Far away from the eyes and ears of the good citizens of Herald City, a sinister figure laments her inability to sow chaos and evil….

“Curse those bewildering birds!” cried Queen Venus, slamming down the newspaper that had the headline “Blue Eagle and Switch Wilt Another Queen Venus Scheme!” on its front page. “I can’t believe they ruined another one of my ingenious plans!”

“Gee, boss, I really thought we had them this time,” said Willie, as he and Frankie stood off to the side as she paced angrily back and forth across her lair. “We were this close to forcing all restaurants in Herald City to no longer serve salad.”

“We were, until you omnivorous Omphadeles ruined everything!”

“Hey, it’s not our fault everyone found out the celery sausage was made of sausage!” Willie looked at Frankie. “It’s just yours.”

“I was only trying to help,” said Frankie apologetically. “Maybe people want a healthy salad every now and then?”

A vine appeared out of the ground and wrapped around his mouth, gagging him.

“There. Enjoy your leafy greens,” said Queen Venus, lowering the finger she had been pointing at him. She grunted in frustration. “The biggest issue still stands though. Those meddlesome mountains of morality are moving me to madness! Blue Eagle and Switch the Blue Eaglet must be dealt with if I am ever to make this city mine! But what am I supposed to do?”

She whirled around to face her henchmen. “Don’t just stand there, you withering willows! Think!”

Frankie said something, but his words were blocked by the vine.

“Shut up, you idiot! I’m trying to think,” she admonished him.

“What about this guy, boss? He looks good,” suggested Willie, showing her an ad in the paper she had discarded. On it was a portly man with a bushy mustache wearing a tan safari hunter’s outfit, armed with a blunderbuss musket with a bell-shaped muzzle.

Queen Venus eyed the ad.

See

THE ZOOKEEPER!

Traveler! Hunter! Entertainer! CHAMPION!

Can subdue any living creature known (or unknown) to man!

Exotic circus and zoo coming to Herald City!

“The Zookeeper? Traveling circus zoo? What does this have to do with anything?” she demanded.

“Well, it says he can subdue any living creature known or unknown to man,” said Willie. “Maybe he can subdue those meddlin’ heroes. Why don’t we get him to hunt down Blue Eagle and Switch?”

“You idiot!” she boomed. “A safari hunting circus showman!? He hunts wild animals for his zoo! He’s not going to take down a superhero! He’s going to take down a sabretooth tiger!”

“But boss! It says down here that some of the creatures he’s captured include Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, the Abominable Snowman, and the Chupacabra!”

“What!? Give me that!” she said, grabbing the paper. She read the part of the ad he was referring to. She noticeably perked up. “The Zookeeper, a traveling trophy hunter and circus entertainer, is coming to Herald City to show the mythical creatures he’s subduing? Including Big Foot, The Loch Ness Monster, the Abominable Snowman, and the Chupacabra?”

She closed the paper and rubbed her chin in thought. “If the Zookeeper can subdue any living creature known or unknown to man, then maybe he can subdue those meddling heroes,” she said to herself. She straightened and announced, “We will get him to hunt down Blue Eagle and Switch!”

“Genius idea, boss,” said Willie with a sigh.

“YYhh. Gnnnyfff, bfff,” agreed Frankie, his voice still muffled by the vine.

“Glad you blooming buffoons agree,” said Queen Venus. “Now, let’s go pay a visit to the Zookeeper.”

That evening, the three sinister figures skulk through a fairground under construction….

“Gee, the Herald City Fairgrounds are pretty spooky at night,” murmured Willie, the light from his flashlight illuminating the area. Animal pens were half finished, surrounding a central area that had construction equipment lying haphazardly near two large sets of circular audience benches.

He, Frankie, and Queen Venus emerged from the shadows, walking towards what looked to be a large circular stage under construction within the confines of the set of stands for an audience to come. The two henchmen carried flashlights and shined them toward whatever dark place they could.

“You’re right, Willie. This place gives me the willies!” gulped Frankie. Trembling, he bit his nails as he kept his flashlight level and steady.

“Quit your quivering, you cowardly coneflowers,” said Queen Venus as they walked past the stands and stepped onto the dirt stage. “We’re here to find the Zookeeper. Keep your eyes peeled. And don’t you worry. As long as I’m here, he can’t do anything to u-ahhh–!”

She fell face first to the ground as the wire around her ankle tightened and pulled her into the air. Metal poles were around the stage to hold the tent covering that wasn’t there yet, and the wire connected to the top of the nearest one extended all the way to her ankle. She hung in the air upside down, swinging wildly after the sudden stop.

“Boss!” cried Frankie and Willie at the same time, rushing toward her, but it was too late. A bottomless metal box cage fell on top of Frankie, trapping the gangster inside. A net burst out of the ground, wrapping around Willie and hopelessly tangling him up.

“What is this!? Who’s idea of a joke is this!?” yelled Queen Venus, struggling to free herself.

“Well, well. It seems like I’ve made quite the catch,” came a kindly old British gentleman’s voice.

The villains looked as the portly gentleman from the paper entered the lit stage. He wore his safari hunter shirt and shorts, and a bowl shaped safari hunting hat. In his hands, just like in the newspaper ad, he held a musket with a bell-shaped barrel aimed at them.

“What an interesting figure you are,” he said to Queen Venus. “Care to explain what you’re doing here on the property of I, the Zookeeper?”

“I am Queen Venus! The Ruler of Roses, the Monarch of Magnolias, the Sovereign of Sunflowers!”

“And someone who likes to hear herself talk, it seems,” he added dryly, rolling his eyes.

“I have business with you, Zookeeper. Now get me down from here so we can talk!” she demanded.

“I am the world’s greatest trophy hunter. I need no business with anyone. Now, I take my leave of you all,” he replied, turning to walk away.

“Wait!” called Queen Venus. “I came here to help you claim your biggest trophy yet!”

Zookeeper turned around, a look of intrigue on his voice. “Fine, let’s talk.”

Minutes later, Queen Venus and her henchmen were set free. She spent the next several minutes explaining her reasons for seeking him.

“So what you’re saying,” he summarized when she was finished, “is that you want me to be your newest henchman and kill Blue Eagle and Switch the Blue Eaglet for you?” He folded his arms and shook his head. “Not interested. I don’t need to be your servant. I’m a wealthy man. You should be mine.”

“Then what would it take to get your help?” she asked.

“Money,” he answered. “I hunt and capture or kill exotic creatures and show them to the world for entertainment, not kill people as a favor to others. If you want my services, you’ll have to pay me.”

“Money, you say?” said Queen Venus thoughtfully. She stroked her chin. “If it’s money you want, then I have an idea on how to get you your payment and lure out your biggest catch at the same time.”

The next day, at the Herald City Wild Animal Protection Fundraiser Gala, wealthy attendees were enjoying themselves until….

“That’s right, ya rich mooks! Put your valuables in the bags!” ordered Willie as the terrified attendees of the fundraiser gala, clad in tuxedos and gowns, held their hands in the air. “Cash, jewels, watches, all of it!” he added as he came around with a burlap sack.

“Except for your food!” said Frankie, also coming around with a bag that the attendees put their valuables into. “Put that on a plate and put it off to the side! I skipped lunch today!”

“Excellent. Everything is going smoothly,” said Queen Venus her henchmen do their work. “Now it’s only a matter of time before–”

“Put those bags down, gentlemen!”

–and there it is….” she finished, turning to see Blue Eagle and Switch standing in the doorway.

“Well, Queen Venus, it’s good to see that you wanted to show your support for wildlife protection, but this isn’t the way to do it,” said Blue Eagle, flashing a smile. “If you don’t have enough money for a ticket, robbing the attendees to pay for it does the movement no good.”

“That’s right! Now why don’t you rein in those wild animals of yours?” added Switch.

“Hey! Did he just call us wild animals!?” cried Frankie angrily.

“He did,” said Willie, just as incensed. He took a step forward. “Why don’t ya come over here so I can teach you a lesson, kid?”

“I’ve got a better idea,” said Queen Venus. “Why don’t you intrusive heroes take a step over here and make us return the loot?”

“If it’s a challenge you’re offering, Queen Venus….” started Blue Eagle.

“….Then we gladly accept!” finished Switch, as he and his father stepped forward.

As they did, the heroes’ boots snapped a wire tied tightly across two table legs. Two long, thin cages dropped from the ceiling, entrapping the superheroes.

“What’s this?” cried Blue Eagle. He grabbed the bars and struggled to pry them open. He grimaced and grunted as he fought against the bars, but nothing. “What sort of metal is this? They’re so strong!”

“A metal of my creation,” came a voice behind him. The Zookeeper entered the room, his musket at the ready. “Blue Eagle. And Switch the Blue Eaglet. It is my pleasure to meet you. And it is your pleasure to meet your better, the Zookeeper!”

“Zookeeper? The owner of the traveling circus zoo that’s coming to Herald City? We saw you in the paper!” exclaimed Switch. His eyes widened. “Wait, if you’re doing this, then that means you’re….!

“—with me? Yes, you simpleton sidekick. The Zookeeper is on my side,” said Queen Venus as the Zookeeper moved to stand with her. “And together, now that we’ve subdued you not-so-super heroes, Herald City will be mine.”

“And for my services to Queen Venus, I’ll be even richer than I am now. The richest man on Earth,” added the Zookeeper. “All in all, I’d say this was a good arrangement.”

“And what’s your plan, Zookeeper?” questioned Blue Eagle, pressing against the bars. “Keep us as pets for your amusement? Or as entertainment for your audience?”

“No, Blue Eagle, I’m afraid your fates will be far more permanent than that,” said the Zookeeper. “I’m a trophy hunter, you see, and you two are my greatest trophies. Superheroes, nothing more than easy catches for me. And my payment; all the money raised by this event.”

“But why? You’re already rich!” pressed Switch.

“A person doesn’t get rich by turning down money,” said Zookeeper. “He doesn’t stay rich doing that either.”

“You should have quit while you were ahead, Zookeeper,” said Blue Eagle. A smirk formed across his face. “Now it’s time to see how strong your traps really are.”

With a mighty burst of strength, Blue Eagle tore the bars off the cage. Next to him, Switch did the same.

“W-What!?” cried the Zookeeper in shock. “Those cages were designed to be able to hold a silverback gorilla! How did you—?”

“Time and persistence, friend,” answered Blue Eagle, a proud look on his face as he and his son stood boldly with their hands on their hips. “While you were flapping your lips about how great you are, I was constantly applying pressure to the bars until I felt them start to bend. And once that happened, breaking them was easy.”

“And with my superstrength being even greater than Blue Eagle’s, I was able to do the same in even less time,” said Switch. “Those bars may be able to hold your beasts, but they were no match for us!”

“Well said, Blue Eaglet,” agreed his father. “Now, I think you four need to hand over those stolen goods and surrender peacefully.”

“Better to run and fight another day,” said Queen Venus. To her minions and partners, she said, “Retreat!”

“Y-You heard her, Willie! Retreat!” cried Frankie, turning and throwing his bag of loot in the air as he ran away in a panic.

“R-r-right behind you, pal!” cried Willie, doing the same.

The bags of stolen money and valuables sailed through the air and right into the costumed heroes’ waiting hands. At that point, Frankie and Willie were already out the door, Queen Venus right behind them. The Zookeeper turned only to fire a gas bomb at the superheroes. Blue Eagle and Switch hacked and coughed as the gray smoke clouded their vision, and when it finally cleared, the four criminals were gone.

“Darn it, Blue Eagle! They got away again!” said Switch. “And I’d be useless against them now that I’m in cooldown.”

“Don’t you worry about it, Switch. As long as we foiled their robbery, that’s what’s most important,” assured Blue Eagle. He scratched his chin. “My biggest concern now is that we’ve got a new, and dangerous, villain on our hands with this Zookeeper.”

Later, back at the circus zoo run by Herald City’s newest nemesis….

“Again! Thwarted by those troublesome superheroes again! I want them dead! Dead dead dead!” screamed Queen Venus angrily, jumping and down and stomping her feet in a tantrum. “I want to conquer this city already, and those powerful pests keep stopping me!”

She turned to face the Zookeeper. “And you! You were more useless than these two idiots!”

Frankie turned to Willie. “Ya hear that, Willie? We’re not the two most useless people on the planet in this episode,” he said as they shared a high five.

Queen Venus ignored them and continued ranting at the Zookeeper. “You weren’t worth any of the money we didn’t steal or pay you. You’re no trophy hunter! You’re not the best! You’re nothing.”

The Zookeeper’s eyes narrowed in anger. “What’s that!?” he bellowed. “I will not stand for such an accusation! I will show you! I will show the world! And most importantly, I will show that smug superhero and his cull of a sidekick! I will show them that they only got lucky! I have bested beasts that mankind didn’t even know existed, that defied imagination! These two costumed fools are nothing to me!”

He looked back and forth between Queen Venus and her henchmen.

“Keep your money,” he told them. “This is no longer your hunt. It is mine. And Blue Eagle and Switch will be my greatest trophies yet!”

“I love the sound of that, but I am not convinced,” purred Queen Venus. She wasn’t doubting him. She was egging him on. “How do you plan to tame these wannabe eagles?”

“New traps. Better ones. Designed to hold the impossibly strong,” said the Zookeeper, seething. His eyes bulged with anger, but his lips curled upward with excitement. “And I will lure them to me, and I will force them to participate in my games, in front of everybody! And I will beat them by appealing to their most fundamental instinct, one held by everybody but held in spades by anyone who would call themselves a superhero: The need to be seen as the best.”

Meanwhile, at the office of the Chief of Police, Blue Eagle makes a most unusual request….

“Am I hearing you right, Blue Eagle?” wondered the Chief as he sat behind his desk. “Are you asking us not to arrest the Zookeeper? Or even shut down his show?”

“That’s right, Chief,” said Blue Eagle.

“But why? We’re ready to go nab him after he joined Queen Venus to rob that animal fundraiser.”

“And that’s part of the reason why, Chief. On his own, the Zookeeper is too dangerous. He was able to booby trap the fundraiser in the middle of a robbery, and Switch and I were almost unable to escape his trap. Next time, he’ll be ready with stronger traps that even we won’t be able to overcome, and more of them. Add in Queen Venus, and it might be your men in one of his cages, rather than vice versa.”

“Part of the reason, you say? Why else would you not want us to pursue this criminal?”

Blue Eagle thoughtfully scratched his chin. “I can’t say for sure, but I don’t think the Zookeeper is as motivated by money as he claims. There’s something else guiding his actions.”

“Yeah, it’s probably that rotten Queen Venus,” said Switch. “I dunno, Blue Eagle. He seemed pretty money-hungry to me.”

“I concur with the Blue Eaglet from what you’ve told me, but I’ll respect your wishes,” said the Chief. “So what is your next move?”

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“It’s not about my next move, Chief,” said Blue Eagle. “If my hunch is right, we can expect the Zookeeper to act soon.”

“Good golly! Will the city be in danger?” cried the Chief.

“No, Chief. Not at this point. Not if I’m correct.”

At that moment, the door to the office swung open and a police officer ran in.

“Chief! Blue Eagle!” shouted the cop as he waved a piece of paper he was holding.

“What is it, man?” asked the Chief.

“You’re going to want to see this.” The cop placed the paper—a mid-sized advertisement poster—on the desk.

Blue Eagle, Switch, and the Chief gathered around to read the advertisement.

“‘Main Attraction: Hunter vs Prey in the Ultimate Challenge’,” the Chief read out loud. “‘The Superhero Trophy Hunter, The Zookeeper, Issues a Challenge to the Father-Son Duo of Blue Eagle and Switch the Blue Eaglet! The People Will Learn Who Is The Best In Herald City.’” The Chief turned to Blue Eagle. “Is he challenging you to let you hunt him as an event at his zoo? He’s mad, Blue Eagle! Mad!”

“He’s trying to draw us out!” exclaimed Switch. His eyes widened with realization. “We were his target the entire time! This, the gala robbery, it was all a plan to lure us out! It was never about the money!”

“That’s right, Switch,” said the veteran superhero. “But I now believe I know how best to beat him.”

Days later at the Herald City Fairgrounds, a blissfully unaware audience enjoys a special exclusive event….

At the edge of the Herald City Fairgrounds, cheers and applause erupted from a large blue and white striped tent while others enjoyed the sight of the caged animals in the zoo cages that ran around its perimeter.

Near the tent was a large sign that read “Zookeeper’s Zoo and Circus Extravaganza! Special Guests: Blue Eagle and Switch the Blue Eaglet.”

Inside, hundreds of paid attendees sat in the stands that surrounded the large circular stage. They laughed and cheered as a row of five lions in ballet tutus danced on their hind legs.

The act ended, and the audience clapped for the talented felines as they left and the Zookeeper came in to announce the next act.

“I hope you are all enjoying the show so far, because we are now coming to the final act of the night! The main attraction that you’ve all been waiting for!” he announced into the skinny microphone he held. “Are you ready for thrills and excitement like you’ve never seen before?”

The crowd cheered in anticipation.

“Good! Then, as I promised, our special guests should be arriving any minute now, if they dare. Why, here they are now,” he said as Blue Eagle and Switch entered the tent.

“Enough of this, Zookeeper! Show’s over!” announced Blue Eagle, pointing an accusing finger at the entertaining villain as he and his sidekick stood tall near the stage. “We’re taking your final act to jail!”

“That’s right!” said Switch. “Criminals get put in cages, just like animals in a zoo. As a zookeeper, you should understand that!”

“You’re right, heroes. I am a criminal. But I’m also a trophy hunter. The greatest there is!” The Zookeepeer gave a haughty laugh. “And today, my trophies will be a superhero and his young sidekick.”

“I don’t think so, Zookeeper,” countered Switch. “You may have come close to beating us before, but we won’t fall for your tricks again. Whatever the criminals of this city throw at us, Blue Eagle and I always come out on top!”

“That you say, young Blue Eaglet,” said the Zookeeper with a kindly smile on his face, almost as if he were speaking to his grandson. “You may see yourselves as the best, and the world may agree. But today, I prove the world wrong. And I will do so with the help of another special guest, Queen Venus.”

The crowd gasped in horror as a mass of vines appeared out of the dirt next to him. From them stepped Herald City’s most deadly menace.

“Everyone, run! It’s Queen Venus!” shouted a man in the audience.

“Zookeeper, it seems like I don’t draw a crowd,” she said coyly. “We should certainly do something to keep them in their seats.”

The Zookeeper gave a soft chuckle. “Leave it to me.”

The audience gasped as metal bars sprang up from beneath the floor, blocking them at all angles from leaving the stands.

“Those bars! We’re trapped!” shouted a man.

“Oh gosh! They’re electrified!” cried a woman as blue volts of electricity ran up and down them.

“Yes, my dear, with enough power to contain an elephant,” said the Zookeeper. He chuckled. “You could say I have a captive audience.”

“You fiend! Let these people go!” demanded Blue Eagle.

“Now, now, my cape-wearing friend. Trophies don’t make demands of hunters,” said the Zookeeper. “Instead, for their lives, you and your sidekick will take part in the Ultimate Challenge.”

“Whatever it is, we accept!” declared Switch.

“I knew you would.”

He pressed a nearby lever, and the stage suddenly began to lower. The villains watched as Blue Eagle and Switch slowly descended into a large, cavernous room underground.

“Now, it is time for the Father-Son Duo to meet the other participants in this event.”

The walls in each corner of the room slip open, revealing mighty caged beasts inside.

“Behold, my greatest captures! Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, the Abominable Snowman, and the Chupacabra!” announced the Zookeeper.

The ten foot tall Bigfoot stepped forward, raising its arms as it reached toward them. The Loch Ness Monster, a thirty foot tall beast with the body and flippers of a seal and a giraffe-like neck, pulled itself toward them, unfazed by the lack of water. The Abominable Snowman, its shaggy fur white as the powder it was named after, snarled ferociously. The bipedal rat-like Chupacabra hissed, rubbing its hands together with anticipation.

“Holy cow, Blue Eagle! Those creatures….they really are the creatures of legend!” exclaimed Switch.

“That is right, young man. Now, let’s make this more appropriate for a hunt. Queen Venus, would you please?” said the Zookeeper.

Queen Venus reached forward. Lush vegetation sprang out of the dirt, overcoming the entire area. Tall trees with mighty tree trunks towered over the heroes, and thick foliage obscured their vision of the monsters.

“Talk about a green thumb! There’s an entire forest down here!” observed Switch.

“And because of it, we can’t see those creatures at all,” added Blue Eagle.

Above them, the ceiling began to close, cutting the superheroes off from the main area.

“The Ultimate Challenge will pit two superheroes against four monsters in a game of cat and mouse,” announced the Zookeeper into his microphone as the audience watched the action below on a large television screen that appeared in the tent. “But in this now-wild, untamed land comes another twist. A small beacon is placed somewhere in this forest. To gain access to the top level, you must find it and deactivate it. That will prove you worthy to be my targets.” With a jovial, polite laugh, he added, “Happy hunting!”

“Well, this is a fine mess,” pouted Switch. “A scavenger hunt….with a bunch of monsters on a superhero hunt.”

“We’ll get out of this, Switch, by being smarter than them,” said Blue Eagle, looking around. “With my super senses, I can hear the monsters approaching and get the drop on them, but I can’t tell where the beacon is. I’ll distract them, you look for the beacon.”

“Good idea,” said Switch as they both went off in different directions.

And so began the search. The heroes crept quietly through the forest, keeping their eyes and ears open. Four mythical beasts did the same, pushing past trees and crawling over leaves in their hunt for prey. Blue Eagle maneuvered around rustling leaves while Switch silently skulked through the foliage, keeping his eyes peeled for the beacon.

Above them, the crowd watched silently on the television screen as the superheroes crept through the artificial forest, trying to survive the hunt. All while the Zookeeper and Queen Venus snickered cruelly, waiting for the Father-Son Duo to finally meet their end.

“I can’t wait to watch those two thorns in my stalk meet a painful end at the hand of those monsters,” said Queen Venus, rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

“Not just those monsters, Queen Venus,” said the Zookeeper. “I have some other surprises in store.”

Blue Eagle kept his breathing steady and his footsteps light. His ears were open for the sound of one of the creatures skulking quietly through the forest.

Instead, they picked up the sound of a wire at his ankle being broken, and he ducked just in time as the buzz saws launched at his head seemingly from nowhere. They sliced through three trees with no resistance at all.

“Those buzz saws were activated by a hidden tripwire. And they were strong enough to slice even me in half,” realized Blue Eagle. “It seems like the Zookeeper is pulling out all the stops to make sure we don’t escape from here alive.”

Elsewhere, Switch tiptoed past a pair of bushes. He didn’t realize that the Zookeeper was watching him on a security console, ready to activate his next trap.

And with the push of a button, the machine gun turret hidden in the bushes began firing.

“Time to split before I get turned into Swiss cheese!” he exclaimed, running away at superspeed. Bullets whizzed by him, but he dodged them effortlessly. “The Zookeeper might as well have just sent the whole Army after me. I hope Blue Eagle is doing better than I am.”

Blue Eagle dived out of the way of a battering ram tied to two ropes that nearly crushed him against a tree. “That was too close,” he muttered to himself. His ears pricked up at the sounds of heavy footsteps and breathing. “I’d better hide. It looks like I’m about to have company.”

He hid behind some dense bushes as leaves from the foliage straight ahead began to quiver and shake.

Out into the small clearing that the trap had been rigged in stepped Bigfoot. It clenched its fists as it sniffed the air, eager to tear something–or someone–apart with its massive arms. The ten foot tall creature raised its fists in the air and let out a loud roar as it stepped forward.

The superhero’s enhanced vision barely saw the second trip wire until it was snapped.

“Oh no!” shouted Blue Eagle as the steel wrecking ball swung toward the creature. If the Zookeeper had reinforced his traps to be able to kill him, then surely it would kill Bigfoot.

In the blink of an eye, Blue Eagle was between Bigfoot and the dense metal sphere, hovering three feet in the air as he blocked it with a powerful right haymaker. He put everything he had into the blow, and it showed. With a thunderous crash, the ball sailed through the air as if it were a line drive hit by a professional baseball player.

“Whew! Made it just in time! I couldn’t let this poor creature be killed by….” he started, his voice trailing off as he heard the sound of rustling leaves.

Turning, he watched as the Abominable Snowman entered the clearing.

The yeti was smaller than Bigfoot, but its fur was thicker and its arms were somehow even larger. Its beady yellow eyes centered on Blue Eagle, who was about half a foot smaller.

“Now now, friend,” started Blue Eagle, standing tall. “I don’t want to have to hurt y-ouohh!”

He was cut off as the yeti grabbed and lifted him over its head. It let out a bloodcurdling roar as he planned to slam Blue Eagle into the ground.

A second roar sounded. The Abominable Snowman was tackled to the ground, and Blue Eagle hit the ground face first. He looked back to see Bigfoot and the Abominable Snowman tussling on the ground, each one snarling and baring its fangs at the other while trying to get a definitive advantageous position.

“I guess Sasquatch just wanted to pay me back for rescuing him,” said Blue Eagle. He turned and ran toward the woods. “I’d love to stay, but I’d rather not get in the middle of that. I need to keep the other creatures at bay so Switch can find that beacon.”

But Switch was having no luck at that moment. “Where is that beacon?” he wondered out loud. “I’ve been keeping my nose to the ground trying to find it and just finding traps instead.”

He looked up at a long tree trunk nearby. “Maybe I can get an idea where to look by climbing to the top of that tree. It’s thin enough that I should be able to hold onto it, so that shouldn’t be a problem. Hopefully, I’ll be able to see most of the forest and at least some of the traps from up high. Here goes nothing!”

He leapt onto the side of the tree and wrapped his arms and legs around it and began to shimmy toward the top.

“Wow, this tree doesn’t feel like it’s made of any wood I’ve ever felt,” he mused. “It feels almost leathery. Hey, I’m just about at the top!”

Coming up just shy of the apex of the thirty foot tall tree, he gasped in shock as it started to move. The top of the tree turned away from the forest canopy and looked at him.

Switch did a double take and gasped when he realized that wasn’t a tree.

“The Loch Ness Monster!”

The brownish gray monster gave a jerk of its head, and Switch cried out as he was flung from it. Tumbling head over heels, he landed unceremoniously on his chest.

“Good thing I have invulnerability. That might have hurt,” he groaned.

But the surprises didn’t end there. He did yet another double take as he laid eyes on the ratlike Chupacabra standing before him. Its beady eyes bore down on him, and its long snout curled upwards to reveal sharp fangs. Behind him, the dinosaur-like Loch Ness Monster stared down at him, angry at him for disturbing its rest.

“I don’t think you want to do this, guys. Why don’t we all go back to enjoying this beautiful underground forest,” he suggested.

The short-haired Chupacabra hissed at him, and then lunged. From above, the Loch Ness Monster also came in for a headbutt.

Switch scoffed and stood straight with his hands on his hips. “Fortunately, I can take you both out without even moving!”

True to his word, both cryptids bounced headfirst off his invulnerable body. They collapsed, unconscious from slamming into what was essentially a brick wall. Switch, on the other hand, remained unmoved.

“Whatever you two prey on, I promise it’s nothing compared to a superhero with invulnerability,” he boasted. His brow furrowed as he looked past the bushes. “Hmm, another clearing. I wonder….”

He pushed past some shrubbery and his eyes lit up when he saw what was in the next clearing. “The beacon!” he exclaimed, eying the small silver tube with the blinking light attached to a skinny antenna. Entering the clearing, he joyfully said to himself, “It’s about time we found this thing! Now we can get back upstairs and put a stop to the Zoo–”

The sound of rustling in the bushes nearby cut him off just as he was about to reach the beacon. He turned just as the reinforced steel net enveloped him.

The sound of the net and his sidekick’s cry reaches the impossibly perceptive ears of Blue Eagle, who makes his way to the scene to find….

“Switch!” cried the elder hero, seeing his son caught in a metal net. “I’ll get you out of there in a jiffy.”

“Be careful, Blue Eagle,” warned Switch as his father approached. “It wasn’t a trap. It was—”

Too late. Another steel net came from the foliage, engulfing Blue Eagle and knocking him to the ground. He struggled but it was to no avail. Even his titanic strength wasn’t enough to pull the net apart.

“What the—? What happened?” he cried.

“Why, I happened, Blue Eagle,” came the nearby voice of the Zookeeper, stepping out of the foliage. His musket was still trained on the heroes, having just fired the nets that trapped them. “And I’ll have you know that those nets are made of an advanced material that few have access to. Its strength comes from its bonds being frozen in place at the atomic level. So cease your struggling. It’s useless.”

“Incredible,” said Blue Eagle. “He’s right. I can’t escape this net.”

“Gosh, Blue Eagle, we’re really in a jam this time,” said Switch.

The Zookeeper gave a polite chuckle. “That is correct, my young friend. And now, with your deaths, I will erase any doubts that I am the world’s greatest trophy hunter.”

Blue Eagle gave a defeated sigh. “I have no argument. You’ve won, fair and square, and proven to be our betters.” He looked up at his captor. “I think it only fair that Switch and I tell the people ourselves that you bested us cleanly, and of your unmatched aptitude in this sport.”

A wide smile crossed the Zookeeper’s face. “You flatter me, my superpowered prey. Very well, you may address the people of Herald City. Tell them of your loss. And your impending demise.”

With that, he pressed a button on the side of the beacon. The ceiling above them parted, and the part of the forest that used to be the stage began to ascend. When. It reached the top, the trees and shrubs and everything else disappeared, leaving only the Zookeeper and his captives in front of a disheartened crowd.

Queen Venus clapped her hands excitedly. “Oh, Zookeeper, what a magnificent display! You were certainly worth hiring after all. Consider all that we steal from these people to be your first payment.”

“It’s not about the money, my dear. It’s about being the best,” said the Zookeeper. “And I believe that Blue Eagle has an announcement he wants to make about who the best is.”

“Yes, Zookeeper. It’s only right,” said Blue Eagle solemnly. He positioned himself on his knees and hung his head. “Ladies and gentlemen. Switch and I have been, as the Father-Son Duo, your protectors and champions. Until today.”

The audience listened in shock and horror at Blue Eagle’s admission. It was impossible. The heroes couldn’t lose. They never lost.

“The Zookeeper has truly bested us. We gave it our all, Switch and I, but his tricks and traps and beasts were just too much for us. And once we’re truly goners, the Zookeeper will be what we once were.” He looked directly at the trophy hunting villain. “Second fiddle.”

The Zookeeper’s brow furrowed. His mustache quivered. “What!? Second fiddle? What do you mean? I’ve bested you in my hunt! I am your superior!”

“That may be so. But you’ve failed to take into account someone else. Someone who even we could never catch, no matter how hard we tried. And that someone, you’ll never catch them.”

“Who!? Who is this!? I must know!”

Blue Eagle smiled coyly. “Why, Zookeeper, it’s Queen Venus!” he answered.

The Zookeeper’s normally kindly eyes widened. “You mean, even now with you captured and awaiting the end, I haven’t proven to these people that I am the best?”

“Don’t worry. You proved yourself to be second best,” said Switch, goading him on.

“Well, I will show all of you,” the Zookeeper said, turning and aiming his bell-shaped musket at Queen Venus.

The supervillain held out her hands. “Wait! Zookeeper, you fool! They’re tricking you into—”

It was too late for words. A steel coil fired from the musket, wrapping around Queen Venus and pinning her arms to her chest.

“You traitorous tamarisk!” she roared. Acid began to secret through her costume, slowly melting the metal coil while doing nothing to the fabric. “Once the acid that my body can produce at will burns through your trap and frees me, I will ground you into mulch and use your remains to plant a garden!”

“Not today, Queen Venus! With your capture and death, I will be heralded as the best hunter in the world!”

“Quickly, Switch! While they’re distracted,” whispered Blue Eagle to his sidekick as he began to fire a thin beam at a metal link in the net that trapped him, “use your eyebeams! He said this metal is so powerful because its atomic bonds are frozen. Then a narrow and sustained blast from our eyebeams should heat them up and create a weak link in the trap.”

“Great idea, Blue Eagle,” said Switch, following his father’s lead and firing a thin eyebeam at one part of his net. “Boy, do I hope my powers last long enough to cut through this.”

Queen Venus and the Zookeeper were exchanging attacks with each other. The still-bound mistress of plant life ducked as another net passed over her head. Vines emerged from her shoulder blades and fired acid at the supervillain trophy hunter, but he maneuvered out of the way of the deadly liquid.

Eventually, her bonds gave way to her acidic secretions, and her superstrength allowed her to burst free with a sharp flex of her arms.

“I’m free now, Zookeeper,” she said, her voice low and menacing. “And now I’ll teach you a lesson you’ll never forget.”

The Zookeeper huffed angrily, his earlier polite and composed demeanor gone. “I will never be second fiddle to you!”

“Oh, don’t worry. You’ll never achieve even that level. I have a little surprise planned for you, just in case you turned on me,” she said. She looked toward one of the corners of the tent. “Frankie! Willie! Release them now!”

“You got it, boss!” came Willie’s answer as he and Frankie emerged from their hiding place behind one of the bleachers. They rushed toward the Zookeeper’s security console and pulled down a large lever.

The stage, with all participants other than Frankie and Willie, lowered again.

“Goin’ down,” said Frankie.

“And goin’ up,” added Willie, flipping the lever in the other direction.

The stage rose back up with everyone where and as they were, but now with four new occupants.

The cryptids. Bigfoot, the Lochness Monster, the Abominable Snowman, and the Chupacabra.

“No, you fools! You let the monsters out!” cried the Zookeeper, backing away from them.

“What’s wrong, Zookeeper? I thought you were the world’s greatest trophy hunter,” said Queen Venus slyly.

He turned to her. “I haven’t prepared for this hunt! And to nab all four of them at the same time? Impossible!”

“Well, you should have thought of that before you turned on me,” she said. “I guess you weren’t the real top hunter after all. The real greatest champion of Herald City is….B-B-B-Blue Eagle!?….” she suddenly stammered, stiffening at the sight of something over the Zookeeper’s shoulder.

Turning around, he gasped at the sight of Blue Eagle and Switch, now freed from their bonds. The creatures were gathered around them, and Bigfoot lowered his head so Blue Eagle could scratch behind his ears.

“Again!? Again they’re free?” cried the Zookeeper in shock.

“That’s right. And we’ve made some new friends,” said Switch.

“It’s amazing what treating other living beings with dignity and respect can do for you,” said Blue Eagle. “You sicced them on us because you see them as nothing but entertainment and proof of your own superiority. But I wonder what they think now that the tables are turned.”

The four mythological monsters turned toward the Zookeeper. Snarling ferociously, they began to advance on their former captor.

“Uh, hey boss? Perhaps it’s time we made ourselves scarce,” suggested Frankie nervously. “If Blue Eagle is back and got those monsters with him, I don’t think we stand a chance.”

“Yes, perhaps it would be most prudent if we ran,” said Queen Venus, turning to flee.

“Indeed it is,” said the Zookeeper, turning to join them. “As we are all now the targets of their hunt, I suggest we escape together and settle our differences later.”

Without warning, Queen Venus turned around and shoved him to the ground.

“Wha—? What are you doing?” he asked, confused.

“The law of the jungle. I don’t have to outrun the lion. I just have to outrun you,” she told him before turning and running.

“No, I—” he started before a rough hand grabbed his shoulder.

“Sorry, Zookeeper, but your days of trophy hunting are over,” said Blue Eagle as the villain struggled futilely in his grasp.

The next day, at the office of the Chief of Police….

“Another job well done, Blue Eagle,” said the Chief proudly. “The people were rescued and those mythological creatures are being placed back in their natural habitat. We couldn’t have done it without you. The city owes you its thanks.”

“Don’t mention it, Chief. It’s all in a day’s work,” said Blue Eagle. “We’re just happy everything turned out alright.”

“Not everything, unfortunately,” said Switch glumly. “That overgrown weed Queen Venus got away again.”

“Don’t worry, Switch. There will be other opportunities, and plenty of them. You know she never gives up,” assured his father. He perked up. “Look on the bright side. The Zookeeper is behind bars. His trophy hunting days are over.”

“Not only that, but the money his zoo made will be put to good use in animal shelters and wildlife preservation,” added the Chief. “And we’ve given him the special prison accommodations you requested, Blue Eagle.”

Switch cocked his head sideways. “Special prison accommodations? What do you mean by that, Chief?”

Blue Eagle chuckled. “The Zookeeper won’t be kept in a jail cell, but in a pen at the Herald City Zoo. Now everyone can go see a criminal in its natural habitat,” he explained. “We may not be hunters, but the Zookeeper is our biggest trophy yet.”

And at that moment, the Zookeeper sat in a pen all of his own in the gorilla exhibit, wearing a black and white striped jumpsuit, as zoo attendees pointed at him in awe and laughed at his predicament. He only scowled and skulked, then cringed with disgust as a banana peel launched itself from one of the gorilla cages and landed on his head.