Thanks for stopping in,

The character is question is a base inquisitor, human, 20 point buy. The only other race options are half elf. I will be an Archer. No dinosaurs. I'm thinking 12 str, 17 dex, 12 con, 12 Int, 14 Wis, 7 cha. The campaign is expected to go from levels 5 to 9. No dinosaurs.

I plan to be a scout-type chararacter with an animal, using the Feather subdomain, get perception, knowledge, stealth, etc. No dinosaurs.

Feats, I'm planning, are 1 PBS, H precise shot, 3 rapid, 5 boon companion, 7 deadly aim, 9 manyshot. Teamwork: Lookout, Cord Shot, (the atk bonus after others charge feat). I might grab a trait for Acrobatics for tricky movement, and likely Fates Favored for bonuses on applicable spells. One for initiative is another good option.

I'm really stuck on what animal. I want a 'Bodyguard' archetype. As far as I can understand, with the 'Lookout' teamwork feat, I can always act in the surprise round that way. Does this work?

I don't know what kind of locations we will be in (inside/outside, open/narrow hallways, etc) but I assume a mix of everything. In case you missed it, no dinosaurs. I'm stuff between roc, wolf, or big cat but open to other animals:

Roc: fast flying, but needs space to be effective.
Wolf: decent bulk, Trip is good for team, but prone makes hits with ranged suffer.
Big Cat: more of a fast striker, though grab sounds good for a bodyguard. Bonus points for a griffon theme.
I guess feats will depend on animal, but Light Armor Prof seems like a great choice.
I've checked some guides, but was hoping for focused help.

TL;DR, Key basic stats/feats/traits for an Archer? Best non-dinosaur animal companion as a 'Bodyguard' type?