Dogman reached out and touched Pike on his arm. 'You want to say something for her?' The burned man looked at him, then shook his head. He wasn't much for speaking, the Dogman reckoned, and he hardly blamed him. Didn't look like West was about to say nothing either, so Dogman cleared his throat, wincing at the pain across his ribs, and tried it himself. Someone had to.

'This girl we buried here, Cathil was her name. Can't say I knew her too long, or nothing, but what I knew I liked… for what that's worth. Not much I reckon. Not much. But she had some bones to her, I guess we all saw that on the way north. Took the cold and the hunger and the rest and never grumbled. Wish I'd known her better. Hoped to, but, well, don't often get what you hope for. She weren't one of us, really, but she died with us, so I reckon we're proud to have her in the ground with ours.'

'Aye,' said Dow. 'Proud to have her.'

'That's right,' said Tul. 'Ground takes everyone the same.'

Dogman nodded, took a long ragged breath and blew it out. 'Anyone want to speak for Threetrees?'

Dow flinched and looked down at his boots, shifting 'em in the dirt. Tul blinked up at the sky, looking like he had a bit of damp in his eye. Dogman himself was only a stride away from weeping as it was. If he had to speak another word he knew he'd set to bawling like a child. Threetrees would have known what to say, but there was the trouble, he was gone. Seemed like no one had any words. Then Grim took a step forward.

'Rudd Threetrees,' he said, looking round at 'em one by one. 'Rock of Uffrith, they called him. No bigger name in all the North. Great fighter. Great leader. Great friend. Lifetime o' battles. Stood face to face with the Bloody-Nine, then shoulder to shoulder with him. Never took an easy path, if he thought it was the wrong one. Never stepped back from a fight, if he thought it had to be done. I stood with him, walked with him, fought with him, ten years, all over the North.' His face broke out in a smile. 'I've no complaints.'

'Good words, Grim,' said Dow, looking down at the cold earth. 'Good words.'

'There'll be no more like Threetrees,' muttered Tul, wiping his eye like he'd got something in it.

'Aye,' said the Dogman. That was all he could manage.