Ghost and the Darkness

[Debasis Bose]

On 19th of Dec 2015, it was almost full moon, very cold and misty, it was still dark with dawn 10 to 15 minutes away, we were the first vehicle out in the vast forest, slowly rolling down on the regular beat track of two tigers. We were at bifurcation, when observed some animal most probably a leopard or tiger melted away into the lantana bush to our left. We hurriedly backed few foot and turned to the left path which cuts the jungle path on other end from which the animal went in.
As Corbett use to say, darkness, when used in connection with dusk, dawn or night, is a relative term and has no fixed standard, to one it would be pitch dark, to another it would be dark and to third it would be moderately dark. To me it was moderately dark, I was geared with Nikon FX loaded with 70-200 F 2.8 and waited eagerly for the mystery animal to break its cover and come out of the jungle path now from our right. After few minutes of wait, the ghost of the corbett tiger reserve came out padding softly few meters to out front right.
It was a feeling that cannot be described in words.

Nikon, Nikor 70-200 F2.8, shot @ 135mm F 2.8, ISO 6400, 1/320s