Erodicilee approached the water with caution, scanning the surroundings for any signs of potential danger.

　　When he was confident that neither ambushers nor bitey logs would leap from the water, he allowed himself to drink his fill. It tasted like dirt, but he ignored it for now. His body had cried out for water after so long tunneling away from his previous hiding spot.

　　A flash of annoyance filled him at having to flee, though he also felt pride at defeating the ambusher. It had been strong and quick, and it didn`t seem to want to die. Fearful shudders overcame him as he remembered the weapon it had used. Unlike his owner`s companion, there was no warning light.

　　It was dangerous. Too dangerous. Erodicilee paused, committing the image of that weapon to his memory. As he did, he made a decision that he needed to avoid, or kill if it was alone, anything carrying such a weapon.

　　With that in mind, he made use of the power he`d received from killing the strange squeaking creatures in the cave. He inhaled and barked. It sounded higher-pitched than normal to his ears, and suddenly he knew the exact location of everything around him.

　　There was no threat, and so he took an opportunity he hadn`t had for a long time. Erodicilee played. He ran into the water, splashing and rolling as he rid himself of all the fur that had accumulated during his dig.

　　Water splashed into the air as he dived, letting his fur tendrils pull him about as they grasped the tree roots near the bank. Around him, the shimmering creatures that lived in the water fled from his presence.

　　The next time he broke the surface, he kept his eyes closed and breathed in deeply. He`d found that during his time in the caves, the sensation of so many scents would overwhelm him less if he did.

　　Scents bombarded him, and he let himself slowly sift through them. In the immediate area were the things he`d already noticed. Wet dirt, water, and some smaller creatures that wouldn`t make so much as a good snack. Further abroad were things that caught his interest. A small group of ambushers were gathered together, and he could smell something burning. Briefly, he fixated on that before something else demanded his attention.

　　A predator was further downstream, moving fast towards the group of ambushers. Erodicilee growled, and his leg throbbed. The beast was back, and with luck, the ambusher`s presence would distract it from his approach. Good. That gave him an opportunity.

　　After making sure no other predators were nearby, he ran along the stream, heading closer to his revenge. The power he`d gained from the ambusher felt like it would allow him to run at his top speed for far longer than he`d ever managed. Not only that, but he felt less tired, no matter the task. He yipped happily. That meant extended playtime with his mommy! She would be pleased.

　　Soft dirt squelched under his paws, and soon he slowed down as he approached the ambushers. Once or twice, he stopped, briefly closing his eyes as he tracked where everyone`s position was. One ambusher was in the water, with another close by. The third was off elsewhere as the predator continued towards them.

　　He pressed himself against a rock and peaked around. His sight confirmed what his nose told him, but he got a few more details. The ambusher in the water was even smaller than the one that had fed him treats. She wore some kind of bright orange material and let out those high-pitched barks as he played in the water.

　　The other ambusher, with long black fur, was sitting nearby on some kind of material. Strange smells came from containers around her, but none were meat or treats. He wrinkled his nose and looked back toward the water. It took a second, but soon he spotted the bitey log that floated along.

　　He growled low as he got ready to sprint. He remembered how quickly it could dash out of the water. With the young ambusher acting as bait, he could dash in and attack while she distracted it with her antics. Pride filled him with the idea.

　　Moments before he started running, a scream filled the air. Another peek around the rock showed the bigger ambusher scooping up a container as they sprinted forward. He growled again. They wouldn`t take this kill from him!

　　His breathing quickened as he shot forward, tendrils forming above him as he dashed towards the smaller ambusher. She was screaming now, too. The two sounds made his ears ache. With a whine, he flattened them to the top of his skull and pushed faster. The bitey log was almost in place. In moments, it would surge forward, mouth open, to devour the ambusher whole.

　　Erodicilee hit it first.

　　Water sprayed into the air as he leapt onto its back, digging his claws in. The predator`s tough skin made it hard, but he broke through. Before his tendrils could wrap around it to secure his position, it rolled.

　　He found himself submerged and popped up quickly beside the beast. A heavy tail smacked him in the face, and he barked as he found himself shoved further away. Screams continued to fill the air, but he was more concerned with the view in front of him. Even with his enhanced vision, too much of what he could see was teeth. His tendrils snapped out, and he wrapped them around a nearby tree room.

　　The jaws snapped down inches from his leg, but the tendrils had reeled him away in time. Erodicilee barked as his back hit the tree, and he untangled himself. His opponent surged toward him, mouth still open. With effort, he scrambled onto the bank and ran alongside the flowing water.

　　Stubby legs propelled it forward as it climbed onto the bank, but he found he could outpace it. While it was fast, it didn`t have nearly the speed it had when submerged. On the other bank, he could hear shouts, and he noticed the third ambusher had appeared. However, he couldn`t pay too much attention. Unable to catch up, the predator slowed and slid towards the water. That couldn`t happen. With an annoyed bark, he turned and shot the tendrils out. They wrapped around the creature`s tail, and he scrabbled in the dirt as he tried to slow it.

　　The predator let out a deep roaring sound—a primal expression of its rage that stopped only when Erodicilee hit the water with a splash. Water filled his mouth as the tail whipped around, sending him flying. Disoriented, he reeled himself in, smacking against the creature`s side. His nose stung, but he ignored it, instead trying to scrabble at the hide as much as he could.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

　　Claws used for digging now pierced the leather hide, and he found himself thrown about. Bubbles raced to the surface as he tried to bark his fury. His world became explosive movements, more rolls, claws and snapping jaws that never reached him.

　　Then everything went silent.

　　Together, they sank, and as they did, Erodicilee feasted. He bit, chewed, and clawed, dragging himself around the massive corpse as he fed. His entire world became focused on consuming the meal, and when he finished, he simply let himself float.

　　A feeling of pride overwhelmed him as new instincts filled him. He`d gotten his revenge. Now it was time for new prey.

　　***

　　When he broke the surface, the ambushers were gone.

　　He sneezed, trying to dislodge the water in his nose, before taking a deep breath. None of them remained nearby, and so he felt safe enough to stand on the bank and shake himself off. His jaw still burned slightly, and he sniffed again, searching for anything he could test himself against. Instead of prey, he caught a scent that sent a shiver through his entire body.

　　He smelled her. It was faint and mingled with the scent of the ambushers, but it was unmistakably her. His tail wagged so hard it hurt, but he didn`t pay it much mind. She was close!

　　The strange ability he`d gained from the squeaky cave creatures offered him a mental image of the surrounding area. He winced and whined before he shook his head. That was unimportant. He needed to find her! If they reunited now, he knew he could keep her safe with all the new abilities he`d gained.

　　With a more normal bark this time, he raced off. His paws thumped against the dirt, and he spotted creatures fleeing as he passed. They didn`t matter. Nothing else mattered but her. Time passed, and he had to stop occasionally. Her smell kept moving, and he had to adjust his course once or twice.

　　As he got closer, he stopped. The smell of the others concerned him, but it didn`t stop him from creeping closer. Bushes rustled as he pushed between them and paused at the scene before him. He first focused on the beasts they rode, but then the sheer strangeness of the group caught his attention. Most were ambushers, but others appeared closer to the creatures that visited his home. He sniffed once more. All of them smelled like ambushers, but they also had his mommy`s distinct smell on them.

　　While faint, he knew with certainty that they`d been with her at some point recently.

　　None of them had those strange weapons attached to them. Erodicilee watched them, confused. Were these more of Mommy`s companions?

　　He was sure he recognized some of them. One of them was tall, with strangely pointed ears and green skin. Another one had shiny attachments, like the creature she talked to on the wall. Still, they all smelled like ambushers. Unsure what to do, he crept closer. If they proved to be a threat, he was confident he could escape.

　　None seemed to notice his approach, each of them barking at each other. He wagged his tail. They were like mommy`s friends! With a bark of his own, he flopped onto his back and kicked his paws in the air.

　　They turned, and one of them, with strange blue skin and a red crest on his head, barked at the others.

　　"Uhh, guys? I think we found him."

　　A female ambusher wrapped in yellow and black fabric made a strange motion with her hand. "We come in peace."

　　"You moron, it`s not going to understand English," another ambusher said.

　　"Maybe it does. Lecorondia doesn`t have an issue with it."

　　"Penny, it`s a dog."

　　"You`re a dog."

　　"Oh, my god, shut up, you guys." That came from a thin, green-skinned creature with glass covering its head. "It`s not going to talk. Do we have anything to feed it?"

　　Erodicilee sat, watching as they barked at each other again. His stomach growled, and he rose onto his back paws and put his front paws together. The smaller ambusher had given him food, and his mommy`s guests always loved watching him do tricks.

　　"I told you!" The ambusher, who made the strange hand motion, cried. "He totally can. See, he wants treats."

　　At that, he gave a joyful bark and dropped onto all four paws.

　　"Well, I don`t have any."

　　"My god, Chris, do you ever bring what we need? I thought you were the outdoorsy guy."

　　"Outdoorsy doesn`t mean I pack food for alien dogs. Hang on, maybe this will do?"

　　An ambusher in red and black fabric moved forward. Erodicilee noticed it had the same strange silver symbol as the one in yellow. In its hand was a strange treat-shaped object, but it didn`t smell right. He wrinkled his nose and backed away.

　　"Ok, he`s not going to eat a protein bar."

　　"Yeah, no shit. Uhh, hey question. How are we getting them back?"

　　Erodicilee watched them as they all suddenly went silent. He wasn`t sure he liked the way they were looking at each other, and so he wagged his tail. When that didn`t work, he tried his new bark, remembering how energetic the younger ambusher with the cages became.

　　"Mommy!"

　　The effect was instantaneous. They started shouting pointedly, and one of them collapsed. Erodicilee barked normally and wagged his tail.

　　"Did it talk?"

　　"It totally talked."

　　"What the hell do we do? She didn`t say it could talk!"

　　"Can it do any others?"

　　"Guys!" This came from the blue-skinned creature. "We need to call this in."

　　"I have the number saved," one of the ambushers said, raising a hand.

　　"Good work, Dave. Hey, maybe take a photo so they know we aren`t lying?"

　　Erodicilee growled as he saw the device, backing away as the creature raised it up. Then it flashed. With a howl, he launched himself forward, barreling through the crowd. He heard them yelling, but he ignored them and dug into the earth, fleeing underground.

　　As he dug, Erodicilee growled. He couldn`t trust any of them. However, they appeared to know where his mommy was. In a spray of dirt, he stopped, his ears flicking as he listened to them all the way down the tunnel.

　　From the sound they made, it was clear they were leaving. Erodicilee growled and waited for their beasts to leave.

　　He was sure he had a route now, and he would not let anything stand in his way.

　　With a bark, Erodicilee started back up the tunnel. He was coming home!

　　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)

　　Word Mimicry (Cockatoo)

　　Echolocation (Bat)

　　Enhanced Endurance (Human)

　　Enhanced Bite (Crocodile)