“No, no, no!” Tetranosaurus shook his scaly head, flicking the chip of wood gently with his sharpest fingernail. “You’re holding it wong, Ted. Clathp the hilt further up in your paw.”

“What? Like this?” Ted adjusted the weapon in his furry, little hand and took up his stance again, smiling with a new-found sense of strength.

“Ssttth! You’ll wake him!”

“Oh, sorry.” Ted jumped down onto his friend’s claw and sat there for a moment, running the little sword across his scraggy fur. “Are you sure this will work?” he asked, tilting his head back as doubt spread to his tiny, silk heart.

The model monster nodded; that familiar, goofy grin spreading across his unfortunate face like a melting ice cream.

“Oh yeth, quite thertain, Teddy,” he whispered, a proud fire gleaming in his golden glass eyes. “What chance doesth any cwuel father have againtht uth?”

Teddy reached down and brushed a night-time tear from his charge’s eye, allowing one to fall from his own as he did so.

“Yes,” he said. “WE will protect him.”