barking up a different tree

Eligos shrugged with seeming indifference at Acere's comment about wolves not usually being so open about their willingness to trade information and the like, though he was anything but indifferent. "It would hardly stay secret for long anyhow, and keeping quiet about it would mean we'd never sell anything, so there's little point in trying to beat around the bush about it. Either one wolf will want to hire us, or they won't... and someone else will."

The other alpha started casually probing about the details, and Eligos carefully didn't smile. "Every contract would be negotiated specific to the situation and our needs at the time," he said gravely. "But one could expect we would be willing to negotiate for such things as preserved food, furs, decorative goods, herbs, hunting rights, a share of anything taken, and the like. Occasionally we would accept payment in kind, depending on the situation. We are certainly willing to provide teaching as a service, but I do not see it as likely that we would provide individuals for a raid. My preference would be to keep such engagements within Aerie, rather than mixing with wolves of another group, unless it is for something larger than a raid that would involve multiple packs."

He wasn't certain he would be willing to risk Aerie on something like a full scale war without a solid and extremely lucrative contract, but he wouldn't dismiss the idea out of hand as long as Aerie was not the primary participant, and therefore wasn't left with all the repercussions if the group lost. Raids, on the other hand, he was more than willing to involve himself with... but only if the raiders were entirely Aerie wolves. Folding his wolves into another pack and trusting to a contract to keep them safe from their supposed allies in the midst of a raid... No. Better that a raid be performed with only wolves he trusted implicitly.