we pass the village in no time at all as we fly over the last fields before the plains of rock and grass.

Now that we're getting some distance away from civilization, evidence of animal life becomes very clear. There are marks and paths strewn across the landscape, showing a myriad of animals that live here. Even birds! Though they're still hiding, all it takes to spot them is pushing a little magic into my eyes.

As I do, the world lights up in bright colors, and the birds hiding in the grass become tiny beacons I can watch. It's tempting to startle them, but I think I already have just by being here. They aren't the goal right now anyway, I have predators to catch! And looking up ahead, there's a glow of red and brown, which I'm unfamiliar with, but I'm pretty sure red means aggression.

As we close in on the source of the glow, it becomes clear that I'm right as the dang wolf jumps up and tries to bite me! That's not how this is supposed to go! In return, I smack it with my tail before it touches the ground again, sending it flying as I struggle to regain control. All of a sudden, I recall a mention of dragons not using their tails for offense, but screw that, tail swipes are awesome.

As our flight becomes steady again, we turn around to find the beast again. It appears the beast got away while we were occupied with not crashing. Since I'm the hunter here, we land where it jumped from, a circle of flattened grass a few meters wide. The scent is strong, so even if it hides from my eyes, I'll be able to track it.

With my nose low, the tracking begins until Raya taps my head.

"Can I try tracking it?"

Ooh, Raya is going on the offensive against the wolves. Wait, I guess it's a little late to say that, since she has hunted the wolves around Tuiran. Never mind that. Lowering my head and letting Raya down, she's quick to start scenting the area.

"I think I have it."

it doesn't take her long to pick up the trail, and as I follow behind, I keep track of the scent as well, allowing me to make sure she's on the right track.

As Raya gets more comfortable tracking, she picks up the pace, allowing me to take more than one step at a time before having to stop and wait.

As we progress through the grassy area, Lauren opts for lying down on my head while we follow Raya speeding through the terrain. I'm pretty sure my size and the noise from my movement is making it less likely to find the wolf, but I haven't been asked to step away yet and I don't think that'll happen.

As we pass by a large rock, the single scent of a wolf turns into that of a pack, but Raya isn't saying anything, so I don't know whether she has noticed or not.

"Lauren, could you keep an eye out for ambushes? I smell more than one wolf around here."

In fact, this whole area smells like the wolves. At least Lauren has our backs as I feel her shifting around, telling me that she's keeping an eye out as I asked. Raya's tracking continues east along a small trail of flattened grass and compacted soil.

Judging by the height of the grass, Raya might be invisible to anything trying to track us back. That's an obvious benefit of being tiny, considering anything with the ability to detect light would be able to see me.

On the topic of being able to see, it seems something is approaching if Lauren's tapping on my head is any indication. Raya appears to have stopped as well and we're definitely surrounded. I'm not sure how Raya wants to handle this, but as far as I'm concerned, it's her show and she calls the shots.

With a quiet voice, I tell her as much, yielding a nod as she draws her dagger, readying it for combat. Lowering my head to the ground, Lauren climbs down to join Raya, and the two of them get into a combat stance to protect each other. I can't really join them for it, but I do suggest burning the place to the ground.

Holding her hand out, Raya forms a fireball as she smiles at me.

"I can do that on my own."

And she does do that on her own as she throws the fireball into the grass, lighting the place on fire and hitting something I'm pretty sure is a wolf, judging by the yelp. It doesn't take her long before another fireball is thrown in the wolf's direction and that's what they get for trying to ambush us!

The fireballs appear to be a significant upgrade from her usual small firebolts. The old bolts used to be about the size of her hand, and now they're the size of her torso and explosive.

I'm not sure why, but I can't see the magic of the wolves anymore. I know they're out there, I'm tall enough to see the grass move as they move, but their magic is hidden somehow. Dang wolves are definitely coordinated.

From above, I hear Lauren's voice asking if I'm sure I want to leave this to Raya, which is a fair question, but Raya knows when to ask for help. And they're probably gonna attack me instead, given the threat I pose. Of course I tell Raya that she can ask me to step in at any time.

"Kira, I asked to track them, not to fight them."

Oh, crap, she's right. Great news, though! That's permission for me to hunt! Pulling on my magic, I get ready to attack as I tell Raya and Lauren to watch out for each other.

Charging at the nearest rustling grass, a brown wolf comes into view, giving me a target. The dang thing is big, but it crouches low to the ground as it creeps along. Wolves are too dang clever!

Striking at it with my head, my jaws only manage to catch dirt and grass, as the wolf manages to dodge me entirely. And I've lost track of it again... There's some more rustling grass nearby, and this time I'm not gonna take a moment to consider their coloration and how clever they are.

Rushing toward the wolf's location and striking fast, my jaws snap shut around something bloody and fuzzy, but it's not an entire wolf, much to my disappointment. As I watch the now tail-less wolf run off into the tall grass, a sharp pain tears through my left wing. Looking back, two wolves have struck by jumping onto the membranes of my wing as they claw and bite to tear it. The bastards are trying to ground me!

Unleashing my flames toward them earns me a burst of hurt as the searing fire lands on the open wound, but the wolves retreat, giving me a moment's relief. Their coordination is scary, and I need to get back to Raya and Lauren. They aren't far away, and they haven't called for help, but if they get overwhelmed, they could be in trouble very fast.

Since I need to move through the material the wolves are using to hide, I see no reason not to burn it all. Unleashing my flames as I run, the grass is reduced to smoldering embers in short order. Even the rain is no match for the might of my fire! It does point out a minor miscalculation in my plan as steam rises from both the moisture in the plants and the weather.

As I reach Lauren and Raya, they correctly point out that I have now provided different cover for the wolves, but we don't have time to berate me for my questionable decisions! We might never have time for that. I vote for not having time for that, that's for sure.

Instead of focusing on that-

"Kira, not only have you provided more cover, now they don't need to crouch anymore."

"I know, Lauren! I messed up! And they tore up my wing."

Unfolding my wing to show her, there's a pull on my magic as Lauren focuses on a spell before letting it fall apart when she realizes what she's doing. Giving her a nudge of reassurance, I make it known that I'm just annoyed, not upset with her. She did make a fair point, after all.

As we stand by each other, the wolves appear to be less willing to attack as they reassess the situation, unleashing snarls and growls from their cover. Even their sounds are obscured as they make sure to growl from several locations at once, making it hard to determine how many there are.

It's sort of intimidating that these wolves don't appear intimidated by my size at all.

"Kira, have you seen any of them? Can you describe them?"

Lauren appears nervous as she asks me questions, and as I describe the four-meter-long wolves and their coats having a brown and gray theme with stripes, she frowns and just stands there for a moment.

"I don't know any wolves by that description..."

Well, that's not good. Lauren is supposed to be our knowledge base and now we're left blind, grounded, and this isn't going well at all. At least Raya is still throwing out fireballs, keeping those dang wolves at bay. As I admire her proficiency in haphazardly throwing balls of fiery death, Raya begins to order me around.

"Kira, get me higher so I can see properly. I think I saw something that could help."

I do as she says by lowering my head, allowing both of them to climb up to safety. At least I'm still much taller than the wolves. Raya is quick to take a spot on my nose as she studies the steamy terrain surrounding us. It doesn't take her long to order Lauren to use magic sight as well, which I didn't know she could, and the two of them stare in the same direction that Raya points.

"Don't look for odd magic, look for where magic isn't there. They create gaps in the mist where they run."

Shifting slightly, I try looking as well, and she's right. As the beasts rush through the steam, their cloaked magic pushes my magic out of the way, creating a slipstream behind them. It's hard to see, but it is visible. And that means I didn't screw up, I just didn't know why I hadn't! Yush, vindication!

"Raya, we should stay up here, these wolves are too clever for us to stay on the ground. Keep an eye out for any trying to climb Kira and fire at them when you see them."

That's a good idea, my back is vulnerable, aside from my very durable scales. My spine spikes might even work against me as they give enemies something to hold onto, and these jerks would definitely figure that out.