Worlds Apart - 13. Greenhorn and Pariah

Siku’s first day on the fishing boat was a dream come true. As much as he loved being on the boat out on Lake Michigan in Sturgeon Bay, he never imagined how much more he would enjoy working on a trawler in the Pacific.

He was the greenhorn on the boat, and he accepted that. When he arrived at six, his crewmates regarded Charlie, sitting proudly upon his shoulder almost reverently. However, as soon as the Ship’s Cat was secure at her post in the front window of the pilothouse, the crew began barking orders and instructing him on the proper way to do things on his new boat. He hauled ice, and tended the nets, coiled rope and stacked the fish totes, all in the first hour on the job.

When the captain was satisfied that they were ready for the day, they pulled away from the wharf, out into the Bay, and underneath the Golden Gate Bridge toward open sea. Siku looked up at the pilothouse as they headed out into the Pacific, and saw Charlie, stoically sitting in her place in the window, perched directly in front of the captain and the ship’s wheel.

There was little time to rest, however, as the crew began ordering the greenhorn around again on the trip out, preparing the nets, the trawl boom, and the blocks. Once the captain gave the signal, the crew operated a well-choreographed dance in which each man played their part to cast the net and begin bottom dragging.

As the boat pulled their trawl through the frigid waters, the crew continued the education of the greenhorn, testing him on various procedures and knots, sometimes yelling at him if he was not quick enough in response.

Siku took this all in stride, knowing that he was a part of a crew now, and that their behavior only expressed their concern that he become a fully-functioning member as quickly as possible. Not only for the efficiency and profitability of the boat, but also because inexperience or incompetence at sea can lead to deadly mistakes.

When they pulled in the first net and dumped their haul of Pacific cod onto the deck, Siku was instructed to carry each of the fish totes after they had been filled down into the hold, and cover them with ice. He knew from previous experience to keep an accurate count of the totes being filled, and both the captain and crew were pleased when the call from the pilothouse came to report the number, and Siku was able to provide the answer immediately.

By the time the second net was filled, some of the crew took time to show Siku the sorting process for cod in between his trips down to the hold so that he understood what fish they were keeping and which they were tossing back.

By noon, over half of their totes were filled and the captain called for a lunch break. The other crewmen pulled out brown bags and lunch pails and spread themselves out on the deck to relax and eat lunch.

“Greenhorn!” one of the crew shouted to Siku, “Don’t tell me that you forgot to bring your lunch on your first day?”

“Sorry,” Siku replied as he stood on the deck with his hands in his pockets, “On my old ship, we had a… different way of getting lunch while on the boat. I wasn’t expecting to have to pack.”

“Are there floating McDonalds out on Lake Michigan where your boat could pull into the drive-thru?” a man joked. “Where did you expect to find something to eat out here in the middle of the ocean?”

“If you really want to know,” Siku said calmly with a slight smile, “I’ll show you.”

He leaned over the side of the boat, shedding his shirt, bib pants and boots. The crew hooted, laughed, and catcalled him as he stood bent over the rail, staring into the water wearing just his jockstrap.

Siku saw a series of silvery flashes beneath the surface, and he knew his lunch had arrived. He quickly shed his jockstrap, and stepped nude onto the rail of the boat. Before any of the crew could yell out a warning, he stretched his arms to his sides and dove headfirst into the water.

“Shit! Goddammit!” the crewmen yelled. “Man overboard! The greenhorn has gone crazy! He’s going to go hypothermic if he even comes back up at all! Get the ladder over the side!”

As soon as Siku disappeared beneath the surface, he shifted into his polar bear form, insulating himself from the cold and improving his diving and swimming skills. He saw his prey swimming several meters below and dove down, successfully catching one in his powerful jaws and then turning toward the sunlight again. A few seconds before breaking the surface, he shifted back into his human form, and held his wriggling catch tightly in his hands.

The crew were still frantically scurrying around the deck, looking overboard for the crazy greenhorn when a huge albacore tuna suddenly arced through the air and landed on the deck. Siku followed closely behind, swimming to the ladder and climbing aboard. He calmly got dressed in his jockstrap, bib pants, boots, and shirt before pulling out a knife and skillfully carving the tuna into bite-sized pieces.

“Charlie!” Siku called up to the pilothouse, “Lunchtime!”

The Ship’s Cat leapt from her perch at the window and ran out onto the deck next to her soulmate, who placed several pieces of fresh tuna at her feet.

“Sashimi anyone?” Siku asked the rest of the crew with a grin, and he proceeded to sit with his cat, eating the freshest tuna on Earth.

Once they got over the shock, the crew laughed and cheered, clapping Siku on the back and exclaiming that he was a true sailor and fisherman. They even tossed their own lunches aside and joined him in eating the fresh tuna sashimi, commenting that it was the best they’d ever had.

No one on the crew called Siku “greenhorn” again.

“Siku!” the captain called out onto the deck before the boat began the afternoon trawl.

“Yes, sir?” Siku called back.

“That was an impressive display of seamanship, and it proved your mettle, but do not ever jump over the side just to catch your lunch again, am I clear? Starting tomorrow, you’ll bring it with you in the morning like a human being, not some wild… papa bear. Understood?”

“Understood, captain,” he said, and the crew laughed as they helped finish off the last of Siku’s catch of the day.

The afternoon haul was successful and Siku had found the rhythm of the boat, falling easily into his place within the choreographed dance of his crewmembers as they worked quickly and efficiently.

The crew latched onto the captain’s joke about Siku catching his lunch like a wild bear, and instead of “greenhorn” the crew took to calling him “Papa Bear” as an homage to his size, friendly demeanor, and white hair and beard.

Siku accepted the nickname with grace and smiled each time he heard one of his crewmates yelling for Papa Bear to come and assist them with a task.

When the hold was full, the boat headed back to the Wharf, the crew showing their Papa Bear the final steps of the day to pack up the nets and secure the boom. Once moored, everyone pitched in to offload the totes full of cod into the fish house for processing. They were done by 4:30, and everyone noted how much better the boat ran with the addition of Siku and their new lucky Ship’s Cat. Siku stood in front of the pilothouse and called for Charlie, and the cat quickly scrambled around the boat to leap upon his shoulder for the trip home.

“Papa Bear!” Siku heard behind him as he prepared to cross the gangplank, and he turned to see the captain behind him.

“Yes, sir?” Siku said.

“Good work. In all my years, I’ve never seen a greenhorn earn the trust and respect from the seasoned crew in less than a day like you have today. You were made for this job. Welcome home, son.”

Siku smiled and nodded to the captain, and then he crossed the gangplank to his truck to head for home.

****

Shivay sat at his desk, trying to focus on his work, but he kept glancing at the clock, hoping for the last hour to go by quickly so that he could make the commute back to the city and the arms of his bear.

“Shivay,” a voice whispered, and he saw his co-worker and fellow weretiger Gandira standing behind him.

“Yes?” Shivay said, “What is it?”

“There are rumors today that your mother has banished you from your home,” Gandira whispered. “Is it true?”

Shivay sighed.

“Yes, it is true. I am currently living with… a friend in the city.”

“A friend,” Gandira said, “But not a weretiger?”

“No,” Shivay replied. “He is a friend that I met this weekend. He is a werebear.”

“Shivay,” Gandira said with a look of distaste, “Werebears are filthy creatures. And they are all homosexuals. This will not sit well with the rest of the tiger community.”

“My friend is a kind and noble man,” Shivay said. “I have found that the tiger community has gotten a bad impression of bears in general. However, it is this friendship that is the cause of my troubles. I spend one Sunday enjoying the company of my new friend, and my mother reacts by banishing me from my home for seven days. Luckily, this bear is a good person, and has allowed me to stay with him for the next week until my mother comes to her senses.”

“You should reconsider, Shivay,” Gandira said, “Go home to your mother tonight and beg her forgiveness before the rumor spreads and you find yourself shunned by all tigers in San Jose!”

“If becoming friends with a bear is enough of a sin to cause me to be shunned by all tigers, then so be it!” Shivay snapped. “In two days, that bear has treated me with more kindness and respect than any tiger in San Jose ever has!”

“Shivay,” Gandira said, sadly, “You don’t really mean that!”

“Of course I do,” Shivay said. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m leaving for the day. I have a long drive back to my new home in the city. Please be on your way; I know that you must have more rumors to spread. The tongue weighs practically nothing, but few people can hold it.”

Gandira straightened up and turned away, striding from Shivay’s desk quickly.

Shivay sighed and closed his laptop, stuffing it into his bag.

As he was leaving the office, he ran into his manager in the elevator.

“A bit early, isn’t it Shivay?” his manager said. “It’s not like you to leave before the work day is done. Is something up?”

Shivay’s manager was a pleasant white man, born and raised in California, and he took a genuine interest in the work-life balance of his employees.

“I’m sorry, John,” Shivay replied. “I’m having some trouble at home and my family threw me out of the house yesterday. I’m staying with my friend in San Francisco for the next week. The problem today is that the rumor mill has started among the Indian community, and I’m having a little trouble dealing with the way some of my fellow co-workers are reacting to the news.”

“Shivay,” John said, laying his hand on his shoulder, “I can relate to how you’re feeling. After college, I came out to my family, and they basically disowned me from that moment. I haven’t spoken to my parents or siblings since. I’m not implying that your situation is because you’re gay too, but I know what it’s like to have your family suddenly turn their backs on you for something that you can’t help.

“Look, we’ve been discussing transitioning some of the office into a remote, work-from-home model. If you’d like, you can work from your friend’s home in San Francisco for the rest of the week. You are the best software engineer on my team. As long as your productivity and the quality of your work remains at the high standard you have set here in the office, we can talk about making that change permanent. It’s up to you.”

Shivay smiled, and the tears welled in his eyes a bit.

“Thank you, John,” he said, “I would very much like to work from my friend’s home for the rest of this week.”

The elevator door opened, and John prepared to go his own way when Shivay stopped him.

“John?” he said, and his manager turned back to him.

“Since you were honest with me just now, I just wanted to tell you… my family did banish me because they found out that I am gay. I’m still getting used to the idea myself. My friend in San Francisco… he may be more than just a friend. Time will tell. But my mother has given me a week to decide whether to embrace my true self, or to suppress it, and live the traditional life that is expected of me.”

“That’s a big decision, Shivay,” John said, “I can’t help you with that, but I can tell you that I have no regrets about coming out to my family and embracing my true self. In the end, I’ve lived a much happier life than I would have living a lie.”

Shivay nodded and gave John a hug before turning and hurrying from the office into the parking lot.

****

Shivay walked through the main door of the house into the foyer.

“Honey, I’m home!” he called, and Charlie came running down the stairs to greet him.

Siku leaned his head around the corner of the kitchen where he was working on dinner with a grin.

“Isn’t that what the straight American men say when they get home after work?” Shivay asked, smiling.

“I wouldn’t know,” Siku replied, cleaning his hands with a towel as he stepped into the foyer, “But if you expect to come home and see me vacuuming wearing high heels and a string of pearls, you have another think coming!”

Shivay grabbed Siku around the waist and gave him a kiss.

“I’d prefer to come home and see you wearing nothing at all!” he joked. “Something smells delicious!”

“We’re having lamb cheeseburgers and eggplant fries with curry ketchup,” Siku replied. “I’m experimenting. How many burgers do you want?”

“Just two for me,” Shivay replied. “I’ll have to watch my weight now that I’m living with you. Nobody likes a pudgy tiger!”

“More for me then!” Siku replied and gave Shivay one more quick kiss before returning to the kitchen.

“How was your first day on the boat?” Shivay asked.

“It went very well,” Siku replied. “I was only called ‘greenhorn’ for the first four hours, and then the crew realized my abilities and elevated me to full crewman status. But… I need to remember to pack myself a lunch for tomorrow! That’s why I’m making a few extra cheeseburgers.”

“Oh, my poor bear!” Shivay said, rubbing his back, “You didn’t get any lunch?”

“Well,” Siku replied, “On my old boat in Wisconsin, we were all bears, so when it was lunchtime, we just took off our clothes and shifted into our bear forms and jumped in the water and caught fish the natural way. When we had a big pile of fish on the deck, we stayed in our bear forms and ate them all raw! Of course, when we were done eating, we spent the rest of the lunch hour having playtime.”

“Of course you did,” Shivay replied with a grin. “So, when you didn’t have any lunch to eat on the boat today, what did you do?”

“Simple,” Siku replied, “I took off all my clothes, jumped into the water, shifted into my bear form and caught a tuna! I treated the whole crew to fresh sashimi for lunch, which they all agreed was much better than the ham and baloney sandwiches their wives had packed for them.”

“You shifted into your bear right in front of your crew?” Shivay asked in shock.

Siku chuckled,

“No, love. I shifted after I was under the water, and then after I caught my tuna I shifted back before surfacing again. As far as they know, I’m just a big human who can free-dive into the Pacific and catch a tuna with his bare hands!”

“And not with his bear hands,” Shivay added, causing them both to laugh.

“Anyway, the captain came out onto the deck and told me to pack myself a lunch from now on like a human being, and not catch it like a wild papa bear, so the crew stopped calling me ‘greenhorn’ and have dubbed me ‘Papa Bear’.”

“Very fitting,” Shivay replied. “My day did not go nearly that well.”

“Oh?” Siku said, with concern, “What happened? Do you need me to beat someone up for you? I’ll do it, you know!”

Shivay laughed a bit but shook his head.

“There are several other weretigers working for my company,” Shivay replied, “And the rumors about me being banished from my family home are already circulating. One tiger who I thought was my friend told me about it and tried to convince me to go back to my mother and beg her for forgiveness.”

“What are you going to do?” Siku asked.

“I talked to my manager, John. He’s a very nice human, and cares about his employees’ happiness. He’s a gay man who was also banished from his family when they found out, so he understands my plight. He is allowing me to work from home for at least the next week, so that I can remain efficient and productive without being distracted by the wagging tongues of my co-workers.”

“My poor kitty!” Siku said, hugging the tiger to his chest. “What do you need to work from home efficiently?”

“I should already have everything I need,” Shivay replied. “Do you know the butler’s quarters through the little hallway off the foyer? There is a small bedroom, bathroom and sitting room.”

“Yes, I know it,” Siku replied.

“Well, the sitting room is already practically set up as an office, anyway. There is an antique desk and a comfortable office chair, and I noticed that there was even a computer monitor shoved into the knee space underneath the desk that I can utilize. By the time you are out on the sea tomorrow morning, I will be in my comfy home office working diligently to make my manager proud of his decision.”

Siku smiled and kissed his tiger again.

“You’re handling this all very bravely,” he said. “Now, it’s time for you to relax and enjoy a nice dinner.”

He led Shivay to the dining room where the table was already set and candles lit. After the tiger was seated, Siku briefly returned to the kitchen and came back with a platter of fully dressed lamb cheeseburgers on soft brioche buns, and a big bowl of crispy parmesan and panko coated eggplant fries with a smaller bowl of curry ketchup for dipping.

Charlie sat at the table along with the pair, eating her favorite tuna from a crystal bowl like a proper princess.

Siku ate five burgers and at least a pound of fries, and Shivay surprised him by eating three burgers himself.

“You may have been born a tiger,” Siku said, “But I’ll make a proper bear out of you yet!”

“Now,” Shivay said, “You must let me do the washing-up. It’s only fair after the wonderful dinner you have prepared.”

“I have no problem with that,” Siku replied with a chuckle. “That will give me time to prepare my next surprise!”

Shivay sighed and grinned as he collected the plates and carried them to the kitchen, and Siku ran upstairs to plan the next phase of their romantic evening.

Charlie ran back and forth between the kitchen and bedroom, keeping an eye on each of her favorite people until Shivay was finished with the dishes, and he pushed his hair off his forehead with a sigh of relief.

“Now that the work is done,” Shivay said to Charlie who was back on the kitchen counter waiting for him, “What does Daddy have planned for the rest of the night, Hmm?”

“Meow,” Charlie replied.

“Yes, I’m sure sex is going to be on the menu,” Shivay said, “But he has something special up his furry sleeve, I just know it.”

“Meow!” Charlie confirmed and leapt from the counter to run up the stairs again.

“Okay,” Shivay said, calling up the stairs to Siku, “I’m coming! Ready or not!”

“Ready!” Siku called back, “Come to the bedroom!”

“Of course,” Shivay said laughing, and ascended the staircase.

Siku was waiting for him in the bedroom, wearing a fluffy white bathrobe, he took Shivay by the hands and let him into the bathroom where he saw the big jacuzzi tub was filled with warm, steamy water and bubbles. The lights were off, but the tub was surrounded by burning pillar candles transforming the utilitarian bathroom into a romantic venue.

Siku pulled Shivay’s polo shirt over his head and unbuckled his pants, allowing them to drop to the floor. Shivay kicked off his loafers and stepped out of his pants, now wearing just socks and a jockstrap.

Siku smiled and knelt in front of the tiger, pulling each of his socks off before sliding the jockstrap down his legs, exposing his hard cock. The bear gave it a few sensual licks, lapping at the pre-come leaking from the head before standing and dropping his robe, revealing his own nude body and erect penis.

Siku leaned his head down and kissed Shivay, running his hands down the tiger’s back until he was cupping his ass with each palm.

He turned and stepped into the tub, helping the tiger in with him. They both lowered themselves into the steamy water, and Shivay leaned back against Siku’s chest, feeling the stress of the day melt away.

Siku took a sea sponge from the side of the tub and began to bathe his man, scrubbing his torso and neck, running it over his arms and down his legs, and squeezing it out over his head, drenching him in the warm, soapy water.

Siku gently pushed the tiger forward so that he could wash his back, and Shivay felt the bear’s hard cock resting against his lower back. Smiling, he took the initiative and raised himself up a bit until he felt the bear’s cockhead slide down his back and align with his soapy, puckered hole, and then he sank back down, impaling himself on Siku’s thick length.

Siku moaned and Shivay began a slow, gentle motion with his hips, not enough to splash the water out of the tub and onto the bathroom floor, but just enough to provide them both with a sensual friction.

The bear reached around and took his tiger’s cock in his hand, stroking it gently in time with the movement of his hips.

Shivay turned his head to the side, and Siku responded by kissing him deeply, twining their tongues together as they continued their slow, sensual movements in the water. Quickly, Shivay cried out and came, thrusting into Siku’s soapy fist. Siku wrapped his other arm around Shivay’s chest and thrust himself a few more times upward into the tiger’s ass until he too reached a powerful climax, bellowing as he came deeply within him.

Shivay panted and leaned back against Siku’s chest, the bear’s cock still buried within him. Siku rubbed his shoulders and kissed him on the edges of his ear.

“That was a very pleasant surprise,” Shivay said, finally. “Is this what bears are like all the time?”

“Only when we’ve found someone very special,” Siku whispered into his ear.

“Siku,” Shivay said, “I think… I think I love you.”

Siku took in a breath, but before he could respond, the tiger placed a finger upon his lips.

“No,” Shivay said, “Don’t answer that just yet. I want you to truly think about this and not give me a reply in the heat of the moment with your cock still inside of me. At the end of our week together, I will say those words to you again, and at that time, you can give me your answer.”

Siku nodded silently, and he turned Shivay’s head to kiss him again.

Charlie sat watching the pair from the bathroom doorway and she turned now, trotting across the bedroom to leap upon the windowsill and look out at the water and the illuminated bridge under which her boat had travelled twice today. She was pleased with her bear soulmate. He had provided her with a comfortable home, good food, and useful work. He deserved to be equally happy, and she was sure that the tiger would make him as content as he had made her.

She leapt over to her soft chair and curled up, quickly falling into her regular dream. In this dream, a bare-breasted Viking woman with long, flowing red hair, wearing a helmet, sword, and shield came toward her, riding on a chariot pulled by two large and mighty long-haired male cats.

“You have done well, Kaarel,” the woman said speaking to Charlie. “Your master’s fate is unfolding before him; he has only to make a few more judicious decisions before he will find the happiness that is his destiny.

“But it will not be so easy,” the woman added, “There are troubled times coming soon. You must help guide him to choose his actions wisely, else all will be lost.”

Charlie meowed at the woman in her dream and the woman nodded back at her, flicking her reins to spur her mighty cats forward to pull her chariot away again.

The cat woke on her chair and looked around the bedroom. Her bear was laying on the bed, spooning with the tiger against his chest. His arm was wrapped protectively around the tiger and they both slept soundly. Charlie leapt from her chair and onto the bed, curling into the small of Siku’s back, feeling the comfort of his body heat. She swiftly fell asleep again and dreamed no more of the Viking woman or her cats that night.