I KNOW I'VE BEEN GONE A LONG TIME — open, return

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    Hughes had been a big disappointment. He had holed himself up and hadn't shown his face much anymore, trying to avoid all the taunting and names, to make it all go away. But now he was hopefully ready to face everything again. He wasn't sure where his father was, but he could only hope that he was alright, since he was unsure how the whole clan was. He hadn't seen Patchwork, either, nor had she tried to get him to come out. It hurt him a bit, but he grew used to the silence. Now he had to face the effects of his little disappearance.


    Blinking against the darkness of his den, he sat up, pain rushing through his spine. It was still sore from being thrown against a wall, quietly cursing the Bloodclanner under his breath. Looking back on it now, he wished he could have handled himself better than crying and trying to run. He'd be better next time. He slowly rose up into a sitting position, his eyes adjusting to the dim light, a faint wave of dread washing over him. He could feel his chest tighten, a sick feeling in his gut. He didn't want to go out there, to face everyone again.


    The realization was slow, but it eventually dawned on him how many new faces there would be out there. Joiners were frequent, at least in Riverclan, so it wouldn't have been unusual, especially with all the time he'd spent cooped up. How long now? He wasn't exactly sure, and maybe he didn't want to know.


    Moving from his nest to the entrance brought him clarity, bringing all the pains in his back and stomach to light, softly groaning. He was starving, despite the small bit of food he'd had earlier, before his nap. He had gone to sleep and hoped he would be relieved of the aches, but now they were back and as uncomfortable as before. Shaking his head, the male tried to focus on the task at hand, staring out into the cave with glassy eyes. He didn't look good, that was for sure.


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    "Maes?" Mae asked curiously as she padded forward, her golden eyes finding the young boy and her head tilted in curiosity. She had been worried about him for so long but it appeared he was back, which was a good thing! She had liked him and now her kids would have someone to play with other than their siblings, right? "It's good to have you back!" She said softly and bowed her head politely towards him.
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    info — updated 01/01

    [align=center][fancypost bgcolor=;border:0;width:450px;text-align:justify;font-size:11px;line-height:1.5]Striding up with ease behind Sylmae, the pretty direhound lowers herself into a sitting position immediately. Now resting comfortably, she fixates her radiant cobalt blue gaze on the stranger. Mae seemed to recognize him, thus leaving Kali to assume he had been affiliated with RiverClan previously. When she joined, it was all new to her, so she felt better for this returning member who'd have no trouble at all slipping back into things. Especially since he hadn't returned to the border, but rather had come from within.
    "Hello," the unknowingly expectant direhound murmurs sweetly, smiling a gentle curve of her maw towards the stranger. Sylmae had called him Maes, but she assumed that was an affectionate nickname, and let it be. She chose rather to await for an introduction from him, personally, before she called him anything.


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    Hughes was a bit relieved to see a familiar face first, lifting his head and squinting in the light, awkwardly smiling up at Mae. He probably didn't look too good, all heavy eyes and disheveled fur, but he hadn't exactly took the time to make himself look presentable. He wanted to be cheerful now, be like his old self, maybe then he wouldn't worry anyone. But that was hard to do. "Hey, Mae...," he trailed off, unsure what he was going to say. He had missed the cavern, and all the friends he'd made. Even though everyone seemed to be gone, he wanted to stick around out of loyalty to his clan.


    Blinking, he turned to the next person to appear, giving a small grin this time. He wanted to leave a good impression, despite how solemn the whole situation seemed to him. Fake it 'til you make it. "Hi! I'm Maes, but you can just call me Hughes," he told everyone just to call him by his middle name, but it seemed only a few of them did, Mae not being one of them. Still, he was able to put up with her doing it now, no longer irritated with it. But other people still ticked him off a bit.


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    "You look like you're a little tired, to be honest, dude. Should I throw you in the lake to wake you up?" Mae teased gently, hoping to get the boy to open up a little bit. He seemed down, and that bothered Mae. He was such a sweet boy and she wanted nothing more than to pull him into a hug and cuddle him until he smiled again. This wasn't the happy Maes she was used to, but that wasn't going to make her not like him. "Just kidding. Can I get you anything to eat at all?" Mae offered, wondering if that might help him perk up a little bit.
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    info — updated 01/04