His mommy did not reappear.

Erodicilee continued howling while pawing at his nose until his sense of smell returned. It was gradual, but soon he started sniffing around. Anxiety flooded him as he scampered, his ears flattening as he searched. He stopped at a section of earth when he detected the faintest traces of his mommy .

With an excited howl, he dug into that spot, his paws aching with the effort. Sand flew around him as he dug. A whine escaped his muzzle when his mommy didn’t appear. Erodicilee sat next to his hole and looked around. She hadn’t reappeared.

His stomach growled.

Once again, he scoured the area, eventually heading back to the battlefield. The creature’s strange, singular track remained, along with the lingering scent of its smoke attack. Erodicilee growled as he made sure the beast hadn’t come back. He knew it might. The ambusher had appeared without warning. His fur writhed as he growled. He refused to be surprised again.

When no signs of either the ambusher, its beast, or his mommy appeared, he sat in the sand with a soft thump. The fact that the creature that hurt his mommy had vanished made his ears droop as he let out a high-pitched whine.

He knew the ambusher was responsible—it and the smelly beast. The ambusher held a similar device to that the yellow companion had used to kill the predator. That meant it might be capable of the same level of destruction. A protective urge filled him, and he looked around.

If the creature was capable of such things, he needed to grow strong enough to protect his mommy. He jerked, almost leaping into the air, as an explosion of new instincts assaulted him. His insides writhed, and his stomach growled. A sniff told him the fresh meat scent lay in the same direction as the tracks.

Energy filled him as he trotted off across the sands, though a different type than when he’d attacked the ambusher. Instead of aggression, excitement filled him. The same sensation as when his mommy took him for walks or presented treats.

As he hunted, his mouth watered as he focused on his future meal. His fur rippled as his instincts whispered about the strength he would gain. How beneficial his new diet would be for him.

Upon finding the location of the pleasant scent, his nose wrinkled at the foul scent that accompanied it. The worst smell emanated from a creature that lay unmoving on the ground, its body flattened in the middle while other parts bulged out. All around it, black specks moved back and forth through the air, emitting a strange buzzing noise.

Erodicilee paused, noticing the way the creature’s stillness attracted the specks of meat. He knew the strategy well. His mommy often praised him when he sat still and allowed her companions to touch him. It appeared it could act as a good hunting strategy as well. With his mind made up, he moved a few inches closer and sat down.

At his approach, the black specks went crazy. Some ran from the area entirely, while others whirled through the air. Through it all, Erodicilee stayed still and silent. His efforts paid off as one of the black meat specks landed on his head.

It weighed nothing, and the way its multiple legs tramped made his fur want to move. Erodicilee willed it to remain still, waiting for the perfect chance to strike. It came seconds later. With a buzz, the creature rose into the air. Strands of fur shot up and around the creature, cocooning it and dragging it back to his body.

Without thinking, he licked his snout, his stomach growling as the fur writhed. Strands twisted and unraveled as they passed the meat toward his mouth.

Slowly, he opened his jaw and allowed the fur to deposit the morsel before he quickly snapped his jaw shut. The creature buzzed, throwing itself against his teeth. With a quick press of his tongue, he crushed it against the roof of his mouth. Strange juices squirted as he quickly swallowed the tiny creature.

An explosion of sensations overwhelmed him.

Erodicilee fought to stop the violent jerks that ravaged his body. His eyes remained locked on the other black specks as he digested his meal. Inside his stomach, heat radiated outward before concentrating on certain sections of the body. The pads of his paws burned against the sand, and his eyes welled up with tears, even as he continued to spasm with every heat flash.

A whine escaped him as he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to get the burning in his paws to subside by dancing on the spot.

His paws burned painfully for a second more before the entire sensation vanished. Erodicilee yipped as he sat and shook his head. More instincts hit him about the ways his body could move that were simultaneously unfamiliar and obvious.

He shuffled in excitement as the knowledge settled inside of him. The treats that sat on the cold box would now be reachable.

Once more, his stomach growled, and he returned to his previous spot, sitting still and watching the black specks. The mass of them had lessened, but he remained hungry, even after his snack. When the next one landed on him, he snapped it up and quickly gulped it down. This time, there was no explosive burst.

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Erodicilee didn’t let that dissuade him, as his growling stomach demanded more. By the time he’d finished eating all the specks, the sun was setting. With his last bite, the sensation hit him again.

It was less volatile this time, even as he jerked and his eyes filled with tears. He focused on his eyes, whining and pawing at them. When he opened them next, he fell over with a terrified yelp. All of his surroundings were now visible, including where he’d come from. When he spun, he found nothing changed.

His fur shifted, and he pawed at the dirt until understanding of his upgraded vision settled into his mind. He turned and focused on the tracks that ran alongside him. Excitement filled him as he bounded along with them while he kept a lookout for somewhere to sleep. With this new vision, he could always see his mommy, wherever they were. Now he couldn’t miss her by accident.

Two tall rocks rose to his left as he continued to follow the tracks, with a gap near the top he could fit in. He veered away from the track and moved to the rocks. With a wiggle, he jumped, feeling his feet stick to the side of the rough stone. His fur waved in the slight breeze as he made his way to the top and crawled into the crack.

He shivered in the chilly night air as he tucked his legs underneath him and faced the opening. When he closed his eyes, the new awareness of his surroundings instantly shut off. A whine escaped him as he fell asleep, and his fur wafted in the breeze as he dreamed of all the walks he’d gone on with his mommy.

***

Erodicilee’s growling stomach woke him from his pleasant dreams as the scent of fresh meat invaded his small sleeping cave.

His fur writhed sluggishly as a yawn escaped his lips. Without opening his eyes, he sniffed at the air, seeing if he could detect any hints of his mommy’s presence along with his future breakfast. He growled when he couldn’t and sat up, opening his eyes.

His surroundings filled his awareness once again as he exited the cave—it was time to hunt. The target, thankfully, wasn’t far, so he carefully crept across towards the rocks it lay on. The creature was smaller than him but larger than the black specks, making it a filling meal. He couldn’t stop himself from salivating at the prospect. His instincts screamed at him to hurry.

Erodicilee knew they were right. He couldn’t miss this opportunity to grow in strength and to make his mommy proud of him. Spikes covered the rock-colored creature, peppering its back and the small legs protruding from its long body. Its two bulbous eyes fixed on him as he approached.

He let his tongue hang out and paused, waiting as he did with the flies. The creature stared at him, and he stared back. Time passed, but it didn’t jump on him like his last meal. His fur rustled, and he took an extra step forward in case he needed to be closer.

It let loose a squeaking bark as it got bigger, its legs extending as its sides expanded. Erodicilee barked back, which made it move side to side in a rhythmic dance. Joy rushed through him. He knew this trick. His mommy loved watching him move to impress the others that came to their home.

At his movements, the creature stopped and let out another squeaking bark. Before Erodicilee could copy the sound, it ran off. He chased, kicking up dirt as he hunted down his prey. They ran past some rocks, and the creature scurried up the side.

From its position, it barked, and Erodicilee stopped to stare at it. He barked back, then threw himself forward and climbed after it. It tried to scurry away, but not fast enough.

With speed, his fur shot forward and wrapped around one of its back legs. It barked and pulled, and he did the same in the opposite direction. Bits of his fur snapped, and he moved forward to reinforce his grip. The creature wiggled, unsure how to deal with the lack of force pulling it back.

The creature's indecision was all he needed to capitalize. More fur shot out, grabbing it and dragging it further as he climbed back to the ground. Step by step, he pulled his prey closer until it was half wrapped by fur as it hung about him.

His stomach gurgled, and his instincts sang as he dragged the creature into his open mouth. The crunch was loud in the otherwise silent surroundings. It took him multiple bites to consume the entire thing, and only when he’d finished did he get the familiar sensation of his instincts exploding.

This time, the heat didn’t move to certain sections of his body. It fanned out, filling him entirely until he flipped onto his back and rolled about, hoping to make it stop. To his relief, it did.

Instincts relating to his body flooded him, telling him to eat if injured. As he wiggled in excitement, he could feel the slight scorching from the hot dirt on his paws fade as he digested his meal.

Satisfaction surged through him as he basked in the triumph of his successful hunt. Pleased with his new powers, he turned to once again follow the ambushers' tracks. Erodicilee blinked, and then ran in a small circle.

They were gone! He’d lost the trail. With a low whine, he quickly tried to find his way back to the cave but his long fur brushed away any of his own markings. He was lost; again. Erodicilee sniffed, trying to see if he could locate the acrid smell the creature left off. All he got instead was the scent of wet earth and fresh vegetation. His tongue hung from the side of his mouth as he panted. He knew those smells, they meant water was nearby. With the sun beating down overhead, he rushed towards it. All creatures needed to drink, perhaps the ambusher would be there, or better yet, his mommy!

As he drew closer his stomach growled. Other meat sources were nearby, and a big one at that.

His ears picked up the sounds of movement and rushing water as he drew closer to his destination. He sat, stunned, as he watched water pour down a series of rocks into a pool below. Greenery surrounded it, tremendously different from the bare earth that he’d walked through so far.

With a careful scan, he didn’t see any creatures, though he smelled one nearby. Erodicilee let out a yip as he moved toward the water. Once again, he stopped, searching around. All he saw was a log drifting by itself. Unconcerned, he lapped at the water before pulling away with a yelp.

The log had teeth and was coming right for him!

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Progression: Evolutions

* 360 Vision (Flies)

* Sticky Feet (Flies)

* Limb Regeneration (Lizard)