Broken Antler Fen She hangs her head and cries on my shirt

He hadn't quite regained his composure by the time Maia bounded into view, so he did his best to lick the spittle from his chin and tidy himself up, straightening his posture a bit only to find his proposed guardian posture being pulled into a loose, relaxed trot as he closed the distance between them, tail swinging in slow, wide circles behind him. It was like a magnet being drawn toward a piece of metal; inevitably his tough-guy exterior shattered and he fell back into being friendly, kindly Bronco again in the presence of someone he had known for so long. "Hey, pretty thing," He said, recalling (albeit with a bit of an inward grimace at how unabashedly daring he'd been with his flirtations back then) the way he'd greeted her the first time he'd met her. He reached out to nuzzle her cheek in greeting, before his gaze trailed over her figure, drawn by the memory of being told Maia had been attacked. 

"How're you feeling?" He asked, concern drawing across his features. She'd asked him first, so he shook his head. "I'm fine- and it's good to see you, I heard.." He said, trying to answer her question, and reassure her that he was happy she'd shown up before circling back toward his question. "Jeex, you've been through a lot since I saw you last," He said, trying to cut back some of his own concern with a dry chuckle. "Been too long," He concluded.