Dragoncrest Cliffs Epitaph

her mothers, gone. her brother sobo, gone. mireille had nothing left to give in sorrow and so she must move forward into the future that she and chacal meant to write together. 
sapphique had lost its first matriarchs. now two more would grow into that role.
it would have been far easy to flee and settle elsewhere; it had been so difficult to know she would not see her mothers nor sobo again.
her eyes were swollen as she stood beside chacal. she listened to her golden-caped sister speak and found something like peace in the bardic quality of the delivered words, green eyes hardening in anger as she thought of the men who had abandoned them in their time of need.
never again.
when the tanzanite had finished her words, mireille took a breath and gave a quick, humorless smile toward her wolves but held herself poised. 
she was not unaffected but her rule must remain so.
"to begin, many of you will receive promotions. t'eo, etienne, an' suzu will become de sapphires of sapphique." she gave a truly warm look to her sister's children, seeing in them a hope she did not feel for herself.
"wing, to de rank of beryl. lilitu, to de rank of topaz."
her eyes settled toward the man who had left sweetharbor to come with her, who had fought to drive the bear away. "val. emerald of dis pack."
sobo had done a higher rank well. it was val's turn to prove he was worthy of this ascension.
"wing an' lilitu will be receivin' t'eir oysters an' t'eir pearls, for rankin' above pearl."
so much to say, and suddenly her throat burned, her eyes scorched. "maman erzulie an' sobo gave t'eir lives for dis pack." the young obsidian paused, overcome, and she was desperate enough to look for rosalyn now, though she knew her mama had gone.
"do not forget dem. t'ink often of t'eir names. dey live as ancestors now."
mireille drew a breath, and then, before she wept again, she tilted back her head and began the sonorous grieving dirge for those lost to the violence of the bear.