The Last Salmon of the River

In the heart of the Riverworld, where the trees whispered tales of old and the waters sang lullabies of forgotten times, there lived a salmon named Orin. Orin was no ordinary salmon; he was the last of his kind, a relic of a bygone era. The once teeming waters of the great river had grown silent, the once vibrant school of salmon now reduced to a solitary fish, a ghost of its former glory.

Orin had grown up hearing the stories of his ancestors, tales of great migrations, of the salmon's sacred journey from the river to the ocean and back, a cycle of life that bound them to the very essence of the world. But as the years passed, the river's waters grew colder, the fish grew fewer, and the journey became a mere memory.

One evening, as Orin lay in the cool, dark depths of the river, he heard a voice, faint yet insistent, echoing through the water. "Orin, last of the salmon, answer the riddle of the Fish King, or face the extinction of your kind."

The voice was that of the ancient Fish King, a being of immense wisdom and power, who had once ruled the waters of the Riverworld. Orin knew that the Fish King's riddle was a test, a challenge that only the worthy could overcome. But the riddle was also a last hope, a beacon of life in the face of impending death.

The riddle was simple yet profound: "I am the river, the ocean, and the sky. I am the beginning and the end. I am the giver of life and the taker of breath. What am I?"

Orin pondered the riddle for days, swimming through the river's depths, his mind racing with possibilities. The river, the ocean, the sky—it all seemed so vast and unknowable. But as he swam, he realized that the answer lay within him, within the very essence of his being.

"I am the salmon," he whispered to himself. "I am the journey, the cycle, the life force. I am the giver of life and the taker of breath, for I return to the river after my journey, giving life to the next generation."

With this realization, Orin knew that he must embark on a journey to the Underworld, to seek the Fish King and present his answer. But the Underworld was a place of shadows and danger, a realm where the living and the dead coexisted in a dance of life and death.

Orin's journey was fraught with peril. He encountered creatures of the night, the river's serpentine denizens that lurked in the dark, waiting to claim him. He swam through treacherous rapids, his scales cutting through the water as he fought to survive.

But Orin pressed on, driven by the hope of saving his kind. He reached the gates of the Underworld, where the Fish King awaited him. The Fish King, a majestic figure of scales and fins, greeted Orin with a knowing smile.

"Orin, the last of the salmon, you have answered the riddle well. Your kind will not be extinct. The river will once again be filled with life, and your journey will be a testament to the resilience of the salmon spirit."

With these words, the Fish King granted Orin a gift, a magical seed that would ensure the salmon's return. Orin took the seed, and as he swam back to the river, he felt a surge of hope and determination.

When Orin returned to the river, he planted the seed. And as the days passed, the river began to change. The waters grew warmer, the fish returned, and the once silent river sang once more with the songs of life.

Orin had done it. He had saved his kind, and the cycle of the salmon's journey would continue for generations to come. But the journey had not been without cost. Orin had faced his own mortality, and in doing so, he had become a legend, a salmon who had proven that even in the face of extinction, hope could triumph.

And so, the Riverworld continued to thrive, a testament to the resilience of life, and to the journey of Orin, the last salmon of the river.