Armando had decided to make some changes. If he was going to make it work in this wolf dominated world then he was going to need some wolf allies. He'd carefully considered the packs on offer before deciding to learn more about this one. Some were out of consideration immediately. The one that had held Motif captive was out, of course. As was the one that had merged with the band that had stolen her in the first place. Others were a bit too nice. Abaven, even with its familiar faces, wasn't ideal. He couldn't be himself there and if he was going to call someplace home he wanted to be able to relax in it. He needed a place that would accept him for who he was and that was why he wanted to learn more about this one. Now, he didn't have any concrete information on it. All he had was rumor, but it sounded like this one, maybe, would fit him.

The portly panda was sitting high up on a outcropping. While he was interested in joining this pack he wasn't so naive to think his interest was necessarily enough to keep him from getting eaten. For that reason he was going to stay up nice and high until he was certain it was safe to come down. Armando had brought some of his goods with him. If he was going to advertise his true self then he was going to show these wolves what he could bring to the table.

After fixing his fedora Armando was left with a dilemma. This pack spanned two territories. To cover the distance wolves howled to each other, but Armando wasn't a wolf. At his loudest he'd get an echo off the rock walls, but there was no way anyone in the other territory would hear him. Well, he was just going to have to yell and hope someone was close enough to hear him. Armando cleared his throat and then let out his loudest screech. With that still ringing in his ears, he yelled, "Hello? Anyone there? I'd like to speak with your alpha!"

Eligos had been on patrol, alone this time as Cypher and Kida had been sent off to play with Pyrrhic's kids to give those two worthies a break, when an unholy racket at the border brought his head up in startled affront. What in the deepest, darkest hells was that? The screech was followed a short time later by a relatively small voice shouting, presumably the owner of the screech. Curious, he detoured off to answer the call. If nothing else, it would be intriguing, he was sure.

The creature that awaited him there was one he hadn't seen for quite some time, not since he'd lived on the southern continent. Eligos paused and raked the little creature with an appraising glance. What was it doing so far from its natural environment, and calling for a wolf pack's alpha? "Hello," he said, his steady voice betraying none of his bemusement. "I am Eligos Abraxas, alpha of Aerie. You... called?"

The soft clink of claws on stone alerted him to the approach of something big. Armando swallowed hard and nervously smoothed down his chest fur. It wasn't everyday he planned on being forthcoming so this wasn't a conversation he was looking forward to. He was going to put himself - his real self - on the line and that was far scarier than any persona he'd ever put forward. With personas he could wear or not wear them like one of his many hats. If someone didn't like one, well, that was no skin off his nose because it was ultimately something that could be discarded. His real traits and talents, however, were not so easy to get rid of. A rejection of them was far more personal.

As a large wolf came into view Armando took off his fedora and held the brim of it in his paws. Holding it would give his nervous paws something to do. "I did, yes, and thank you for answering; I realize this is quite unconventional. My name is Armando Rosso and I am here to discuss business with you. As we both know, wolves are the driving force in these lands and if, say, an ambitious sort of another species wishes to do any real business at all, he or she would benefit from partnering with a pack who shares his or her ideals."

"I've heard," he said delicately, trying to avoid any and all mentions of subterfuge or trickery lest he misspeak. "That this pack of all Boreas has to offer, might be the closest to sharing my ideals. You see," he said as he reached into the bag at his side, "When one is my size he must wear many hats and be ready and able to mold himself to whatever situation he finds himself in." As he spoke he studied Eligos, trying to gauge his reaction. "I have found that predators in particular pay me no mind unless I draw attention to myself." From the bag he pulled out three strips of fabric. They were from his hats, but the items themselves weren't important. The scent on them was. Each smelled like the pack or band he'd been in. One for Hjarrandi, one for Abaven, and one for Ashen Armada. He'd been in them all and survived. Now, that in and of itself could mean anything. It was possible he'd just stepped inside, talked to no one or nothing, and just rubbed the fabric somewhere heavily scented, but even if that were true - and it wasn't - what did that say about what he could do? The possibilities were as limitless as the imagination considering them. "Does your pack have use for someone such as myself?"

As the odd little creature spoke, Eligos found himself listening with bemusement that he was careful to keep from straying into amusement. He was clearly very serious about what he was saying, and even a hint of amusement might very well upset him so to avoid even the hint of it Eligos denied the emotion to himself entirely though... it was a very odd proposition. Well... not so odd, perhaps. Kida and Cypher had, though they weren't wolves, proven themselves just as loyal and useful as any wolf of their age would be in a pack, and as this.... whatever it was said, his small size and unthreatening appearance could certainly be useful. Eligos' nose twitched as the creature - Armando, he'd said his name was, and to take him seriously he should use it - Armando pulled out a variety of hats, each smelling of a different pack. Eligos' bemusement turned to interest, and he passed a more searching gaze over him as he thought. "Aerie always has room for a wolf - or otherwise - with the skills you claim. With those skills, however, comes the necessary question, Armando Rosso, that I hope you take no offense to, and that is this - what assurance do I have that you are not here to use that against Aerie?" It would, perhaps, be foolish for a spy to tell you he was a spy, but it wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibility. It was possible that he'd been obtained those scents by some manner other than stealth, after all, and while Eligos was intrigued he was also not interested in being the latest in some series of dupes. Head cocked slightly to the side in a gesture of invitation rather than threat, he waited for Armando's reply with curiosity.

Carefully Armando set about rewinding the strips of fabric down into more manageable balls. Once they were wound tightly he put each back into the little pouch it had come from and then each pouch went back into his bag. If rejected he'd take those same little pieces of fabric to the next eligible pack and show them off there, so he was taking great care to keep their scent from fading below the point of recognition. Hopefully that effort would prove unnecessary here in a bit with a nod of acceptance from the alpha, but Armando wasn't brazen enough to make that sort of assumption.

He tipped his head to the side as he considered the alpha's question. It was an odd one in his opinion and one he wasn't sure he could answer without causing offense. "To be frank," he said slowly, trying to decide how bold he could get away with being, "I don't think all of this would be worth the effort. I am taking a risk in simply sitting here." He'd picked the outcropping to give himself a bit of height and maybe a smidge of warning if the wolf lunged at him, but Armando wasn't under the impression escape would be easy.

Armando spread his paws in a gesture of meekness. "This way I will go through all of the suspicion and reservation of a new member with the added burden of being a different and suspicious species with a self-professed knack for spying. If I'm ever deemed worthy of pack secrets I imagine it won't be for a long time. It would be far easier to sit up in the trees and munch dumbly on a pine cone, and I would get quite a bit more information that way as who thinks of the squirrels and birds overhead when talking business?"

He shrugged. "My experience with that sort of thing is all I have in the way of a defense." Eligos could dismiss it as nothing but words and there was nothing Armando could do about that, but he had no real way of proving that he was genuine. He was being honest and that, as far as he could tell, was all he could do.

Eligos listened as the little creature gave his answer, and nodded slowly, thoughtfully, watching as Armando rolled up the fabric pieces. The truth was that wolves rarely gave much thought to noncanines in their territory, except dangerous predators that needed to be watched. Unless someone had a yen to hunt for some odd raccoon-looking critter, he likely would have gone completely unnoticed if he had chosen to spy on them. "The risk of you being an undercover saboteur," he said with faint amusement, "is one I'm willing to take, given your attributes." He tilted his head to the side, studying him. "I would welcome you to Aerie. I do have one - well, two - more questions for you, Armando. What accommodations might Aerie make for one of your species? Our healer already grows herbs of the healing variety, I am sure that if you need a specific food source she would be happy to help if it can be grown here. And..." His mouth quirked a little into a smile as he gestured helplessly. "What is your species?"

Upon hearing the news he'd been accepted Armando did his best to maintain a dignified expression even though he felt like a relieved sigh and a dab across his brow would be more appropriate. He settled for a satisfied expression and a gentle pat on his chest to calm himself. The fear of rejection had weighed on him more than he'd thought it would but now that the weight was lifted he could feel just how heavily it had rested on his shoulders. This was the start of something new for him and that gave him a bit of hope. Here was his chance to make a real mark on Boreas; to settle somewhere and surround himself with the wealth he desired.

"Thank you, Eligos, I am grateful for this chance you've given me and I look forward to the work ahead." The query about his accommodations was a delightful surprise. Never in a million years would he have expected it. It caught him a bit off guard. "Oh," he murmured, surprise slowing his response time. "Well if you have a garden then I'd love a plot of bamboo as that is chiefly what I eat." He can and would eat small mammals and eggs if given the opportunity, but for a normal red panda they were only an occasional treat. For him they'd become a staple as bamboo became harder to find during his travels and his waistline was proof enough that living that way was a bad idea. "Assuming none already grows here, of course."

As for his other question, Armando answered that with a smile. Perhaps he should have added that to his introduction. "Oh," he said with a chuckle. "Sometimes I forgot my people generally sedentary lifestyle has made knowledge of us woefully scarce among other species. I am a red panda. No relation to the dark garbage fiends, the raccoons, though I can't deny we look like their more attractive cousins."

Armando's relieved reaction to being accepted into the pack made it abundantly clear he had been worried about the encounter, and thinking about it from his perspective he had a lot of reason to be concerned. Eligos would have been more wary if a small prey animal hadn't been a little concerned to be approaching a full grown wolf in its prime on its own territory. He tilted his head slightly as the newest and oddest member of Aerie spoke about his dietary needs. Bamboo, he remembered that from when he was a youngster growing up in Auster. It grew like a weed down there, and there was even a huge maze of the stuff. He wasn't anywhere near an expert in plants - didn't, in fact, care about them much at all - but he thought it might be possible to get it to grow well in the wetter area around the lake since it was similar to the jungle like regions he had grown up in. "I will talk with the healers and see what needs to be done to grow some here," he promised. "Packs take care of their own, no matter what shape they come in." Ah... a red panda? That was interesting. He had heard pandas before but he had had the impression that they were just large, black and white, lazy bears that ate... bamboo, so at least that part was accurate? But he just nodded to Armando's explanation, filing it away for later. "Let's get you introduced to the rest of the pack before you look for a place of your own here. I would like to avoid any... misunderstandings with the Aerie wolves." A misunderstanding that could result with their newest little spy residing in a packmate's belly, which would be far from ideal.