Hródolf ran on ahead of his mam, Sven Wolf with him as always. The stuffing in the toy wolf's face had shifted just enough so that it looked resigned to being dragged around by its tail all the time that Hródolf was awake, and to being the little boy's pillow at nap times and at night. "ZU!" he yelled as he saw her at the hot water machines he wasn't allowed near at all, so he slowed down as he approached her. And then he hugged her leg. "Hi Zu," he said again, before holding Sven Wolf up and making a growly noise. "Sven, uhm. He says hi too," he translated, before letting go of his aunt and running back to meet his mam as she approached.
Astrid smiled as she saw her adopted sister. "Good morning, Zu," she said, arms raised as she twisted her hair up into a loose knot at the back of her head. "Did you sleep well? Hródolf, stop putting the little men in your lessons bag. They are not going to see Mary Ellen."
The little boy looked round, shocked as he tried to work out how his mam knew what he was doing while she was fixing her hair and couldn't see him properly. "[It was Sven!]" he blurted out as he took the action figures back out and set them back on the floor.
"Sven knows our rules, little wolf. Does he want to stay here while you have lessons?" Astrid asked, before looking back round at Zu and biting her bottom lip to keep from laughing.
"No, mam," Hródolf replied, before starting to scold his wolf in a mix of his own language and English.
Astrid walked over to stand beside Zu as she tried to work out which drink she would like. "Sven is a very naughty wolf, it would seem," she said quietly, still clearly amused, "far more naughty than Hródolf ever is. Have you noticed this?"