As Prafulla and Prabhasha were galloping their horses along the narrow forest trail, kicking up dust, Prafulla suddenly remembered that accursed cave. Pulling the reins of his horse, he looked at Prabhasha and said, "Prabha! I feel we should head straight toward that cave, sister. That is where we were trapped last night. The source of that mysterious rotting stench and the fire is right there. My intuition tells me that going there will solve the entire mystery."
Thinking for a moment, Prabhasha used her sharp intellect and said, "No, no, Brother! There is no need to go straight to the cave at this moment. Instead, let's go toward the village first, where those dead tigers were found this morning. We need to see them with our own eyes first, and then we will enter the forest."
Prafulla inwardly admired his sister's foresight. He said, "Yes, you are absolutely right. Come, let's head to the village first."
When they reached the village, that familiar, putrid stench was floating in the surrounding air. The villagers led them to the spot where the tigers lay dead. As Prafulla and Prabhasha dismounted their horses, drew very close to the carcasses, and examined them meticulously, both were utterly astonished.
It wasn't just a single tiger lying there; rather, several rotting tigers lay dead. But the most astonishing fact was that the tigers were all of completely different kinds! One tiger's skin was entirely white with black stripes, while another's color was vibrant yellow with deep black stripes. Some tigers had colossal bodies, while others were quite small in size. Deep scratch marks were clearly visible on the back and stomach of one tiger, but there were hardly any wounds on the bodies of the other tigers. Observing closely, they realized that no two tigers looked alike—every single one belonged to a completely different breed and color from the others!
Seeing this diversity, a suspicion crept into Prafulla's mind. Placing his hand on his forehead, he pondered for a moment and said, "Tell me, sister Prabha, what did the tiger that first landed in our royal palace look like? I can't recall it properly at this moment. Do you remember exactly how it looked?"
Prabhasha placed her hand on her head, attempting to recall the memory. Then, her eyes lighting up, she said, "Yes, Brother! I remember a little. That tiger had a very deep, old cut mark on one of its legs, and its body color was bright yellow with black stripes."
Prafulla's memory was also instantly triggered. He said enthusiastically, "Oh, I see! Yes, yes, after you mentioned it, I remember it with absolute clarity. You are entirely right, Prabha. But did you notice one thing? None of the tigers here have any resemblance to the tiger from our palace. Every single tiger here is of a different form."
Following this, Prafulla turned toward the villagers standing there and commanded in a grave voice, "Listen to me, all of you, I have given you my word that I will see to the complete unraveling of this tiger mystery before tonight ends. Do not be afraid anymore. Take these tigers immediately and perform their last rites; leaving them here will spread disease."
The villagers folded their hands and said, "Yes, certainly, Prince. Everything will happen exactly as you say. We are arranging for their last rites right away."
Once the villagers left with the tigers, Prafulla and Prabhasha wasted no more time and galloped their horses toward the forest again. This time, they arrived straight near that eerie, rocky cave.
The daylight had not completely faded yet, but looking at the somber atmosphere surrounding the cave, Prabhasha said to Prafulla, "Brother, think about one thing. When we came to the mouth of this cave yesterday, a very intense rotting stench was emanating from here, but we didn't see any tiger. Because the inside of the cave was terribly dark and for the rest of the time, we were lying unconscious! Although a sacrificial fire was burning inside back then, before we could even reach near that fire, someone struck us on our heads from behind, knocked us unconscious, and trapped us inside! That means the rotting stench was coming from the outside too. I think those rotting tigers are hidden inside this cave, or someone is sitting here indulging in some twisted, sinister acts!"
Looking at the tall trees all around, Prabhasha devised a plan. She said, "Since night is approaching now, and the tigers are all emerging at night, I feel we should not make the mistake of entering the cave now. Instead, let's climb up that high tree with a thick canopy right in front of this cave and wait. If we stay hidden there until nightfall, we will be able to see clearly from above what is actually happening inside and who is causing this. Let's make a small sitting space on the tree and stay there."
Hearing his sister's extraordinary intelligence and flawless plan, Prafulla's eyes sparkled with joy. Holding Prabhasha by both shoulders, he became ecstatic and said, "Wow Prabha! Wow! You have a brilliant mind, sister! From today, I will make you my real partner in detective work. My heart is filling with pride today just thinking that you are my own sister. You have attained such great mental maturity! On the other hand, Snigdha, despite being the eldest daughter of the royal dynasty, smeared dirt on our faces for her own filthy interests and left, while you, being the younger one, showed us such a great path to save our lives and the kingdom today. Sister, I am truly so proud of you today!"
A sliver of a satisfied smile appeared on Prabhasha's face. This praise from her brother washed away all the hardships of her entire night in a single moment. Then, the brother and sister, with utmost caution and without making a sound, climbed up the massive tree in front of the cave and remained lying in wait, hidden in the heart of darkness—waiting to see the final end of a burning mystery.