Spectral Scout

You summon a spectral creature in the shape of the Tiny or smaller animal of your choice, which always appears in your square. The creature emits a faint glow of a color you choose at the time of the spell's casting, providing the illumination of a candle. It has the same statistics as the creature after which it is modeled (including ability scores, Armor Class, feats, senses, skills, and speed), but is incorporeal and has only 1 hit point. A spectral scout cannot attack, but can otherwise follow any basic instructions that could be given to a pet or animal companion of similar intelligence but without the need to make Handle Animal skill checks.

A spectral scout can communicate verbally with the caster but can't be understood by others. A spectral scout can relay information it has directly witnessed with perfect clarity, including sights, sounds, and smells, but it cannot further interpret that information. For example, a spectral scout can report on how many individuals it sees, the direction they are going, and what equipment they carry; it can't tell the caster whether the people were friend or foe, or their objective.