After satisfying his hunger and appeasing the growing emptiness in his stomach, Bringo set about preparing for the next leg of the journey. With skill and care, he once again hitched Rodolfo to the cart, fully aware of the anxiety gripping his companion as he faced the instability of the raft over the turbulent waters. The animal, its eyes wide with fear, was experiencing for the first time in its life the unsettling sensation of the ground shifting beneath its hooves.
Understanding the need to keep his companion stable, Bringo firmly secured the cart to the raft using the sturdy ropes he always carried. He then freed Rodolfo and, with a firm yet gentle hand, coaxed him into lying down on the platform, reducing the risk of losing balance amid the river's relentless swaying.
With one last glance at the shore, Bringo cut the moorings that still held the raft anchored to the old wooden pilings. With a sigh of anticipation and determination, he surrendered to the current of the Trident River, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead downstream.
The makeshift raft glided over the waters of the Trident with a serenity that deceived Bringo about the difficulties that awaited him. Unlike the raging rapids of other waterways, the Trident stretched before them in apparent calm, its slow and steady current seemingly inviting them on a peaceful journey through the Sunlit Plains and the Tranquil Forest, toward the bustling city of Iclys.
However, Bringo would soon realize that his plan, despite its clever simplicity, had been conceived without the meticulous preparation that could have prevented the setbacks looming on the horizon. His knowledge of the river's currents and dangers had been overshadowed by his eagerness to reach his destination faster—an ambition that had led him to overlook crucial considerations, such as his own lack of experience in navigation or even his inability to swim should an accident occur.
But what he could never have foreseen, not even in his most cautious moments, was the unpredictable influence of Rodolfo, the donkey who had been his faithful companion through countless adventures. His presence on the raft introduced a factor of uncertainty that challenged even the most thorough planning.
For a couple of hours, the raft drifted downstream without major incidents, allowing Bringo and Rodolfo to adjust to the constant swaying and occasional jolts that had initially caused the adventurer some apprehension. Yet, as time passed, they learned to synchronize with the river's movements, finding their natural rhythm amid the current.
Along the riverbanks, majestic willows rose, their branches adorned with leaves that seemed to weep green tears over the fresh, crystal-clear waters. The picturesque image of these trees lining the river created an atmosphere of serenity and beauty, wrapping Bringo and Rodolfo in an aura of tranquility.
As time went on, the willows became more sporadic until they disappeared entirely, giving way to a vast plain that stretched as far as the eye could see. Bringo took a deep breath of the warm air blowing from the Sunlit Plains, feeling the energy of nature envelop him like a comforting embrace. To the left, the towering green wall of the Tranquil Forest loomed—a constant reminder of the vastness and majesty of the wilderness surrounding them. With each stroke of the oar, they drew closer to their destination, leaving behind the comforts of solid ground to immerse themselves in the adventure that awaited them downstream.
The sun climbed high in the sky, marking the peak of the day and filling the horizon with its golden glow. But for Bringo, the midday light also revealed the first real challenge of his river journey.
A monumental boulder loomed like an imposing guardian in the heart of the river, splitting the waters into two torrents that cascaded into turbulent rapids on either side of its massive form.
Bringo's inexperience in navigation manifested itself forcefully in the face of this unexpected obstacle. With frayed nerves and a pounding heart, he attempted to steer the raft toward the seemingly less dangerous route on the right, but his efforts were in vain. The current, capricious and untamed, refused to yield to his attempts at control, carrying the vessel straight toward the towering rock.
With a deafening crash, the raft slammed head-on into the massive stone, shaking violently and unleashing a chain of events that felt torn from the pages of a nightmare. The raft spun abruptly, now hurtling toward the left-hand rapid in a wild, uncontrolled reverse maneuver. Bringo, thrown to the floor of the raft, clung desperately to the ropes securing the cart as the world around him became a swirling chaos of motion and sound.
With a thunderous roar, the raft plunged abruptly beneath the water, sinking nearly a meter before resurfacing with the same force that had dragged it into the vortex of the rapid.
Tension on the raft reached its peak as Rodolfo, thrown off balance by the sudden turn of events, struggled to stay on his feet atop the unsteady platform. The donkey, overcome with fear and fury, let out heart-wrenching brays that echoed through the air—a mix of anger and desperation in the face of uncertainty.
As the raft regained stability and drifted once more into calmer waters, Bringo worked to soothe his shaken companion. However, his attempts to calm Rodolfo only seemed to fuel the fire of the donkey's latent rage. In a moment of opportunity, just as Bringo reached to grasp the animal's bridle in an effort to steady him, Rodolfo's reaction was instantaneous and fierce.
With a violent toss of his head, the donkey threw Bringo about like a rag doll, breaking his hold and hurling him into the void with devastating force. The adventurer's cry was drowned out by the roar of the water as his body plunged into the icy depths of the Trident River.
The freezing water of the Trident enveloped Bringo with a crushing sense of oppression and despair as he sank deeper into its depths. Each mouthful of water that filled his lungs heightened his panic, cruelly reminding him of his own inability to swim. Fear gripped him, clouding his judgment and plunging him into a frenzied struggle to reach the surface.
His arms and legs flailed wildly in the water, like the wings of a bird caught in a storm, but his efforts lacked direction and purpose. His shouts for help escaped his lips in a torrent of desperation, ignoring the merciless solitude of the wilderness where his voice was swallowed by the silence.
The biting cold of the water began to numb his limbs, robbing him of the strength and coordination he so desperately needed to stay afloat. Soon, his movements grew sluggish and clumsy, his fight for survival fading beneath the relentless current and the paralyzing chill. No more kicking, no more frantic strokes—only the oppressive silence of the river and the crushing weight of his own helplessness against the untamed force of nature.
While Bringo fought for his life in the Trident's icy waters, Rodolfo, the donkey, drifted twenty meters behind, facing his own nightmare in the middle of the river. The magnitude of his mistake in lashing out at his master became painfully clear as he now found himself alone, with no one to save him from the merciless current dragging him toward an uncertain fate.
As the minutes passed, the reality of his situation set in, and panic seized him as he spotted the rapids ahead in the distance. Jagged rocks loomed like razor-sharp teeth, waiting to devour anything that dared venture into their path, and Rodolfo was now on a collision course with them.
Meanwhile, Bringo, struggling against the cold and the exhaustion threatening to pull him into an eternal slumber, barely perceived the blurred figure approaching him amidst the whirlpool of water and darkness.
A strong hand seized his clothes, yanking him from the river's icy grasp just in time.
The world faded around him as the cold and fatigue dragged him into unconsciousness, plunging him into a dark abyss of uncertainty. Yet, thanks to the providential intervention of a mysterious savior, fate had granted him another chance.