Big Salmon Lake it's time we tried to find the sunrise

Well, there it was--Tahoe's implied statement that there was more to it than just wanting or not wanting to belong to a pack.  Tehama respected the fact that there were many paths to walk in this life, and that Tahoe had likely gone through myriad experiences that she never would nor could.  The lady nodded in understanding.  "It's true," she acknowledged.  "We're each best served by seeking out what gives us contentment in this life," Te offered by way of opinion.  "Others may have expectations of us.  Parents, family, friends, packmates.  But in the end it's each of us that has to make decisions we can live with."

Though her life had held little drama compared to those of wolves both older and hardier than Tehama, of which Tahoe surely was one, she could empathize with bucking societal expectations.  She'd conformed to the expectations of her parents, right up until those were literally blown out from under their collective paws.  After that, it hadn't seemed as important anymore to please others.  The finite nature of life practically begged her to do what made her happy, not what pleased anyone else.  And funny enough, she suspected her mother the previous Tehama had realized the very same thing.  Seeing her mother happy again with her new mate and pups by her side had cemented Te's opinion that she, too, needed to get out and find her own way in the world.

Pulling herself back to the present moment and out of her mental sidetrack, Tehama smiled warmly at Tahoe.  She'd meant no offense, nor to pry into his circumstances.  "Your way of life is just as worthy of respect as any pack wolf's."  Her tail lightly thumped the ground where she sat.  A hardscrabble living might leave Tahoe more rough around the edges than a more genteel pack wolf might be, but Tehama knew the type she'd sooner rely on in times of trouble.