Duskfire Glacier die with memories, not dreams

They walked, and Lane listened, trying to imagine herself in Askari's pawprints to see from her point of view. They had similarities in their pasts; both had left the situations of their birth to seek a different sort of life. But Askari seemed so rigidly principled-- so set in one way of thinking that she appeared to be standing in the way of her own happiness. 

"If you had turned down my offer, I don't think I would have viewed it as rejection. If this was not the right place for you, or if my offer came at the wrong time, that's not an insult to me personally." Lane walked in thoughtful silence for a moment before continuing.

"I have a friend, Kukutux, who leads Moonglow. The pack lies on the other side of the mountain chain." Lane pointed with her muzzle. "She offered me a place in her ranks, but I turned her down. Each time I visit with her, she reminds me that there is still a place for me in her pack, should I desire it. We're great friends. Maybe someday I'll need to take her up on her offer." Lane shrugged. 

"Not every decision has to be either a perfectly correct choice, or a terrible mistake. Take it easy on yourself, Askari." Usually Lane was the one who was guilty of black-and-white thinking; it was strange for her to find herself counseling another to view things with a little more flexibility when it was advice that had so often been given to Lane herself.