Dem Teich Torrent | Raus Aus

Growling, he waded to the fox. His fingers, thin as reeds, worked the root loose. The fox slumped, panting.

Torrent glared. "Not my problem."

Torrent crossed his arms. "Nein."

"Please," the fox whispered — for in the old tongue, all animals could speak to the old ones. "Please, water-spirit. I'm trapped. And thirsty."

He crawled onto the dry, cracking earth. The sun burned his skin. The grass felt like needles. And behind him, his pond — his whole world — was already gone, nothing but a hollow of dust. raus aus dem teich torrent

Torrent looked down. A shard of glass — someone's beer bottle — had sliced his foot. In the stale pond water, the cut festered.

Elara appeared at the water's edge. "Raus aus dem Teich, Torrent. Now. There's a spring in the deep wood. Clean water. Living water. But you have to walk." Growling, he waded to the fox

So Torrent did.