Watering the Garden [c]

Acornstem found herself awake earlier and earlier every sunrise it seemed...It was lucky for both her and ThunderClan that she was a morning cat and was ready to do whatever was needed of her the moment her eyes opened - even if the sun wasn't truly risen. She was brisk in sending out the patrols today thought for as important as her duties as deputy was, she was still a mentor and had promised to spend the morning with Cedarpaw.

It wasn't even going to be training - thought it could easily turn into such if that was Cedarpaw's desire. Nay, it was a simple promise to spend time together, to check in and see how he was adapting to being an apprentice, of where he thought his training was at and together decide what else was left to target. Plus...Acornstem had made it her goal to simply keep an eye on her Clanmates, for as important as Cedarpaw's training was and everything, she wanted to make sure the apprentice himself was fine. How was he dealing with everything recently? Things like that - small but important questions that were often left unasked in the business of the Clan's daily life.

As she pushed her way through the the camp's entrance, she spotted Cedarpaw waiting patiently a tail-length away. She smiled as she gave her pelt a shake. Alright, patrols are sorted for the day so I am ready!" she chirped as she motioned for the apprentice to follow - quickly taking the lead for their simple walk. "I have to ask, how have things been for you?" she questioned as she scanned the undergrowth, thought her ears were turned to show all of her true attention was toward Cedarpaw. She knew he was doing well in his training, but she hadn't been given the chance to ask how his relationships within the Clan actually were - she had seen him with the other apprentices and they seemed close but it were things she would rather hear from his own maw than relying on her assumptions.

Acornstem's ears perked as Cedarpaw started to speak - mentioning that everything was okay, he had friends and he felt training was going great...Minus the fact that he couldn't help but feel he was slowing down with Copperlark having reached her name. Her paced slowed as he went on, turning to give the apprentice a gentle smile. "Well I am happy to hear that you good friends! And...I do understand your feeling - did you know that I fell behind in my training?" she meowed, whiskers twitching sadly at the memories. "Of course, my situation was far different than yours but I truly ended up neglecting my training for moons - trouble had struck the Clan and my mentor had gone missing. I held onto the vain hope he would return for moons before I realized how badly I had let ThunderClan down by doing only the bare minimum expected of me." She sighed, shaking her head.

"That is to say...No, I don't think you have been neglecting your training. Every apprentice grows at their own rate and its important to have a life outside of your duties - for as important as knowing how to feed and protect our Clans, its the bonds with our Clanmates that matter the most," she said, giving Cedarpaw a solid look. "If you truly feel like you have fallen behind and want to work towards your warrior name quicker, we can of course pick up the pace but I've allowed you to have so much free time because I felt you would prosper from it. Enjoy your apprenticeship - gaining your warrior name will only add responsibilities even if it does mean more freedom in certain respects."

Acornstem tilted her head at Cedarpaw's hesitation - blissfully missing what word he had been aiming for before he quickly recovered and praised her as a great mentor. She smiled sweetly at that, a purr rising in her throat. "I'm happy you think so, Cedarpaw! I always thought I would but...Hard to know how things would actually work out until it happened," she meowed with a laugh.

Ever since she was a newly named warrior she had daydreamed about getting an apprentice of her own - she hadn't known what it was like to have a mentor and...Wanted to make up for Sunstrike's absence in her life. She missed him - she hoped he still lived or at least had made it to StarClan if something ill had befallen him but... She was determined to be there for her apprentice - for all apprentices of ThunderClan - in a way to...Make up for it, even if there was no reason for her to strive to do it. It had simply been bad luck that her mentor had disappeared from the forest...

Her ears twitched as Cedarpaw pushed ahead, asking how she was doing. She blinked, a little surprise at it before a happy purr escaped her - it was so sweet of Cedarpaw to worry about her like that! "You would think so, but I actually find it quite calming!" she admitted, giving a shrug of her shoulders as she padded up to him. "Its a bit much to figure out the patrols for every day, I'll admit but I..."

A happy sigh escaped her. "I love the smaller details of what is required - checking in on every cat. Making sure nobody's needs are going unaddressed. I'm a social cat, the sunbeam I am now under is welcoming! This is a chance to make sure I am more present in my Clanmates' lives and that none of them are forgotten. I didn't ever expect to be deputy, I didn't want it but...I think I am certainly made for a spot like this and I'm happy to aid Mottlestar in whatever way I can."

Acornstem did however catch his hesitation as he wavered on the mention of her future apprentices. It wasn't hard to guess why he might feel conflicted on that - the relationship they had as mentor and apprentice was special.... But she wasn't sure if it was something she wanted to bring up now - he would only get bashful about it. Perhaps it would be a better conversation for when he was a warrior - to remind him that he would not be gone from her life simply because their relationship had changed.

She let out a small laugh as he instead pointed out how stressful he thought it would be. "Oh, I expect for many it would be! I imagine part of my ease is the circumstance -  ThunderClan is at peace and I fully trust Mottlestar to make good choices. If it was a time of turmoil and i was expected to make hard choices or had a leader I didn't trust..." Her smile faded a little, giving a shrug of her shoulders. "I don't know how well I will handle that part of being a deputy. A deputy in peacetime, I can do...But if trouble starts to brew..." A sigh escaped her. "Well, we will see what I am made out of when that happens."

It was, after all, not a question of 'if.' Trouble would hit the forest sooner or later - something would go wrong and ThunderClan would be dragged into it. The social, easy aspect of being a deputy was where she thrived - but making hard choices? Leading her Clan into battle? ...That would be a harder sell, but it was not something she could prepare for. She would just have to hope she would be good enough in such a time.

But her thought on such a dark subject caused her to blink as she turned to look at Cederpaw as he questioned if he would be a good warrior. She smiled, leaning forward to give him a proud lick. "Of course, Cedarpaw. You will be an amazing warrior - you have such a good heart with how much you care. I have no doubt you will give your all to protect ThunderClan and make sure our Clanmates thrive - and if you have any hesitation as a warrior, know that I will always be there for you. You won't be alone, I promise you that."