Jack, not Jackson

Chapter 60: Damage Control.

Jack Frost's POV:
——————-

Jack was tired. He sat, unsure how to begin mourning a loss so deep. He knew his heart was ripping again but this kind of exhaustion made it hard to care. He was trying to, really he was. But numbness had been an instant defense in the past and his fractured soul wanted nothing but relief from the pain right now.

He refused it. He was old enough to know that the numbness didn't last, and it just made it worse later.
Let the pain come. Let my soul break. She was worth every broken piece she'd been a part of for so long but, right now. There are those I can still help.

Some watched in horror, others in fascination as Jack's expression went from unfathomable loss and pain, to blank and then to concern and concentration as he stood up, still weary but determined as he turned to face the crowd.

  It was obvious everyone else was collectively holding their breath and waiting for Jack to make the first move, so he did.
He picked up the little white fox gently, letting him nestle into his arm and headed for the crowd of newly homeless magical beings.

Jack was good at singling out the leaders. He'd been doing it unconsciously as a kid to taunt monsters, later he'd used it to assist or undermine the chain of command. This time it was to show respect.

Jack went up to the centaur who was checking on the unicorns. They didn't shy away from him. He smelled of snow and storms, not of people. He bowed his head briefly to the centaur and gently stroked the withers of a nervous unicorn while he spoke.

"You are welcome here. Nothing on the castle grounds will be off limits to you. Your home needs time to heal and some of the trees will be unstable until it does. It would be safer for you to stay with the wizards until then but it is entirely up to you."

Jack let the unicorn mare nibble on his shoulder, calmed now, while he kept eye contact with the centaur.
"May I know your name?"
The centaur turned his head slightly, as if trying to get an angle to see Jack in a different light.
"I am called Bacchus. I watch over and protect the herds. Who are you and what happened to the bearded one?"

Jack sighed softly.
"I have been neglecting you all if you do not know me. I apologize.
I would ask the Forest to speak for me—as you respect his opinion far more then mine could matter—but he needs to rest and recover right now."

The centaur nodded in agreement. Still wary but a little more open.
"I am called Jack Frost. I'm the one the Forest calls BattleBorn."

The centaur's gaze snapped to Jack's face when he said that. Now he was studying him with the knowledge that this was the first outsider that his home had invited in completely.

The first outsider to have the Forest's trust. The centaur —finding no lie in Jack's expression—nodded slowly.
"We will come with you until we work out a place to make camp."

Jack just nodded and patted the unicorn mare's neck before moving away.
"Bring your injured to the dining hall. It is bigger then the infirmary; there is more room there and we'll help in any way we can."
Then he closed the distance between the magic of the wilderness and the magic of the humans.

A moment like this probably deserved a speech and some sort of treaty, signed and kept in a museum but Jack was not that kind of immortal. Instead, he turned to both parties and spoke softly.

"Come. Let's go inside. I know you have questions but these animals need tending to first. Then I will answer what you ask of me."

Then, like following the flow of a river, the wizards and Forest creatures trailed after him.
The tables were completely clear when they came inside. The house elves, no longer wasting magic to stay unseen, had been busy turning it into a makeshift infirmary.

Jack went straight into commander mode again and started to give out orders. 'Bring the most injured patients to the corner where the slytherian table used to be. Send the walking wounded to the Professors table' because it was the furthest from the door and they could get there with little assistance.

Get the animals more or less separated by size and type so that those who knew only certain creatures could assist in treating them without getting in the way of one another.

None of the students or professors were injured so they began to help out in whatever way they could. Martin and several house elves used their cooking skills to concoct whatever medicines madam Pomphrey directed them to, as well as a couple simple soups and hot drinks for those in shock.

Rowen and several other Ravenclaw's and hufflepuffs were following around the nurses and writing notes of names and injury types. While a mix of students were ripping sheets for bandages or mashing pastes to help soothe burns.

Even Jack was assisting. He was cleaning and bandaging the worst of the burn wounds, careful not to freeze them and cause tissue damage. The little fox Kindred has rescued seemed to find comfort in his cold temperature and stuck to him like glue even after Jack had bandaged his paw.

They worked through the night, though Jack managed to keep a sharp eye on both the students and the injured, sending them to bed whenever he noticed a slowed pace or half-closed eyes.

Dawn was tentatively wading through the morning fog by the time every animal had been seen to. Jack spoke to the Professors without ever having to look at them, busy bottle-feeding a unicorn filly who's mother hadn't made it.

"I know I promised explanations, but I don't want to have to do this twice. Please, Wait until the students wake up...
Finally his gaze rose to meet theirs.
"..They deserve an explanation too."

When the Professors simply nodded wearily, Jack dropped his gaze back down to the filly, who was trying very hard not to fall asleep.
"Classes are canceled for today and until lunch tomorrow. Go get som rest."