So many thoughts plague the were's mind, causing a muddling he wished would never have been there in the first place. How had life gotten so bad? He wasn't even sure he could pinpoint a timeline exactly. Was it when he regained his memories? Was it when he was bitten by the were panther who is now his alpha? Was it the moment in time where he had nearly killed the man he loved? Or perhaps it was when he had been unfaithful. None of it was pleasant and all of it was sure to cause some muddling of his thoughts. The point was, the were was a confused soul who really needed to see a therapist. But Henry was far too proud to see a shrink. Instead, he tried to navigate his troubles on his own and he was doing a shit job of it. The closest thing he had to a voice of reason was Raven â€" though he hated the way she offered her advice.

He paused at the bench, asking the stranger if he could sit for a moment. He needed a few moments to settle his thoughts and rest his body before he continued pushing it to the extremes. The man eased himself to the edge of the bench and Henry offered him a kind smile in response. "Thank you." His words were soft, but genuine. Slowly he lowered himself to the bench, pulling out his water bottle strapped to his hip and took a long drink from it. The water was cold and refreshing, something he needed. In fact, he could probably use a swim right about now. Never had he been one for water, but perhaps this feeling was dictated by the cat within him.

Leaning back against the bench, Henry heaves a sigh of relief â€" relief for sitting or relief for water he could not be certain. Perhaps it was relief for something else entirely. But as he allows his eyes to flutter closed and his body to feel the beating rays of sun on his skin, he hears the man speak up. Eyes open to look over at the stranger and he nods his head lightly. "It is, but I need the exercise." He chuckled lightly as he pressed to his abdomen, the six-pack there toned but not perfectly chiseled. Really, he didn't need the exercise, but it did make him feel better. He wanted to look his best. He was finding that the more he pushed his body physically, the better control he had over his panther. It was a strange feeling, but it helped.

Ever since he had been bitten and discovered that he was no longer human, it had been a battle of wills between his panther and himself. He had trained hard, fought valiantly, and even had a few losses. However, the harder he worked, the better results his had. Everything he was doing was for Sterling. He had to get control of himself if he was ever going to truly be happy again. He did not want another mistake on a full moon. He didn't want to feel feral as he once was. And yet â€" he was getting better. It was just taking time.

Securing the bottle of water to his waistband again, Henry turned his head to better look at the man beside him. There was an odor about him, something that he had been learning since his first change. Malia had made it very clear that weres had a distinct odor about them, but Henry had brushed it off. Perhaps now he was beginning to understand what she had meant. This man smelt oddly different than Sterling. Perhaps he too was a were. "I'm Henry, by the way. Thanks again for letting me sit." He offered a soft smile as he looked over to where the man had been watching. He sees the same children playing happily on the merry-go-round and he wonders if he has any children. When he was too strung out on drugs and alcohol, he had been with a lot of men and women. He wonders if any of them ever had children. In the same train of thought, he wonders if Sterling would ever want to have children with him. The thought was both exciting and terrifying. What if he was a terrible dad? What if he failed them like he failed Sterling? The thought made his heart rate increase. Perhaps it was best if he never had any children.