| " | \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA high quality camera affixed atop a tripod that towered over them would have betrayed the wealth of its owner, had the cubs not been strictly instructed - no, demanded - to avoid gazing into its lens and revealing their faces. The neighborhood in which the two cubs spent their days playing safely was not spared of the rumors perpetuated by nearby counties, whispering of some evil boogeyman that had been responsible for a tragic drop in attendance at local elementary schools and an overworked police department overseeing the case files of children sometimes too young to even read them. They had tossed and turned at night in their beds, imaginations running wild to fill in the cracks of what a monster could potentially resemble - perhaps something out of their picture books or the cartoons that the pair watched together, an ambiguous blob of darkness with glowing red eyes. Little did they know, monsters had a tendency to resemble the very same people they knew and waved their little paws hello to while passing through the neighborhood. Under their paws, the cub's trembling friend pinned their ears back, small sobbing whimpers and wet sniffles filling the air every time that their neighbor's voice ceased to bark incessant demands and threats towards the pair. They shuddered, steadily burning embers rolling like hot coals between their hips and tingling in a way that left them unable to understand. Their abuser snapped at the young one to avert their gaze from the distraction of how badly they were hurting their friend, and instead into the cold and desolate eyes that oversaw such handiwork and craftsmanship. Words of praise interspersed with threats made the cub's head spin, as the adult prattled on and on of what a natural they were for the camera. Finally, their eyes opened with horror upon the realization that had been spelled out for them - they were no different, no better, no less evil than the monster abusing them. Their privates felt tingly when hurting their friend because they must have liked it. They weren't a victim, they were a perpetrator - and an impersonal camera recording it for the world to see was only the beginning of their corruption. Or, perhaps the tarp had been laid out to release them from a lifetime of ensuing trauma as well as their highly demanding role of a so-called "movie star".\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t | \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t