The hound dogs cried in glee to be hunting on this bright night of three full moons. Their scent filled nostrils had won many prizes for Killin Hood on previous manhunts. Now he patrolled behind their weaponized paws blending in traditional waterproof green camouflage. Under polarized aviators his scoped crossbow scanned a woodland background for danger. Satisfied with the picture he departed. The hunter slid down the tree with it reloaded on his back.

The crystal scale diving boots of a master killer thumped onto the ground after a long jump. An arrow remained equipped into a signature single handed compound bow. He was traveling heavy for now with the explosives and zipline packed along for the ride. Killin Hood climbed swiftly up a hillside sending down showers of sand.

Rain started to sprinkle from the storm beginning to brew overhead. The majority of the moons had become snuffed under the dark cloud cover. The dogs ran deeper into the swamp overexerting themselves. Bright crystal scales briefly flashed across the horizon and over extended snouts. The hunter taking aim from far above was blinded momentarily from his scoped onlook. The shadow he was after zipped into the safety of a dark corner. The crossbow followed the target.

“Thwack!”

The spiked harpooned shaved off a chunk of Edward’s mangy beard. It splintered covering his body in debris. Exploding an ancient tree overgrown with beard lichen was obliterated. Killin Hood clipped his belt to the newly minted zipline. The crossbow planted like a fence post behind him. The line sagged under load as he zoomed down the hill. Shooting over his packs of hound dogs with their tongues hanging out. The trip was swift, dropping the hunter back on his feet where the target had just been. The nearby wetland vibrated with the ear piercing roars of the zombie grizzly joining the chase. He loudly sniffed the air quiet again. It was dead silent as he moved forward with the scent.

The walls were closing in on Edward who ran dazed and confused through the hazy hills. Birds and crickets chirped alongside his made dash. The ground wasn’t wet but covered in spongy moss. The bleached center seared down from where the treetops separated. The path curved onto least resistance in the nighttime. He sprinted through a field of ferns with the hook raised.

A line shot outward from Edward with the rusted cutter launched. He hit a lever, and wires spun where his hand had once been. Smoke poured from the gearbox reeling the fugitive away from danger whereupon the line had become anchored. He flew through the air, flapping like an overweight turkey.

“Smack!”

A hard collision into wood switched Edwards' vision to lights out.

“Uggh” he groaned.

Awaking with drool dripping into his breaches sometime later. A symphony of oldtime music broadcast through the boards where his head had rested. His hand throbbed with pain bleeding on a sign labeled “keep out private property”.

Edward had been left hanging between two windows from a tree house. His feet dangled a long fall by hook lodged deep in the metal sign above. He strained trying to free himself, but it would not budge even after repeated attempts. The calls of the dogs started again growing in intensity down in the valley. He was in danger of being soon permanently treed.

“Bang!”

Edward shot backwards, falling forward to tumble towards the ground. A chest full of rock salt ate dirt.

“That’s right, stay off my land” cried out aged vocal chords.

A disheveled hermit poked his head after his gun blasted through a fresh hole blasted out of his residence. An old man with a gray beard is dressed in a hat and clothes designed of leather and leaves. He poured salt from a king size beaker into a pipe rifle, and topped it off with a chunk of root vegetable.

Edward mashed through layers of moss ending up five feet below ground. The old man continued to wave threateningly above. A rustle in the underbrush as twigs snapped in protest nearby. The hermit aimed for another shot, and this time it was toward the eyes with intent to blind. A cold claw sliced into his shoulder from behind like butter.

A scream cut through the night stopping the hounds in their tracks. The heat of the creature’s savage roars cleared every tree in a thousand miles of birds, and scared possums into permanent vacation. The zombie grizzly clawed apart the tree house while bloodied timber splintered to the ground. A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky bringing thunder to match the bear's guttural growling low rumbling tone. Rain quickly started downpouring. Edward began to come back alive in his makeshift grave. His creaking bones protesting every inch of the escape. A burst of adrenaline cleared aching limbs acting threatening to fall asleep.

Killin Hood sprinted into the clearing where he saw the backside of his grizzly cutting through the forest on the hunt. His legs bounced from tree to tree sprinting through the forest like a spirit. He flung up the last tree near a cliff and onto rocks. Working a free climb he dodged a boulder dislodged by his zombie creation attacking above. He smiled mostly invisible under hood and face mask as he pulled himself up from dangling off a cliff.

Trees crashed and fell apart from the rampaging beast in pursuit. Edward zipped away from claws that barely missed. As he flung upwards near the apex of the jump he jerked his wrist freeing the much dulled attachment hooked below. The darkness of a cavernous entrance swallowed the next shot of the hook. As quickly as it had reeled in from the previous jump it hauled Edward inside the hole. The paw of the grizzly with crystal sharpened claws cut through a section of rock knocking down double the initial load inside the dark.

Lightning struck the highest rocks above. Time was ticking for the window to close on this perfect storm. The hunter crept after his prey into the cave network. It was a lower entrance he squeezed through. His body squeaked after applying a fresh layer of grease. His mask was off with his hood. The cave shook him loose, knocking a fresh toothpick away from being chewed. A miniature roar was cut short as an escaping bear lunged. Killin Hood’s arrow shot straight through the heart of the attacker.

“Not my bear” mumbled the hunter, stepping over his latest killing.

The slayed meat had already been attracting flies in the humid pituitary dish of a place. Dirty water dripped from the ceiling repelled from his slicked back hair. Moths and mushrooms littered whatever wasn’t a small pool underground. Lightning flashed through cracks forming behind his back. The giant bear attacked, shaking everything down to the bedrock.

The final obstacle stopping the creature's entrance had fallen away. Now it roared inside as Edward aimed his hook once more. The creature charged forward, raising claws. He shot wrapping a stalagmite and shuffled to wind the other end of a trip line on a formation of rocks.The roof collapsed as the line cut through the charge of rotting fur and flesh. Edward was hauled forward into the claws banded by the line winding round them both. He bounced onto the hair of the beast that gagged a veteran's nose closed. It stunk worse than 100 wet skunks. Underneath the folds of decomposing animal fat Edward was slowly constricted and suffocated alive.

Meanwhile Killin Hood loaded an explosive arrow on a perch overlooking the action. He aimed as the wires groaned to a stop at the bone of the beast. Edward was losing consciousness as the air was crushed from his lungs. His skin was going to be next. “Boom!”

An explosion burst on the target engulfing the cave in fireworks. It was getting hot inside the prison composed of flesh burning as the creature roared for the last time in flames. The hood worn by Killin was also flame resistant. He pulled away from behind a wall of glowing rocks formerly providing refuge. Lightning lit up a blackened cavern smoldering as the flames ran out of oxygen. The bear continued to burn, cooking the man isolated inside. A stream from a fire extinguisher soaped the creature’s carcass in foam. The flames had gone, leaving Edwards' balding body unconscious between exposed bear ribs.

“Thought my bear was gonna get you too eh, well now I’ve got the heart I’m looking for” he cried with excitement.

“Now we must go fast,” cried Killin Hood.

He threw away the bow and putting the body on his back he darted out of the cave. Gone as quickly as the lightning flashed.

The witch slept away back at Killin estate. A room underneath the bowls of the building. A secret entrance opened by pulling a book revealing a typewriter to input the name of the owner's first hound. A passage opened to a tunnel lined by torchlight. The man and his guest limped past the dungeons, to the opposite side of the elevator traveling to the mines. The door knocked furiously, finally waking the witch from the recliner in her lab. The thick oak door slid open on well oiled hinges. Killin Hood strode into the room. He threw Edwards with a flop onto an operating table.

“Hehehe, you've got him now and the lightning still sparks for us to harness” the witch clapped.

“Let’s begin the transplant procedure” said Killin Hood, taking out tubes.

Edward's skin was punctured over and over until all the tubes were attached. Because the skin on most of his body was too damaged, his neck, head and normal arm looked like a porcupine. The blood began to be sucked away to a machine connected to another operating table covered with sheets. A hole in the roof with an antenna of metal headed far above. Rain fell through soaking wires connected to sparking electricity crystals, as Edward was strapped down for good.

“Hahaha” Killin Hood cackled, throwing on a thick lab coat. “The operation will now commence with hast".

The witch wheeled in a cart of medical equipment. Edward screamed awake. He was stirred by the sound of a recuperating saw spinning up. No matter how hard he thrashed under the covers the straps remained locked. The witch held a mirror to his face reflecting broken teeth mid call for help. The king looking at him on the other side had began to scale from head to toe. The hook had been taken from him again, and the arm underneath it was almost rock solid crystal.

"You haven't taken horrible care of yourself" laughed the Witch.

She began cracking her bony fingers one after another. With that part of the ritual completed she stretched them out.

"Now don't make a fuss, we going to take your heart" she cackled reaching towards the king's heart.