"One is already too many, and there are actually two?!" Sagyi stuck out his tongue, "Let's run away!"

"Don't panic, we should go take a look. They might injure each other, and if we're lucky, we might get one!" Zakali laughed and pulled everyone along to watch.

"Oh my, look at that wound on your shoulder. Why must you be so reckless?" Sagyi complained, "We'll just watch this time and not help. Go fight the tiger yourself!"

"Not helping? Fine!" Zakali said, "Tigers are so valuable. You definitely can't come to help. Whatever is left will be all mine, don't try to snatch it!" After saying so, he pulled his sister towards the roaring sound.

Garland and Sagyi exchanged helpless glances.

"Let's go take a look, we can always run if needed." His brother said, making a funny face.

"Alright then." Garland shrugged.

This time, the Zakali siblings walked in front while the Garland brothers followed behind. Garland held his brother's hand tightly, afraid to lose him again.

Soon, they saw two tigers locked in battle, having rolled over a large area of thorn bushes. Upon closer look, the losing tiger was clearly the mother tiger that Zakali had fought earlier! She lay curled up on the ground, whimpering softly.

Facing her was another tiger almost twice her size, growling fiercely. It bared its gaping maw full of sharp teeth. This tiger had lustrous fur, yellow and black stripes alternating down its body. Its powerful claws could snap any vine around it with ease. The tiger climbed onto a boulder and let out a deafening roar, sending the group scrambling back in fear.

"Oh my, such a huge tiger. It could easily eat us all up!" Sagyi exclaimed.

"Judging by its size, it must be a male." Zakali commented.

"Papa tiger?" The girl cried in surprise, "But why would papa tiger want to kill mama tiger?"

"Sis, tigers are animals. They don't have human notions of parents or family." Zakali shook his head, "The male tiger sees no wife or children."

"What? It wouldn't kill the female?"

"Looks like it will." Sagyi pointed to the female on the ground, clearly gravely injured and struggling to cling onto life.

"Oh no, this is all your fault!" The girl stomped in anger, hitting her brother, "If you hadn't wounded mama tiger so badly earlier, she wouldn't be in this state fighting the male!"

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"How is this my fault?" Zakali dodged his sister's blows, "Who was it that kept harping on about a tiger skin coat?"

The girl's eyes lit up with an idea: "Brother, kill that big male tiger for me!"

"What?" Zakali's eyes widened as he looked between his sister and the tiger, hardly believing his ears, "That one?"

"Yes! You wounded mama tiger, now take responsibility!"

"And you! You hit mama tiger too, you're also responsible!" The girl declared, pointing at Garland.

As they argued, the male tiger slowly approached the fallen female, jaws open and ready to bite the helpless creature.

"Well, no saving it now. Let's just wait to collect the skin." Zakali shook his head. His sister kept egging him on, but he dared not approach with his injuries.

Watching anxiously beside them, Garland suddenly remembered he still had his bow and arrows! His recurve bow was collapsed into a circle on his back when not in use. With a fluid motion he strung it and tested the draw.

He nocked a white-feathered arrow, taking aim at the tiger. Seeing Zakali continue moaning about the skin, he declared confidently, "Watch me shoot this arrow through the tiger's eye!"

The siblings gaped in disbelief. The eye was so small, how could he possibly hit it?

Sagyi grinned proudly, "Just watch my brother's magic arrow!"

Twang! The arrow spun through the air before shifting trajectory and plunging cleanly into the tiger's eye, sinking deep into its skull.

The tiger howled in pain, writhing and clawing at the ground.

Garland readied another arrow, saying cockily, "Let me pierce its tongue with this one, without damaging the skin."

True enough, the next arrow struck the thrashing tiger's tongue, lodging in its throat.

With no place left to aim, Garland drew out his knife, eyeing the tiger's remaining eye for the finishing blow.

The gravely wounded tiger suddenly leapt up, batting him away with a heavy paw. He crashed into the thorns, shredding his clothes.

The tiger roared and circled around, claws raking the stone viciously. Every hair on its body seemed to stand on end. It would clearly fight to the death.

Garland slowly picked himself up, knife back in hand. He circled the tiger but it watched him unerringly. A direct charge would surely get him shredded by its formidable strength.

"The knife is useless against that thick hide, you need a wooden club!" Zakali called out, tossing over his club. "Distract it and I'll get on its head!"

Climb on its head? Garland looked around but saw no way up. Maybe that cave mouth, if he could climb and jump down...

By now Zakali had emerged from the vines, throwing rocks at the tiger's head. Keeping to its blind side, the tiger struggled to spot him. When it finally did, Zakali dodged its pounce and scrambled away.

Seizing the chance, Garland scrambled up the slope to a spot he could leap down from.

As the tiger wailed in pain, Zakali ran to the cave mouth, shouting and jumping to draw its attention. Enraged, the tiger whipped around and charged towards the mouth. Zakali nearly stumbled into the cave in his excitement. Seeing the tiger approach, he scurried away in panic. The clever tiger did not enter the cave, but it had not expected Garland lying in wait above. At the right moment, the youth leapt onto the tiger's neck, landing upside down. With legs clamped around its throat, he choked the beast. Try as it might, the tiger could not reach him to bite.

Frantic, the tiger bucked and shook, trying to dislodge him. But Garland held on stubbornly, pressed flat against its body. This time, they had the massive tiger at their mercy!