A.N. The following is a nonprofit fan fiction. I do not owe any of these characters, or the stories they originate from. Please support the official release.

Summary for the chapter: Rebecca and Arcanine are down on their luck with finding food. It's not helped by the fact that the seasonal drought is nearing.

The days were getting hotter. It's been weeks since the last rain, and the drought is sweeping over the jungle. Already the lush green foliage is changing its shade to a more brownish and yellow tone. Plant eaters are wasting no time consuming as much as possible to store their reserves for the coming dry season. Among them, a young Ancylotherium has strayed away from his herd, to feast on the few remaining fruits from a tree, hoping to have them for himself. This proved to be fatal.

Arcanine, with Rebecca mounted on his back, leaps out of the bushes and bites the Ancylotherium in the neck. The young male cries in pain and horror, which is silent by a gurgle as blood fills his throat. Arcanine forces the creature to the ground, but it struggles to break free. Until Rebecca jumps of her canine companions back, spear held high, and she brings it down into the chest of the Ancylotherium, piercing its heart. The young male's eyes widen and it draws its final breath, as its irises are rolled to the back.

Rebecca removes the spear from her prey, and solemnly looks down on the dead beast. She hunch down and place a hand on its shoulder and says, "Forgive me. But your meat will nourish me and my friend." Arcanine had no such sentiment as he began eating. He was hungry. And so was she, as evident to her growling stomach. She used her spear to chop of a chunk of meat, which she began consuming. She let out a pleasant "Mm. Our first meal in over ten days, boy. Never thought food could taste this good." She said, but Arcanine just munched down meat at a rapid rate. He sure was hungry.

But then they heard growling. The two jumped and looked behind them. A pack of Pyroars had been drawn by the smell of blood. Rebecca held her spear, ready to protect her food. Arcanine sneered at the lion like creatures. One of the Pyroars shot a fire ball at Arcanine, but he narrowly dodged it. He then tried spewing fire, but all that came out of his mouth was sparks and smoke. Rebecca noticed this. She looked back at the advancing Pyroars and heard her stomach growl again. Reluctantly, she lowered her spear.

"Let them have it," She said and Arcanine looked at her like she was crazy. "We're too weak to fight. We'll be better off if we recover our strengths." She said and shamefully turned to leave.

Arcanine shot his head back at the Pyroars, who glared at him as if to say 'You better do as your pet is saying. Or die.' Arcanine scoffed and followed Rebecca, then heard the Pyroars munching down on their prey.

Later, Rebecca pushes over a log, revealing a number of insects beneath. The duo began munching on what little bugs were crawling around. It wasn't nearly enough to fill them. Especially Arcanine, who's a thousand pound dog, and needs way more nourishment than Rebecca does. The pinkette sighed and leaned against a tree.

"I'm starving," She said. Arcanine rested his head on her legs, and she patted his head. "If we were to die from starvation, and I die first, don't hesitate to eat my corpse." She told him, and he shot his head up in surprise. "Don't look like that. If you won't eat my lifeless body, others animals will." She told him, but Arcanine was just looking mighty concerned. But then he caught a scent. He sniffed the air, raising Rebecca's curiosity. "Found something?" She asked, and grabbed her spear.

Arcanine began following the smell and Rebecca was close behind. They then heard a bit of commotion, and carefully peered their heads through the bushes. Then they saw a large number of human hunters, cutting of chunks of meat from a dead triceratops that they themselves had felled. Rebecca carefully came out of the bushes, and Arcanine was close behind her. Once the other hunters notice them however …

"Hold it!" The lead hunter shouted, as he held up a bow and arrow, aiming at Rebecca. The other hunters held up their respective weapons. Spears and bows and arrows. Some had clubs. Arcanine was on the defensive. Rebecca however carefully put down her spear, while holding up her other hand, signifying she wasn't looking for trouble.

"Easy," She said. "We don't want any trouble."

"Then get lost," The lead huntsman told her.

"Please," Rebecca said. "My companion and I haven't eaten in days. You have a lot of meat. Won't you give us any?"

"No," The leader coldly said. "We are a large tribe with hungry mouths to feed. Our children are hungry. We need everything this animal can offer us. Two of my men were killed trying to take this beast down. They gave their lives so that the rest of us could eat. What do you give?" He asked.

"Only what you see," Rebecca replied, solemnly.

"In that case," Te huntsman said, "give us your body." He told her.

"What?" Rebecca asked, looking frightened.

"My men are frustrated from having lost two of their companions. They could use some relief after that. You can offer it with your body." He told her.

Arcanine was growing increasingly furious. "Fine," His anger turned to utter shock as he turned to look at Rebecca, who had just agreed to let them take her. "Give us enough food to fill our stomachs, and you can … have me." She said, clearly disgusted at the idea. And Arcanine couldn't believe she was agreeing to this.

"No," The huntsman told her. "First you pay, and then we give you food."

"Just get it over with," Rebecca told them, as she looked away, clearly distraught.

"Take your turns," The huntsman told his men, who all chuckled.

"I'll go first," One of them said. "Then she'll warm and wet for the rest of ya," He said as he approached Rebecca, who kept her eyes fixed to the left side. The disgusting man before her snickered. "You remind me of my daughter." He said before reaching his hand out, and Rebecca shut her eyes.

Arcanine have had enough. He leaped forward and almost bit the man's hand of. He barked and growled at the man, making him back away, standing protectively in front of Rebecca. The other hunters readied their weapons again.

"What're you doing?" Rebecca asked, angered at her friend's reaction. "This is an easy way for us to get some food. It's a small price to pay," She told him. Arcanine spun around and pushed his head against Rebecca's stomach and then flung her into the air. She screamed and landed on the ground, face first. "Ow." She groaned as she got up on all four. Arcanine had picked up her spear by wrapping his tail around it, then walked over to Rebecca, bit her loincloth and hoisted her up, and carried her away, leaving the hunters disappointed.

Arcanine was looking furious when he carried Rebecca. After covering much distance between them and the hunters, the pinkette had had enough. "Okay! That's far enough! Put me down! I'm not crippled!" She yelled, kicking her legs around. But Arcanine wasn't done. He carried her all the way to the river, which still had plenty of water in it. He stopped by the bank and then tossed Rebecca into the water. She screamed before landing with a splash. She came out of the water, coughing and spitting out water. "Are you trying to drown me?!" She spat and made her way to the shore. "What's the matter with you? Who do you think you-oof!" She gasped when Arcanine suddenly tacked her in her belly, knocking the air out of her. She fell to her knees, holding her stomach. Arcanine just continued glaring at her. She then got back on her feet, and continued shouting, "Have you gone crazy?!" She spat.

SMACK!

What happened next left Rebecca stunned, as she held her bright red cheek in shock and horror. Arcanine had just slapped her. She slowly turned her head back to him, with a questionable look on her face. "W-why?" She asked. Arcanine then barked at her, making her back up against a tree trunk. She pressed her back against the tree, as Arcanine barked and growled at her. He quiet down a little, and Rebecca said, "I … I get what you're saying … But we haven't eaten in a long time. We had an opportunity for an easy meal. You … you can't just decide what I can and can't do with my own body." She said, as tears were welling up her eyes. "It didn't bother me all that much. Really," She said, forcing a smile onto her face, but Arcanine saw through it like clear water. He furiously barked and growled at her again. Almost to the point of roaring. Rebecca was looking horrified as her only friend furiously scolded her. Rebecca looked down in shame and defeat. She slid down the trunk, sitting down and kept looking down. "Thank you," She told him, grateful that he had stopped her from doing something she really didn't want to do.

Arcanine calmed down as he looked at her with sympathy now. She was quivering. Arcanine laid down next to her and licked her cheek where he had slapped her. It was still red, and it was stinging.

"I'm alright boy," She assured him. "It doesn't hurt that much anymore." She said, and then looked at him. "It's okay, really. I guess I deserved it." She said. Arcanine rested he head on her lap again, and she patted his head.

The next day, Rebecca is digging up roots to eat. Very tasteless and bitter. But it's better than nothing. Arcanine was scavenging an anthill, which he quickly regretted when thousands of the largest ants crawled out of their nest to defend their home. Arcanine sprinted away, towards Rebecca.

"What did you do now!?" She cried out, seeing the river of red heading towards them. She jumped onto his back and they rode back into the decaying jungle.

Arcanine got tired after just a few short kilometers, when he normally could run all day without getting tired. That's how hungry he was. Rebecca got off his back and held her stomach as it growled.

"We'll just have to keep looking, boy." She told him, and he nodded, solemnly. They kept walking, keeping an eye out for potential prey. But suddenly, Rebecca was swooped from the ground, when a tail wrapped itself around her mouth, keeping her quiet. She had been walking behind Arcanine, so he didn't notice.

Rebecca found herself getting wrapped in the coils of a very large snake. A Titanoboa. The largest that ever existed. And it had chosen Rebecca for its next meal. Rebecca struggled in its coils. But it was useless. Her screamed were muffled as the tip of the tail was wrapped around her mouth. The snake brought its meal up to its mouth and opened wide. Rebecca's eyes widen in horror when she saw the dark empty pit inside the mouth. Slowly, the snake devoured Rebecca alive, slipping her down its throat. Rebecca struggled, but was completely helpless against the Titanoboa's strength. Only Rebecca's feet stuck out of its mouth, as it was about to make one final gulp … when suddenly, Arcanine came out of nowhere, and bit the snake close to where Rebecca was sliding down and began tearing and ripping. The snake hissed and struggled. But it was no use. Arcanine refused to let his family become someone's meal again. Eventually, he managed to ripe the snake in two.

Rebecca came out the other half of the snake gasping for air. She crawled out of the corpse, and pulled the neck of the snake out of her body, like pants. She was covered in slime and blood.

"Well … that was the most unpleasant thing I have ever experience." She said, wiping the blood from her arms. Until Arcanine licked her from the legs, all the way up to her face. "Although, that was a close second." She dryly commented. She then went over to the corpse of the Titanoboa and got down on her knees. "Eat or be eaten," She said and began eating the now dead snake. Arcanine joined in.

Rebecca almost cried tears of joy when filling her stomach, having almost forgotten how it felt.

I know this chapter was rather short. But you guys liked it anyways. Next chapter will longer, I assure you, as the drought has gotten worse.