She had been fighting from the moment she entered the river. It was in her blood, a silent knowledge passed down through generations—this was the path she had to take. No one had told her; she simply knew.
Swimming upstream was challenging enough, but with hundreds of other bodies thrashing and surging beside her, it became a chaotic dance of survival. Still, she pressed on, her sleek body cutting through the current as she dodged fins and tails.
The river grew narrower, and the journey tougher. Yet, something deep inside her whispered: Keep going. You must reach the source.
Finally, a brief clearing opened up, and she surged forward, gaining precious ground. But her progress was halted by a wall of rushing water—a small waterfall, fierce and unyielding. Above it, a shadow loomed.
A bear. Its thick fur glistened with river spray, and its mouth gaped, lined with sharp teeth. One by one, the other salmon leaped, desperate to clear the fall. Some succeeded. Others weren’t so lucky, falling back into the foaming pool or worse—into the bear’s waiting jaws.
She paused, her instincts screaming at her to act, but she waited. Timing was everything. With one powerful thrust of her tail, she launched herself into the air, higher than she’d ever jumped before. For a moment, time seemed to stand still as she soared over the cascade. Below, she caught a glimpse of the bear swiping at empty water.
She landed upstream with a splash, trembling but alive. The waterfall was behind her now, and ahead lay her destination—a quiet, gravelly bed nestled in the heart of the river.
Exhausted but resolute, she buried her eggs in the soft riverbed. Her journey had taken all she had, but it was worth it. She had done what she was born to do.
As the current whispered over her, she rested, knowing that soon, a new generation would begin its own fight upstream.
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