Silvertip Mountain aspersion

merrick did not miss the way that arielle sat gracefully before him.
nor did he find aventus' expression unremarkable. he saw the faint bob of his son's throat.
the raven queen bloomed beside him in a miasma of dark shadow. once more, she was a vision only for the bruin-witch. merrick drew such strength from her presence; it suffused him as he glanced between the pair.
"our bruin-jaw believes you have earned the rank of bruin-leaf, arielle." his single eye was not warm, but for a moment the man did not seem so limned in hardness. "i agree with him. you may choose your own title, but you have become part of ursus' very core. this should be reflected."
he looked down at the bones. he felt the corvid woman's beautiful eyes warm upon his profile. "we are finished here. it is time to depart." but he had not yet chosen a destination. 
it would come in the words he knew best to hear. "we will each carry one of our relics. they are part of ursus."