A wide river flowed through the heart of the jungle. On its bank lived two otter brothers – the elder Subuddh and the younger Lobhi (the Greedy One). They hunted fish together every day, but Lobhi always wanted one extra fish.
One day, they caught an enormous rohu – so fat and fresh that both brothers’ eyes sparkled. Subuddh said, “Let’s take it home, cook it on the fire, and share properly.” But Lobhi thought, “If I quarrel now, I’ll only get half; if I play clever, I might get the whole thing.”
Just then, a hungry cheetah passed by. His eyes fell on the fish. He roared, “This fish is mine! Leave it!” Both otters were terrified, but Subuddh gathered courage and said, “Sir, we caught it with great effort. We can catch another for you if you wish.” The cheetah was mad with hunger. “No! I want this one, right now!”
Lobhi saw his chance. He winked at his brother and spoke sweetly to the cheetah, “Great one, we brothers are fighting over this fish. Please do justice. We will place it before you – you decide who gets it.” Subuddh instantly understood the trick, but stayed silent.
The otters placed the fish on the ground and stepped back. The cheetah lunged to grab it. At that very moment, Lobhi shouted at Subuddh, “See! I told you you’d cheat me! You deliberately put the fish near the cheetah’s mouth!” Subuddh shouted back, “Liar! You did it to trap me!”
The two otters fell upon each other – pulling fur, biting, and scratching. The cheetah was stunned for a second, then thought, “While they fight, I’ll take the fish.” He calmly picked it up and strolled away into the jungle.
When the otters finally stopped, panting and exhausted, they looked around – no fish, no cheetah, only a few bones lying on the ground. Lobhi began to cry, “It was my fault… in greed I lost both your share and mine.” Subuddh put a paw on his shoulder and said, “Come, let’s catch two new fish together. This time we’ll share equally.”
An old turtle watching from a tree branch smiled and said, “When brothers quarrel, a third one walks away with the fish.”
Moral Lesson: Greed and fighting among kin only benefit outsiders. Brotherhood and trust are the real treasures.