[He doesn't think much about what he does next, just reaches out and knocks on the front leg. It definitely sounds metal.]

Huh...I guess that makes sense. You're a machine now right? Which...I mean the fact that your power is to essential take organic matter and transform yourself into a machine...no wonder it feels weird! You wouldn't have nerve endings...[A thought occurs to him and he moves forward, curious about this new appearance of Shiro's. Wait can you take more damage in that form too? The lions were pretty durable, I can't think of a time where we've had to repair them like you'd think given all the battles we've seen.