Worlds Apart - 2. A Restless Spirit

Siku extracted himself from the bear pile upon his bed and padded to the kitchen to fix a pot of coffee before the others woke up.

He was in the process of counting out the scoops when a pair of hairy arms wrapped around his middle, and he felt the warm breath between his shoulder blades before tender lips kissed his bare back.

“Ezekiel!” Siku chuckled, “I’ve lost count of the number of scoops!”

Ezekiel chuckled and ran his hands down the bear’s nude body, grasping his thick and heavy cock in his hand.

“Just keep adding scoops till the basket is full,” the old bear said, cupping Siku’s balls with his other hand. “I like my coffee strong and I like a ‘big basket’ in the morning.”

Siku laughed and dumped several more scoops into the filter basket before shoving it back into the coffeemaker and hitting the start button.

“Are Erik and Max awake?”

“No,” Ezekiel replied, “I wanted a chance to talk to you first this morning.”

“I’m all yours,” Siku said, turning around in the elder bear’s arms and giving him a good morning kiss, “What do you want to talk about?”

“Sit with me while the coffee brews,” Ezekiel said.

They sat at the chairs around the kitchen table, and Ezekiel took Siku’s hand.

“Do you know where you plan to go?” Ezekiel asked.

“No, I hadn’t thought of it,” Siku replied. “I have a bit of money saved up over the years, and I’ve transferred it into the Lycan Council’s bank now so that it will remain mine even if I have to change my identity. I thought I would just set out on the road and see where the wind takes me.”

“If I could make a recommendation,” Ezekiel said, “Why don’t you take the first leg of your trip and use it to visit the others of our family?”

“Our family…?” Siku asked, not understanding.

“Go to Sturgeon Bay,” Ezekiel said. “Spend some time with Gunnar and Mike and reconnect with those bears who left Atikokan to live among the humans there.”

“Grand Papa,” Siku said, “There are no single bears in Sturgeon Bay either. They’re all couples there as well.”

“I’m not telling you that Sturgeon Bay is where you’ll find your mate. I’m saying that spending some time with old friends is where you might find a better direction than what you can glean from the blowing wind.

“How long has it been since you’ve spent time talking to Gunnar?”

“We’ve chatted during the large gatherings,” Siku replied, “But I can’t say that I’ve ever sat down and had a long heart-to-heart with Gunnar or Mike.”

“Then it’s time you did,” Ezekiel said. “Several years ago, Gunnar was much like you. His Mate had died in a terrible accident fifteen years earlier, and he decided to go on a journey of self-discovery, to find out what the next chapter in his life should be, much like you now.

“It was the work of the Fates that he encountered his Cub Mike, who at the time was a kindred human held captive by a pack of abusive wolves, but from that moment he knew what his future held. You were one of the bears who came to his rescue!”

“I remember,” Siku replied, “Do you think that he will know the right path for me to take?”

“I think that Gunnar is very intuitive and has a tremendous number of resources at his disposal. If he offers to help you with your journey, you would be wise to take it!”

“Is Gunnar still running that breakfast restaurant down on the boat docks?” Siku asked.

“He is,” Ezekiel replied, “And I think if he ever tried to close, the humans would form a riot in protest. It’s a cornerstone business of the marina district.”

“And what of the other bears who live there?” Siku asked. “What are they doing for employment?”

“Gunnar has provided for that as well,” Ezekiel replied. “He has purchased three commercial fishing boats as well as a fishery facility where the catches are cleaned, processed and prepared for delivery to local restaurants and markets.”

“Hmm, I wouldn’t mind doing some fishing,” Siku mused, “Do you think he would let me tag along on one of the boats for a while?”

“He certainly would,” Ezekiel replied. “The whole purpose of the business is to give the bears an opportunity to make their own money doing something that bears love to do. Gunnar doesn’t see much of the profits from the fishing business. It all goes to his werebear employees.”

“Gunnar must be loaded,” Siku commented.

“His first Mate,” Ezekiel explained, “The one who died in an accident before he met Mike, had been alive for nearly a thousand years, and was very smart when it came to investing his money. Over the course of his lifetime, he became extremely wealthy, which he mostly kept hidden to preserve the appearance of an average Norwegian couple working security for their country’s diplomats.

“Siku, you’ve lived in our partially isolated community for so long, I want to make sure that you get a good feel for what it’s like being a bear in a world full of humans. In Sturgeon Bay, the bears and the humans live side-by-side, and our brothers there are careful to maintain our secret. Spend some time among them and get your bearings for the human world, and when the time is right, Gunnar will be able to assist you in going out to find your destiny fully prepared.”

Siku nodded thoughtfully, and at that moment, the coffeemaker beeped indicating that the pot was full and ready. Ezekiel got up and poured them each a cup, Siku adding some heavy cream to his from a small pitcher.

Erik and Max stumbled into the kitchen, both nude, blindly following their noses.

“I smell coffee,” Max mumbled. “Somebody pour me a cup, fast. We were up so late last night!”

Ezekiel laughed and poured two more cups for the sleepy bears, who both added cream just as Siku did.

“Don’t blame me,” Ezekiel commented. “Every time I thought we were done, some horny Cub was grabbing at my knick knack again, ready for another go.”

“Sorry,” Max replied with a yawn, “But you can never have too much of a good thing.”

“Or in your case,” Erik added nodding at Ezekiel, “A fucking amazing thing.”

“When you get as old as I am,” Ezekiel replied, “You’ll have learned a few tricks to keep things interesting in the bedroom.”

“What were the two of you discussing this morning before the smell of coffee woke us up?” Erik asked.

“The first leg of Siku’s journey,” Ezekiel replied, “I’ve advised him to spend some time with our brothers in Sturgeon Bay and allow Gunnar to assist him on a direction for the remainder of his journey.”

“Good advice,” Erik commented, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Odin’s Balls!” he shouted, “Ezekiel must have made the coffee this morning. This is so strong it could strip paint!”

“No,” Ezekiel replied with a smile, “I finally taught Siku how to brew a decent pot.”

Ezekiel took a sip from his own mug.

“Perfect!”

****

A small group of bears had gathered around Siku as he loaded his slightly beaten-up pickup truck with all the clothing and possessions that he would need if he wished to stay wherever he ended up on his journey.

Ezekiel and the other two polar bears were there, or course, as well as the handful of other single bears in the community.

He intended to make a quiet departure without much fanfare, but before he could leave, Axel came stomping over to his cabin with Adam, Joel, and Jacob in tow.

“What’s this I hear about you leaving?” Axel roared as he neared the small group. “Did you think you were going to just disappear without saying goodbye?”

Siku looked at the ground and scuffed the dirt with the toe of his boot as the big bear approached.

“Siku,” Axel said as the four bears joined the group gathered around the truck. “I’ve heard some things this morning. Are you leaving because of the attitudes the newcomers have toward polar bears? If it is, I will declare the exchange agreement null and void and kick their asses all the way back to the Arctic where they came from. I did not invite them here to bring bigotry and disrupt our way of life.”

“Axel,” Siku replied, “You know that I’ve been itching to strike out on my own and find the Cub or Mate that the Fates have destined for me for months now. The only reason I’ve stayed this long is because you convinced me to wait and see if my Mate might be in the new group of bears joining the community.

“The attitudes I received yesterday from the new bears just served to confirm that my Mate is not among their group. I wish to waste no more time, and I want to begin my journey now. It is time.”

“Where are you going to go?” Axel asked, “It’s a big, fucking mean world out there. Trust me. If you aren’t careful, it will chew you up and spit you out.”

“Ezekiel has convinced me to spend some time with Gunnar in Sturgeon Bay before I really venture out very far, and to allow him to help me plan my journey.”

Axel visibly relaxed.

“Good,” he replied, “That’s the best news I’ve heard so far this morning. Gunnar is smart and he will know how best to handle a journey of self-discovery like this.”

“But,” Axel continued, turning to Ezekiel, “I’m still not pleased that the newcomers have managed to insult, alienate, and ultimately drive off a segment of our long-standing community members. With your permission, Grand-Papa, I’m putting the lot of them on notice. They have a very small window to get with the fucking program, or I will kick their asses to the curb and send them back where they came from.”

“You have my permission, Axel,” Ezekiel replied, “But handle this with care. We are dealing with a bigotry that has been ingrained within them for thousands of years. We cannot expect them to undo all of that in just one day. However, make sure that they understand that they are somewhat responsible for the departure of one of our dearly beloved brothers, and that if we receive any further reports of negative behavior from our remaining polar bear couple, there will be consequences.”

“If that’s settled,” Siku said, “My truck is packed, and it’s time for me to be going. It’s almost noon now, and I have an eleven-hour drive to Sturgeon Bay, so I think I’ll cut it in half and arrive at Gunnar’s tomorrow in the early afternoon.”

He went around the small group, giving each of the bears a warm hug goodbye. When he got to Axel, the Kodiak had a few more words of advice for him.

“Stay the night in Minneapolis tonight,” Axel said, “That’s about halfway if you take the freeways once you get past Duluth. I’ve been back and forth to Sturgeon Bay enough to know the area. Once you check-in at a hotel, go to the Brass Rail Lounge for dinner and drinks. Have a good meal, relax, and pick up a hot human for the night. Take him back to your hotel room and fuck his brains out. That’s an order from your Councilmember, understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Siku said with a chuckle, and Axel pulled him in for a long passionate kiss. When he was done, Axel quickly turned and took his Cub by the shoulder as he walked away from the polar bear. Adam rubbed his Papa’s back as they walked and if Siku didn’t know better, he would have sworn the tough Kodiak was crying.

****

Siku checked in to the Marriott in downtown Minneapolis at 7:00 pm primarily because it was directly across the street from the Brass Rail Lounge, and he figured he’d have a better chance of following Axel’s orders if he didn’t have to walk very far.

When he entered the Lounge at 7:30, it wasn’t very busy, but he figured that was typical for a weekday night. He sat at the bar and a short but muscular bartender with a neatly trimmed beard walked over and set a cocktail napkin down at his place.

“Thursday night special is Captain Morgan mixed drinks,” the bartender told him, “And we have half-price appetizers for the next thirty minutes. Are you here to eat or just drink?”

“I could eat,” Siku replied, and the bartender slid a menu in front of him.

“What can I get you to drink, sailor?” the man asked.

“I’ll take one of your Captain Morgan specials,” Siku replied, not that familiar with rum drinks. “What do you recommend?”

“I’ll start you with a Captain and Ginger,” the bartender said with a grin.

He came back with the drink a minute later, and Siku took a sip, nodding his approval.

“Did you decide on dinner, gorgeous?”

Gorgeous? Siku wondered to himself, and he couldn’t help but grin back at the bartender.

“Yeah, Cub,” he said, “I’ll have the seared ahi tuna and the beer battered onion ring appetizers. Then, bring me a Cajun steak salad, a bowl of the house-made chili, the beer battered fish tacos, and a French dip sandwich.”

“Um, you get your choice of fries, tater tots, waffle fries, or onion rings with the sandwiches,” the bartender said, not quite believing that this hot guy was ordering this much food.

“Ah, okay,” Siku replied, “Since I’m already getting the onion ring appetizer, give me waffle fries with the tacos and tater tots with the French dip.”

“You got it,” the bartender said, writing everything down. “Um, are you expecting more people to join you for the party at 9:00?”

“No,” Siku said, “It’s just me. What’s the party at nine?”

“Thursday nights we do a viewing party of RuPaul’s Drag Race on the big screen,” he replied. “In an hour this place is going to be packed.”

“What’s RuPaul’s Drag Race?” Siku asked.

The bartender’s jaw dropped open.

“Mister, you know you’re in a gay bar, right?”

“Sure,” Siku replied. “One of my regular fuck-buddies recommended that I stop here for the night on my way to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.”

“How are you gay and you haven’t heard of RuPaul’s Drag Race?” he asked, “Have you been living in a cabin in the woods without a TV for the last twenty years?”

“As a matter of fact, I have,” Siku replied with a grin.

“Oh Lord,” the bartender said, entering Siku’s dinner order into the computer with a sigh, “We’ve got us a real-life, rough-and-tumble, rugged, woodsy-outdoorsy queer here tonight. The Queens are going to eat you alive.”

“I prefer the term ‘bear’,” Siku replied, “But I guess you got the description just about right.”

By the time Siku had finished his appetizers and two more Captain & Ginger’s, the bar started filling up with patrons just as the bartender had predicted. Everyone gave Siku some space as he ate his Cajun steak salad and bowl of chili, but when a platter of fish tacos and a French dip sandwich followed, he had attracted the attention of most of the bar’s regulars.

“Sugar Bear,” a drag-queen dressed in a tall wig and a skin-tight sequined gown said, sitting next to him, “How are you able to put that much food away and not weigh three hundred pounds?”

“I weigh three hundred twenty pounds,” Siku replied, standing up to his full height and flexing his impressive muscles. “All this brawn requires a lot of fuel.”

“If I had a vagina, it would be soaking wet right now,” the drag-queen said, fanning herself. “You are prime beefcake. How tall are you?”

“Seven foot,” Siku replied. He was grinning but beginning to feel a little uncomfortable as more young men and queens in drag gathered around, some touching him and feeling his muscles.

He sat back down on his barstool and ate another fish taco in two bites, chasing it down with a hearty mouthful of French dip sandwich. He felt bodies pressing against his back and strange hands rubbing up and down his legs as he struggled to swallow his food.

“Hey! Barflies!” the bartender shouted at the crowd around Siku as he came over to bring the bear another drink. “Let the man eat for Christ’s sake! You have all night to try to talk your way into his pants. Give him a break!”

The drag-queen sniffed and stood up, glaring at the bartender.

“Looks like somebody thinks they’ve already called dibs on this one,” she said in a huff. “Come on girls, it’s almost time for the show anyway.”

“Thanks,” Siku said to the bartender. “They were getting a little… aggressive.”

“I warned you they were going to eat you alive,” the man said. “We don’t see many of your type in here outside of high-end muscle bear porn on the video screens after midnight.”

“What’s your name,” Siku asked.

“Name’s Jake,” the bartender replied, extending his hand to shake. Siku grabbed him by the forearm in the traditional werebear greeting instead of taking his hand which earned a confused but happy grin from the man.

“I’m Siku,” he said while still clasping Jake’s forearm. “It’s good to meet you.”

“Siku,” Jake said, “That’s an unusual name.”

“It’s Alaskan Native American in origin,” Siku replied. “It means ‘Ice’.”

“Fuck me,” Jake said, looking into Siku’s blue eyes, “You really are something.”

“You’re not bad yourself, Cub,” Siku replied. “Would you mind if I…”

He trailed off, not sure how to pose the question.

“If you took me to your hotel after I get off work? No, I wouldn’t mind at all,” Jake mumbled without thinking.

Siku chuckled.

“Well that too, I suppose,” he said, “But first, I wanted to ask if I could… smell your neck.”

“Oh,” Jake said, regaining his senses and turning pink, “I didn’t mean to imply that you had to take me to your hotel. Only if you want to, of course. I mean, I’m not a whore or anything…”

“Jake,” Siku said, looking into his eyes and smiling.

“Oh right, my neck,” Jake said, organizing his thoughts, “Um, why do you want to do that?”

“Let’s just say I can tell a lot about a person by their scent,” Siku replied. “If we’re going to be spending the night together, I’ll want to get to know you a little bit first.”

“My scent… Spending the night…” Jake said, as if in a dream, “Of course… you can smell me all you want.”

Siku grinned and leaned over the bar, placing his nose against the bartender’s neck slightly below his left ear at the pulse-point. He inhaled.

He detected musky notes, masculine pheromones, and a strong scent of arousal. He could tell that Jake had worn an expensive cologne sometime in the last few days, but he had not put on any tonight. Most of all, he did not detect the scent of bear kindred. Jake was just a human.

Siku smiled, hiding his disappointment as he leaned back and sat on his barstool.

“Thank you, Jake,” he said. “I’m only here for one night. What time do you get off work?”

“M-Midnight,” Jake replied. “Is this really happening, or have I died and gone to some gay-porn fantasy version of Heaven?”

“Trust me,” Siku replied, “You’re very much alive, and I find you very attractive, Cub. You will help keep me warm in a strange bed tonight.”

“Fuck me sideways…” Jake mumbled absent mindedly, as he continued to stare at the muscle bear hunk who was propositioning him.

“Sideways, if you’d like,” Siku said, “But I like it best with a man’s legs against my chest so that I can look him in the eyes while I fuck him.”

“Hector!” Jake yelled to the other bartender working down at the other end of the bar. “I’m going to need to get off early at 10:00 tonight. Something… something suddenly came up!”

Hector looked down the bar at Jake who was standing as if hypnotized, staring at the huge muscular Daddy with the white beard and ice-blue eyes staring back at him intently.

“You lucky fucking asshole,” Hector yelled back with amused jealousy. “Fine, you can go at ten, but I want full details tomorrow!”

****

Back in Siku’s hotel room, he had undressed the human slowly, exposing his tattooed muscular frame. He certainly had the appearance of a bear, except for being rather short. Siku stood at seven feet tall, and Jake was maybe five feet eight inches, if he stood on his toes.

After pushing Jake backwards onto the bed and giving him an expert blowjob to warm him up without bringing him too close to the edge, Siku stood and stripped his own clothing.

Jake looked up from the bed in awe as he took in Siku’s powerful and masculine body, covered in his pelt of white fur. After a night of serving twinks and amateur drag-queens, Siku was an answered prayer.

Jake wasn’t able to take in the view for long before Siku lifted his legs over his head and began to tongue his musky hole. He moaned and writhed on the bed as the big Daddy bear probed and tickled, alternating sensual licks with playful bites to his round cheeks.

“Please Siku,” Jake begged, “You’ve got my engine running, I need to be fucked.”

Siku dropped the young man’s legs and knelt over him on the bed, letting the human get a close look at his bear-sized cock.

“Are you sure you can take me?” Siku asked with seriousness, “I don’t want you getting hurt when I fuck you.”

Jake reached up and stroked the thick tool, feeling it in his hand. He couldn’t join his fingers together around the thickness of it and for a brief second, he was afraid, but he realized that he would never have an opportunity to experience this kind of fantasy again, and he wasn’t going to chicken-out now.

“I’m sure Daddy,” Jake replied. “I want it all. Fuck me now.”

Siku nodded and positioned himself between the man’s legs, lifting them up onto his chest and aligning the head of his cock with Jake’s hole. Although he had thoroughly wet the man’s pucker with his tongue a minute earlier, he reached to the side table and grabbed a tube of lubricant, slicking his cock thoroughly and inserting a greased finger into Jake’s warm tunnel. When he was sure that Jake was ready, he leaned forward, pressing his massive cockhead against the opening. Jake gasped briefly when the head popped through his ring of muscle but then he smiled and moaned as Siku continued to lean into him, plunging his thick tool further into the depths of his tunnel until the bear’s hairy balls pressed against the young human’s ass.

“Oh, fuck yes, Daddy,” Jake moaned. “Fuck me. Wreck that hole. It’s yours.”

Siku began pumping his hips, enjoying the feel of the human’s tight velvety warmth around his cock. The harder he pumped the more Jake moaned and writhed and talked dirty, encouraging Siku to fuck him harder and faster.

After a half hour of intense pleasure in which Siku manhandled the smaller human into various positions that enabled him to push deeper and deeper inside of him, an idea flashed through the big bear’s mind…

He would breed this human and bite him. He was already nearly muscular enough. If he fed him well and encouraged him to work out more and build his body during the four months of change, Jake would transform into a dababbi monster. Then, he could take him to the reservation near Duluth and let the old Shaman perform the ritual to turn him into a kindred human, and he could claim Jake as his Cub and turn him into another polar bear just like himself.

As Siku felt his orgasm growing close, he also felt his bear teeth dropping, preparing for the breeding bite. He yelled with his release and tipped his head back ready to plunge his fangs into the human’s shoulder.

No! A voice in his head said. It is not right to take his humanity from him without a choice. It is not your destiny to find your Mate in this manner.

Siku’s fangs retracted and as his orgasm subsided, he released Jake’s legs and fell forward onto his torso, slick with the human’s own emissions.

“Damn,” Jake replied as he caught his breath. “That was un-fucking-believable. I didn’t know it could be like that. That… intense. For a few seconds there, at the end, it was almost like you were a wild animal, ready to bite me and eat me alive! I’ve never come so hard.”

“For a few seconds,” Siku said with a slightly sad grin, “I almost did eat you alive, but I decided it would be better to keep you around for the rest of the night to keep me warm.”

“I’m glad,” Jake replied, snuggling against the big man’s torso. “I’ve seen you eat, and it’s probably a lot more comfortable on this side of your hairy belly! Are you tired, or do you want to go again?”

“I’m not through with you yet, Cub,” Siku replied. “Give an old bear a half-minute to catch his breath, and I’ll see if I can make your toes curl!”

“You’re not old!” Jake said with a chuckle, pulling himself up and kissing Siku passionately on the lips. “The white hair just makes you the perfect fantasy Daddy.”

“When it comes to my age, Cub,” Siku replied, “I think it’s a case where don’t ask, don’t tell is actually the best policy!”

“Ready for round two?” he asked showing the young man his giant erection, once again hard and eager for more.

“Oh, yes!” Jake replied. “Come and get it Daddy!”

“Just for tonight, call me… Papa,” Siku said wistfully, and plunged his thick manhood back into the human’s slick tunnel.