Erodicilee awoke in his cave, still seething over the events of the day before.

　　He sniffed the air, noting that the previous night`s prey remained nearby. His ears twitched, and he heard the low barks and growls that told him they weren`t sitting near the edge of the cliff anymore.

　　Dirt puffed up as he crept up the cliff and peeked over the edge. Clustered into a group nearby, the creatures huddled together. A skinny one on the edge spotted him and growled. Erodicilee growled back.

　　More heads turned towards him, and he observed them all rise to give chase. He scampered away, strands of fur twisting together even as he dug into the side of the cliff. His memories of the night before remained fresh, and he knew he required better footing to not lose his prey.

　　This time, he would get fresh meat.

　　Clumps of dirt sprayed out behind him, and the occasional rock clattered loudly after he displaced it. All the while, the beasts watched, growling and snapping at him. He could smell them. Even with the mixed scents, he caught hints of fear and anger.

　　A part of him recognized it as a territorial response. The same emotions filled him whenever his mommy brought someone new to the house.

　　He entered his new cave and sat. His ears twitched, and he could hear them leaving, though not far away. A growl escaped him, and he let one of his tendril strands snake its way up to the cliff. It waved in the air—a similar strategy he`d used underwater.

　　A couple wandered over, but none took the bait. With the limited number, he received a better reading on each of the creatures. They stunk of desperation, and their slow steps and continually growling stomachs marked them as weak. Easy prey.

　　He withdrew his tendrils and tried to think about what to do. If they were hungry, perhaps meat would lure them forward? Erodicilee knew he`d come running for treats. But what did they want to eat?

　　His enhanced sight spotted no other life. With a bark, he spun around, hoping something would pop up. Nothing did. Then he stumbled on a rock and let out a yelp of pain as it sliced his leg. Green goo splashed the ground, and he sniffed. It smelled like him.

　　An idea came to mind, and he slowly dragged his tendrils through the green liquid. It drenched his fur, and he held them up, letting the liquid drip. As it did, he created more, but didn`t dip them. His plan required two layers. The green tendrils to act as bait, a show that he was invading their territory, injured—an easy meal. They would hide the pink tendrils, which would stay below the edge, ready to strike.

　　That would allow him to remain safely anchored in his cave, which would stop the captured prey from falling once again. With his plan ready, he sent the tendrils out to set the trap.

　　Erodicilee waited in the cave as the wind blew over his tendrils. Excitement hummed in his stomach as he listened to the slow approach of one creature. He smelled the hesitation, and he heard the hunger. His plan would work.

　　Then teeth gripped his tendril. A surge of hunger ripped through him, and he sent the other tendrils skyward. They burst from their spot against the cliffside, wrapping around the creature. It twisted, moving in ways its form shouldn`t. As quickly as he could, he spun more tendrils and rushed to stand on the ceiling to lessen the distance they needed to travel.

　　Barks and howls filled the air as he ripped his prey from the ground. The thrashing cocoon of fur fell. To counteract it, he ran forward, retracting his fur as he moved to the deepest spot in the cave. It wasn`t enough. A thump and crack told him the cocoon had hit the cliff, and he slid forward.

　　He growled, lowering his body as he tugged. The entrance came closer and closer until he sent out another smaller tendril to grab onto a small root. He forced himself back, panting, as he dragged his prize into the cave. Above, the other members of the beast`s pack went crazy. Snarls, barks, growls, and running feet thundered above him.

　　Erodicilee ignored them as he crept closer to the thrashing cocoon. Strands peeled away, and he locked eyes with it. Fear and rage met his hunger, and he opened his mouth, ignoring the thrashing. He`d start with the throat. It would make consuming it easier.

　　Instincts sang as the heat invaded his legs. He shuffled, scratching his limbs to make the heat go away. Pain filled him. He rolled onto his back with a whimper. Under his skin, things shifted and twitched.

　　He kicked at the air, each movement accompanied by a clicking in his legs as they reshaped. When the change ended, he shuffled in a short circuit around the cave. His stride had changed. While his steps weren`t longer, he found it easier to push off the ground.

　　Dust billowed behind him as he started running. Each step felt stronger, and he knew he was faster. His ears whipped behind him as pure joy consumed him. He knew he could easily outrun the ambushers now, and perhaps even their beasts, for a short time.

　　His stomach growled, and he paused his excited circuits. He was still hungry, his body demanding more of the delicious meat. With another bark, he leapt out of the cave and sprinted towards the pack. Rock and dirt rained to the earth below as he cleared the edge.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

　　The pack wasn`t ready for the assault. Erodicilee didn`t bother with tendrils, simply running and biting into the other weaker prey before it could get organized. His stomach growled, and his instincts sang as he ripped away flesh.

　　Barks filled the air, and as his interrupted meal struggled, he wrapped its neck and turned back towards the cliff. The pack chased him, but he ignored them as he leapt off the side. His feet stuck to the stone, and he slid as his prey plummeted. He followed it down, creating more tendrils to grab something to slow his descent.

　　A branch appeared, and he hung there, the meal he`d stolen dangling below him. He reeled it in, mouth open, as it approached. Then a heavy weight smacked into his back. Howls filled the air as he lost his grip on the branch. Another of the beasts had attacked him!

　　He lashed out with his paws, scratching, and biting as they tumbled towards the ground. The creature whose stomach he`d peeled a chunk out of hit the ground first. Erodicilee`s opponent smacked into it next with a loud thunk that silenced his original meal. That was fine. Another option had presented itself.

　　The pain from the fall would be gone soon, he knew, as he filled the creature`s open mouth with tendrils. Teeth bit and chewed at his fur, but the silver gleam kept them safe. Without further worry, he bit at the throat, letting the red liquid join the other that splattered against the ground.

　　Erodicilee ate until there was nothing left.

　　There was no heat or explosions of instinct, but he finally felt sated. With a delighted howl, he waited for his injuries to heal as he stared up from where he`d fallen.

　　A sniff told him the rest of the pack remained waiting for him. He licked his lips, cleaning the last of the red liquid from his fur. His instincts told him to climb the cliff. Power waited for him at the top, alongside fresh meat. With a bark, he raced up the cliffside, tendrils waving.

　　His prey fled. As he reached the top, the entire pack ran away. There were howls and panting breaths filling his ears as he gave chase. Fear covered the landscape, and it made his stomach growl. While surprised, he wasn`t upset that he was still hungry. Not when he had an excellent feast tiring itself out for him.

　　As the sun moved across the sky, Erodicilee ran.

　　***

　　To his disappointment, he scored only two more.

　　They were weaker members of the pack who flagged earlier than the others. Each time he stopped to feed, the stronger members pulled away. By the time he`d finished his latest meal, the others had vanished from sight. A piteous whine escaped him. He wanted to eat the rest.

　　His new legs carried him forward far faster than he could manage previously. While not fully running, the landscape passed faster. He kept his vision trained for any new snacks, and he even spotted a few. However, when he approached, they fled into hiding.

　　Not that hungry, he kept searching for untasted prey. Smells assaulted him, and he slowed his walk. He could smell sweat and adrenaline coming from two distinct creatures. A fight. The brutality of the noises told him that the combatants were both larger creatures.

　　Erodicilee crept forward, pausing as it laid eyes on the source of the smell. Two towering creatures were engaged in brutal combat next to a collection of wood with metal strung between them. They towered over him, their muscular bodies covered in fur. Large, long feet kept them stable as their smaller arms scratched and slapped at each other. Their tails swished behind them, keeping them balanced whenever they moved.

　　He crouched in the shrubs, watching them brawl. His stomach growled as he imagined what he`d get from eating them. Before his eyes, the biggest one jumped and lashed out with its powerful legs. Its foot slammed into its opponent`s stomach, sending it backwards and breaking up the scratch fight.

　　The smaller one attempted a kick, but his opponent turned, and the blow lanced off its side. Movement caught his attention, and he saw others of the same species gathered around. Some lay in the grass, but most stood watching. Now that the fight no longer distracted him, he could smell them, relaxed and tantalizing. His stomach gurgled at the smallest members jumping around.

　　However, when he looked back at the fight, he saw the power. While he felt confident about his past prey, he knew this would end badly. A kick like that would deal enough damage to cause him severe injuries.

　　A shiver ran through him, and he backed off. If he caught one alone, he`d take the chance, but for now, he needed to move. He followed the wooden pillars, remembering them from places his mommy would take him.

　　As he ran, he noticed a new stench. It was an unfamiliar scent, and it made his stomach rumble. Erodicilee paused for the second time as he peered through the wires at the strange creatures. They were four-legged, with long tails with tufts of fur at the ends. Brown and white splotches covered its body, and it slowly chewed at the grass.

　　There was a strange red and white section around one of its legs, but he ignored that. All he wanted was to feed. Tendrils pushed at the bottom piece of metal, allowing him to wiggle under the barrier. The creature let out a strange bellowing sound and ran.

　　He chased it, easily gaining on it as it hobbled away. Other similar creatures made the same sound as they ran, but he ignored them. All his attention focused on his current prey. He leapt, chomping at its back legs until it fell. Then he feasted.

　　Instincts burst inside him, and his face burned. He sneezed once, twice, thrice. With a whine, he pawed at his face as he sat shivering on the ground. Then he sniffed, and the world changed.

　　Scents overwhelmed him, battering against his mind. The fighting beasts, the water in the far distance, and the ambusher to his left. He could smell things his vision couldn`t pick up, and he shivered.

　　His body wracked with shakes; he couldn`t fight as the ambusher started coming closer, faster and faster. The familiar whine of its beast filled the air. Then the ambusher arrived, and he continued shaking, surrounded by the remnants of his meal.

　　Relief swept over him as he spotted it didn`t carry the same weapon as the others. Its face held strange lines, and its cheeks were pink like those of his mommy, and it even had a similar head item as she had. The creature bared its teeth.

　　"Well then, what on earth are you, my dear?" It barked before the fresh sensation overwhelmed him, and it all went dark.

　　Progression: Evolutions

　　360 Vision (Flies)

　　Sticky Feet (Flies)

　　Limb Regeneration (Lizard)

　　Gills (Fish)

　　Scaled Fur (Fish)

　　Digging (Wombat)

　　Enhance Speed (Dingo)

　　Enhanced Smell - Distance Increase (Cow)