Completely camouflaged he sat at the road’s edge;

Cautiously but confidently, he rose;

Calculated were his steady strides;

He crossed the narrow winding track;

And crouched at the meagre water source;

His eyes scanning the surroundings while he drank.

Quenched his thirst, chose his tree and swiftly climbed;

Settled on a sturdy vantage to keep vigil;

For in the jungles, scents never fail;

And the air had truly whispered, seconds ago, a tiger had taken the same trail.

Elusive, elegant and shrewd, being a leopard in a tiger kingdom wasn’t an easy post to hold!