(It's been some time since I put one of these SCP-inspired designs together!)

This anomaly was retrieved from northern Egypt, where it was being kept in a large cleared sub-basement beneath a residential structure in a small rural community. It was initially discovered as residents were cleared for relocation due to the construction of new, more urbanized infrastructure. Several casualties were reported before the entity's eventual containment.

UA-XX23 is to be kept in a reinforced 10x10 sealed containment cell, equipped with pressure sensors to measure any changes in mass or weight distribution. A number of dogs are to be housed on-site, which must be regularly cared for by research personnel so as to establish appropriate social bonds. No more than one member of site staff is allowed within the cell at any time. Any changes in mass or shape not associated with a Bonding Event must be reported immediately. In the event of a breach, all personnel are to be evacuated from the vicinity, and Severed Hand protocols engaged.

UA-XX23 resembles a large limestone sculpture of a domestic canid, approximately 2.5 meters long if including the tail. It bears traces of the red mineral paint Vermillion, and gold inlays - both of which appear to have been incorporated at separate points in time, both respective of each other and the sculpture's original creation. Despite its material properties, it is capable of full articulation and movement, with the exception of its head, which has no apparent jaw or mouth. While its extremities are solid, its body cavity is hollow, and contains an anomalous fluid substance. This fluid is dark and semi-opaque, and contains multiple unknown sources of yellow luminescence; it is also animate, and current test results point towards an organic composition. This fluid extends upwards to support the head, as the neck appears to be entirely absent from the sculpture.

For optimal containment, a Bonding Event must be completed once every thirty days. An individual research staff member must first select one of the dogs they care for, ensuring that it is of a friendly and loyal demeanor. This dog must be successfully commanded by the researcher into accompanying them into the containment cell, and to approach the entity. If the animal must be physically coerced, the procedure is to be aborted, and either a new dog or a different researcher must be selected. Should the dog successfully perform all commands, the entity will extend a large portion of its fluid material and envelop the animal. Full absorption will take anywhere from thirty seconds to two minutes, depending on the size of the dog. Upon completion, the entity will take on the demeanor of the dog it has absorbed, including its loyalty to the bonded researcher.

This period of loyalty lasts for approximately thirty days, after which point it will begin to display more independent behaviors and will frequently ignore commands. After forty days, its behavior has been likened to that of a feral domestic dog, with the sculpture itself taking on more angular features and a darker shade, and the liquid mass displaying more "sharpened" edges and increasing in mass. Should no Bonding Event occur within a sixty-day span, the sculpture will appear distinctly wolf-like and dark in color, becoming completely rigid and lowering its head to the ground. The anomalous fluid will grow until it has reached double the size of its original sculpted form, and fully exit the body cavity. This mass will behave in an extremely aggressive and hostile manner, displaying particular hostility towards individuals who display high amounts of loyalty - such as to friends, family, co-workers, or superiors. It will remain in this state until Severed Hand protocols are successfully enacted.

Severed Hand Protocol is only to be performed by individuals of B-20-3, who must undergo thorough psychological evaluation before re-designation from the primary B-20 unit. Each individual must swear a sincere oath of complete loyalty to their unit and commanding officer, and remain on-site at all times. They are to seek out a hostile UA-XX23, and upon encountering it, they are to recite the phrase, "By my oath, I submit to bleed. By my blood, submit ye to my oath." A successful event will see the entity initiate similar behaviors to those it displays during a Bonding Event, targeting the B-20-3 member. Once the individual has been fully absorbed, the entity will enter a calm state, and return to its cell of its own accord, where it will re-enter the statue.

Additional Notes:
UA-XX23 may be presented with any form of animal sacrifice, including the sacrifice of humans. However, should the given sacrifice be considered forced or otherwise involuntary as per its criteria, this will result in a hostile entity. Additionally, while its form remains canine in shape regardless of what type of animal is sacrificed to it, it has been noted that upon the sacrifice of a human, its form will begin to take on more human-like qualities, which will increase with repetition. These changes will also come with an increase in displayed intelligence, up to full sapience and the ability to speak. While interviews are possible at this stage, due to the need for multiple voluntary human sacrifices of bonded individuals, coupled with its higher intelligence, it is deemed safer and less psychologically damaging to research team members to maintain its canid state.

Following the only successfully achieved interview with UA-XX23, research team leader Dr. Vasquez reports:
"We've spent so much time trying to figure out where it's from - what hands sculpted it, whose history it belongs to. But might we be going about things the wrong way? Could it be that it belongs to none of them, and yet all of them? It calls itself "the Companion" - it is Loyalty, or the lack thereof. True loyalty. It demands self-sacrifice, for one to submit to oblivion in our place. But should we demand such a heavy price from the unwilling, from those we hold no love or respect for...it can instead create a monster."