8; LIGHT IN THE MIDST OF DARKNESS

SHEILA

"The jaguars have left; let's check if he's dead."

"My beloved Sheila, what do we do if he isn't?"

"Well, it's obvious. We'll finish him off; I have to be the alpha, no matter that I'm female."

The three observing wolves approached, examining the corpses. The lifeless escort was somewhat consumed. Some jaguars lay inert, looking like hunter's rugs. Upon checking Alberto, they noticed he wasn't breathing and that the light of life was absent from his eyes.

"Sheila, you're the only heir; you did it, but at a high price." The wolf lowered his gaze so she wouldn't see the tears escaping from the corners of his eyes.

"Alex, it seems that way, although as my father always says, 'one should never be presumptuous.'" She bared her teeth to finish off her brother when suddenly a scent froze her in place. "Hold on, it seems the rest of the pack has arrived."

The place filled with wolves, as well as limousines and luxury cars that surrounded the perimeter. The enormous wolf, with a voice like thunder, confronted Sheila, asking: "What happened? You were supposed to notify the entire pack when you found Alberto." However, he didn't wait for a response, alerted by the sight of his son's still body, already starting to emit a foul stench. "It can't be. No, my only son, it can't be true."

In the distance, a siren echoed, seemingly harmonizing with the wails of lament.

"Who called an ambulance?" the Alpha questioned, receiving no answer due to it being part of the deal for Mariana to agree to leave with the Shaman. "It's useless now; nothing can be done."

"Boss, perhaps there is a chance." A gray wolf, who seemed to be the oldest, commented.

"What do you mean, Sancho?" The Alpha knew this wolf was one of his most valuable allies because of his wisdom.

"It's something I learned from some witches in Africa; it's a resurrection rite." The old wolf transformed into a human, raising his arms to the sun.

"Father, those are superstitions; you shouldn't consider them," Sheila interrupted, lowering her head before the Alpha.

"Superstitions like werewolves, and here we are," the chief replied, and not wanting to waste time, he ordered the old wolf. "Sancho, let's do it; I believe you mentioned it can only be done while the body is still warm."

"Yes, my lord, I need everyone to gather around the body, close enough to touch; I need you to focus on sending energy to Alberto," the elder transformed back into a wolf and continued giving instructions. "Sheila, since you are his closest relative, you will take the lead role. Please, even if you don't share the beliefs, do everything I say."

"No, Sancho, we shouldn't waste time on this nonsense." Sheila was reluctant until a growl from the alpha convinced her.

"You have to do it." Her father stood in front of her, leaving her no option but to comply. Ears back and head retracted, she replied: "Of course, Father, I would do anything for my little brother; he's what I love most in the world, of course after you, my lord. What should I do, Sancho?"

The old wolf tried to shout loudly to be heard by everyone as he drew strange symbols in the ground.

"Sheila, you must lie on top of him. Try to match your lungs and heart to his, place your muzzle over his without touching it, and blow. Imagine you're sending him light with your breath while everyone else sends him their energy, and I'll recite an ancient spell."

The elder began to recite words in a language no one knew, while Sheila followed the instructions to the letter, even though she feared she would mess it up.

A tornado enveloped them, threatening to lift them into the air; the sky darkened as if it were about to rain, and the heavens seemed to roar with so many thunders that they compelled the elder to pray aloud.

As Sancho continued the ritual, he reflected, "I must be missing something, or I did something wrong, because the rituals I witnessed never took this long."

Sheila, on top of her brother, tried to redirect her breath elsewhere and thought how she wished the police would arrive so they could stop trying this trick. Even the weather seemed to tire; the sky cleared, and the wind calmed.

"It can't be; get off, Sheila. I'll try it; I'm the Alpha; my energy is stronger. Besides, I'm very sure I'm his father," the enormous wolf shoved her aside and curled up on top of his son, blowing so close it seemed he might kiss him.

The sky closed again in a vault of mist that invaded the place, the thunder returned, this time accompanied by lightning, and Alberto's body began to shine.

"It's working," Sancho celebrated in his mind, continuing to recite the ancient prayers until a noise interrupted his concentration.

"Stop! You are surrounded by the national army!" The order came from the commander of a battalion created specifically to catch drug traffickers. They had followed leads given by an anonymous informant, and this was very true, as the area was surrounded by over three hundred men, helicopters, and satellites.

"Boss, they're going to capture us; we need to run to the cars for weapons so we can have a chance to escape," mentioned Gerald, the head of security, desperate from the smell of so many humans with conflicting emotions.

The chief interrupted his exhalation to announce his orders.

"Calm down; it seems they can't distinguish through the fog. Surely, some snitch informed them of our location, but they aren't looking for us-that is, they aren't looking for wolves. No one transforms. Better activate the fire curtain protocol."

His orders weren't debated; the wolf was active with his muzzle and claws, along with a watch on his wrist. It was complicated to input a very long code that caused all the parked cars to explode, generating chaos.

"Let's go; don't stop concentrating; we will make it," the Alpha howled, seemingly hypnotizing them. Everyone obeyed without complaint, but the fog dissipated, revealing only a place filled with wolves to the soldiers' eyes.

"My captain, it was false information; surely a trap to kill us with these explosions," argued one of the soldiers as he found no logic in what he was witnessing.

"Soldier, what seems most strange to me is that it appears these wolves are performing a pagan ritual and didn't flinch at the sound of the explosions, besides looking bigger than the animals from my village." The captain began to pray softly.

The pack waited, but nothing happened. Alberto remained inert, with no change.

"Sancho, what else can we do?" A cry of despair came from the Alpha, who now held his son, washing him with his tears.

Sancho crouched down, the weeping preventing him from continuing his prayers. Pain consumed him, not for failing the ritual, but because he wouldn't see young Alberto again, whom he cherished greatly. The tears spread to all the members, tearing through the atmosphere with howls of sorrow. This would be a dark day; the rightful heir of that pack would be lost.