At the 4 and a half week mark mark he finally felt confident enough to leave the Keep. So he waited for Manannan to announce he was going on a trip, and 5 days later, exactly that happen, the wizard gave Gwydion an evil glare at breakfast "I have decided to take a journey."
Gwydion simply answered, "Yes, master," as always. As soon at the wizard had disappeared Gwydion had ran to finish his few regular chores and then outside, and with a deep breath took his first step off the mountain.
The path down to the base of the mountain twisted back and forth, like a snake. This meant it was a long trip, but as it was covered in a bright almost yellow sand, which was loose under Gwydion's boots and he was glad it wasn't steep and short instead. Gwydion kept his eyes firmly on his feet, not willing to chance a bad fall for a fleeting glimpse of the view. Excitement thrummed through him, this was it! Gwydion was going to explore this crazy world he was in. Maybe he would meet a troll, or better yet one of the Fae! While thinking about it Gwydion had taken almost 10 steps at the base of the mountain before he realised the path had levelled out and he was surrounded by trees. He had done it! He had left the mountain!
Gwydion couldn't look around enough. The forest was quiet, but in the distance he heard birds singing and the chatter of squirrels. A few pines clung to the base of the mountain, in front of him the oaks and ash trees thick green leaves formed an almost wall, interspersed with the ghost like trunks of silver birch. The occasional tall elm towered above, while the darker bark of the maples squatted below. Beneath Gwydion's feet, the sand of the path disappeared into a dirt track which wove between the trees and the vibrant green grass. Gwydion wasn't sure he was ready to head deeper into the forest yet, and knew with his luck he didn't have time yet to go to the village before Manannan retuned. So Gwydion turned left instead, and followed the curve of the mountain base around. A small stream cut though the landscape, its water deceptively shallow but swift. The banks were muddy and Gwydion had almost slipped in when he approached. He could see the shine of tiny silver fish darting through the current. With the stream on his right and the mountain on his left Gwydion continued around. The stream cut in close to the mountain and Gwydion had to cross it to continue. As he did so he could see a cave sticking out from the ground in front of him. Stretched across its mouth was a giant spider web. Gwydion stared for a moment and considered getting closer for a quick look, but something about it made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Gwydion instead picked up a smooth pebble from the stream and threw it into the web. In a blink a giant hairy midnight blue spider darted out of the overhangs shadows, chittering at Gwydion, as if yelling at him. The spider was as big as Gwydion was! Shuddering, Gwydion fell backwards. He sent a quiet thank you that he was not caught in the monsters 8 legs. Backing away from the cave, and putting the stream between them again, Gwydion jogged west now, having rounded the corner of the mountain. Here, the trees around him became almost all tall straight pines. The stream meandered back and forth in a lazy fashion ahead of him, around large grey boulders. Gwydion let its gentle bubbling ease him from his fright. Gwydion turned and could see a long waterfall down the side of the mountain spilling into a few small pools before joining the stream. He realised that this must be the end of the spring which tumbled over the edge at the top of the mountain. Gwydion dipped his fingers into the cool clear water and watched the sunlight reflect off the ripples.
With a sigh, Gwydion stood up again, and climbed over and around the larger stones. Out of the corner of his eye he saw soft brown of a feather. Gwydion pulled into out between the stones, trying not to break or crush the fragile structure. The feather was banded in cream and dark brown, its tip almost black. He would have to look up what kind of feather it was back in Manannan's study.
A little further around the mountain and the trees thinned out as the boulders grew into walls of dark grey stone. A broken dead pine marked the edge of the forest, beyond which the yellow sand choked the edge of the grass, a few small twisted saltbushs struggled to grow. The parched sands of the desert seemed to reach forever westward. Gwydion could see a large armed saguaro almost beckoning him to come explore. Gwydion turned, resolute against the temptation, and continued back around south with a firmly planted hand on the sheer face of the mountain. The occasion maple dotted the small wedge of green between the mountain and the desert, and before Gwydion knew it, he is back around to the path up the mountain. Gwydion looked at the sun, trying to gauge the time. Deciding he needed to know how long such a trip takes him, not just guess, he reluctantly made his way back up the trail. Next time, he promised himself, next time, he'll go into town.