He had no idea exactly how much he had missed through the years, he wasn’t as young as he used to be, but really he hadn’t changed at all in the years he had enjoyed with Renegade. Perhaps he should still be there with him, but Istas had his own set of issues that made him leave his long time lover. It was why he was back here after all, though at least with Renegade he didn’t run into as many girls and the ones he did Renegade had an easy time dealing with and sending on their way. He didn’t have any crazy phobias. Pine didn’t know it, but Istas, fear was well founded after years, and there were other things too that he also didn’t like. Water being one of them, though it was far less scary than girls he was wary of deep bodies of water since… well… a girl tried to drown him in water once. Then he nearly drowned in a frozen river a second time.

There were things, they all made sense once explained but until then he was probably responding a bit unreasonably to say the least to Pine. She was scary though, though she did seem to be alpha, which well… made her MORE terrifying. He continued sitting in the muddy water, pushing himself back slightly as to add a little more space between them. Though really it was negligible and it was more him sliding his paws through the grass and wet than gaining any space between them. He wanted to try though, he was still so nervous and anxious though she made no moves to really come closer to him he was scared if he said the wrong thing she would change her mind.

She agreed that things had changed, but said he could stay as long as he didn’t cause trouble. ”N-No trouble! I don’t want trouble! I stay away from girls as much as I can to avoid trouble. They always do bad things to me.” He said then let out a little ‘eep’ as he remembered she was a girl again, especially as she stood back up on her paws causing him to scramble back up onto his own. Though her words were not exactly threatening, even offering him to stay around if he wanted. Though being discovered by hateful girl pups didn’t sound like fun, they weren’t exactly bad either now that he was so much… well taller than him. Pups were all bad but even when he was a pup it was other girls his age that cut him first and began making this phobia emerge in the first place.

”St-stay? For now yes… maybe? I need a rest, been away for a long time, don’t know where Wraith went. Taviora? Somewhere else is he alive?” He shuddered. After all it had been a very long time since he had even seen any of his family, he was probably talking jibberish but she had him so at his wits end it was hard not to be. Though Pine was scary he thought it could probably stay as far away as he possibly could if it meant sticking around for a bit.

They never seem to catch my eye but I never wondered why