A Theif's Mistake Part 3

Story by SovietPikachu on SoFurry

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#3 of The Polar Bear and Fennec

The third and final part of an RP i did with my freind. A large bulk of this is character and story development. I play the part of the fennec and my freind plays the part of the polar bear.


The sound of the bear's heavy breathing was only interrupted by his alarm. Slowly the bear sat up on his bed, yawned, stretched and scratched. He walked over to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, yawning once again when he was done. The bear then started to make his way towards his kitchen downstairs to prepare breakfast. When he reached the stairs, his mind finally kicked into gear and reminded him of the fennec he ate. He blinked a few times, coming to realise that it all actually happened; it wasn't a dream or a wild fantasy. He looked down to see his belly, it was still more bloated than normal, but was the fennec still in there or did his body finish the job and turn him into pudge? The bear pressed his belly and felt around. The fennec was still there and, by the looks of things, had not been turned into mush, the bear couldn't help but feel a little alleviated. He walked back to his bedroom and sat on the bed. He looked down on his belly again and rubbed it gently. "Wakey wakey little fennec, it's time for us to part ways. I know it must be fun in there with all the acid and churning, but your time is up."

The fennec slowly awoke to someone pushing down on him. In his state of grogginess he attempted to push it away and go back to sleep but the thing was persistent and fully woke the fennec up. At first confusion reigned supreme and his large ears honed in on words that were being said above him, but he could only pick out some words and that only served to fuel his confusion. Finally when the fennec moved slightly to rub his eyes and felt liquid slosh around him did he remember last night's activities in full detail. His confusion was quickly replaced by panic which was then almost instantly replaced by confusion once again. He thought he was going to die and had resigned his fate to as much; but with the bear talking above him and his very un-digested state it only proved that he was still alive. What on earth was happening?

"Hey! Bear to morsel! Are you awake in there?" The fox felt so good inside his belly he almost reconsidered letting it loose, but he didn't want to hurt it. Besides, even though he felt full, he didn't actually 'eat' anything. That couldn't be healthy. The bear started thinking about how he would remove the fennec from his belly. Throwing up was the obvious solution, but where? It would certainly make a mess, and he wasn't in the mood to clean up vomit and thieves from the floor. "Wake up before I change my mind about letting you go!" He said frustrated. The thought of cleaning up vomit was not in any way pleasant

The fennec's confusion was put on hold as the bear started to talk again. Not wanting to miss what was being said the fennec closed his eyes and focused on the words being said. It was still hard to make out some words but the fennec received the general gist of it. He made his presence known by pushing on the walls and generally moving about before attempting to speak to the bear. "I don't know how I'm even alive in the first place or breathing for that matter but you said something about letting me go? If that's true then thank the gods but I don't know what you expect me to do in here." The fennec sat down in the now comfortable stomach and waited. Wait, did the fennec think the bears stomach was comfortable and not revolting or anything of the sorts? What had happened to him last night?

The bear waited for a response and got it in the form of a push from inside, it was enough to make the bear blush and rub his crotch with a paw. Again he thought about not letting the fennec go, even a push was incredibly pleasurable, and he would get a lot more if he let it stay. No, he had to do it; the fennec didn't deserve to die. He then held his breath to listen to the fennec. The sound of its voice was incredibly muffled, but he was able to understand him, save for one or two words. "Good, I'll let you out in a sec." The bear stood up and started to make his way to the bathroom. "I know you must love it in there, but it's time to go." The bear giggled and patted his belly. There was no way the fennec actually enjoyed its stay inside him, he thought, but he had to make the most of those last minutes.

The fennec stoped his inner musings, listened to the bear and then returned to his inner musings once again. He chuckled to himself at how the bear thought, no, knew that the fennec hated it in here and yet here he was, wondering if he had ever had a better sleep in his life and that it probably wasn't so bad once he looked past the 'you're going to die' part. The fennec sat in silence as he felt the bear start to walk, the jostle of his steps somehow now familiar to him now.

"I'm gonna take your silence as 'thank you very much for letting me out, Kuro'." The bear reached the bathroom and looked around. The toiled was too small for the fennec, so he decided to deposit him in the bathtub. The bear walked into the bathtub, sat on his knees and brought his head forward. He then realised: how was he going to get himself to throw up? He tried poking around the back of his throat with a claw. He got his belly to contract a few times, but not enough to spit out the fox. After a few seconds thinking, he convinced himself that he would just have to force it out of him. He clenched his abdomen as hard as he could, trying to force his stomach into contracting. Luckily for the bear and the fennec, it appeared to be working. The bear felt his meal slowly slide up into the bottom of his throat. He kept forcing the mass upwards until it completely left his stomach. After that, he opened his mouth and started to hack, all the while pressing down on his belly with his paws. This went on for a few more seconds until a liquid started to drip out of the bear's mouth. Finally, he felt something come up to the back of his tongue. He coughed and pressed a few more times before he was able to grab the fennec's shoulders. After that, it was easy to pull out the fennec. The bear panted as a few drops of mucus dripped from his mouth. The bathtub now had a lot of his digestive juices spilled around, but he managed to get the fennec out seemingly unharmed. After looking at the fennec in his paws and catching his breath, the bear talked. "A lot easier to put you in than bring you out. Your struggles felt wonderful in there, and I would have left you turn into fat, but I don't think you deserve to die." The bear said with a little bit of pity in his voice. Now that he could see the burglar, he felt a bit bad. "I hope you learned your lesson about breaking into people's homes and stealing from them."

The stomach contracted around him after he felt the bear stop moving and bend down, it was a weird sensation. It was as if the velvet was attempting to become form fitting with the fennec shape while also squeezing him upwards. It forced his head through the ring that prevented his escape before, it was now much more relaxed and he could feel himself easily slide into the bear's throat. As the bear worked him up the fennec felt the walls around him contract around his body and he hated to admit that it felt good. He hated it all and yet at the same time loved it. It didn't take long for light to start returning to the fennec as it made its way through the bear's mouth and down its throat, it also signified that he was oh so close to being out. He felt his head enter the bear's mouth and he could see the liquid that was in there with him dribble out of the bear's mouth and into what he'd assume was a bathtub. After a few more hacks his shoulders entered his mouth and from there the bear pulled him out with ease. He quietly wondered how that felt for the bear. The bear held him and his naked and wet form above the bathtub as it panted a few times as it seemingly gathered its breath. The fennec looked down while he did this and marvelled at the colour of the liquid that was in there with him, instead of the green he expected it to be it was instead an off white clear, he wasn't sure if that was normal. His attention was drawn back to the bear as it inspected him before speaking to him. He blushed uncontrollably at the struggle comment, an act he wasn't sure the bear could see through his white and matted fur and felt his sheath swell a tiny bit before dying down; he still didn't like how his body responded on its own. The fennec listened to the bear before grinning a little when the bear finished talking, he was resorting to his cocky nature again, his way of coping. "You don't think I deserve to die? Well I guess that makes two of us then. As for my lesson I now know to steer clear of predators houses and know what species the occupant is before I enter." His grin remained plastered to his face during and after he spoke. His final comment however, although true, he didn't think he'd ever use. He didn't think he'd be able to steal something again in fear of the off chance of something like this happening. Although with that said he questioned himself if he'd mind.

The bear was surprised. He expected the fennec to still be shocked, but the little critter appeared to be well rested, and his cocky attitude was back. He was completely confused, but he didn't want it to be apparent. He pretended he was inspecting the fennec again until he noticed the fennec's underwear was gone. He used it as an escape goat to regain his composure. "Guess your underwear didn't come out. Well, it's mine now, un-" The bear stopped mid sentence. He finally noticed the colour of the mucus he spat out and put two and two together. "The repetitive motion, the fact that you aren't traumatized, the white mucus... You enjoyed it, didn't you?" The bear's confusion was now completely apparent. He couldn't think how someone would enjoy a visit to his stomach. He shook the fennec a bit. "What happened in there?"

The fennecs grin slowly faulted as he watched the bear put the pieces of the puzzle together. It was gone by the time the bear was speaking and had been replaced with a queasy look as the bear shook him like some sort of toy for a moment before asking another question. The fennec was in no mood nor right mind to speak, but as always his mouth seemed to have a mind of its own. "Enjoyed it? What kind of person would enjoy being trapped in a warm and peaceful stomach while they firmly believed they were going to die?" The fennec faulted for a moment and thought about what he just said while blushing hard enough that he was sure the bear could see it. He was about to take it back but before he could his mouth was already talking again. "And for your information nothing happened at all, I don't even know why you'd even suspect such a thing. You make it sound like I jacked off in you or something." The fennec inwardly face palmed, he just couldn't stop his big mouth could he?

The bear laughed. He laughed and laughed at the fennec's embarrassment, and how he seemed to give away all while trying to do the exact opposite. He shook the fox from one side to the other as he giggled away like a child. After the bear was done laughing, he addressed the fox, still stopping to chuckle once in a while. "Thank you for that, I needed a good laugh. Looks like you can't even control that big mouth of yours. I think we both know what you did, and you're blushing so hard I don't even need you to confirm it out loud! Looks like my lesson didn't bring the right point across, though. But don't worry; your little secret is safe between you, me and my belly." The bear stopped to let a few more giggles out. He then looked over to the fennec. He was a bit more serious now. "Look, I just don't want a little thief around my neighbourhood. So I'll give you two options. First one: you never show up here again. If I discover you have been snooping around for any reason near this neighbourhood," The bear pointed at his nose, "this guy will find out, and I will hunt you down. And don't expect any antacid or 'peaceful' and 'comfortable' stomach. When I get you, you'll be staying with me permanently." The bear stopped to think about his next words, he felt weird about saying what he was about to "Second one: you come back here as a friend. We both had fun, and don't you even try to hide it. But if I discover you stole a dime again..." The bear patted his belly and let that talk for itself." Are we understood?"

The fennec snorted loudly after the bear was finished talking. "Are we understood? Crystal clear on that one. You can also count on me of staying the fuck away from this neighbourhood because in what world am I going to want to come back here?" The fennec forced a frown as he finished but it quickly eroded away into a neutral face before he looked away and smacked his lips while thinking. After a few moments the fennecs face softened and he sighed heavily before turning back to face the bear. "How 'bout we get some breakfast first? Y'know, get to know each other some more. That's what friends do, right?" He stared into the bear's eyes for a few seconds before sighing again and looking away before speaking loudly enough under his breath that the bear could hear if he strained. "I can't believe that I'm actually agreeing with this. What the fuck happened to me?"

The bear hesitated. The burglar that was moments ago in his stomach asked for breakfast, putting it in a sentence made him wonder if he had gone crazy. He shrugged off the thought. As weird as it was, he didn't think he was the one losing his mind, after all, the burglar was the one asking for food after being eaten. While he was distracted thinking, he heard the fennec mutter something under its breath. He couldn't make out all of it, but he picked up the last sentence. "We're gonna have to clean you up a bit before breakfast. Your fur is a mess, and I don't want you dripping vomit on my house." The bear walked out of the bathtub and turned on the shower. He extended his arms and put the fennec under the water, holding him by the scruff. He rubbed the fur with the other paw, trying to get as much of his juices out of him. After a few moments, the bear judged it was enough and turned off the water. He took the fennec out and placed him on the ground, handing him a face towel that seemed to be big enough for the fennec to dry up. "You know, I can hear that stuff you mutter under your breath. Look, I don't know what happened to you, and honestly, I don't care. From now on you're free, I'm not gonna hold you here against your will. If you want some breakfast I will serve it to you. If you want to leave I'll take you to the door. I'm not 'friends' with any burglar, but I owe you something nice after last night, even if you enjoyed it." The bear was confused with the whole situation. He wanted the fennec in his stomach again, but his conscience stopped him from snatching him up then and there. The bear decided to let things move on and think about what he would do later. If the fennec decided to leave, everything was solved. If the fennec stayed, he might be able to get it in his belly again. He had nothing to lose; he doubted the fennec would have the courage to try to steal something from him with such clear threats in the air. In any way, if he did, then the bear would have an easy solution for the problem. "What do you want to do? Do you even trust me enough to share a meal with me?" He said teasing the fox.

The fennec didn't like being manhandled nor did he particularly like cold showers but for the first time in his life he kept his big mouth shut instead of making matters worse. Thankfully his shower was quick and before he knew it he was on a bathmat with the bear's equivalent of a face towel that to him was just smaller than a normal towel. He started to dry himself as the bear talked, carefully listening to what it had to say. It felt strangely nice to have the bear say he didn't care that the fennec had changed overnight, it was a small reassurance but it was overshadowed by the fact that the bear may have said it for his own benefit. He didn't think so at least. The bear also gave him another chance to change his mind of staying or leaving, of which he'd been given enough time to start doubting his previous rash decision. It hurt for some odd reason when the bear said he wouldn't be friends with any burglar, he wasn't sure if he was saying he wouldn't be friends with the fennec specifically or he wouldn't be friends with a burglar. He guessed the latter and mused that after last night's fiasco he wouldn't be a burglar after the shit he'd been through. He'd have to find a different profession though, although at his size and his already honed skills he didn't know what kind of profession that would be. The fennec was still drying himself absentmindly as the bear talked and when the bear had responded while still drying himself. "You're asking if I would trust you to share a meal with you even though we both know what you're implying when you ask for me to 'come over as a friend'. Even more you'll be eating your food as well and probably won't have the urge to eat me once you have food in you." The fennec removed the towel and revealed a rather puffed up fennec, all his hair was sticking out on end making him look much bigger then he was. "Shit, I dried myself too much." He noticed as he smiled to himself. "Anyways, I'll take you up on breakfast, if not for the food than for a reason to sit down and think about what has happened and what I want to happen next. How's that sound?"

The bear held off a smile when he saw the puffed up fennec. And that the little guy decided to stay for a little while. The bear blinked a few times. Was he really happy that the fennec decided to stay and talk for a bit instead of leaving? He shrugged off the thought. "Sounds good. I hope I have something to your taste. What do you eat?" He tried to put his best friendly attitude. But wait, friendly attitude? Again, the bear was confused. If he only wanted to feel the thief struggle in his belly, he could eat it right then and there. He had nothing to lose, no one would know and he would get more of the struggling he loved so much. But it felt wrong. Why? The polar bear, one of the most fearsome creatures in the planet, felt bad about eating one little thief. Maybe the fennec wasn't the only one to change during the night. The more he thought about it, the more conflicted he got, so the bear decided to just roll with it and sort his feelings later. "And just so you know, I'm not trying to make any mystery about what I want. You know that I enjoyed eating you, and besides, if I let my urges take over me you'd be gone already, hungry or not. I'm just not doing that because..." He cut himself off and looked away a little embarrassed. It seemed like the bear syphoned more than just the fox's cocky attitude, the big mouth was starting to catch up too. Before being caught up in the same questions as before, his belly interrupted him. It complained to the bear in the form of a loud groan about the fennec that just escaped its clutches, and demanded it a compensation. "Let's just go before I change my mind" He said before turning around and throttling off towards the kitchen, without glancing back to see if the fennec was following

The fennec felt a grin crawl into his face as he watched the bear start walking away. "Because of what? Did the big bad bear develop a soft spot for me?" He said to himself when he thought the bear was out of hearing range. He realised what he was doing and how his mouth was running again as he wiped the grin off his face and jogged to catch up to the bear. As he did so he wondered if it'd be rude to ask for underwear and maybe ask the bear put some on too.

The bear's ears twitched. He could faintly hear the fennec saying something under his breath, but didn't understand a word. He got down two steps on the stairs before noticing that he was completely naked. He backed up and looked at the fennec. "Let's put on some clothes before we head down to eat. Your underwear is staying with me though; I won't be throwing up again." The bear walked up to his room, grabbed the fennec's clothes and handed them to him. He then grabbed a boxer and a short and quickly put them on. It was too hot for the bear to wear a shirt, so the shorts would have to do. After finishing, he walked out of the room and back to the stairs without looking if the fox was following him.

The fennec looked at his clothes and quickly put on his black track pants. He left the shirt off however as it was now daylight hours and was reasonably warm inside the house. He silently wondered how hot the polar bear was in this kind of weather. He followed the bear down the stairs, albeit slowly due to his height, and into the kitchen. He looked around at the large room; he still was not used to the juxtaposition of his size compared to the size of everything else. For heaven's sake his snout just reached over the lip of the bears chairs. The fennec watched the bear move around the kitchen before getting bored and climbing onto the chair and sitting down. He felt like some sort of glorified child as he sat there. He even knew he'd have to stand on the chair to eat off the table as well. As he waited he leaned back on the spine of the chair and thought about the decisions he's made and the ones he might be about too.

The bear opened his fridge and looked around. He really enjoyed the sudden rush of cold air in his face. Luckily (or unluckily) for the fox, the bear was a colourful eater, and he went grocery shopping a few days ago, his house was full of all sorts of foods. "I've yogurt, eggs, seal bacon, pancake mix, some cereal in the dispenser..." The bear listed the items as he himself chose what to eat. "I think it's easier to tell me what you want, I may have it."

"Seal bacon?" The fennec said out loud as he broke from his musings. "I mean, I get what both words mean but it sounds odd together. That and where do you even get seal bacon? I've never seen it." The fennec thought for a few moments, seal or not bacon sounded very good at the moment. "I'll like to give it a try though, it'll be... different." Different in respect to the cheap foods he usually ate.

The bear grabbed the chunk seal bacon and some eggs. He then grabbed a frying pan, a knife and two plates. He cut a few thin pieces of the meat and threw them on the pan and turned on the fire. When the smell of the cooking seal hit his nose he noticed how hungry he actually was. As he cooked he talked to the fennec. "You didn't expect a polar bear to have some sort of seal meat in his house? I got it in the afterhours of the local zoo." He smirked for a few seconds before continuing. "Just kidding! I got it from my favourite butcher. It's expensive, but worth every penny. Not as fun or fresh as hunting them, but it does the job well." The bear happily explained.

The fennec felt a pang of worry and flattened his ears when the bear made his comment about the zoo. He couldn't see his face so he didn't know he was joking until the bear spoke next in an obviously playful tone, something the fennec didn't think the bear had in him. As the bear cooked the fennec felt slightly bad, the bear said the food was expensive and on top of that was making more for the fennec. He knew the bear wouldn't mind, mainly because the bear was currently cooking him some but the thought still remained. The fennec was used to buying the cheapest and most efficient food and due the ingrained habit he couldn't shake the feeling that he didn't deserve the expensive food. The fennec decided to talk instead of worrying. "You used to catch your own food? Does that mean you used to live in the wild or were you were a wild? I mean of course, if it's not a personal question that is." The fennec shook his head; he should have led with his last sentence.

The bear smiled as he cooked. He thought his breakfast with the fennec would be just awkward silence, but apparently the fennec had more uses to his big mouth than snarky comments. He cracked an egg on top of the bacon and scrambled it. He kept paying attention to the food as he addressed the fennec. "Well, if you didn't notice, I'm not from around here. I used to live far, far away. There were plenty seals there and I used to hunt them all the time, like a polar bear should." He talked with nostalgia in his voice. "Now I don't get the chance to do it as often since it requires quite a trip. But travelling is worth it for some tasty fresh seal." The bear paused and seemed to stare at nothing for a few seconds before continuing. "But I'm happy here; the seals were the only redeeming quality of that place." He said less cheery. "Forgot to ask you. Do you even want eggs? If so, how do you want them done?" He asked politely, like the last sentence didn't happen.

The fennec was stumped at that, he rarely had eggs and when he did they more or less turned into scrambled eggs quite quickly, he wasn't even sure what the terms were for how to cook an egg. One was sunny side up, but he didn't have a clue what that even meant. "Uh, yea sure I'll have some eggs. I'll have it the same as you if that's okay." There were a few moments where the fennec and assumedly the bear listened to the sizzle of the pan. "Hey, uh, have you got anything to drink? Water maybe?" What was he asking? Of course the bear would have at least water!

The bear judged the eggs were cooked enough. He put them on the plate and started to fry a new set of bacon and eggs. "I have water, "He said mockingly, "But don't you want some juice? I was going to make fresh orange juice for me. If you don't like orange I have grape on the fridge. It's not fresh though." He felt a bit bad; he had tortured the thief, but didn't even remember to offer water.

His ears perked up unintentionally when the bear mentioned fresh orange juice. His mum used to make it back when he was a pup and now he had a soft spot for the juice but he had not had any fresh in a long time. "Orange juice please!" He said in a tone some might consider to be a bit overeager but the little fennec didn't care. "I haven't had any freshly made for so long; I forgot I even had a craving."

The bear was surprised at how excited the fennec was, after all, it was only orange juice. He felt so much innocence in its voice that he frowned, feeling bad about the prior night once more. He finished up a second, a third and a forth batch of eggs and bacon and put them all both in another plate. He then grabbed a few oranges from the fridge, cut them in half and squeezed them with his paw. He filled two glasses and put a few ice cubes inside on both. He then served the glasses and the plates, placing everything on the table. The bear had a large portion of 8 eggs and 5 slices of bacon, while the fennec had a smaller one, with 3 eggs and 2 slices of bacon. The glasses of juice, on the other hand, were the same size, which looked normal to the bear. He sat down and addressed the fennec. "If you want more I'll cook you more. I'm not trying to be selfish, I just think a fennec your size would eat less than me." The bear got the silverware, giving the fennec what he would use for dessert. "It's not much, but take it as a thank you and as an..." The bear stopped mid sentence again. Was he really about to apologize to the thief? He looked at his plate mildly embarrassed, trying to avoid eye contact.

The fennec noticed the bears reluctance and embarrassment but decided against saying or pointing it out. Instead he reached onto the table picked up the large glass with both paws before draining half in one swig. It wasn't the same as he used to have it but it was nothing to complain about either. The revitalising sourness was something he missed, more so in fresh juice. Putting the cup down he picked up the utensils the bear had given him and was about to dig into the food before he remembered his manners. "T-thank.." The attempted phrase felt foreign in the fennecs mouth and not to mention it also felt awkward considering what the bear put him through. "T-thank you for this breakfast. I guess." The fennec was annoyed at his pride for forcing him to add on the 'I guess.' It left a sour taste in his mouth besides the juice.

The bear was surprised at how fast the fennec drank the juice. The glass was comically big in its hands, but he was able to drink half of it in one swig. The bear himself started to dig into the food, and said in between bites. "No worries, after what I put you through you deserve it." He said earnestly. Again he was conflicted. Just a few hours ago he was thinking about murdering the fennec, and even if he didn't do it, he still made it go through a lot. Why was he being nice then? Did he really start to like the fennec? No, the little creature was nothing more than a thief and a polar bear like him would never be friends with the likes of the fox. But why? Was there any problem with liking the guy? The fennec was so excited about a glass of juice, maybe he robbed out of necessity. Wait, he was defending the burglar now? "I'm curious, why did you choose my house to rob?" The bear asked to get his mind off the dilemma

The fennec was startled by the bears question and although he could detect no malice behind it, it was still enough for the fennec to accidently choke on the food he was eating when the bear asked. He slammed his small fist into his chest to dislodge the food before taking a quick sip of the juice to wash it down with. He wasn't quick enough though to stop his eyes from watering up and he needed to rub them clean with his arm before talking. "Sorry, you caught me off guard there." The fennec still had a slight wheeze in his voice when he talked so he cleared his throat a couple times before continuing. "Well if I'm honest it was probably one of the easiest to get into in the first place. Some other houses have pets and some have anti-theft devices or windows. You lacked basically everything. The only real thing keeping me out of your property was your left side gate, sure its big but it's nothing I haven't made my way over before." The fennec down casted his eyes before speaking again. "It's also because you have a pretty big house and I assumed you were reasonably well off, I'm no Robin Hood but I do prefer to rob those that can easily replace the things I stole. Does that answer your question?" The fennec hoped he didn't upset the bear but he guessed he wouldn't be too distraught if he asked a question like that in the first place.

The bear smiled as the fennec tried to get the piece of food out of his throat. The bear stopped eating to see if he was ok and resumed when he started to talk. "I guess I do need an anti-theft device but I have no need for pets. If I'm awake I can already deal with the burglars, as you know." He said jokingly. After, he covered his mouth and let out a belch. He placed a paw on his belly and said, "Your underwear sure is annoying, remind me to strip you if I ever eat you again." He said holing off a laugh. He felt bad for making the fox go through hell, but teasing him was too much fun. The bear belched once again before he resumed eating. After one or two mouthfuls of food his curiosity got the best of him and he asked. "What do you even do with the things you steal? Do you sell them, and to who? Is it enough to make a living or is this your 'afterhours' job. You know something to complement the pay check." He would have kept going, but he was afraid to get to personal, so he stopped and waited for a response.

The fennec wasn't surprised by the question this time but it still took him slightly off guard. He ate as he answered the questions truthfully. "Think of it like I'm a car salesman, except that I get a place free of charge to stay. If I don't 'sell' as many or even any cars at all that month I get punished. If this continues I eventually lose my job and my residence. Forgetting the analogy now the things I steal are bought off of me from my... employers at a very reduced price." Even though he was quitting his 'job' the fennec didn't feel it was best to spill the beans on who he worked for. He knew that although they were small they had connections and could find snitches. "It's quite common for them to buy things at 90% off the original market price if what I stole is working and is in great condition, even less if it's even slightly damaged." The fennec sighed heavily and leaned back on his chair while still standing up; it felt oddly nice to talk to someone about his problems even if that someone was a bear that ate him. "It's a full time job too technically; I spend most weekdays scouting houses while most people are at work. It normally takes a couple days at the least for me to plan things and at night, as you know, I sneak in and steal things that have a high turnover rate. It's also hard for me to find a job that isn't patronising towards me. I can't do any 'normal' jobs due to my size and most people only want to hire me for the 'cutesy' factor I bring." The fennec chuckled at that. "If only they knew how much swearing and snarky comments I bring to the table."

The bear finished his juice as he listened to the fox. The story only made him feel worse, still he couldn't let the burglars steal his things, he worked hard for them. He doubted for a second if the story was true, but then he thought about how the fennec behaved. The orange juice was so exciting for him because he truly was needy. He chuckled at the 'cutesy' comment and said, "Fennec..." He hesitated; it was hard for him to admit how bad he felt. "Fennec, I'm sorry for almost killing you. You're not as bad as I thought." He said; glad to take that off his chest, he then continued, "Still, if you try to steal from me again, you will follow your underwear on a one way trip into my stomach. I worked hard for what I have and I don't want to be taken advantage of." As he said that, his chest weighted a bit, he didn't know if he would actually be able to digest the fennec at this point, another thief, maybe, but not the fennec. The bear was almost done with his food now. He decided to break the tense mood he himself brought up. "I hope eating with me doesn't bother you too much after what happened." He said smiling. "Anyway, what do you do when you're not 'working'? You know, anything fun you like?" The bear was now genuinely curious about the fennec's life.

The fennec cracked an unsure smile as he looked at the bear. "I would like to say its fine that you ate me but to be honest, it wasn't. I can't hold it against you though because I did break into your house and attempt to steal things. Let's call it even then, aye? Anyways, because of how I work I only get 'time off' so to speak on the weekend. I relax at home, go out and read things in the library and look up the latest games or... Well, I guess it's illegal but it doesn't hurt anyone, but I sneak into cinema and watch movies. One small advantage of being tiny I guess." The fennec gave a small chuckle at his bad pun. "Anyways, enough about me, I feel like this entire conversation is about me, tell me, what do you do? I'd imagine some sort of body guard or something of the sorts with that body." The fennec leaned back into the table and started to eat again as he waited for an answer.

The bear rolled his eyes at the pun and continued eating. He expected to be asked those questions after asking similar things to the fennec. "Body guard? Now that's stereotypical." He smiled "But I worked as a bouncer once. I was still young; they wanted someone big for the job. You'd be surprised how many people turn away after staring in a bear's eyes, even when the bear is a softie that serves breakfast to thieves." He smirked to himself. "As for what I do now. Well, I'm not just size, alright? I went to college to study history and no, I'm not a teacher. I tried one introductory class but apparently I 'traumatized' a seal just by entering the room." He shrugged and continued "Never tried again. Now I work as a consultant in a magazine. I sometimes write articles too but it's rare." He smiled as he tossed the last bit of bacon in his mouth." I like it. It pays well and I get a lot of free time."

The fennec stabbed the last bit of egg remaining and popped it into his mouth, maybe next time he'd ask for them a little runnier. "Well that's cool, I mean, if you like the job that is." Finished, the fennec pushed his plate forward and finished off the last few dredges of his juice before hopping down from the chair and stretching. "I'll have to find something to do now though, a new profession that I can hopefully enjoy. I don't know what's out there for someone of my skills and size but I'm sure I can find something." The fennec stopped his stretched as he felt his back pop but he was more focused on what he just said, it left a bad taste in his mouth. There was nothing normal for someone like him and he wasn't getting back into his current/previous profession. He might have to take a role on some kids show or something to be a 'cute' character.

The bear was sad that the fennec was eager to leave. He was enjoying the conversation. He finished his eggs and picked up both plates and glasses from the table, and placed them on the sink. "Did you enjoy your meal? I'm sorry if it wasn't to your taste, I'm don't usually have people over and I got used to preparing my food the way I like it. I'm glad you aren't going back to stealing. And being a cute character doesn't sound all that bad. I mean, you're gonna have to watch your mouth, but its better than risking your life every day, right?" The bear frowned. He just made someone's life all that more difficult. Last night, It was easy to think of the fennec as just one more thief, but now that he got to know him, he realised there was more to it. He wasn't just a disposable object that would end up being substituted; there was a person behind all that cockiness. He tried to keep the conversation going by talking a little about himself. "But I kind of understand you. I'd try to get a new job, but its hard being a polar bear in the city. Most people think we're just brutes. I get weird looks everywhere I go, but I don't mind. What are they going to do? Punch me?" The bear reflected for a bit. "Well, I must have given you a really bad impression of polar bears. But honestly, I don't like hurting people. That's why I'm so-" He interrupted himself, but kept going this time. "That's why I'm sorry I hurt you. I really am. You shouldn't steal other people's things but you also shouldn't treat them like toys and food. I'm glad I decided to let you out, you don't deserve to die like that." The bear looked to the floor embarrassed. It was as if the weight of his actions was a million people watching and judging him torture he put the fennec through the prior night. After apologizing, he felt relieved of some of that weight. Maybe the fennec wouldn't forgive him, but he was glad he was at least able to tell him that.

The fennec sighed and walked over to the bear that stood there in shame. He patted his furry leg as he craned his head up to look at the bear. "Look, I said we were even didn't I? There is no need to apologise although if it makes you feel better than go ahead. We both did some pretty shifty things last night and although you, uh, ate me, you didn't kill me even though it would probably be easy." The fennec shuddered at that but continued none the less. "Although it is fun talking to you I do need to go and find work and someplace to stay, I can't just mooch of you, I'd feel bad. Look I promise I'll..." The words died in the fennecs throat as he was about to say them, he knew this was the last possible chance he could change his mind and just leave and forget this ever happened, but he decided against that. "I promise I'll visit you sometimes, I don't know when but I can give you my phone number and maybe we could sort something out. It's an old phone but it's reliable and still works fine. How's that sound?" The fennec gave him his best reassuring and confident smile, although with the latter he felt none.

The bear's face lit up with the offer. Someone that wasn't too scared of him to come to his house. Weird was that the small fennec, the only person he came close to murdering, would be the one to have the courage. "Sounds good." He said with a smile. "And one more thing. If your 'employers' have a problem with you quitting, I can give you a hand. It was my fault you quit, they should have a problem with me." The bear said courageously. He then gave the fennec his phone number and started to walk over to his door.

The fennec followed the bear as it walked away from him and as he did so he talked. "Well, I doubt they'll do anything bad if that's what you're suggesting. To them I look like a valuable asset and they think that if whatever I want to do doesn't fall through then I'll come crawling back. Which I won't, mind you." The trip to the door felt too short but alas, they were there. The fennec had once last question on his mind however, he was going to voice it but he felt bad even thinking about it. That and the bear might not trust him. "Hey, so I was wondering if uh... If I could... k'know, crash here if I don't find a place to stay tonight? I know you probably don't trust me after last night but y'know it'll be nothing permanent, just maybe a day or two while I find my feet. I'm sure if that happens we can figure out some arrangement." The fennec felt dirty as he talked, not because he didn't want too but because he felt like it was taboo or frowned upon in so many more ways than a bear befriending a fennec burglar turned friend.

The bear didn't think the fennec was going to ask to stay for a few days. He would have offered, but he thought it would be suspicious. A hungry bear that showed he was capable of eating the fennec asks him to stay for the night might raise a few eyebrows. But now that the fox asked, he thought it wasn't a bad idea. The creature was so small compared to the bear he would hardly be a problem. However another thing plagued the bear. Could he trust the fennec? He reasoned it was worth a chance. For all the fennec knew, the bear could still eat him, and the only thing the bear had to lose were replaceable. He enjoyed the company, and to him it was worth more than his possessions. He stopped walking towards the door and said, "Didn't think you were going to ask but why not? We can figure something out and I have more than enough room for a tiny fox." He said happily. "But do you really trust me enough for that?"

The fennec looked at his hands and fidgeted before addressing the bear's question. "Well, if I'm honest with you then I'll tell you that I don't trust you 100%. With that said however I feel like in the hour I've actually gotten to know you I felt like I've somehow known you for years. Maybe I'm too trusting or maybe I've radically changed overnight, who knows but I trust you enough to not eat me while I'm sleeping. Besides, I'll only stay for the nights; I got a job to find during the day." The fennec sighed before looking up at the door handle; he could probably make it if he jumped.

"We're in equal footing then." The bear said as he reached down to pet the fennec's head. "Now, you've got things to do. I don't work today so give me a call when you're about to arrive, I'll be home all day. When you come back, we'll figure out where you'll stay." The bear headed to the door, unlocked it with the key that was already in the keyhole and opened it. "Go ahead, you're free and undigested." He said as he stepped away from the door.

The fennec looked outside, the sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in sight. Not to mention it also heralded his freedom, although it no longer felt like freedom but it was more welcoming than anything. He turned away from it all and looked up to the bear. "I guess I might see you tonight if I don't find a place to stay. Again, thank you and it's been a... uh, experience? Anyways, see you later." With that the fennec walked through the threshold of the door and started to make his way to the street. Halfway there he remembered one last thing, turned around and started to walk backwards as he half yelled to the bear. "Oh yea, secure your laundry window and your side gate, they are the most vulnerable to thieves!" He gave one final wave before turning around again.

"Uhh... Right thanks. Will do!" The bear said a bit awkwardly. "He waved goodbye and walked into his home, closing the door behind him. The bear was indeed confused with what just happened. He scratched his head. It didn't seem real: he ate someone who he ended up befriending. Well, at least it was company, and not the type of company he gets when he is working, it was the company of someone who chose to be close to him, and what a weird feeling it was. As if coming out from a trance, the bear shook his head. "Right, the side gate and laundry window." He started to walk over to his computer desk to search for someone to fix the security issues and install an alarm system. One burglar friend was enough.