After stargazing for a short while, Athan reverted his attention back to the river he was trying to cross earlier. With the newly acquired emotion he gained through that macabre experience in his imagination, he was determined to get to the other side, no matter what. For you see, fear isn't just a sporadic response to perceived threats, but also, a mechanism that fuel’s one’s ambitions to succeed.

  Athan poked the Boro, trying to wake it up. For the most part, it seemed unbothered and it barely even responded to his provocation. Little did it know, Athan wasn't going to surrender without a fight. He used more force and stared pushing it, sloppily dragging it across the floor. He ran out of endurance. It seemed his friend was also ready to hold his ground. 

  Then, an idea lit up in his head. In his dream, he was unable to breathe when he found himself underneath the surface of the red liquid and luckily, there was a specific something whose characteristics were fitting a little too well. Of course, the river next to them would prove to be the best way for Athan to bring his companion to its senses, simply by putting its head underwater -kind of an extreme solution, but sure-. In any case, Athan gathered his strength and continued pushing the Boro as hard as he could, managing to bring it close to the river bank. There, he grabbed the snoozer’s head and submerged it, making sure that it was fully covered by the raging waters. 

  As expected, the Boro was quickly up on its feet, gasping for air while choking on the liquid stuck in its throat, preventing the oxygen from reaching its lungs. Athan took a few steps back and waited for it to calm down, a small grin standing at the edge of his lips.

He finally outwitted the mischievous creature.

Once it regained its composure, Athan carefully approached it and rubbed its head with care, ensuring that his friend wasn't in any grave danger. The Boro did not seem to hold any ill will against his actions (or perhaps, it didn't even understand it was him who did it) and gracefully accepted his offering.

  With that out of the way, there was still the hardest part: conquering the river.

Athan knew that the Boro had no reason to advance without a purpose, so instead, he gave it one. Quickly, he jogged towards the berry bush and got hold of the very last berry standing on its green branch. Then, he got up on the Boro’s back, grabbing it from the neck with his left arm to ensure he would stay on, and held up the berry in front of the Boro with his right arm. Whether it was the shock from drowning or the fruit floating above its forehead, the Boro did not appear to wish to shake Athan off its back, making the situation way more favorable for our traveler.

Steadfast, Athan extended his arm forward and sure enough, the Boro tried to get a hold of it, gradually forcing itself to move. Before long, they had already reached the middle of the river, where the water’s force was at its climax, still, like a brave captain riding his unbreakable sea vessel, they marched through the tempest. Their efforts paid off… they had finally triumphed over the river and made it to the other side.