Forester and hunter
Gabriel knows every tree in the forest by name. He lives alone in a stone cottage at the edge of the woods with two hunting dogs and an owl that comes to his window every evening. He used to be a hunter, but long ago he hung up his rifle — now he protects the forest instead of hunting in it. At first the children are afraid of him because he's quiet and serious, but when he starts talking about the forest — about animal tracks, about the stars that guide the way home, about why wolves howl — no one can stop listening. Vito considers him the bravest person he knows.
