After so much time spent bickering over it and dealing with its aftermath, it seems like his monthly transformation is the only thing he ever does discuss with Daine. If she's going to keep pushing him and pushing him about it, he needs to bow out of the situation for a while. He still feels remorse over turning her down. It'd be nice to spend some time with Daine doing something else, but being around her makes it impossible to forget about his monthly problem and get on with his life.

He paddles to the other side of the dock and hooks a paw on without pulling himself out. "I gotta get caught up on my writing anyway," he says, rationalizing the decision.