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.... The fire consumed the pyre quickly, and more slowly Ril’o’s body too succumbed to the fire. The scent of burning flesh was masked well with the fragrant and slow burning plants that Cercelee had included beneath the pyre. The funeral pyre was built in such a way that eventually the fire drowned out his whole body, and while Cercelee and the others knew that their packmate was there, they could not see his final moments. Cercelee settled herself to watch in silence, it would take at least a full hour or two for everything to burn away, but it seemed to short. After that, Ril’o was gone.
.... When the fire did begin to die it revealed only burnt chars of wood and dying embers, the body that had laid there was missing, replaced by ashes. The Rosea, rising then, blew on the tiny pieces of ash, sending them floating down some fifty feet to the sea below. Had the wind been doing was it had been told to by the white lady, Ril’o’s body would peacefully ride on the wind out to sea, but nature did not always comply and Cercelee was just delighted that the morning had broken so calm and beautiful. It was almost too pleasant of a day for a funeral.
.... Later, when there was only a small pile of embers and coals to mark the site, Cercelee would find a fitting stone and ask one of the more literate pack members to carve in his name. That’s all they needed, was his name, for those who wished to mourn wouldn’t forget him and those who in the future wished to learn of him or any others would have to seek out someone for the information. There wasn’t much you could learn from a rock, but perhaps Cercelee would start a book of their pack, and of course, briefly at least, Ril’o would be part of that book.
.... Now Cercelee rose, she smiled sadly to those who had come to witness, she smiled gratefully to Cwmfen for the lady’s hard work. They needed a priest or priestess to perform many of the acts Cercelee and Cwmfen had been left alone to do. Turning away, there wasn’t anything left to see now, she headed slowly down the cliff towards home. She was more exhausted now than she had ever been. Sleep would come and take her for days before she awoke again.
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