#ruby is smoke

The last poll cats, and a bonus for being so supportive!

Smoke looks about the same, just drawn with a different pen lol. She and Tiny were littermates, but her and Socks have a different father - another thing she tormented Tiny with, another thing she heavily regrets - another thing she finally gets to apologize for.

Frost has less scarring and a skinnier tail, and an added chest spot.

Now the bonus cat!

I'm absolutely a Ruby is Smoke truther.

She is Firestar's half-sister, and Scourge boots her and Socks off of Bloodclan turf without a meal. He wants nothing to do with his siblings. He won't forgive them until later in his life.

Ruby and Socks wander the area, but sadly, Socks passes from starvation. Ruby's loud crying attracts the attention of a kind elderly woman who just lost a cat herself. She takes Socks' body and buries him in her backyard, while taking Ruby in to care for her. Not knowing Ruby's name, she names her Smoke.

Smoke takes to it well, the old woman is nice! She's got great food, and when Smoke is good, she gets chicken off the woman's plate!

But... It's scary. What if she's abandoned again?

When the old woman's mind begins to fail, feeding times get inconsistent, and Smoke panics. It's going to happen again. Maybe being a housecat isn't so great, maybe being wild would be nicer. Her new friend Onewhisker's always going on about how great and heroic Windclan are... How everyone is so wonderful and always takes care of each other... It must be perfect!

She has no idea Onewhisker is lying, making up hero stories not only to look better but to feel better. He hates being in Windclan, and longs for the safety and security that being a kittypet would bring.

They clung to each other, they were never in love, they loved what the other one would bring.

When Smoke gave birth, she only had a single kitten, Darkkit. She brought him to the Windclan border, and Onewhisker, thinner than usual, told her no. That she and Darkkit couldn't join Windclan, not now, not ever.

She didn't understand, and Onewhisker didn't admit why. Rabbits were sick, the moor was being destroyed, she would be safer away from the moor, and he wanted to go with her but... Tallstar was so sick, so weak, he couldn't handle Onewhisker leaving, he was still strong enough to keep helping, keep hunting... And the political atmosphere in Windclan at the time was very unaccepting of outsiders. Onewhisker's father Mudclaw was deputy.

He needed to be mean enough that Smoke wouldn't come back.

Smoke raised Darktail with love, and hate. She was always telling him he was better than other cats, that one day he would destroy the Clans and make them pay for their unfairness... But to also be a good boy, be kind to others, help others out. Everyone is as important as Kin.

He would twist these words.

Smoke dies around the time of late OOTS, her age catching up with her. Darktail's heart was broken, the only cat he ever loved was his Mama, and he would destroy his father in her name.