A Thief in ThunderClan/Part 3

==Chapter description==
:The next day, Cloudtail and Brightheart notice that the fresh-kill pile is undisturbed, and they conclude that the prey thief only strikes at night. Firestar calls a Clan meeting and announces that he and Sandstorm will be leaving in two days on a mission from StarClan, but he is unsure when they will return. The rest of the Clan is in shock and disbelief that their leader will be leaving them, but Firestar insists he and Sandstorm will return. Two days pass quickly as Firestar and Sandstorm prepare to leave; Cinderpelt instructs Sandstorm of various herbs and the ginger she-cat prepares for Dustpelt to take over Sorrelpaw's training. Brightheart and Cloudtail realize that they are too late to inform Firestar about what they have learned about the prey thief. Cloudtail reasons they can always tell Graystripe, who will be temporary leader until Firestar returns, but Brightheart does not see a reason to since they do not have any proof. Firestar later apologizes to Brightheart that he will not be around when her kits are born, but the queen reassures him that he can meet the kits when he returns.
:When it is time for Firestar and Sandstorm to leave, Mousefur and Thornclaw angrily challenge Firestar for abandoning them, but Brightheart defends their leader for following StarClan's will. Sootpaw wishes Firestar farewell, and the rest of the Clan follows suit, encouraged by the young tom's trust. That night, Brightheart has another nightmare of the dogs attacking her Clan and seeing Swiftpaw dead. The next morning, the fresh-kill pile is empty again, with the same strange markings in the dirt and a few feathers lying around. She wakes up Cloudtail from the warriors' den to help her investigate. They still cannot detect any strange Clan scent, and Brightheart adds that her claw marks do not match the strange scores in the dirt. They wonder if another type of animal could be stealing their prey when Graystripe confronts Brightheart and Cloudtail for not telling him about the prey thief sooner. He reminds them that being part of a Clan means depending on each other, and the pair apologize, but Brightheart devises a plan to capture the thief.
:Brightheart orders the rest of the Clan to stock up the fresh-kill pile as the perfect bait. At nightfall, she instructs her Clanmates to hide around the camp and wait for the thief to arrive. Longtail and Cinderpelt offer to keep Spiderkit and Shrewkit in the medicine cat's den. The ThunderClan cats wait for most of the night, but the thief does not take the bait. Brightheart's beginning to suspect that their culprit might not arrive tonight when Rainpaw approaches the fresh-kill pile to eat. At that moment, an owl dives down to grab the tiny apprentice, and Brightheart lunges herself at the bird to attack. The owl releases Rainpaw after the queen scratches at its throat and flies away. Cinderpelt checks over them both while the rest of the Clan praises Brightheart as a hero. A few days later, Brightheart gives birth to her daughter, Whitekit, and she and Cloudtail know that their daughter will always have their Clan to protect her.
==Characters==
===Major===
===Minor===
==Important events==
*Firestar and Sandstorm leave on their quest to restore SkyClan.
*The prey thief is revealed to be an owl. Brightheart manages to drive it away.
===Births===
*Whitekit is born to Brightheart and Cloudtail.
==Errors==
*Brambleclaw is mistakenly depicted as Brackenfur.
==Trivia==
*This chapter aligns with chapter ten of Firestar's Quest.
==Notes and references==
Category:Graphic novel arc
Category:A Thief in ThunderClan
Category:Chapter subpages