That's why Bao Bei had to go back, no matter what. He made that promise to himself again.
"I'll go back for sure. I'll see Jihl again no matter what!"
It felt like a spark of warmth lit up inside his frozen body. Strength returned to his hands gripping the branch. He slapped his tail against the river's surface to show his determination.
By the time the sky began to lighten a little, Bao Bei heard a loud roaring sound. He forced his numb and exhausted body to sit up on the branch and looked ahead—the river seemed to turn into a waterfall.
His heart jumped in shock, and he quickly looked around. To the left, there was another flow of water, a side stream breaking off from the main river.
Bao Bei slid down into the river again and kicked with his legs, trying to push the branch toward that side stream.
The branch, which had been flowing in the center of the river, slowly shifted thanks to Bao Bei's small effort and started drifting into the side stream.
