The Fountain of Lamneth
I. In the Valley
"Who am I?" the wolf asked himself. His entire memory had been wiped clean. "And how exactly did I end up here?" In his hand, he held some parchment with some illegible marks on it. He saw a river behind him and figured that he must have swam through that river to reach where he was now. There was also a large fence he could not scale near the river. He was amazed at the many beautiful things that surrounded him, verdant forests, the aforementioned river filled with beautiful, sparkling water, and plenty of game animals, the wolf could hunt down for food. Seeing as how there was no cognizant animal or human for miles around, he drank of the river and ate of the animals for several weeks. And he was happy having only the biological needs met- food, water, and shelter, the latter of which came in the form of a cave which he had adapted to fit his own very simple needs. And yet, there was one aspect of the scenery that the wolf found more than a little inviting- the solitary mountain in the east that dominated the landscape.
Based upon the topography of the land (he had done some exploring throughout those weeks), our lupine hero discovered that he lived all alone in the valley. The wolf knew that there must be other people in this world (his mother and father, his family and friends) but he had no way of contacting them. He knew that the mountain was to the east, for it held the sunrise alomst the same way a warden holds a prisoner until the time for release. Bits and pieces of his memory returned his dreams. From a recurring dream, he discovered he was seeking the Fountain of Lamneth- he could not remember what that fountain held other than water but he had assumed that the way to that fountain was indeed over the mountain. So he made his decision to climb the mountain to find his way back home.
After what seemed like an eternity, our wolf had climbed up the mountain and he looked down on the valley, with its rivers and forests thousands of feet below from the summit. From the opposite side, he could see a port town faacing the ocean. The fatigue of climbing and the sense of accomplishment made him feel light-headed and sleepy. The wolf saw a set of ruined columns surrounding a raised stone platform. He walked over there, closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep, on the ancient altar...
II. Didacts and Narpets
"We would like you to stay home and help us?" the elder wolves said to their cub
" To see the world, I must go.", the cub responded
"Can you at least find a job and work?"
"There are fortunes beyond work. No."
"Spend more time learning"
"I've had enough-it's time for me to live"
"You must earn and keep your money"
"To the poor, I must give"
"Should I stay with my parents who claim to know what's right or should I fight?"
"Listen to us, Albert!"
And with that the dream came to an end. The wolf, in his dreams, had seen his parents, learned his name and that filled him with a desire to go home. And so Albert began his descent from the mountain and within a few days had reached the port town. There, he filled his stomach with food, rested, and learned that a boat would be setting voyage back to his hometown. And after finding some quick employment, the wolf was able to earn enough money to go onto the ship called the S.S. Sandoz which he hoped would lead him back to his parents' hometown.
III. No One at the Bridge
The wolf soon woke up to find himself in a ship- a piece of wood had fallen off and knocked him unconscious. The sky was stormy, his vision was blurred by seaspray and soon he had found himself abandoned on board the ship alone with nobody there to keep him company. He took the wheel of the ship to guide it away from the craggy rocks and to avoid the high waves which were buffeting it from each side. Aboard the ship of freedom, Albert now felt as though he had been chained helpless to the mast.
Albert remembered how as a condition of his passage on the ship that he must be the one to spin the wheel back home. The days were sunny, the sea was as flat as a table, his map and compass, which his shipmates had given him showed the town where his parents lived.
But now the seas turned violent and all of his shipmates like the rats they were simply abandoned him. He would cry out, hoping for someone to give him direction back home but there was nobody there who could hear his desperate pleas for help. He could see a whirlpool forming and the ship was heading straight for it. He screamed out in desperation but there was no one at the bridge.
IV. Panacea
"Am I dead?" the wolf asked. Albert touched his paw to his chest and felt nothing but matted fur. He had survived even as remnants of the destroyed Sandoz washed ashore. Out of his eye, he saw a beautiful female wolf, clad in a shining white dress. She was standing over Albert and her beauty mesmerized him completely. The wolf now knew he as not alone for there was somebody who was there with him. Panacea was her name and she nursed him back to health after the shipwreck. Her home was beautiful as was she.
When at last Albert felt ready, he made known his desire to leave Panacea.
"No! No! NO! You mustn't leave, Albert! Spend the rest of your life here and grow old with me. We must live together in marriage for I have saved your life. I am your shelter from the stormy life you lived before. The greed in your heart will consume you and ultimately be your undoing."
Albert took Panacea's hand and could feel the comfort that she had provided him through the year-long recovery. He was torn- he needed to see his parents again but this woman was the only family he had met in the past few years. That night, before Albert left, he and Panacea made love beneath the stars. Even if tomorrow, he would be gone forever, Albert's heart would always be with Panacea.
V. Bacchus Plateau
Albert left Panacea's home for the east and found a beautiful prairie where the sky and the days seemed to last forever. A mole told the wolf about the world's best-tasting wine which was so good words could not describe it. When the wolf went to the mole's house which was located on a plateau overlooking the prairie, he took some of the clear wine and drank it.
"That wine is from the cask of '43, a fine year.," the mole said Suddenly, the room was filled with crimson light and his memories, however cloudy they were started playing in front of him- his time in the valley, mountain-climbing, the dream of his mom and dad, the shipwreck, and his times in Panacea's home all came back, clashing with each other. All of a sudden, he realized that as the nice as the mole was, that if he lived in such an intoxicated state he would lose track of his goal, meeting his parents and finding the Fountain of Lamneth, which he had found out from Panacea is nearby where his parents lived.
When he left the mole's house, he had no idea which way he had to go so he wandered until he found the sign which led him to the Lamneth village and fountain.
VI. The Fountain
At last, Albert had found his way home and saw his mother and father, who hadn't seen him in years. There was a huge celebration for finding him after so long- Albert's mother and father were so happy to see him. As the months passed, he could hear the whoosh of the fountain from behind the village, beckoning him to drink. He had always found it weird that the villagers had their water delivered from a well miles away or sent for the mole's wine instead of the perfectly-drinkable water from the fountain. So one day, he took a drink in spite of being warned not to by the villagers.
Suddenly, he found himself both in motion and still at the same time, crying uncontrollably. He felt as though he had never been more together but at the same time was falling apart at the seams. Albert felt immortal and knew that the villagers spoke of immortality at the Fountain of Lamneth. Albert ran across the river and with a superhuman jump, flew over the fence which was 20 feet above the ground. But when he tried to make it back, he couldn't jump the fence.
It hit Albert like a pound of bricks that the Fountain of Lamneth gives one eternal life and temporary superhuman powers but also wipes the memory clean and makes one go crazy. The fence was the same one that blocked his progress at the start of his journey, the valley behind him was the same where he had started out. The demonic fountain had the poor wolf trapped in a cycle and he didn't know how many times he'd gone through it or if it would ever stop. Those who drink from the fountain will be forced to live in an endless cycle, hoping for an end, be it a disruption of the cycle or annihilation altogether. He wrote down as much as he could about himself but in his fatigue, the quill left only indistinguishable marks on the paper. And soon he drifted off...
"Who am I?" the wolf asked himself. His entire memory had been wiped clean. "And how exactly did I end up here?" In his hand, he held some parchment with illegible marks on it.