Answer:
I am the fountain from which no one can drink. For many I am considered a necessary link. Like gold to all I am sought for, but my continued death brings wealth for all to want more.
I am the heart that does not beat. If cut, I bleed without blood. I can fly, but have no wings. I can float, but have no fins. I can sing, but have no mouth.
It has no top or bottom, but it can hold flesh, bones, and blood all at the same time.
Face with a tree, skin like the sea. A great beast I am. Yet vermin frightens me.
I run through hills. I veer around mountains. I leap over rivers. And crawl through the forests. Step out your door to find me.
Why was the cook arrested?