Gawen is brave, okay, and he won't let anybody tell him any different.

Which is how he found himself skittering nervously away from the Edge borders, constantly looking back frantically like his mother would come burning out of the trees like a demon from hell to scream at him and drag him back kicking and screaming into the herdland. Gawen quickened his pace just imagining it, the visual sending shudders down his spine.

He almost turned around, the looming shadows on the untouched snow past the boundaries far more intimidating than his mother's anger. But he was tired of exploring the Edge, and he wanted to be brave. He wanted to go find special herbs to bring back for Maude and Tilney, and prove that he could be a good Moon Doctor. And the closest wild land was the Grove, with its abundance of foliage hiding beneath the snow and the still, frozen waters.

As soon as he was sure he wouldn't be followed, the awkward, loose-limbed foal went flailing and skipping through the thick snow. Winter was Gawen's absolute favorite season. He wasn't as cold as the others with his thick feathers, and when he fell, there was this amazing white substance that broke his fall! Snow was Gawen's best friend, and he was astounded by the scarcity of his bruises as the snowfall increased through the season. It was honestly the best teacher Gawen had ever had - the thickness of the snow keeping his legs straight and his body generally upright. Astonishing, really.

Except ice. Gawen hated ice.

His hoof hit a patch of it on the way down to the lake and he slid sharply, careening down into the snow with a sharp noise of surprise. As the snow settled he was staring up at the sky, a veritable snow angel with how his wings were splayed at full length beside him. Frowning heavily, Gawen rolled over onto one side and sighed, kicking his hooves beneath him reluctantly. Muttering to himself as he used his horn and hooves to scrape away the snow, hunting for the perfect herb to take back to Tilney and Maude.

If a person could die of fright, well, Gawen was doing his absolute best. He hadn't been paying attention at all - which was stupid considering his age and the fact he was in an unknown wild land, and the fact there was fucking snow everywhere to make noise. He nearly leapt out of his skin, giant blue eyes swelling in his head and peering up at the long shadow that fell across him, not even daring to lift his head to try and inspect this newcomer yet. Not until the grumbling, discomfited voice spat out, startling the child a second time as he jerked his head up and snapped his wings in like a soldier. Trying to appear polite and mature. Maybe even sucking up a bit because good lords his knees were already shaking.

But the man had asked a question, and Gawen fought to unravel his knotted tongue to form a response. He didn't want to die because of his awkwardness okay!

"I-I-I'm looking for an herb, sir!" his voice squeaked out, pitifully high. He never had a very deep voice in the first place but he could practically pee himself with the squinting glare of the older, colorful male. The downturned lips and frustrated, pinched expression. "F-For my friend! We want to be medics and I want to i-impress her," he fumbled out quickly after that, practically spitting the mashed up words to try and please the sour stallion.

Snow slid down his horn onto his face and Gawen's face twitched hard, almost comically, at the cold sensation. He nearly went cross eyed, but he didn't dare move beneath the scrutiny of the much older male. He normally would have inquired what the male was doing out himself, if only for the sake of being polite, but Gawen truly didn't even want to know. Or tempt fate. If this was some mass murderer, he wanted to cherish his life - and his silence - for however long he had left to live. This is why you listen to Mama, Gawen, he wailed in his mind.

Gawen shouldn't be playing with fate, he really, really shouldn't, but the medic inside him reared its ugly, foul-mouthed head and he puffed up like a tiny angry bird and the words just went spitting right off his tongue. "That's not true! There's...there's winter savory, and snowdrops, a-and aconite!" his little voice cried, not knowing what point he was really trying to prove but needing to prove it anyways. He didn't want to feel foolish for heading all the way out of the Edge just to find something that didn't grow within the herdland to bring back for Maude. He wasn't wrong!

But whatever fate was going to befall him was stayed by the sudden blooming of an almost maniacal grin, and Gawen faltered, not sure how to respond to this kind of smile. It was almost as terrifying as the previous looming, but he didn't know why. He'd certainly never seen anyone smile in a way that wasn't positive, after all, but his instincts told him "definitely not good". It was an internal war that probably showed all too well on his expressive face.

But he couldn't just ignore the fact that the stallion was offering some sort of weird help, okay, Gawen was desperate! Even if that meant taking advice from mass murderers. He wanted to impress Maude! And Tilney too, but that seemed to have escaped the stallion's notice.

Gawen nonetheless smiled brightly and nodded his head. He wasn't sure why he'd said "ladies" in such a way, but...Gawen sure wanted to impress people so why not! And finally he had a name. Not that mass murderers couldn't have names of course, but it made them likable. Likable mass murderers were much easier to deal with, in Gawen's opinion. He could accept that.

"I'm Gawen! And yes! Can you teach me?" Hopeful, studious blue eyes stared up pleadingly, awaiting knowledge like a dried out sponge. He wouldn't even know what hit him, honestly.

Whew. Close one.

Gawen should've known not to antagonize a potential mass murderer but the healing soul in him simply couldn't let it go. At least the towering beast had not deigned to kill the child for his slight, instead waving off the information like it didn't matter; or worse, like it was a lie. Gawen could have screamed for how insulting that was, the presumption that he would lie about something so precious and important and useful.

But Gawen also valued his internal organs, and he'd rather like them to remain in their proper places thank you very much.

Except Sunjata was quick to put him on the spot, and Gawen felt like he was suddenly in a very important exam, his mind flitting over the little he knew of Maude and Tilney in a desperate search for answers that would appease the monster. "Well...she likes herbs, and healing...and she's very nice and kind even when other people are mean. But uh...that's all I know," he admitted shyly, scuffing his hoof through the snow and averting his eyes. That was the problem you see. Tilney was this grand, amazing Doctor that could make Gawen swoon with his very presence, and that made getting to know Maude so hard. But he wanted to because she was the only filly he'd ever met his age! Who had the same interests!

Of course Gawen didn't know what 'date' meant, and didn't realize in the slightest that Sunjata had romance on the brain when Gawen was just helplessly entrenched in platonic affection and admiration for the girl. But oh well.

"I wanted to bring her pretty snowdrops, because she's pretty too, and maybe we could learn about its uses together?" It fell limply from his mouth, unsure suddenly. Was that...good enough? Was he doing this WRONG?! The hawk was struck with sudden terror at the idea that he could have made an error and been on the path to slighting or insulting the girl he so badly wanted to befriend. Maybe he really did need the man's help. So as Sunjata lowered himself to Gawen's minuscule height, the boy wandered closer, eyes bright and attentive and nearly shaking with energy as he awaited instruction and enlightenment.