A Star Among Planets (Star Wars Rebels Fanfiction)

Chapter 105: Forgotten

    Kanan kneeled down and looked to Halftail. "Do you think that he's going to be able to tell them?"

    "He'll be able to, but I highly doubt it's going to go over well," Halftail sighed as he looked at his paws. "I don't know how I'm going to leave them either. They're my whole world now."

    Kanan grasped Halftail's shoulder comfortingly. "You should be with him when he tells them. This is going to effect them just as it effects you."

    Halftail sighed when Sabine came to the edge of the railing. "We're almost there. Get ready to land," she announced.

    Halftail nodded glumly, knowing what he had to say once they landed. He sighed heavily as he made his way over to Bine's picture, thinking that maybe things would be easier once he did. He looked up to her, seeing her magnificent blue eyes and whiskers that he could just imagine twitching on the side of her face in amusement about something that Halftail had just said.

    "Halftail, we're here," meowed Birchfoot as he poked his head around the corner. He then saw Halftail looking up at the picture. "Do you think that Bine is going to help you explain to the kits what's going on?"

    Halftail stretched out, his back arching. "I wish, but I fear that I'm on my own," he pointed out with a sigh, his jaws stretched wide in a yawn. "Come on. Let's see what this base has to offer."

    Birchfoot limped along with Halftail at his side. They emerged from the Ghost with Halftail looking around. It wasn't the nicest base that he had ever seen, but it certainly wasn't the worst either. There were rebels rushing around in every direction. It was almost comforting to watch.

    "Wow, this is my kind of place," breathed Molis as he strode along.

    "Your kind of place is the forest and alone. What are you talking about," jabbed Zeb as he hit Molis gingerly in the head with his stick.

    Halftail rolled his eyes as Swifttail walked forward with the four kits at his heels. "Stay close to me and don't get underpaw. I know this place is amazing, but I'd like to keep you all in one piece, if you know what I mean."

    "Don't worry, Dad. We'll stay together and stay away," reassured Snowfall as the rest of her littermates nodded in agreement.

    "Yeah, okay." Swifttail lifted his head and twitched his ears, signaling to his father.

    Halftail lowered his head into his shoulders, licking his lips. He reluctantly made his way forward with his tail strewn behind him. He stopped at his son's side, looking to some cargo boxes. "Let's go over there. It'll offer at least some privacy."

    "Kits, come with Halftail and me. There's something that we need to discuss," Swifttail explained as he led the way to the cargo boxes. He even went back for Blizzardstorm when he started to veer off the path of his littermates. He led him back to the rest of them before the family tucked themselves with the cargo supplies.

    Halftail sat down and curled his half tail around his paws, sighing heavily as he looked down slightly. The kits were alternating between looking at her father and their grandfather. It seemed to take a while before Swifttail worked up the courage of what to say to his kits and probably how to say it.

    "Now, I know that you have been paying very close attention to what we've been doing. There's something really, really important that I and your grandfather are going to have to go away for a little bit, as well as Keen, Ezra, and Kanan."

    "Go away," echoed Blizzardstorm as he tilted his head in surprise. "Go away where?"

    Swifttail sighed. "I don't know," he answered as he looked at all of them with understanding in his eyes. "But, it will be for a while and I don't know when I'm coming back."