The Individuals is a short story collection where you'll find a menagerie of twenty different tragic tales. Read about genetically modified humans, strangers hiding beneath robes, a girl living on an alien planet, superheroes, robots, a cyborg bear...
Eventually, everyone just gave in and accepted the tragedies that occurred
***
In a warm, sun-lavished forest, two bears were walking by. One of the bears was smaller than the other and had light brown fur. As for the other, they walked taller and had jet black fur, but this bear was a bit more special than that. They had, all over their body, various forms of cybernetic enhancements, and a few of their limbs were replaced with robotic copies. Finally, welded to the side of their face was a mask. We'll call this one Cyber Bear.
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The two bears walked and walked, combing through the forest, seemingly looking for something, or looking out for something. Each bear had a different view of the environment around them. The smaller one only had an interest in finding food and a place for rest. Cyber Bear on the other hand looked at the space around them with a spark in their eye, suggesting that they knew more. As the two walked beneath great oak trees and through dilapidated cities, Cyber Bear's electrical signal sensors started to blare. It seems something was following them. But the signal was so small and weak, Cyber Bear didn't concern themselves one bit. Eventually, the two would stop in a small clearing to take a rest. When they did, however, a small crow flew down from the sky and landed on a branch nearby. The crow twitched its antennas at them for a few moments. This clearly wasn't any normal crow. So this was what was following them. The crow then called out to Cyber Bear.
" hey, buddy. i know you can understand me, buddy." Cyber Bear did their best to ignore the crow. As it spoke, the smaller bear looked up at it with curiosity.
" buddy. i know you're not a bear buddy. you can't hide from me." The crow flapped with their beak.
" are you still...confused buddy? with the way you're giving me that side-eye, i would guess not." The smaller bear then crept up and sat beneath the crow. They held their nose up towards them, sniffing the air.
" buddy? buuuudddyyy?...i just want to talk buddy. even if you're still traumatized, i wouldn't expect you to be able to hold an iron stiff exterior like you are now."
" buu-"
" Yowzers!" The crow screamed when the smaller bear suddenly jumped up and swiped at them, missing by just a few inches. The crow then huffed and flapped up into the air.
" fine fine, i'll leave you alone! rabbits, why do they all act like this?..." The crow uttered as they flew away, back into the sky. Cyber Bear watched their sensors closely until the crow finally left out of their range. Finally, they were gone. With a disappointed look on their face, the smaller bear dragged their feet over to Cyber Bear and laid up against them. As darkness seeped in, they began to shut their eyes. Even long after the smaller bear went to sleep, Cyber Bear remained awake and kept all of their attention on their sensors. They had to keep watch for it.
