Jack's Snow Day

As soon as the car was closed up the train lifted off the platform and slowly accelerated away. Inside the car there was no sensation of movement and very little light. Filtered air kept them alive and fresh as the produce it was designed to protect. They were strapped into their chairs and Jack closed his eyes since there was nothing to see.

He came back to himself strapped down on a bench seat of the long cart Tanz picked them up in. Bal was sitting with him watching him with worried eyes. He smiled at her and she looked away as her bottom lip began to tremble. Jack took her hand with his and felt her tight grip. He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb until his headache came back with a vengeance and he slipped under once more.

He surfaced again as Tanz walked him through the Gate to Altaria and thrust him into the arms of a medical team before she leapt back through the Gate to go home. After that he slipped under once more.

Jack was lying in a hospital bed when he next became aware of his surroundings. Adina was dangling down from the ceiling mounted I.V. stand while her sister was operating the controls to move the stand along its rail.

"Papa's awake!" Adina chirped and dropped down onto the bed with a gentle thump. Zaina was immediately by her sister's side as they plunked themselves down to sit on either side of him, leaning on his chest with an elbow and smiling.

He smiled back at his daughters and tried to speak but his throat was dry and he coughed. He pointed to the water and the cup on the table next to the bed and they worked as a team to pour him some water. Once he'd taken some sips to ease his parched throat he handed the cup back and they retook their seats.

"How are my beautiful girls?" he asked.

"Good! Are you going to stay awake now?" Zaina asked.

Jack blinked at her odd question. "Uh, I think so. Where's your Mama?"

"She is talking with the doctor. Asking when you're going to wake up," Adina replied with a smile.

"How... how long have I been asleep?" he asked and they began to fidget. "Sorry, never mind." He'd forgotten that they still hadn't worked out the concept of the passage of time. With the flood of sensory data their time sense took a back seat and they lived mostly in the now.

He suddenly remembered his present for them. "Ooo! I got you something when I was on Chrystan and I think you're gonna like it!" he said singing the last part. He grinned when their eyes lit up excitedly.

"What is it, Papa? What is it?" they squealed as they hopped up and down on the bed.

"What's going on in here?" SennLann said bursting into the room.

Jack turned his head to smile at the ebony beauty and... something felt... minutely different. He couldn't place it so he put it aside. "Hey beautiful!"

"Jack! You're awake! This is so good!" she exclaimed.

"How long was I asleep?" he asked keeping an eye on his daughters who were almost bursting with anticipation.

"A little more than a month," SennLann said.

Jack froze. "I've been asleep for more than a month?!?" he exclaimed.

Jinnae walked in with a smile on her face. "I thought I heard my favorite patient was up and around."

Jack looked at the doctor anxiously. "I was asleep for over a month! That can't be good! What happened?"

Jinnae stopped beside the bed and looked at him pensively. "Well... you broke your head. That needed to heal. We've had you on a feed to give your body the food it needed to make its repairs."

He blinked at the doctor. "Uh, ok... I think you may be simplifying the answer just a little too much."

Jinnae smiled. "Ok. You shattered the inner lattice structure of your horns and cracked the underlying skull plate. I'm afraid the horns couldn't be saved. Your body shed them."

Jack's eyes went wide. "I don't have horns any longer?!?" he gasped and immediately tried to reach for his head. His daughters were both lying across his body blocking his arms. They giggled at his struggling thinking he was playing with them.

The doctor shook her head. "I didn't say that. I said your body shed the damaged horns. The skull plate has healed and if anything has become a little denser with a new layer of bone lattice over the healed plate. Your horns... regrew. They're... magnificent!" she gushed with awe.

Jack's momentary elation at losing the horns immediately turned to caution. "I- I'd like to see them please."

Jinnae activated the camera on her tablet while SennLann collected her daughters. The doctor handed the device to Jack who turned it to face himself. He took slow even breaths as he slowly panned the camera up his face.

The base of the new horns was wider than before. Not much but noticeable to him. They were also black now, jet black with no thin white veins... or blood red stains, thank goodness.

The second thing he noticed was that the relatively smooth nature of his previous horns had given way to stepped ridges. Thick at the base the... rings became thinner the further out they got until they stopped altogether a short distance from the deadly sharp points which now curved inwards and forward.

The worst difference for him was their length. The new horns were at least four inches longer than his previous ones. Fourteen inches, he guessed.

"Why?"

Jinnae cocked her head in question. "Why what?"

"Why are they so different from my original horns?" he moaned.

"Oh! Well, the doctors here theorized that this was due to the fact that the original ones were grown while your body was undergoing its transformation. The horns picked up attributes from your original human skeleton. Smooth surfaced, stunted growth, and brittleness. The new ones are much more resilient!"

"Brittleness?" he gasped in shock.

"The damage to them this time was along all of the thin white veins. Those no longer exist. These... these are perfect!" Jinnae sighed happily.

She took her tablet back. "I'm going to keep you in overnight then you'll be released in the morning." She touched a few spots on the tablet to make notes and smiled at him. "Welcome back, Jack!"

With a final admiring look at his horns she turned and left.

"Give your Papa a kiss and we must leave. It is almost time for Diana and Emily to have their turn." SennLann said to her daughters who quickly climbed back onto the bed and kissed his cheeks. Then they slipped up to his ears to whisper to him.

"What did you get us?"

Jack grinned and kissed his girls before moving his mouth to their ears to whisper back.

"Tomorrow."

Smiling impishly the girls jumped back down while SennLann gave Jack a kiss. She gently nipped his bottom lip afterwards. "That's for worrying me," she said. He gave her a smile and a nod.

Once they'd left Jack thought about this latest development. So, he had new horns. Apparently better ones if less convenient for him. Not such a truly huge change in the status quo. He could deal with it. He'd have to deal with a new bout of getting stares, both shocked and admiring, but he was actually getting used to that as well. At least it bothered him less now.

The door opened and nervous green eyes looked in at him.

"Come in. I'm decent," he said with a smile which put one on Diana's face. She pushed the door open and carried Emily in on her hip.

"Daddy!" Emily squealed when she saw he was awake.

Jack smiled widely and held his arms up to take Emily in them. Once Jack had gotten his kisses from his daughter Diana leaned over and gave him a lingering kiss until Emily pushed her back so she could see him. Jack grinned at Diana.

"Daddy! Big horns!" Emily gasped.

"Yes, I broke my old ones so new ones grew in their place," he explained.

"Why?" she asked.

Jack glanced at Diana who rolled her eyes.

"She's discovered the all-powerful question, why. Don't fall for it. It's a trap!" Diana said as she ran her fingers through Emily's hair to straighten the mess out.

Jack grinned as he smiled up at the beautiful brunette. "I missed you!" he said and she glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. "I didn't get to talk with you before I left. I'm sorry about that."

"I don't know why you put up with me and my... issue," she said quietly.

"Diana, please. You know I don't believe you have any reason to feel that way!" He remembered the Shreen and the incredible closeness of their sleeping pits. The intimacy. He saw now that was what Diana needed. He'd have to convince her to visit Chrystan with him.

Her eyes were so lovely and green. He held them with his. "I love you, pretty lady. You're mine, you hear me?"

Her breath caught and she beamed him a huge smile as her eyes watered with happy tears. She nodded, not trusting her voice.

"Good! I hope you don't mind my new headgear," he said gently.

Her eyes went up and she bit her lip as she shook her head just a little. They shared another smile.

The next morning Jack got to go home and a month of lying around in bed had taken a lot out of him. He was surprisingly tired by the time he made it inside his condo. He vowed to get himself back up to peak as quickly as he could. He hated this feeling of weakness.

Eve was the first to greet him as he stepped inside. She gave him a lovely, warm kiss and handed him a box. He blinked at it in surprise. "You need to open this before you come in and see the kids who are bouncing off the walls with excitement that you are home," she explained.

Jack opened the package and inside were two horn caps intricately carved out of some white material. He saw a note as well and read it aloud.

"Jack, we hope this note finds you fully recovered from your injuries. In tribute to your protecting our people from the scourge of the Dynast Class Skrahak we present to you these horn caps made from the strongest of your foes jaw bones. Thankfully they proved no match for your mighty attack. The caps were made by Asha who is one of our best artisans and the carving tells the story of her grandfather, a mighty hunter in his own right. May they serve you well. With eternal affection, Queen Lyn and King Tyg."

Jack lifted one of the caps from the box and examined it. It was beautiful! There was a bas-relief image carved into the surface of Shreen battling a huge Skrahak. "My god, these are lovely!"

"Put them on before you see the children," Eve said and he nodded.

The caps slipped onto his horn tips and he felt them take grip. He looked in the mirror next to the front door and smiled. Eve smiled back up at him. He tucked the note back into the package. He'd have to write a thank you to them... no, he was going to thank them in person so they could see this beautiful artwork in use.

He walked into the living room and Joseph charged over to him and grabbed his legs. "Daddy!"

Eve looked down at her adopted son with pride and happiness.

Jack grinned widely and knelt to hug the boy who was showing more energy and... happiness than he ever had. Jack looked to Eve in delighted confusion.

"Your friends the Shreen sent us a bottle of Skrahak oil. Jinnae analysed it and said it was safe for Joseph so I've been giving him a drop in each ear before bed. The difference has been miraculous. I'm so grateful to them!" Eve explained.

Jack gave the boy's cheeks a kiss and he giggled then rushed off to play. Emily was next in his arms and got a kiss before chasing Joseph back to the toy bin.

From his position down on the floor Jack saw the eyes of Zaina peering out from behind the couch. Waiting to pounce. Without turning his head he spoke quietly to Eve who left and returned with the package he requested. Grinning Jack took the toy from the box. It looked like a simple white ball. He pushed his thumb against the soft rubber of its side, pressing hard as he'd been instructed by the store clerk. He felt the ball vibrate as it... awoke.

From the corner of his eye he caught Adina sneaking closer. He turned his head away from the twins giving them their chance to attack. He tossed the ball in their direction a split second later. He heard thumps and oofs from Zaina and Adina who'd collided with each other when the ball distracted them in their charge. He grinned at them. They looked at the ball which was gently pulsing with light from within and chittering angrily. Zaina boldly picked it up and it popped from her grip and bounced away in a random pattern.

The twins grinned at Jack and scrambled to untangle their limbs to chase after the fleeing ball.

"What is that?" SennLann gasped as she watched the orb bouncing rapidly this way and that avoiding capture by the twins.

Jack could see SennLann was struggling to keep herself from joining in on the chase, her wide eyes locked on the orb.

Adina dove and caught it between her outstretched paws. It flashed brightly dazzling her and she dropped it when she landed. It bounced quickly between the legs of Zaina who was almost on it when she was dazed by her sister's input. She flipped completely over onto her back. The ball skittered away down the hall and its chittering sounded smug now.

"A pursuit orb. That's what the Shreen call them. Fun, right?" Jack grinned. "I'm hoping it will help train them how to filter each other's sensory data while it's letting them play."

SennLann kissed Jack's cheek and chased after her girls in their hunt for the orb. Eve snorted in amusement.

Jack stood up and went to get the rest of his gifts which he handed out to the ladies. They were very pleased by his thoughtfulness and he got many kisses in return.

When they were sitting on the couch watching Joseph and Emily happily playing with the new toys Jack had picked up for them as well, Jack felt the warm glow of being surrounded by his family and sighed happily.

"You seem... more relaxed than before. More at peace," Eve noted looking close at his face.

He smiled at her and nodded. "I do feel a lot more relaxed." He looked at the two ladies with him and looked over the back of the couch to see SennLann. She was stretched out on the floor panting and smiling at him as she took a break from hunting the orb which still eluded capture.

He looked back at Eve. "I'm home with my family. The Shreen hold family as the most important element of their society. They have it right."

"Speaking of the Shreen and family, Queen Elissa would like you to visit her when you feel up to it," Diana said.

"Ahhh... right," Jack sighed. His assignment. Right. "Tomorrow. Today I'm with you guys."

Zaina and Adina jumped up on the back of the couch and each grabbed one of Jack's horns to steady themselves as they leaned over to give him simultaneous kisses on both cheeks. He felt them panting, out of breath.

"So... this means you like the present?" he asked and they hugged him tight before they scrambled away to continue the hunt with their mother.

Jack hugged Diana and Eve to his sides and settled back against the couch. This was his day.

The Queen's office was buzzing with activity as Jack sat in the waiting room with Elissa's assistant. Several delegates from different races had gone in to speak with Elissa and each had given Jack's new headgear a good stare before they were admitted. The most disturbing had been the Wuu. The tiny ball of fur had come to a complete stop before Jack and with no discernable eyes Jack had no way of knowing if it was staring at his ankles or his horns.

Unable or unwilling to learn the universal language the Wuu finally blurted something in its native tongue which its translation device said aloud.

"The bone caps. Skrahak?"

Jack looked at it in surprise. How could it tell what kind of bones the caps were made of?!? Still, he answered. "Yes. My kill." Take that!

The Wuu made a rude noise which the device didn't translate but attitude needed no translation. It wasn't impressed. It growled again.

"My pod kill four metre Skrahak with traditional bladed weapons."

Jack nodded as if impressed and the Wuu purred.

"I killed a Dynast Class Skrahak, nine meters, with only these," Jack said calmly pointing to his horns. He looked at the furry being, wondering once more where he should be looking to stare it in the eye.

The Wuu shrieked. "Lie!" bellowed out of the device.

Jack remained calm and smiled gently to the Wuu. "Ask Queen Elissa when you speak to her."

The assistant ushered the Wuu into the office and returned to scowl at Jack. "Why do you taunt the Wuu?"

Jack shrugged with a smile. "Respect is earned."

Ten minutes later the Wuu exited and once more stopped before Jack. It grumbled.

"You no lie."

Jack nodded and leaned forward in his chair. "One more thing we can agree on. Skrahak flesh is delicious." He smiled widely at the Wuu ensuring his 'fangs' were clearly visible.

The Wuu made an odd sound which could only be surprise then it purred loudly. It squawked once more.

"Have a profitable day Ambassador Danner."

It rolled away and once it was gone Jack looked at Elissa's assistant who was staring at Jack in shock.

"And that's how you earn respect."

He stood and walked into the Queen's office closing the door behind him.

"Jack! Are you my next appointment?" Queen Elissa smiled.

He grinned. "I am now." He walked over and sat in the chair before her desk as she looked at him with a raised eyebrow and the smallest of smiles on her lips.

His expression became serious. "I'm here to report on my failure to collect any information on the Shreen's unrest. The Queen and King are happy. The executive class are happy and productive making the lives of their people easier. The working class seem especially happy. I don't know... they're a happy bunch! Are you sure there's unrest there because I found no sign of it!" he said sagging back in his chair.

The Queen's mouth burst into a broad smile. "Oh Jack! You silly man! You dealt with the unrest on the first night! The relationship between the young aristocrat Queen and her King, a man from the countryside was failing and that shook the confidence of the people of Chrystan. They saw it as a sign. You mended their relationship and the people are happy once more."

Jack sat there stunned, looking at Elissa with his jaw hanging open.

She stood and came around her desk to walk to her door. She flipped the lock on it and walked back to Jack, her eyes on his horns. She took his hand and led him to her couch and sat with him holding his hands in hers.

"You mended the hearts of the Shreen. It seems that while this was happening you've been mended as well. I can see it in your eyes. My Jack is back. I've missed you."

He felt his heart swell with love for this beautiful and wise female before him. Then he was kissing her and she was pulling him down over her on the couch.

Her tongue chased his and his need for her flared. Their kisses became hungry. Clothes were tugged free and soon their naked bodies were writhing against each other trying to get even closer, to feel that intimate touch right down to their very souls.

Elissa used her hooves to pull Jack's ass closer and he felt himself sliding deep into her hot depths. She crooned happily and he moved his kisses to her jawline and nibbled down her neck causing shocks to jolt through her body.

"Oh! Oh! Oh Jack!" she moaned with need as his hips began to drive him forward again and again.

He was immersed in her spicy musk and his head spun with delicious pleasure as his need raced higher and higher. Soon his hips were pounding against hers and she was crooning loudly. The pace increased and they were both breathing hard from the effort.

He was so close but his strength was flagging and she needed release as well. Growling he dragged his teeth against her throat and she bleated as her body clamped down. He kissed her throat as his body fired up into hers in surge after surge while she floated on waves of bliss of her own.