A Fable About Fatigue

There once was a bear who lived in the far north.
There was a time when the bear had the love of a she-bear and cubs but that was long ago.
The bear was very old.
He had been alone for a very long time.
Every winter he would hibernate.
Every spring he would stumble out of his den confused and starving.
Every summer he would fish the salmon runs.
Every fall he would gorge himself on anything he could.
Repeat.
He had been doing this for many years.
He was tired of the routine.
Tired of the solitude.
Tired of it all.
But still he went through the motions.
Eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating.
He found no joy in any of it.
One day while he was foraging a pack of wolves came upon him.
There was a time when he could have fended them off.
But the bear simply sighed, laid down, and closed his eyes.
The wolves began to slowly circle.
Time passed.
The wolves moved on, satiated.
The bear was no more.