A Boy and his Dog

Three days had passed since Marcus had returned to his cave.

In that small amount of time, Cooper had grown at an incredible pace. He had went from being just about the size of a puppy to that of a grown german shepherd, and apparently it was still growing. The downside to this was that he needed a lot of food, but luckily it had been proven to be an exceptional hunter, catching a lot of small animals thanks to its speed and senses, to the point that it was also feeding its owner. Though to be fair, Marcus was still leaving most of the preys to Cooper, mostly for two reasons: first, the animal was growing and needed more food, and second he now suspected that the constant hunger that was plaguing him was directly tied to his ability to lay eggs. And since he didn't feel mentally ready to repeat that experience he ate just enough to keep himself going, leaving no excess food for... producing offspring.

Anyway, since the puppy was providing food for both, that meant that he had more time to work on his equipment.

Using the skins and tendons of the captured animals (mostly rodents and rabbits) he managed to sew a small fur coat. It was barely enough to cover his shoulder, but it kept him warm and that was enough.

He had also managed to turn the boar's fangs into a couple of curved daggers, which were much more effective and useful than the shell knife he had before. Finally, he had also made another grass belt and leaves kilt, since the one he had were wilting, and the new ones were much better than the old.

All in all, he was ready to resume his exploration of these lands... save for one thing.

He still needed to know more about Cooper.

As far as he knew, the animal didn't develop any personality. Apart from instinctive behaviours, like eating, hunting or sleeping, it didn't show any sign of autonomy. Everything it did was a consequence of Marcus's thoughts and feelings, be they conscious or subconscious.

If he was sad, Cooper would rub against him (unless he desired to be left alone of course). If he was hungry, it would bring him food. Conscious "orders" had a precedence, but otherwise the puppy would instinctively do everything it could to please its master.

Marcus, in turn, always felt the animal's presence in a corner of its mind, but he had learned to ignore it for the most part, relegating it to his subconscious unless he decided to actually focus on it. Cooper didn't really have feelings or thoughts of his own, so it was easy to do that. But the link between the two of them was always present, and the puppy constantly used its master's experience and intelligence to take decisions.

There was also the question of the range of that mental link. Marcus had tested it by sending Cooper to explore the territory and the link never disappeared or weakened, though to be fair he didn't send the animal further than a few kilometers.

Anyway, that was an excellent range, and it allowed the puppy to freely hunt and explore while Marcus remained hidden and safe in his cavern.

And that presented him with a really good opportunity: he could actually use Cooper to scout out the tower while remaining hidden in the cave. He didn't know if the link would endure such a distance (the tower was more than 10 kilometers away after all), but it was worth a shot.

The only problem with this plan was that he didn't like it one bit. He had always been a man that had done things by himself, refusing to rely on others. Sending someone else to risk their own life while he remained hidden was really something that he would have never done.

Sure, the animal seemed more like a part of him than an actual sentient being, but even that it didn't feel right.

Moreover, letting the puppy explore while he was hidden in the cave would be a huge blow to his pride, another reminder of his current weak and pathetic condition.

The logical thing to do was to just send Cooper to scout ahead, but his pride as a man dictated otherwise. Moreover, he was getting sick of staying in that damp cave, even with a fire and food.

He wanted to get out, to explore and basically to do anything to take control of his own life.

Also, thinking about it, there was another matter to take into consideration: even if the puppy found people at the tower, it didn't have any mean to communicate with them. So Marcus would have to reach the tower by himself eventually, and he much preferred to do that now.

At that point, the decision was taken. Marcus and Cooper were going to travel to the tower together. After all the animal's senses were sharp enough to spot most potential dangers, and the he was probably more safe with him than alone.

Of course, if the people in the tower would prove to be hostile it could be a problem... but the man was confident he could sneak near them to gauge their intention first.

It was a nice, clear morning, perfect for travelling. Marcus didn't see any reason to wait, so he grabbed his spear, took a bit of meat and water with him in a grass basket, and with Cooper at his side he departed from the cave, heading towards the tower.

The journey was luckily quite uneventful. Thanks to the animal's senses, the duo was able to spot all possible dangers in advance and avoid them. Quite a few times they had hidden from predators or avoided some areas which didn't smell right, with the result that they didn't meet anything that threatened them.

Later that afternoon they finally reached the field of carnivorous plants, where Marcus decided to set camp.

He started enlarging the hole in the ground he had left three days before, so that it could accommodate both him and Cooper, while the latter went hunting for something to eat.

It was evening when it returned, with what looked like a couple of big rabbits in its mouth.

Marcus had of course followed all the movements of the "dog" with his mind, directing him towards the most suitable prey. It was really like moving one part of his own body, but still he couldn't help but feel a stint of envy towards it.

Cooper's body was strong and powerful, perfect for hunting. Its back was protected by a chitin armor covered in spines, and its large mouth was filled with dangerous looking teeth. It was a perfect predator, and comparing it with his own child-like body was quite harsh for Marcus.

Well, at least I can say with confidence that I'm the one thinking for both. Literally. He thought sourly But that still doesn't change the fact that I'd wish for a better body. The only things this body of mine seems good for is eating and... laying eggs.

He sighed, grabbing the dead rabbits and starting to skin them using one of his knives. At least now things were going much better than they used to: he had a faithful, powerful companion to hunt for him and protect him, he was no longer hungry (or at least, not too much) and he was finally about to reach the tower.

All things considered, he didn't really had many reasons to complain compared to before.

But feelings and emotions are a fickle thing, and though he rationally knew that complaining would get him nothing, he couldn't really help it.

He sighed again.

Looking at the bright side, maybe tomorrow he would reach civilization... and if the natives were nice enough, he would be able to get a nice dinner and a bath. A long, warm and luxurious bath to wash away all the dirt, the blood and the dry mud that was covering him.

He was still daydreaming while biting off the raw head of one rabbit, giving the other to Cooper.

The next day, Marcus resumed his march to the tower.

Despite all of his hopeful expectations, he decided to proceed very cautiously. After all, he didn't know if the people of this world would be hostile or not.

After a few hours of walking, he finally got to the base of the hill upon which was the tower.

Hidden by the trees and the bushes, he tried to see the details of the building, and what the occupants looked like, but it was hard to get the details from his position. He could only tell that the building was circular and rather squat.

"Well, no choice but to get closer." he whispered to himself "Time to be sneaky then!"

He had Cooper sniff the ground and the air ahead of him. There was a strong smell there, a smell of many creatures that regularly passed through that area. He couldn't tell what creature they were though, apart from the fact that they weren't something he had met before.

Dammit, I don't even know how humans are supposed to smell here! He thought with irritation The only way to know is to see them with my eyes!

He started climbing the hill with Cooper at his side. He moved carefully, trying not to make any sound. An inexplicable tension filled his mind, resonating from the "dog": something about the smell of the creatures living on this hill wasn't right. They smelled dangerous.

But he had gone too far to stop right now, so he continued to advance.

After an hour or so, he had almost reached the top of the hill, and he realized that he (or rather the dog) could hear some voices.

He tried to listen, but he was still too far to actually pick up specific words. Anyway, he was sure that they were actual words, not just the sound of an animal.

Finally! He thought I finally found people! Now, let's try to see what they look like...

Slowly, he and Cooper sneaked closer, using trees and bushes to hide their presence, until they reached the limits of a big clearing, and in its center there was the tower.

Marcus peeked at it from behind a tree. The tower was an impressive construction, a big, stout building made of gray, smooth stones that were shining in the daylight. Only the moss and vines that were climbing to it betrayed its age.

At the base of the tower there were some other structures, more recent and much less impressive: mostly leather tents and wooden shacks, all looking rather poorly made. A few humanoid figures were moving through that camp gathering wood, repairing things and doing other things.

But those weren't humans.

From what Marcus could see, those creatures were indeed humanoid, but they had pale gray skins, huge bat-like ears and were much shorter than a human. Their arms were very long, to the point that they could touch the ground if they crouched, and most of them were very thin. From what he could see of their faces, they had somewhat square faces, with flat noses and big mouths, and two big, bulgy red eyes. They were also completely hairless.

What are these creatures!?! Gremlins!?! Marcus thought What do I do now? I don't know if they are friendly or not... I mean, we're not even the same species! They could help me, but they're just as likely to just kill me and eat me!

Marcus was still in astonishment, when a gasping sound coming from his right attracted his attention. He turned immediately, and saw one of those creatures, carrying a bundle of wood, that was staring at him and the dog with a shocked expression on his face.

The two were paralyzed for a while, staying absolutely still and silent, but then Marcus tried to make a reassuring gesture to the creature.

"Ehm... hi there!" he said in a friendly tone, raising his hands to show he had no bad intentions, but then the creatures just dropped the wood he was carrying and bolted for the tower, screaming in fear.

"Well... there goes my good first impression!" Marcus said sardonically.

In response to those screams, a dozen or so of those creatures emerged from the tower, all armed with wooden spears, maces and axes, and they immediately ran towards Marcus's direction.

"Aaaaaand speaking of going, I should probably!" He added, immediately starting to run downhill, with Cooper at his side.

Running in the wood wasn't really safe and there was the risk of tripping and stumbling down to the base of the hill, but Marcus threw all caution to the wind in order to run faster, jumping over rocks, dodging trees and risking to fall more than once.

But he was lucky, and that didn't happen.

Meanwhile, at his side, Cooper was having no trouble at all. Heck, it could have easily left him behind if it wanted to, but again what the dog wanted was literally what Marcus wanted, and he certainly didn't want to be left behind.

The two kept running until they finally reached the base of the hill. The man felt as if his lungs were about to explode, and he needed a pause. So he stopped, crouching over with his hands on his knees, gasping for air. Only then he turned to see if the "gremlins" were still on his trail.

A wooden spear flew, barely missing him and grazing his shoulder. The humanoids were only a few dozen meters away, and they were throwing their weapon at him.

"OH SHIT!" Marcus cried, resuming his run... but this time, he was too shocked and tired, and tripped after a few steps.

The gremlins were immediately upon him and fear and panic rushed through his mind.

It was then that he heard a wild, angry growl, and some part of his mind seemed to shut up in utter fury.

Cooper, still growling, a weird sound that reverberated with an insectoid echo, threw itself against the creatures, its huge mouth open to show an impressive collection of needle sharp teeths.

It pounced the first one, throwing it on the ground with its own weight, and the humanoid screams were cut shorts by Cooper's fangs crushing his throat.

The other gremlins were taken by surprise for a few seconds, and that gave the animal the opportunity to attack another one. This time, the small humanoid tried to defend himself by raising his arms, but Cooper's bit right through them, ripping his right arm off.

The others, recovering from the shock, tried to counterattack by throwing their spears at the dog, but its chitin armor protected it, letting it free to assault another one of the creatures.

At this point, the group started panicking, putting distance between them and the terrifying predator that was killing one after the other, but one lone humanoid stood firm. It was bigger than the others, at least one head taller and much larger, with part his gray skin covered by scales. The creature was armed with a big wooden club, and it met Cooper's assault with a cold, calm gaze, remaining perfectly still in guard position.

As soon as the dog threw itself at him, the big humanoid moved with surprising speed, hitting the animal mid-jump with his club and sending it fly three meters away.

The dog whimpered, bouncing on the ground, but it immediately stood, albeit shaking and wobbling.

The blow hadn't been enough to put it out of commission, but it surely had been effective.

During this, Marcus was still on the ground, looking confusedly at the scene before him.

For the first time, he couldn't really feel Cooper like a part of himself. As soon as he had been wounded by those creatures, the animal's mind had shut down, filled with nothing but murderous rage towards those that had dared to harm its master.

But even then, it didn't seem like that berserk rage was enough. The big "gremlin" was clearly an experienced warrior, and Cooper's wild assault weren't enough to defeat him. To make things worse, the other gremlins were now coming back, rallying after their leader.

If Marcus didn't do anything, that would be the end of both him and the dog.

So, he struggled to enter the angered mind of the dog. In order to survive, they needed to defeat that big humanoid before the others could join the fight. And to do that, they needed a plan.

Listen to me, you stupid mutt! He thought with rage, trying to overcome the barrier of pure instinct that was keeping him from Cooper's mind If you want to help me, you need to do as I tell you! OBEY ME! LISTEN!

With a sudden flow of willpower, Marcus finally managed to dispel the rage that was filling the dog's head, calming it down and re establishing the link between the two of them.

They only had one chance, and they had to make it work.

Following its master's instructions, the dog kept on wobbling, making a few tentative step towards the big "gremlin" while growling weakly. It wasn't actually that hurt, but for the plan's sake, he had to look like it was.

With a confident smirk on its face, the gremlin simply grabbed his club with both hands and walked towards the animal, ready to give it the final blow.

It was at this time, when no one was paying attention to him, that Marcus finally jumped on his feet, took one dagger out of his belt and jumped at the humanoid.

The creature registered his presence when he was almost upon him, and turned around surprisingly quickly, easily swatting away Marcus's dagger with his club. He then smirked down at his seemingly pitiful opponent, raising his weapon to kill him.

He never got the chance.

As soon as the gremlin was distracted, Marcus made Cooper drop the "too wounded to fight" act, and the animal immediately pounced at the humanoid, lunging at his throat.

The animal and the gremlin both fell down on the ground, the latter trying to free himself, but the dog didn't let go, biting even harder.

Then Cooper jerked his head away, tearing off almost all of the creature's throat with a huge splash of blood. The gremling tried to shriek, but only a weak gurgle came from his mouth, before rolling his eyes and staying still.

The rest of the hunters, which had beginning to approach in the meantime, were visibly appalled and scared by this spectacle, and when Cooper and Marcus turned to face them they simply ran away, disappearing in the direction of the tower.

Marcus stood still for a few seconds, and then it let himself fell on the ground, the tension and fatigue of that escape and fight finally getting him.

"Well, this could have gone better..." he said sarcastically.