After drinking their fill, Freyr immediately took off his lambskin boots and began washing them in the water pit.
"What are you doing?" Lilith blinked at Freyr's actions.
"Washing my shoes," Freyr said, his hands not stopping. "Then I'll use them to carry water."
"Carry water? With shoes?" Lilith looked puzzled.
"Of course," Freyr shrugged. "Do you see any other containers around? Do you have a bottle or a jar? Since we don't, we'll have to use the shoes. My shoes are made of lambskin and are quite waterproof." Freyr glanced at the young witch. "Stop frowning. This is our only option. We don't know how long we'll be stuck here. We can't just stay by this water pit. We need to head to the coast. If you think my shoes are too smelly, you can use your own."
Still a bit dazed, Lilith hurriedly took off her shoes under Freyr's urging. Her shoes were also leather and seemed to be of better quality than Freyr's lambskin boots. As she took them off, she looked a bit helpless. Her socks were stained with blood, evidence of blisters from the half-day walk that had burst.
Quickly, Lilith mimicked Freyr and started cleaning her shoes at the water pit. She scrubbed them repeatedly, but Freyr grew impatient. "Two washes are enough. Why are you washing them so many times?"
"Shoes... dirty..." Lilith murmured.
Freyr chuckled, looking at the naïve girl. "Hey, look, this pit isn't big, just a small amount of water. You wash and wash, sure, the shoes get clean, but the water gets dirty. And in the end, you'll still be drinking this water."
Lilith was stunned, then pouted with infinite grievance as she filled her boots with water. "But... do we really have to drink this?"
"By tomorrow, when you're so thirsty you could die, you'll drink water ten times dirtier without hesitation," Freyr said flatly. "Alright, let's head back now."
As they walked, Freyr still used the long stick to clear the path, but soon he noticed Lilith lagging behind. He stopped and frowned at her. "You'd better hurry up. It's getting late. Once the sun sets, it will be pitch dark here, making it difficult to navigate. Walking in the forest at night is hard because it's tough to find your way."
Lilith nodded quickly and tried to keep up, but her feet hurt so much that she soon started crying. "My... my feet hurt."
Freyr frowned, walked over to her, and saw that her small feet were pricked in several places by thorns. Her once smooth and tender ankles and toes were now covered in dirt and blood.
Sighing, Freyr reluctantly put both shoes around his neck, then turned and bent slightly. "Get on."
"Huh?"
"I said get on!" Freyr said sternly, his back to the witch. "Hurry up. Don't waste time. I'll carry you back."
"But..."
"No buts. Listen, girl, we need to get back to the dragon before dark. We're not familiar with this island. Who knows what's out there? We're not capable of defending ourselves right now. We need to move quickly. Now, no more talking. Get on!"
Freyr's severe tone left Lilith no room to argue. She quickly followed his example, hanging her shoes around her neck and obediently climbing onto Freyr's back.
As he walked, Freyr found it increasingly difficult. Although his mind was that of an adult, his body was still that of a frail teenager.
"Thank you," the witch said softly after a while, her voice so low that Freyr barely heard it. He just grunted in response, not saying a word.
In the desolate island's twilight, Lilith clung to a stranger's back. She could see the dark sky through the dense canopy above and the boy struggling beneath her, hear his labored breathing.
Lilith suddenly felt that this noble boy who always bullied her and spoke harshly wasn't so scary after all...
...
When they returned to the crash site, the dragon was still sleeping. According to Lilith's stammered explanation, the dragon could slowly heal in its sleep without needing food or water. This was a relief for Freyr. Fortunately, the little water they found would barely be enough for themselves, let alone a dragon.
Struggling back to their temporary camp, Freyr dropped the witch and collapsed on the ground, gasping for air.
"I can't... go on..." Freyr breathed heavily, like a dying man, his body weak and aching. "If it were before, I could carry and run with a girl like her for a thousand meters without breaking a sweat. This body is just too weak now..."