[BEAR.]

Originally Posted by Charmer

Shinefang was almost taken aback. He had never spoken to a cat with as many insulting names for the cats of Starclan as himself. I'll have to step up my game, he mused privately, never to be outdone by any shining and shimmering, foxhearted kitwits. He gave a shrug, "Well, it was either that or you heard the Starclan shecats talking and had to see for yourself. Mystery solved, I am indeed that handsome." the old tom said, grinning his twisted, grimace-like grin, cocking his head in mock coyness and showing off the scars on his face.

In spite of his not-so covert desire to knock the other tom off his Skyboulder, his ears perked up when the tom mentions his joint pain. It was true, the colder the season got, the worse it became. He had spent most of the mornings lately shuffling from the stiffness. Daydream had told him about using daisy leaves, but he had no idea what those looked like. Willowtree bark? "I have not," he said flatly, all joking set aside now. If it was really that simple, he was in luck. There was a willow tree in Skyclan's territory not far from the Starcave. "What should I do with it once I have it?" he asked, unsure if he was meant to apply it to his joints or... eat tree bark?

"Charming," he responded dryly. "How could I resist such a dashing young tom like yourself? You have all the ladies and gentlemen swoonin' over you." Realistically, he didn't know of anyone interested in the SkyClan medicine cat other than Slatepelt. It wasn't his concern. He had better things to do with his time than listen to the gossip.

"You'll want to eat a small portion of the strip of bark you harvest, with water preferably. Otherwise, it can catch in your throat and be a nuisance." Like when kits got splinters or thorns in their pads. Not necessarily dangerous, but it could be a pain to get out. "It should ease the pain shortly after being consumed, and if needed you can also pair it with a small piece of prey to help it go down. I would be careful when getting the bark from the tree. Treat it like moss - carefully hook it to avoid pulling up any dirt beneath it. The last thing you want is a mouthful of mud when you're already trying to choke down bark."