The sun rose over the eastern edge of Kalinga, casting long shadows across the village of Pattinam, where mango trees leaned like gossiping elders and goats wandered with philosophical purpose.
Dhira and his gang had arrived the night before, seeking rest, mangoes, and stories.
But rest was short-lived.
The Mission Begins
An elderly man named Raman approached them at dawn, eyes worried, hands trembling.
"My cow," he said. "She's missing. Her name is Kamali. She's gentle. She never wanders."
Dhira nodded.
"We'll find her."
Bhairav stood beside him, eager.
This was his first mission.
He expected strategy.
He expected discipline.
He got… the Chappel of Goats.
The Senior Brothers Activate
The five followers were pumped.
For the first time, they had a junior.
They were senior brothers now.
And they had ideas.
Terrible, glorious ideas.
🐄 First Follower's Plan: Speak Cow
"We must speak her language," he declared. "If we moo, she will moo back."
He stood on a rock and mooed.
Loudly.
Passionately.
The response came.
But not from Kamali.
An angry bull charged from the nearby field, eyes blazing.
The gang scattered.
"Wrong dialect!" the follower screamed.
"That was bull-speak!"
🌿 Second Follower's Plan: Gourmet Grass
"We need bait," said the second. "World-class grass. The kind cows dream about."
They gathered the freshest, greenest, most aromatic grass in the region.
They laid it out like a royal buffet.
It worked.
Sort of.
Every grass-eating animal in the village arrived.
Goats.
Buffaloes.
Deer.
Even a confused turtle.
But no Kamali.
"She's picky," the follower muttered.
"She's probably vegan," said another.
🌀 The Other Three Plans
The third follower tried to paint a cow on a wall to lure Kamali with art.
The fourth built a cow-shaped scarecrow and danced around it.
The fifth tried to summon her using mango chants.
None of it worked.
Bhairav watched in disbelief.
"How have you survived this long?"
The kid from the village laughed.
"They're legends."
"They're lunatics," Bhairav replied.
"Same thing."
Dhira's Nap
While chaos unfolded across the village, Dhira was asleep.
Under a banyan tree.
Snoring softly.
Dreaming of mangoes.
When he woke, he found a cow sitting beside him.
Calm.
Peaceful.
Her leash was loose.
Her eyes gentle.
Dhira blinked.
"Kamali?"
She mooed.
He stood.
"You got lost, didn't you?"
She mooed again.
He took the leash.
And walked.
The Reunion
He found his team near the river, arguing about whether mangoes could be used as cow GPS.
They saw him.
They saw Kamali.
They screamed.
"Boss found her!"
"How?"
Dhira paused.
Smiled.
"I fought a twenty-foot snake."
Gasps.
"Was it venomous?"
"Did it fly?"
"Did it speak Sanskrit?"
Dhira nodded solemnly.
"It hissed in verse."
They believed him.
Without question.
Bhairav stared.
"You're all insane."
Dhira handed him a mango.
"Welcome to the storm."
The Elder's Tears
Raman wept when he saw Kamali.
He hugged her.
He hugged Dhira.
He tried to hug the mango.
The village cheered.
The kid clapped.
And Bhairav, for the first time, laughed without hesitation.
His first mission was complete.
Not with strategy.
Not with swords.
But with chaos, kindness, and a cow.