Dolma.

It's still dark when Dolma sets off with her father, a forest guardian, on the dawn round across the hills of Darjeeling. They head out to watch: to see who's moving below, what changed during the night, what's there today that wasn't yesterday. She's a junior volunteer, the one who learns by tagging along, and for that a backpack comes in handy: it's the gear of someone who rises early to explore the forest slowly, in no hurry to get back.

Here's the species fact: the red panda doesn't stay in the same spot all year. It follows the bamboo with the season: climbing to the high slopes in spring and summer, when the tender stalks sprout, and dropping down to more sheltered forests in winter. It's a small journey repeated every year, a coming and going at the mountain's pace. For Dolma, raised among those hills of Darjeeling, heading out to move with the forest comes naturally. I created her head-on, with a plain background: on a backpack, the portrait shows well and holds up to daily wear. If you like this girl from the hills, there's more of her in her biography.