Wolf Pack

I opened my eyes and all I saw around me was a dense fog, as if I couldn’t see a hand in front of me, everything was gray, and then it was as if small rays of sunlight were penetrating the fog, and little by little it was clearing , it was as if little by little I was catching my breath, and then I saw the fog gradually dissipate and only then did I realize that I was in a beautiful garden, it was all taken by flowers and bushes and there was a small path in front of me, I was sitting on the floor, I started looking around and a familiar voice came from behind me…

“Hello my princess…” I got up and turned quickly, but my heart knew who it was, the sweet and velvety voice that sang lullabies to me, and the way she always called me in childhood, everything was stored in the back of my memory , the smell of flowers she had intoxicated my nose and my senses, my mother was behind me.

She opened her arms and I sank inside, I felt tears running down my face, and her embrace was so warm and welcoming, it was like I was in the clouds and I was embraced by them, it was like being embraced by love. She squeezed me tight and we stayed like that for a few seconds, until she released me and held me by the shoulders, staring at me. She was so much like me, her hair, her nose, her full lips, only her eyes were a vivid cerulean blue, which was like the blue of some paradise beach, the same color as Hughes’s eyes, but it wasn’t the same color as mine.

“Sweetheart.” The thick, strong voice was one of those that came from the back of the throat, but it was also enveloping, warm and familiar, as if the sound embraced me, the smell of him was woody and familiar. My face turned to the side to face him, and I let out a sigh of emotion when I saw my father, and at first I hesitated as I noticed the familiarity of his face with Otto’s, they had the same chiseled jaw, the same wispy hair, My father’s were dark as I imagined Otto’s would be if they weren’t already gray, and the same fateful narrow gray eyes were a pale grayish blue that gave the gaze a whole power, an intensity. That both of us were identical, my eyes and my look were my father’s.

He also opened his arms and bent to kiss the top of my head, my arms hugged his waist and I hung there feeling in the safest place in the universe. I missed those touches and those hugs so much, and it was only then that a sharp cut opened my heart, the pain cut through me as my brain finally remembered that they were dead, I was overcome by the emotion of seeing them, that only now reality hit me hard like a punch in the stomach.

“I’m dead?” It was the question I managed to formulate and it made sense.

I didn’t expect an answer, maybe not a sensible one, but my parents looked at each other and smiled.

“No my daughter, not yet. Your prophecy is not over yet, let alone your mission and your time on earth.” My mother replied in her sweet voice as her thumb caressed my cheek.

“You’ve done your way here very well, we’re very proud of you, but there’s still one step left for you to complete, it’s going to be as difficult as everything else has been, but we know you’ll make it. The end of evil is very close. Then you will prosper. You have a lot of good to do in this world my dear. And we will always be here for you.” My dad said pointing to my heart. The two hugged me together then….

I blacked out for I don’t know how long, woke up being put on a gurney, given an oxygen mask, and saw one of the doctors helping Jack to lie down on another gurney while a nurse cleaned his wound. I tried to look down, but all I saw was a red smear and dried blood stuck to my skin, I wanted to stay awake, I wanted to talk to Jack, I wanted to make sure he was okay, I wanted to see what would be done, but gradually the blur became darker.

I woke up again not sure how long I had been unconscious, I tried to look at my wounds but they were covered with bandages and I was wearing a hospital gown, I saw someone sitting in the armchair next to me and I blinked hard to clear my vision, and then I saw being Hughes, a chill ran down my spine with fear and worry that I hadn’t seen Jack yet.

“Hey, you woke up, how is my granddaughter feeling?” Hughes got up and walked towards me.

“Where’s Jack?” The question made me feel my stomach turn and my heart clench in fear of the answer.