SCHEMING FOR THE MASSES :: open, joining

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    Joining would be different this time, primarily due to the fact that he wasn't a bloody pulp. No, he was actually quite healthy at the moment, despite the scratches and marks that subtly showcased the abuse his tiny little body had experienced for the last few months. His wide, friendly smile was a mere mask to disguise the pain that he was forced to endure throughout his life, and his scars were more than physical. Terrible nightmares of that blackened laboratory and the different surgical tools plunging past his tan pelt and into his skin plagued the Pembroke Welsh Corgi's once-innocent mind, awaking him with a start, often by a petrified scream erupting past his lips.


    StormClan was no more, the small Brit came to realize. And that was a harsh fact that he would have to deal with. His friends were likely gone, disappearing into some dark void and never to be seen again. And if they were still alive, they most likely wouldn't recognize him. Who would even care about him, a snarky yet skittish prick that let his ass get handed to him by a cat smaller than him and had to come running home crying and begging for help? Even if he was a trained medic, he knew for a fact that he wasn't going to be an asset to anyone. He was just a liability. If Project himself went after Tox...oh God, please tell me he's safe! He didn't want his friend, a brotherly figure, to be lost all because he stuck his nose in the wrong place. For the longest time he thought he was truly alone. And then he followed the scent of a motherly figure—his former leader, Blazestar.


    This was also just as foolish as any other mistake he had made, but Bentley needed to find out whether or not it really was her that left the trail. He knew that he had passed some border (or at least nearing one) but his stubby ivory paws drove him forward, only trusting his instinct and not the scent of a border—which sort of smelled strongly like piss, if you really think about it. It was piss, anyway, but that wasn't the point. The point was that he was deathly close to discovering an old friend, but apprehension quickly struck him, and the corgi paused abruptly.


    What if he was following the wrong trail? It's been a long, long time, and he couldn't afford to take any risks. He figured he could shift into his liger form and he'd be fearsome enough to ward off others to an extent, but his energy was far too drained to shift into such a larger body. Now Benny could only rely on the others' hospitality and whatever diplomacy skills he had to get out of an inevitable mess. "Hello?"

    One thing Elijah had learned for sure after adapting to mortal culture for a month or so was that he would not be able to deal with living in an anti-clan. The Frontier was such a peaceful place, filled with smiles and passion and love, and gods, he adored it. He loved being able to greet in any wandering traveller, he loved knowing that there was never malice afoot, he loved the sense of serenity this place offered. Never did he think he would be able to find peace in this earthly realm, but here he was, and he was content. If he ever saw Ichigo again, he'd have to give his gratitude.


    In the meantime, his mind had more important things to focus on than the typical abstract feelings that plagued him on a day-to-day basis. There was a visitor hanging around, or so his senses alerted him. His ears pricked and he followed his nose to the source of the unfamiliar presence that had taken his attention, and it would lead him to a corgi. He tipped his head, then took a polite seat across from the stranger and bowed in respectful greeting. "Hello - welcome. I'm Elijah, this is the Frontier. Can I help you?"


    -tags-

    Well, that was awfully quick. The corgi had to admit that he more than content to discover that the native was relatively hospitable and not some tough savage that was fully set on eating him in one great gulp. It was a start, at the very least. "I'm Bentley, or Benny. Nice to meet you, Elijah," he began reluctantly, his weight awkwardly shifting from one white paw to another before continuing. "I'm...joining, I suppose." Along his travels, Bentley had heard rumors of the Frontier; a peaceful group, thankfully. He just didn't realize that he was on their territory until the maned wolf mentioned it. Why walk further, bringing more pain to his already weary paws, when he could rest here and see what this Clan was all about? The small canine figured that if this was considered a risk, surely it wasn't a perilous one. Or even a risk in general. Simply the start of an experience. And if Blazestar was here as he assumed, then it would only be greater.


    Blazestar. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to inquire about her presence. "Forgive me for asking, but does a Blazestar reside here? Or someone who once went by that name?" It was worth a shot to see if it was true, and even if it wasn't, he'd at least be able to lay his head down in a comfortable place and rest his tired eyes for once. He would only hope that those nightmarish thoughts would not keep him up.

    Oh, he was joining? Elijah gave an eager wag of his tail and nodded, though his expression remained mostly quiet. "A-ah! Um, of course! W-welcome home, then," he sputtered. His nerves always got ahead of him when it came to welcoming new members - he got too excited to put his words in order, and he dissolved into a stuttering mess. Truthfully, there were a lot of things that led him to stumble uselessly over his words, but this was one on the mile-long list, and fairly high up, he believed.

    His ears perked at Blazestar's mention. Jeez, she was more popular than he'd ever realized. He wanted to get to know her better, in truth. She seemed like the type where there was a lot more to her than made obvious at first glance, and she probably had a lot of stories and knowledge packed away in her weathered spirit. "Yeah," he answered after he'd shaken off the tangent his mind took. "Yeah, she's our leader, actually. You're an old friend of hers, I take it?" Then he blinked and turned his head away. "Ah, sorry - you don't, like, have to answer that, or anything. J-just curious." While some might have seen it as progress that Elijah was more forthcoming with his thoughts lately, it just made Eli himself a whole lot more self-conscious. Ugh.

    -tags-

    "Thank you," the corgi barked, offering Elijah a faint smile. Seeing the Ethiopian wolf's nerves apparently rise was strange, for he seemed to be well composed not too long ago, but the domestic canine's mind would not linger on the matter for long. He bore a similar excitement now, and often his sentences would turn into a quick jumbled mess of words if he had far too much energy or anxiousness. And he couldn't make note on how others behaved if he was no different in the long run.


    She was their leader now? Benny wondered what had occurred in the meantime after he disappeared from StormClan. Did they merge with another group and she became the leader, or was it another course of events? Whatever the cause, he was ecstatic to hear that she was alive and well. "She is? Th-That's gre-great, fantastic!" He could barely form the words to speak, and his smile turned into a wide grin. Ben watched the wolf disregard their former inquiry and immediately replied, "No, no! Don't worry about it! Y-Yes, I'm an old medi—friend—ach..." There it was again with the stammering. He shook his head and barked, "I'm sorry. Ah...yes, we're old friends. I was a member of StormClan when she was leader there." That was perhaps the most coherent response he had to offer at the moment.

    She wasn't around as much as she'd like to be, which was mostly explained by how she still frequented her other homes, however the Frontier undeniably took the job of being her sanctuary. It was pleasant being here and while the peace drew in various interesting characters, it seemed to keep out the unsavoury ones just as much. It was a refuge for those that wanted it, including her, and the girl was hoping to keep it that way. In fact she was planning to, she'd do her upmost to drive out anyone who threatened the shelter for herself and so many others.


    Noting the voices conversing somewhere inside the border, her ears flicked at the sound of familiar names and she changed her direction, traipsing over to the duo. They'd had plenty of joiners lately and this looked to be yet another one, a fact that added fervour to the hellhound's step as she pushed her way through the bushes to greet them. "hey,Bentley was it? I'm Astralpaw, it's a pleasure t' meet you~ uh, Stormclan merged with The Frontier, Skyclan, and when the previous leader left Blaze took on the job, or so the story goes," she explained brightly. It was surprising when she realised how quickly time had flown by, from joining the Rogues, to scouting the Covenant, the merge, and then everything that'd happened since then.


    The canine would grin, lifting her paw in a welcoming wave at the corgi, "I hope you'll enjoy it here as much as you did Stormclan."