FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The scent. It was always that scent that got to him. No matter how long he worked at the auto shop, he knew that familiar, enticing scent would never go away. The young rat desperately tried to focus on his job, but that smell kept distracting him. The smell of the big badger he worked for. Even now the intern was standing at his side and staring at him instead of paying attention to how the badger was fixing the car. He couldn't stop analyzing his features, those big arms of his, his muscular body, his round belly that bulged against his grayish-blue coveralls. He couldn't stop fixating on his footpaws either, both of which were clad inside a pair of black boots fit for mountain climbing. The gray rat blinked as he stood a little closer to the badger, wondering how he should tell the fur how he really felt about him. He couldn't spend the rest of his internship like this--not if he actually wanted to get a job in auto repair. The rat shut his eyes and swore in his mind. Why in the world was he assigned to work with this guy, the one who just so happened to drive his senses crazy?

"Hey, newbie! You trainin' to become a statue now?"

The rat snapped out of his trance and blinked. He noticed that the overweight jaguar who had been teasing him since he started his internship was standing a few feet away, wiping off his grimy paws with a yellow rag.

"Huh? Oh, no, I was just--"

"Good! Then start helping Elias fix that car!"

The rodent sighed and scratched his head. "Right, sorry."

As the jaguar began to walk away, the badger chuckled and put down the wrench he was using.

"Don't mind Dukey. He's just 'excited' that we're so busy today. He doesn't want us to get behind schedule."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, you know how he is. Guy's kind of dick, but he's decent enough to hang out with when he's not working. Or drunk for that matter."

The rat rubbed his head and tried not to focus on the badger's scent. "So what's wrong with the car?"

Elias moved out from underneath the car lift and sighed. "For starters, I think there's bullet holes in the muffler."

"...You're serious."

"That or some idiot thought it would be funny to poke holes into it. I'm hoping it's the latter. Either way, it's gonna need to be replaced."

"Can't we just cover the holes with duct tape?"

"Of course we can, but that's amateurish, and if it backfires, then we're gonna get sued if the car ends up breaking down because of us. We got some new mufflers for this type of car in the supply room. Go fetch me a new one, will ya?"

The rat nodded and walked away. Part of him was glad to be away from the badger's mouth-watering scent. The other part of him wanted to tackle the badger to the floor so he could stuff his nose against the back of the badger's neck. The chubby rodent headed into the giant supply room in the back of the garage where they stored various types of auto parts for immediate repair. The garage was part of a very large auto shop that was right next to the garage. However, certain customers were capable of fixing their own car and just needed to buy the right materials to get it working again. Others couldn't even handle a socket wrench properly, and preferred if a professional fixed their car instead, despite knowing it would cost more. The rodent spotted the type of muffler Elias needed and grabbed one off the shelf before heading back to the car lift.

"Here you go."

"Thanks," said Eli, as he took the muffler and started to remove the one with holes in it.

As the rat watched Elias work, that damn scent crept into his nostrils again. He flared his nostrils a couple of times and smiled slightly.

---

It was in the middle of the afternoon now. Everyone had just finished their lunch break and was busy patting their distended stomachs or burping. The rodent was naturally sitting next to Elias, despite knowing that the badger's musk distracted him. The giant jaguar, Dukey, picked his teeth clean with a claw before he exhaled.

"Damn! That's the last time I eat four Big Macs in a row! Ah well, I won the bet! Now pay me!"

Some of the mechanics grumbled as they took out a few dollar bills and threw them on the table. The fat jaguar took them all and snickered as he shoveled the money into one of the pockets on his coveralls. Elias huffed.

"Do you even try to eat healthy anymore? I wouldn't be surprised if you spend all your free time eating sticks of butter instead of jogging on a sunny afternoon."

The jaguar snickered. "Don't knock it 'til you try it. 'Sides, I know all of you are only jealous of how big I am!"

"What would we have to be jealous about?" asked a lithe yellow lizard.

"Don't you realize that all bitches love big men?"

The cross fox sitting to the left of the chubby rodent blinked. "There's a difference between being big and being fat. There's a difference between being jealous and being concerned about you having a heart attack before you turn forty."

"Pssh! Sure, right. You guys just don't have good taste!"

"Actually, I like big guys," said the rat timidly.

Everyone looked at the rodent and stopped talking. Dukey started to laugh heartily and got out of his chair so he could walk over and stand behind the rat. He put his paws on the rodent's shoulders and growled in his right ear. A different scent filled the rodent's nostrils, one that reeked of an unpleasant feline odor. The sweaty smell almost made the rodent gag for some odd reason. He really did wish that Dukey would leave so he could be closer to Elias' comforting scent.

"Well then, perhaps the two of us should get a bit more intimate in the back..."

There was a long pause, and then Dukey laughed heartily and slapped the rodent on the back so hard that he was nearly shoved against the table.

"Nah, I'm just messin' with ya! 'Sides, y'all know I don't swing that way. But you're more than welcome to spend all day fantasizing about me if ya want to, Bradley."

Bradley shut his eyes and moaned. He didn't even want to try to imagine what Dukey looked like with all his clothes off. The jaguar was busy laughing when his stomach gurgled loudly. He immediately stopped chuckling and wrapped his arms around his belly.

"Ooooh, fuckin' burgers. I'll see you guys in a few minutes. Gonna take a shit now."

The cross fox blinked. "Yes, because we certainly want to know everytime you have to move your bowels."

The jaguar headed for the bathroom and shut the door. Everyone else sighed heavily once the big feline was gone, obviously glad that they weren't surrounded by his presence. Bradley scooted a little closer to his right so he was near Elias now. The badger's warm scent started to fill his nostrils and quickly drowned out the jaguar's nasty odor. Even though Bradley was gay, he only seemed to be attracted to certain creatures and certain scents. The jaguar was a smelly behemoth who stank whenever his body was covered in sweat; the lizard had a stale, bitter scent around him; the cross fox's musk was too strong for Bradley; the white wolf's scent seemed plain, and it didn't help that he suffered from halitosis either. The only scent that Bradley was drawn to was Elias'; there was something about it that made him feel warm and safe.

"Okay, so we got a few minutes before fat ass gets out the bathroom," said the white wolf.

The yellow lizard blinked and exhaled. "What did we tell you about your breath and chewing gum?"

The white wolf grumbled before he dug into his pocket and pulled out a stick of Juicy Fruit. He stuck the gum into his mouth and started to noisily chew on it.

"There. You guys happy?"

Elias grinned. "Absolutely."

"So do you guys feel like grabbing a beer after work?" asked the cross fox.

"I dunno. Last time we did that, 'a beer' turned into six beers. Not to mention that Dukey got so drunk that he peed all over himself," said the white wolf.

The lizard blinked. "No, that was you, Carlyle."

"...Oh yeah, it was."

Bradley slowly zoned out of the conversation. He kept flicking his eyes over at Elias, imagining all the wonderful things they could do together. He knew the badger was married, but he couldn't keep his true feelings at bay. He wanted the badger in some way, shape or form. He wanted to see the beast wearing only boxers and lying in his bed. He wanted to reach out and feel Elias' toned chest. He wanted to lay his head on Elias' musclegut as he slept and feel the pudge rise and fall. If anything, he wanted the badger to take off his boots so he could stare at his delicious footpaws. He had no idea why he wanted this badger so badly; he didn't even know the precise thing he wanted from him. He just...wanted him. He felt like he needed him in his life.

"What about you, newbie? You feel like heading out to the club this weekend?" asked the cross fox.

"Oh. Uh, maybe. But I thought you guys were straight?"

"Just because we're not going to a gay club doesn't mean you won't meet gay guys. Besides, it's not like clubs are just for finding random chicks to bang. It's about dancing and feeling free and drinking fruity alcoholic drinks and all that other sappy bullshit," said Carlyle.

"Well, you guys have fun. I've been working my ass off all week. I think I'm just gonna stay home and relax this weekend," said Elias, as he bent over and started to grunt.

The yellow reptile sniffed the air a few times. "Goddamnit--are you taking off your boots again?!" asked the lizard.

Elias grinned. "Maybe."

"You know how fast your footpaws can clear out a room?!" asked Carlyle.

"If all of us can sit here and tolerate your bad breath, then you guys can sit here and deal with my foot odor for the next five minutes. I wanna relax my footpaws for a moment before our lunch break ends."

And with that, Elias leaned back in his chair and placed his giant socked footpaws on the round table. The cross fox and lizard plugged their noses and groaned. Carlyle wasn't complaining too much, in large part because of the gum he was chewing. Bradley, however, felt like a genie just granted his wishes. Not even a few minutes ago he was praying for Elias to do something like this. And now here they were: a delicious pair of musky, smelly socked footpaws for him to gawk at. The rodent tried to hide his enjoyment, but it was damn near impossible. Bradley could feel his heart beating faster as the enticing smell entered his nostrils. Elias wiggled his socked toes slightly and sighed, finally happy that he could rest his giant feet after working for so long. The other three mechanics sitting at the table were holding their noses and waiting for Eli to put his boots back on. But Bradley was trying his hardest not to smile. And it was right then that Bradley discovered what he wanted from Elias most: his footpaws. He wanted to wake up every morning and discover Elias' smelly feet in his face. He wanted the badger to force him to lick them clean while he breathed in the musky scent. There were all sorts of things the young rat wanted to do with those big feet, and it wasn't long before Bradley realized he was smiling.

"Ugh! God, your feet smell worse than that cheese the newbie usually eats for lunch!" complained the lizard.

The cross fox glanced at Bradley and saw his wide smile. "Um, Bradley? Does this smell really not bother you?"

"No."

Unable to control himself, the gray rodent leaned forward so his nose was hovering right above Elias' footpaws. He sniffed deeply and exhaled, still smiling. Elias glanced at his intern and raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"...Okay then."

---

Later that night was when Bradley finally broke. It wasn't even Elias' footpaws that caused it. The badger and rat were working on another car again; Bradley observed and gathered up the necessary supplies for Elias while the badger worked on the vehicle himself. But while Elias was working on the car, something became dislodged, causing black gunk to splash all over the badger's face and coveralls. Elias shouted, dropped his wrench, and backed away from the black stream of fluids.

"God...damnit!" he shouted, hoping nothing got in his eyes.

Bradley quickly snatched a white cloth off a toolbox and pressed it against Elias' face. He wiped off most of the gunk from his muzzle, cheeks and forehead before lowering the cloth and looking at the badger.

"You okay? It didn't get in your eyes, did it?"

Elias spat on the floor and gagged. "No, but it got in my mouth."

Bradley chuckled as Elias spat on the floor again and tried to wipe his tongue off. "Try and fix that hole while I go find that wrench I dropped."

"Okay."

Elias spat a third time before he walked over towards one of the shelves full of tools. He spotted the wrench he dropped lying underneath the shelf near the wall. Not in the mood for trying to move the heavy shelf, Elias got on the floor, grunted and stuck his right arm underneath the shelf, and reached out for the wrench with his paw. Bradley stared at the black fluids leaking out of the car and blinked. Now was a perfectly good reason why he should stop fixating on Eli; just the other week the badger showed him how to fix this sort of problem, but he wasn't paying attention. Luckily, Bradley found a roll of duct tape resting right beside the toolbox. He tore off a substantial amount of tape before he quickly stood beneath the car and covered up the hole with said tape. He got some of the gunk on his coveralls, but none of it splashed on his face or got in his eyes or mouth. Bradley could see that the gunk was still leaking out, so he tore off more tape and patched up the hole for good.

"You got that wrench yet?"

Eli grunted. "Almost."

Bradley turned and walked over to Elias. And then he stopped when the scent started to fill his nostrils again. The rodent just stood there and stared at the badger. He stared at his large black boots and his positively giant rump sticking up in the air. The badger was still grunting, his fingers almost touching the metal tool. The rat was still standing there, daydreaming about how gorgeous Elias' ass must look with his clothes off. He wondered if the badger went to sleep naked, or perhaps he slept with nothing but his smelly socks on. Bradley started to breathe heavily and wiped his mouth before he started drooling. He stepped closer to Elias and sniffed very gently. Such a warm, alluring musk for such a kind-hearted big fur. Bradley let out a tiny whimper; all he had to do was just say something and stop being such a coward. If Eli liked him back, then he liked him. And if not, they he didn't. Just say something, damnit, Bradley thought to himself. Just tell him--

"Got it!"

Bradley moved backwards as Elias pulled the wrench out and stood up. The gray rat stared at the burly badger and his plump gut. His face still had a few black stains on it; various blotches of gunk were all over his coveralls. He smelled like oil and grease, not to mention that loving scent that Bradley couldn't get out of his nose. Bradley couldn't do anything but stare, finding Elias' body and seemingly dirty look attractive. Elias blinked and noticed Bradley's right paw was twitching.

"What?"

"I...I, uh...could I stay at your place for a while after we get that beer with the others?"

It all came out so suddenly. Bradley thought about telling Eli everything right then and there, but part of his subconscious knew that now wasn't the right time. He should tell him everything in private.

"That depends. How long do you plan on staying?"

"Just...an hour. Maybe a couple hours. We could watch a ball game together, or something."

Elias wasn't sure what Bradley meant by "something," but he didn't immediately jump to the conclusion that it was sex. So the badger shrugged and said, "Okay. I guess we could watch a game tonight."

Bradley smiled slightly and wagged his tail. Eli walked back over to the car lift and looked up. The gray duct tape was clearly noticeable.

"Bradley, did you seriously try to fix this car with duct tape?"

Bradley blushed and scratched his head. "Maybe..."

---

The second Bradley entered Eli's home, the scent overwhelmed him. It was one thing to be around the musky fur, but now he was inside the creature's home. The smell of Eli's musk filled his nose so fast that he failed to realize that there were two badger scents in the building. Bradley could smell Elias' wife's scent too. It wasn't as powerful or as noticeable as Eli's, but it was definitely there. But the rodent didn't even care. He was just glad to finally be alone with the badger. Perhaps now he could get around to confessing his feeling for the big fur. Elias closed the front door after he and Bradley stepped inside and huffed. The badger belched and shook his head, trying to ignore how tired and slightly drowsy he was.

"You okay?"

Elias sighed and rubbed his head. "Yeah, yeah. Should've listened to Carlyle though. He wasn't lying when he said one beer would turn into six."

"But you didn't drink six beers."

"No, but I drank enough..." Eli rubbed his head again before he slowly dragged his footpaws across the floor. He sat down on the living room couch and burped again. "I am kind of drunk."

Bradley walked over to the badger and watched as he rubbed his eyes and sighed again. "You sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine, just exhausted from work and a little drunk, that's all."

The rodent sat down beside the badger, staring at his features again and flaring his nostrils to inhale the musk. The badger was out of his coveralls now and dressed casually. He was only wearing a sweaty T-shirt, some jeans, and his trademark black boots. Even though Elias was quite muscular, his musclegut still bulged against the waistband of his jeans and showed off part of his stomach. Bradley thought about reaching behind and rubbing Elias' back to make him feel better, but before he could, another idea came to mind. He watched as Elias bent over and started to untie his bootlaces very slowly. Then the badger lifted his right footpaw and grunted as he slowly took off his boot. Eli wiggled his toes after his socked footpaw was exposed. Bradley blinked and turned away, trying his best not to get distracted by his stinky footpaw. Elias put the boot down before he lifted his left footpaw and slowly took off that boot as well. The burly badger sighed heavily as he put the boot on the floor and let his feet air out. Bradley, of course, couldn't stop sniffing the air.

"Hehe, Charlene, my wife, is not a big fan of my foot odor either."

"Really? How does she deal with it?"

"Usually she leaves the room I'm sitting in until the smell goes away or until she tolerates it. She's starting to get used to it now, but there's times where my footpaws will smell so bad that our whole bedroom reeks of it."

"Oh...where is your wife anyway?"

"Out of town visiting relatives. She told me her sister or dad got in a car accident and she wanted to check and see if everyone's doing okay."

"I see," said Bradley, trying to keep any perverted thoughts out his mind.

Eli sat on the couch and got comfortable before he sighed and slowly put his feet on the coffee table in front of him. Bradley watched as he wiggled his toes. The smell coming from those dirty sweaty socks and the footpaws buried inside of them was too much for Bradley to handle. He needed to do something to satisfy his urge to be around the badger's musky body.

"Your feet tired?"

Elias curled his toes. "Course they are. I only took my boots off once today."

Bradley started to get off the couch before Eli could even answer him. "I could rub 'em for you. If your wife can't stand the smell, I doubt she even puts her paws near your footpaws."

Elias grinned. "Well...I haven't had my feet rubbed in a while. And after the way you acted during lunch break, something tells me you want to rub my feet for your own pleasure."

Bradley blushed and smiled. "Maybe..."

Eli chuckled. "If you really don't mind the smell, then sure. Rub away!"

Bradley stood in front of the coffee table and got on his knees. The socked footpaws were less than a foot away from his face. The rat wiggled his nose as the musky smell coming off the feet filled his nostrils again. He wanted to reach forward and grab the footpaws, but now that the moment was finally here, he seemed frozen. It was as though the rodent's apprehension was getting the better of him, and now he wasn't so sure if he should do this. Maybe he should just leave now, forget this whole night existed. Elias wiggled his toes and blinked.

"Anytime now."

The gray rat snapped out of his trance and blinked twice. Then he lifted his paws and slowly reached forward and grabbed Elias' footpaws. The rat didn't do anything at first; he just remained still as he stared at his paws and the socked footpaws. But then he gradually started to move his paws up and down, caressing the footpaws with each paw. Elias closed his eyes and sighed, adoring the warm feeling of Bradley's paws. The rat could feel the dampness of the socks; the sweaty odor wouldn't stop flowing into his nostrils. Bradley blinked and used both paws to massage only the left footpaw. He squeezed the foot, feeling all the bones and flesh, before he rubbed his paws up and down. The moist sock made it feel smoother for Bradley, and the sweat intensified the musky scent, much to his enjoyment. The rat leaned forward and pressed his small nose against the footpaw's sole. He sniffed twice and smiled before grabbing the foot and taking a deep breath. Bradley exhaled after his lungs were filled with the smell and took another deep breath. The musky smell kept pouring into his lunges, driving the young rodent's senses crazy. He exhaled again after breathing in the heady smell before he glanced over at the other socked footpaw.

Bradley shifted over a bit and started to rub Eli's other stinky foot. The odor of malt vinegar and musk swarmed Bradley's olfaction again. The rodent almost started to drool right then and there. Elias wiggled his toes, his way of signaling Bradley to resume rubbing his foot. The rat squeezed and massaged Elias' tender footpaw, causing the badger to sigh and growl with joy. Bradley smiled and rubbed Elias' footpaw even more, making sure he comforted the bulky badger as much as he could. He rubbed his fingers all over the stinky sock before squeezing each of Elias' toes. He pressed his nose against the small digits and noticed that his footpaw smelled even worse around that area. Bradley's eyes almost watered from how powerful the scent was. He took his nose away before exhaled and sticking it against a tamer part of the footpaw. He sniffed the right sole three times before he exhaled and smiled widely. Eli was still growling as Bradley massaged his smelly footpaw; he obviously hadn't been this relaxed in weeks, probably months. The rodent squeezed Eli's footpaw some more before he inadvertently began to move further up and started to rub and squeeze his right leg.

Bradley could see that Elias' eyes were still closed. He was lost in his moment of pleasure; at this point, any part of his body could be rubbed and the badger would only feel euphoria. So Bradley started to rub Elias' legs, which caused the badger to growl and chuckled in the same tone. Feeling a bit daring, Bradley walked around the table and got on his knees again. But this time, he was right beside Eli's thighs instead of his socked feet. The rodent reached forward and started to rub the badger's leg and gradually worked his way up Eli's left leg.

"That's...that's a bit high, Bradley," said Elias softly.

Bradley ignored him. He started to breathe heavily as he stood up and continued to rub the leg and go farther north. The badger chuckled as he playfully tried to move Bradley's paws back down his leg.

"Hehe, seriously...that's a little high."

Bradley didn't realize that he was breathing heavily, or that his heart was pounding over and over again. He glanced down at the badger's crotch and thighs and lost control. The rat shoved his paws forward, obviously too far. Elias stopped growling and chuckling and opened his eyes. Bradley's paws were on his groin.

"That is way too high," he said in a firm, loud voice.

Bradley was still breathing heavily when he noticed the stern look on Eli's face. And then he looked down and realized he was violating the badger's personal space. He whimpered slightly and quickly took his paws away. Both of them stared at each other for a while before Elias took his footpaws off the table and blinked.

"Oh my God, you...do you have a crush on me?"

This definitely wasn't going the way it did in all of Bradley's daydreams. "I...I just..."

"Bradley, I'm married! And even if it wasn't married, I'm not gay! What'd you think was gonna happen: you'd come in here, get all cozy with me, rub my feet, and then we'd start kissing each other and fucking each other on the couch since my wife is out of town?"

Bradley blushed so hard that his entire face turned red. He looked down at the floor as his big tail went limp. Elias frowned.

"My God, that was what you thought would happen."

Bradley didn't want to be in Eli's house for another second. "...I-I...I'll just leave now," he said quietly.

Elias watched as the rodent dejectedly turned around and headed for the front door. Eli rubbed his head and huffed before he stood up and rushed towards Bradley. He grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around.

"Look, I'm...I'm sorry if I snapped at you. Maybe it's the beer; maybe I'm just agitated from working all day. I just...how long has this been going on? Have you always felt this way about me?"

Bradley blinked. "It's that...that goddamn scent of yours. Your warm musk is so comforting to me. It makes me feel at peace; it makes me feel happy. I just want us to-to hang out with each other more; I want us to frolic in the flower fields--"

"Skip past all this romance bullshit, please."

Bradley sighed. "I just want to be more than friends, that's all."

Eli sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Shit...well, this is certainly awkward."

Bradley blushed again and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah..."

"I...I can understand how you feel, I guess. When I was in high school, I used to hit on girls who I'm pretty sure had boyfriends already. But I didn't try to take advantage of them, and I certainly didn't grab their groin and tried to fuck them on their living room couch. Brad, I'm married. Why you even think this would work out?"

"You mentioned a few times that you and your wife were having problems."

"With getting bills paid and shit, not with our relationship! We're not divorced, we're not separated, and we still love each other. And even if we did get divorced...I'm not gay, Bradley. Either way, this wouldn't work. This isn't some trashy porno that ends with me pinning you down on the floor and sodomizing you; that's just not how it works in real life. Maybe it does for sluts who can't keep their legs shut and promiscuous guys who can't stop stickin' their dick in someone's hole--or bending over and lifting their tail, depending on whether or not they're submissive or gay. But I'm not like that, Bradley. We can only be coworkers and friends, nothing more."

Bradley closed his eyes and sighed heavily. He nodded slowly and opened them again. "All right...I understand. I'm sorry I, uh...grabbed you."

"I'm sorry I snapped at you."

"...Maybe it's better that this happened. At least now I know where you stand. At least now I won't be killing myself from all the anticipation of whether or not you want to be in a relationship with me."

Elias smirked a bit. "Well...I suppose we could have some type of relationship, but not in that context."

Bradley blinked. "What do you mean then?"

"Like you said, my wife's afraid to put her paws anywhere near my feet after work. But you just got on your knees and started rubbing the second I told you too. Now I'm not saying you're the best foot-rubber in this city...but I do like having my footpaws rubbed...and Charlene won't do it. You see where I'm going with this?"

Bradley started to smile and wag his tail. "I'd like that."

Elias chuckled. "Good! You can start your new 'job' tomorrow during lunch break!"

The rat nodded. "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"See ya!"

Bradley unlocked and opened up the front door. He walked outside and closed it before he let out a long, deep breath. Part of his heart felt broken, but at the same time, he didn't feel like Eli flat-out crushed it beneath his footpaws. Maybe he couldn't have a loving relationship with the badger. Maybe he couldn't have sex with him. But he was still his intern, and he still worked alongside him, which meant that warming scent would be in his nose every day when he went to the garage. Even better, now he could rub, sniff (and hopefully) lick Eli's stinky feet whenever the badger said so. Maybe the night didn't go the way he planned, but it wasn't a total loss for him. As Bradley started to walk away, Elias opened up the front door and stood on the front porch.

"Hey, Bradley!"

The rat stopped walking and turned around. "Yeah?"

Bradley's vision was covered when Eli tossed some kind of rag at him. The rat took the "rag" off his face and looked down. He gasped. Eli just tossed him a pair of socks.

"Are...did--"

Elias chuckled. "Charlene doesn't like doing laundry anymore because she always ends up finding several pairs of my dirty socks in the clothes hamper. Why should I keep stinkin' up our house when I can just give you my dirty socks? You obviously seem like a guy who likes feet a helluva lot more than the average fur; I'm sure you're better off with those socks than I am. Besides, think of 'em as a keepsake from me."

Bradley looked at the front porch and could see that the badger was barefooted. The rat looked down at the sweaty socks in his right paw and smiled.

"Thanks, Eli."

"Don't mention it!"

Eli closed his front door and stepped back inside. Bradley stood on the sidewalk and stared at the sweaty white socks. He lowered his head slowly and sniffed twice, taking in the strong pungent odor. Then he smiled and made a noise that sounded like he was purring and growling simultaneously. The rat stuffed the socks into his pocket before he turned and started to walk home, still making the same growling noise as he smiled.

Perhaps this night wasn't so bad after all.