Smudge (Warriors)

Smudge is a reoccurring minor character in the Warriors series. He is a kittypet and Firestar's former neighbor before he joined the Clans. He later befriended his new neighbor Hattie, though still maintained a friendship with Firestar. He told the orange tom about his dreams of SkyClan, and later his stories of the Clans inspired a group of younger kittypets to form their own.
== Appearance ==
Smudge is a plump tom with a narrow face and amber eyes. He has thick, soft, black-and-white fur, with a black nose, black shoulders and a white tail tip.
== Biography ==
=== The Prophecies Begin ===
==== Into The Wild ====
As Rusty is staring into the forest from atop a fence one night, Smudge warily asks him if he's going into the woods, trying to talk him out of it. He also mentions that an old kittypet named Henry once went into the forest, where he caught a robin, though Rusty doubts this. He then warns the orange tom that Henry said the woods were full of dangerous animals, but Rusty ignores this, so Smudge gives up and lets him go into the forest.
The next morning, Smudge greets Rusty and tells him that some baby birds had been born. Rusty then tells him about how he met a patrol of real ThunderClan cats the night before, who offered to let him join the Clan. When he decides to take that offer, Smudge is distraught and begs him not to go, saying they may never see each other again. Rusty tells him that his owners will get a new cat that he can spend time with, but Smudge responds that it won't be the same. Ultimately Smudge accepts Rusty's decision to leave though, and the two spend one last morning together before he departs.
A While later, while Rusty - now Firepaw - is out on a hunting assessment near the twolegplace, he spots a kittypet venturing into the woods nearby. He chases after them and pins them down before realizing that it's Smudge. The two chat for a bit about how they've been doing, and Firepaw finds out that Smudge's owners have since taken him to the Cutter to be neutered.
==== The Darkest Hour ====
While briefly visiting his old home in the twolegplace, Firestar sees Smudge in his garden talking with a brown tabby she-cat, who he figures is his old owners' new kittypet.
=== Firestar's Quest ===
Due to the twolegplace having been built over what was once SkyClan's territory, Smudge starts to have frequent nightmares about the SkyClan cats screaming in fear as the fled their home. He also sometimes sees the spirit of Cloudstar in the distance, who tries to say something to him, but he can't hear what. Remembering how Rusty had vivid dreams of the forest before he joined ThunderClan, Smudge figures that the dreams mean he must become a wild cat, and he sets off to find his old friend.
While looking for Firestar, Smudge is caught by two ThunderClan warriors - Brambleclaw and Ashfur - who assume he's trespassing and start attacking him. Firestar sees this and saves his old friend, who tells him worriedly that he came because he thinks he might have to join ThunderClan. The orange tom worries that BloodClan has been threatening him or that his owners got rid of him, but he clarifies that he's been having strange dreams like the leader had many moons ago. Firestar assures him that he doesn't have to join a Clan if he doesn't want to, and then figures out that the dreams were because Smudge is living on SkyClan's old territory.
Firestar goes with Smudge to the twolegplace to see if he can experience these dreams himself, and there the black-and-white tom has him meet the brown tabby she-cat, who introduces herself as Hattie. Soon after he falls asleep in Smudge's garden, where he has the same dreams his friend had been having.
=== Graystripe's Vow ===
After fleeing from BloodClan, a pregnant she-cat named Gremlin and her brother Scraps take refuge in Smudge's garden. Graystripe finds out that Fury, the new leader of BloodClan, had recently tried recruiting Smudge as a warrior. He's a bit amused by this, thinking that while Smudge is brave compared to most kittypets, he isn't cut out for Clan life, much less the brutal life of a BloodClan warrior.
Many years later, when returning the the Clans' old territories, a now elderly Graystripe discovers that a group of kittypets have taken over part of RiverClan's old land. They tell him that Smudge had told them all kind of stories of the wild cats that used to live there, which inspired them to make their own Clan known as WarriorClan.
== Trivia ==
* He is mistakenly described as a kitten in the allegiances of Tigerclaw's Fury, despite being an adult at the time.
== External links ==
Smudge on the Warriors Wiki
== Navigation ==
Category:Warriors (Erin Hunter) Heroes
Category:Book Heroes
Category:Animals
Category:Anthropomorphic
Category:Male
Category:Bond Creators
Category:Cowards
Category:Non-Action
Category:Presumed Deceased
Category:Fantasy Heroes
Category:Inconclusive
Category:Weaklings
Category:Predators
Category:Neutral Good