Smudge

"In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary house cat named Rusty...who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all." This article contains major spoilers for the recently released book, The Prophecies Begin, volume 1. Please proceed at your own discretion.

"You actually want to live with these violent ruffians?"

— Smudge to Firestar in Firestar's Quest, page 71

Smudge
The pixel artwork is fanart based on the canon description; undefined traits are left to the artist's interpretation.
Affiliations
Current:	Kittypet
Names
Kit:	Smudge
Kittypet:	Smudge
Book appearances
Living	The Prophecies Begin, Tigerclaw's Fury, Blackfoot's Reckoning, Firestar's Quest, Graystripe's Vow
Living	The Prophecies Begin, Tigerclaw's Fury, Blackfoot's Reckoning, Firestar's Quest, Graystripe's Vow

Smudge is a plump black-and-white tom with amber eyes.

Smudge was a kittypet who resided in the Twolegplace near the old forest and was the former neighbor of Firestar when he lived as a kittypet named Rusty. The two were close friends as kittens, and though Rusty's departure to join ThunderClan left Smudge saddened, he ultimately accepted his friend's decision. Despite their different paths, Smudge and Firestar remained on friendly terms whenever crossing paths. He also was friendly with a BloodClan queen, Gremlin, and would let her meet Graystripe in his garden from time to time. Moons later, Smudge told stories of the Clans to kittypets, which inspired them to imitate some of the Clans' ways and call themselves WarriorClan.

History

In The Prophecies Begin arc

Into the Wild

"Please don't go Rusty. I might never see you again."

―Smudge to Rusty ^{Into the Wild, page 27}

Smudge is a kittypet and a good friend of Rusty. He greets Rusty while he sits on the fence of his Twoleg's nest. Smudge wonders if he will go out into the woods, and he disagrees with Rusty when he says that he will, concerned for his friend's safety. Smudge mentions how another kittypet, Henry, went into the woods and caught a robin. Rusty refuses to believe him as he knows Henry to be fat and lazy. He claims that Henry told him of dangerous animals and wild cats in the woods, yet he gives up with trying to persuade Rusty to stay and goes back down to his own garden, and Rusty decides to go into the woods anyway.

The next day, Smudge talks to Rusty again and asks him about his visit to the woods. He is shocked when Rusty tells him about fighting one of the wild cats. When Rusty decides that he is going to join ThunderClan, Smudge is upset and begs him not to leave. He later accepts that his friend will be gone. Smudge spends the rest of the morning with Rusty, visiting their old haunts, and later says goodbye to him before he leaves. Later, he sees Rusty, now Firepaw, while he is having an assessment. The two of them do not initially recognize each other, but they catch up with each other when they do. Tigerclaw witnesses this interaction and reports the incident to Bluestar.

The Darkest Hour

When Firestar goes to Twolegplace to pay his old home a visit, he sees Smudge talking with an unnamed brown tabby she-cat, and he quickly assumes she must live at his previous home.

In The New Prophecy arc

Dawn

Smudge is mentioned by Cody, who meets Leafpaw and asks her about Clan life, talking about how Smudge lived with Rusty in the Twolegplace.

In the Super Editions

Firestar's Quest

"I... I think, that is, I'm afraid I might have to come and live in the forest with you."

―Smudge to Firestar ^{Firestar's Quest, page 72}

Smudge starts having strange dreams about a large group of cats who are fleeing from something and remembers that his friend, Firestar, had strange dreams before he left to join the cats in the forest. Smudge heads into the forest to talk to Firestar, but stumbles upon a patrol composed of two ThunderClan warriors, Ashfur and Brambleclaw. The patrol attacks Smudge, thinking that he is trespassing. Fortunately, Firestar is nearby and able to stop the ensuing fight, protecting his old friend from harm. He later finds out that Smudge's Twoleg nest is built on the site of the old SkyClan camp and that his dreams were about SkyClan. While they are talking at his Twoleg nest, he introduces Firestar to Hattie, a kittypet who lives with Firestar's old housefolk. Smudge lets Firestar spend the night in his yard, hoping to find some answers. He is soon relieved that he doesn't have to leave his housefolk to live in the forest with the other wild cats as Firestar had done.

Graystripe's Vow

«It's strange that Fury believed Smudge might consider joining BloodClan, he is brave—for a kittypet. But he's not meant for the Clans, much less battle-thirsty BloodClan!»

—Graystripe's thoughts after Smudge's encounter with Fury ^{Graystripe's Vow, page 264}

Smudge is briefly mentioned by the cats of WarriorClan. They say that Smudge taught them everything about the Clans, and that he did not know what happened to the Clans in the old forest. They continue that Smudge kept on talking about a fiery orange tom, who Graystripe instantly recognizes as Firestar.

In the Novellas

Ravenpaw's Farewell

Smudge is briefly mentioned by Violet, who tells Barley and Ravenpaw that Smudge would tell Riley and Bella stories about ThunderClan. When Violet says that she thinks her brother and Ravenpaw have met Smudge before, Ravenpaw says yes, and his eyes cloud with memories, saying that Smudge was one of Firestar's friends before he had left to join ThunderClan.

In the Stand-alone graphic novels

A Thief in ThunderClan

Ashfur, Thornclaw, and Cloudtail explain how Firestar left their patrol to speak with a kittypet. While ThunderClan questions their leader's intentions, Sandstorm calls the Clan together to trust Firestar's reasoning. Cloudtail later confides in Brightheart that he is concerned that Firestar plans on leaving the Clan to become a kittypet again.

In the Field Guides

Cats of the Clans

Rock explains to the kits, Adderkit, Blossomkit, and Mosskit, that Smudge was Firestar's neighbor and best friend when he was a kittypet. Rock describes Smudge as plump and lazy, and says that Smudge could not understand why Firestar would want to live with the supposedly dangerous Clan cats. Despite this, he was brave enough to find Firestar when he had dreams of SkyClan, which shows his loyalty to his friend, proving that not all kittypets are just fat and lazy.

The Ultimate Guide

Smudge shares a page with Princess. He was the first to know of Rusty's interest in the woods. Although he could not be bothered with wild cats, he was loyal to Rusty and searched him out when he began dreaming of strange cats. Why StarClan would have shared these signs with a kittypet is unknown, though maybe they are not as judgmental toward cats like himself.

Detailed description

Smudge is a soft and thick-furred, plump black-and-white tom with amber eyes, and a black nose. He has black shoulders, a narrow face, and a white tail-tip.

Character pixels

The pixel artwork is fanart based on the canon description; undefined traits are left to the artist's interpretation. Kit Version Kittypet Version

Official art

Please do not edit this gallery Smudge in The Prophecies Begin, volume 1 Smudge in The Ultimate Guide Smudge's Warriors website fact sheet Smudge's silhouette on the Warriors website

Appearances

• Into the Wild (First appearance)
• Fire and Ice (Allegiance only)
• Forest of Secrets (Allegiance only)
• Rising Storm (Allegiance only)
• Tigerclaw's Fury (Allegiance only)
• A Dangerous Path (Allegiance only)
• The Darkest Hour
• Blackfoot's Reckoning (Allegiance only)
• A Thief in ThunderClan (Indirect mention only)
• Firestar's Quest
• Graystripe's Vow (Then)
• Dawn (Mentioned only)
• Ravenpaw's Farewell (Mentioned only)
• Graystripe's Vow (Now) (Mentioned only)
• The Prophecies Begin, volume 1
• Cats of the Clans
• The Ultimate Guide

Trivia

Mistakes

• Smudge is still listed as a kitten in the allegiances of Tigerclaw's Fury, despite being full-grown at the time.

Continuity

The following information is from sources considered non-canon, retconned, or from adapted material.

• In the Chinese full-color version of Escape from the Forest, Smudge and Princess appear as passerby kittypets in the Twolegplace.
• In The Prophecies Begin graphic novel adaptation, Smudge is friends with Rusty's sister, Princess. Later, Firepaw reunites with his sister Princess during his hunting assessment instead of with Smudge.

Quotes

"You're not going into the woods, are you?"

―Smudge to Rusty ^{Into the Wild, page 10}

Rusty: "They asked me to join their Clan. They did!"

Smudge: "Why would they do that?"

^{Into the Wild, page 27}

See More

"When I saw Smudge today—that's the house cat Tigerclaw saw me talking with—I saw what life would have been like if I had stayed with the Twolegs. I felt happy that I had not stayed. I was proud I left. Meeting Smudge made me certain I made the right decision. I could never have been satisfied with the soft life of a kittypet."

―Firepaw defending his encounter with Smudge to Bluestar ^{Into the Wild, chapter 11}

Firestar: "It's good to see you again, Smudge. Why did you come so far into the forest? You know it's dangerous for you. Well?"

Smudge: "I... I think, that is, I'm afraid I might have to come and live in the forest with you."

^{Firestar's Quest, pages 72-73}

External links

• Smudge's profile on the Warriors official website (backup link)
• Exclusive! Graystripe's Vow: Excerpt on the Warriors official website (backup link) (Allegiance only)
• First look at The Prophecies Begin Graphic Novel on the Warriors official website (backup link)

Fan content

• Winners of the January 2023 fan challenge on the Warriors official website (backup link)
• Our favorite kittypets artwork on the Warriors official website (backup link)
• A celebration of The Prophecies Begin graphic novel artwork on the Warriors official website (backup link)