The Pack

Atmospheric tension collides with their camaraderie. The backdrop, Milan, looks as if it wears a tailored costume, dark and shadowed. Cigarette smoke joins hands with rain clouds, casting darkness over them. It’s as if giant looming spiderwebs have replaced soccer nets, rips within create giant holes that pull viewers into its boundlessness. Green fields melt into clots of neon frosting, and signs burn with the urgency that comes with danger. Milan welcomes them as if they are three lambs sleepily stumbling into the lion’s den.

But the boys challenge Milan’s eeriness, for today, they are wolves in sheep’s clothing, of course. They treat its streets as if it’s a stage built for their performance. They demand the attention of the masses but don’t ask for it with their words. Curious eyes are drawn to thick leather coats, pleated pants, loose buttoned-up shirts, and stretched-out collars. Their bodies drip with mystery, but their faces reveal nothing. Canine white teeth, black Dracula hair, golden chains twinkling with a devilish lure.

They sit themselves down, read the newspaper, and light another cigarette. They defy Milan’s rules, choosing to value nothing but each other. Milan cowers away as if they’ve shoved a thorn in its colossal paw.

Andrea, Stefano, and Simone embrace the serendipitous unknown that awaits them in the weathered city. Milan is a labyrinth of endless possibilities. The city may be a lion’s den, but today it’s a playground full of unexpected bliss as wonder sugarcoats their fangs.