When Alina turned to Luna's desk, she saw the little wolf pup sitting up extra straight, her small nose in the air like she was royalty. Luna didn't wait for Alina to ask — she proudly pushed her tiny notebook forward with both hands.
Alina's heart warmed at the sight. Luna's numbers were a bit shaky, but each one was carefully drawn, dark and bold, like she'd pressed the pencil extra hard to show she'd worked her best.
"Good job, Luna," Alina said, giving her a gentle head pat. "You wrote every number so well."
Luna huffed proudly, her eyes shining. She looked away quickly, pretending it wasn't a big deal, but her feet tapped the floor under her chair like a little tail wagging.
Alina smiled to herself. My proud little wolf, she thought. Always pretending to be so tough.
And then Alina's eyes fell on Felix. He sat perfectly straight in his tiny chair, arms crossed over his chest but his desk was completely empty — not a notebook or pencil in sight.
