This was actually backpacking in the summer in the Lost Creek Wilderness area with my girlfriend. Our first night on the trail we set up solo at a pretty well established camping area next to a stream. The night was beautiful, but I have never been completely comfortable out in the woods at night.
Anyway, I woke up at probably 2 AM needing to relieve myself something fierce. I zipped open the tent and peeked out a bit. A full moon painted a beautiful, almost otherworldly scene of bright silvery light, bright enough to read a book by, contrasted starkly with completely dark shadows from the tall trees and other vegetation. The bubbling stream and still air added to the ambience. After a moment I decided I couldn't hold it anymore, and got out of the tent with my headlamp to take care of business.
I mentioned previously that I am not completely comfortable in the woods at night. Call me a wimp all you want but that's how I am, despite numerous camping, backpacking, and hunting trips throughout the years. Anyway, I say that to preface why I had the headlamp: I shone it around to see if any eyes were looking back in our direction before I moved away a bit to take care of business (maybe a bad idea, ignorance is bliss after all). I didn't see anything, and satisfied enough to calm my overactive imagination I stepped off from the tent a bit towards some trees to take care of business. The area was so well lit (outside of the shadows) that I turned the headlamp off and took care of things.
Making my way back to the tent, all of a sudden, I heard crashing footsteps from a darkened area of the woods RUNNING RIGHT TOWARDS ME. Adrenaline took over, and before I could actively think about it I faced the sound, threw my arms out wide, and shouted "HEEEEEEEEEEY!" at the top of my lungs. I yelled so loud that I heard it echoing through the forest, and it immediately woke my girlfriend in the tent. I heard the source of the footsteps fleeing away from me and up a hill nearby.
It was right about then that I heard my girlfriend from the tent: "I can't find the bear spray, where is it?"
Heart still racing, I turned my weak headlamp on and shone it all around our campsite. At the crest of the hill where I heard the sound of the footsteps running, much to my chagrin, I saw two eyes staring at me. Not yet responding to my girlfriend's inquiry, I worked my way back to the tent and without explanation said "Give me your headlamp." (Her's is brighter). Fortunately, she did, and heart still racing I shined her much brighter light in the direction I had seen the eyes.
Silhouetted in the flashlight's glare was a yearling doe, staring curiously back down towards the calamity she (or maybe I) had unknowingly kicked off.
Finally able to calm down a bit, I turned the light off and flatly informed my girlfriend "It was a deer." After a moments pause we both broke down laughing.
We made sure after that night to have a designated bear spray corner in the tent, and I later bought a much better headlamp.