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Steven Sockeye Salmon
Life's greatest oddssey: young Sockeye Salmon Swim to the sea and back.
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Excerpt
"Then you must battle me."
"As you wish, but only at a place where our entire redd can watch."
"Done! When the moon makes the lake bright."
Thrasher's followers allow Steven Sockeye to swim away. Will and Logan hear of the upcoming battle and find Steven Sockeye where he swims among the redd, checking on the injured and the sick. He asks those capable of swimming to accompany him to the battle with Thrasher.
They tell Steven Sockeye, "we believe you can beat Thrasher. He's a bully, and bullies always back down when they meet someone who stands up to them."
Steven Sockeye smiles, showing his pleasure, because these members of his reed support him. He, Will and Logan and his small group of weak fish swim to where the moon lights the lake fifty feet off of the east shore. Here, the entire redd gathers for the battle, forming a large circle into which Steven Sockeye enters and finds Thrasher waiting for him. He has no dislike for Thrasher and has no doubt that in a battle, because of his quickness he can beat the larger Sockeye. He tells himself, Thrasher only does what all Sockeye Salmon do: use their size and strength to bully lesser fish. Steven Sockeye decides to show Thrasher and the other Sockeye Salmon a better way to live together.
The circle of Sockeye Salmon grows excited, waiting for the battle signal to be given, Thrasher swims toward Steven Sockeye, and a muttering of Scarside sounds around Steven Sockeye. Louder shouts of Thrasher drown out Steven Sockeye's supporters, until the entire circle seems to cry Thrasher. Thrasher dives until his belly touches the lake bottom, then propels himself upward toward the surface. When he breaks clear of the water, he soars five feet into the air. This is an unbelievable height for a juvenile Sockeye Salmon to reach. In the air, Thrasher fans his tail ten times and splashes loudly back into the water.
When Thrasher swims back into the circle, an awed silence awaits him, because the gathering can't believe the jump it saw. Steven Sockeye feels sure he can equal Thrasher's leap, but a bigger leap will not support his idea of what a leader ought to be. He swims to the middle of the circle and takes advantage of the silence by speaking to the gathering:
"I will not fight Thrasher, because I believe whoever leads us should lead from the strength of his or her ideas, not from the strength of his body."
"You are trying to cover up that you are afraid of Thrasher," a Sockeye Salmon shouts, and all of Thrasher's supporters laugh at Steven Sockeye.
"What is an idea, Scarside," a weak voice comes from a tiny colorless Sockeye Salmon who Steven Sockeye earlier encouraged to join him. The knowledge that a white, non-silver Sockeye Salmon could have the nerve to speak to a normal silver Sockeye Salmon further silences the gathering, because an inferior should know to stay silent. They now become curious about what Steven Sockeye's answer will be.
"I am Steven Sockeye to you, my brothers and sisters and to any fish who wants me as a friend. To those who think of me as an enemy or as food, I am Scarside. That is my idea of what I am. So, little sister, an idea is a way of reacting to something." He tells the redd about the eagle grabbing Jennifer because of his dreams of glory in the ocean and growing fat because he believed he did not have to improve himself. He then tells them about his pledge not to lose another Sockeye Salmon. He tells them about banging into the Steelhead Trout to gain the best swimming skills in order to lead them to the ocean.
He tells his redd he did not believe it was Jennifer's fault that she was born small and a girl, just as it is not the fault of white Sockeyes to be born without silver skin. Even if they are the color of the moon, they are still Sockeye Salmon. At first, the gathering snickers at his tale of Jennifer, because they think Thrasher the best fish to lead them. Then Steven Sockeye tells them his idea that no Sockeye Salmon should be gone because they become sick or have an accident as long as there are other Sockeye Salmon to help them. He tells them that no Sockeye Salmon should fill his belly while others have no food, that no Sockeye Salmon should have shelter when the others are exposed to those who would eat them. He tells them Thrasher's trip to the ocean will be fast for those Sockeye Salmon who can keep up with him. His trip to the ocean will be slow and safe, and all will make it. He finally tells them to listen to what Thrasher has to say and then vote for the leader they want.
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