A Star Among Planets (Star Wars Rebels Fanfiction)

Chapter 13: Kits!

Halftail awoke one morning to Bine hissing and growling in pain. He blinked his eyes as he turned to her. Her eyes were stretched in pain and her breath raspy.

"What's wrong," he fretted as he began to sniff around her.

She pushed him backward, hissing at him. "Get away," she spat as the fur along her spine began to bristle. "The kits are coming!"

Halftail's heart thundered in his chest and he struggled to keep himself still. "N-Now," he stammered as surprise seemed to scream inside of him.

Bine hissed in pain and nodded, her hind legs sprawling out limply behind her. She narrowed her eyes to slits and battered him away. "I can do this, but not with you watching me like this," she hissed tersely and Halftail wondered why she was so angry at him. He knew that she-cats could be a bit tense when the kits came and knew that males didn't hang around when the kits were born.

"O-Okay. I won't be far," he assured as he clambered backwards, looking over his shoulder once more at Bine. Once he did, he realized she had this and he was going to have to do what he could for the kits.

He surged forward and climbed the rungs of the ladder and leaped into the hallway, finding Zeb and Molis in the kitchen. "What's up," inquired Molis. "Your fur is standing on end."

Halftail realized that it was and he tried to force it to lay flat. "Bine is having the kits," he explained and he saw Molis's eyes widened. "They can't have her milk. We need to find some."

"We have milk," pointed out Sorrel as she pointed at the fridge.

Halftail shook his head. "It's special. It's just for newborns. Do you think that you could get some for me," he pleaded as he looked up to Sabine and Kanan as they walked in.

Kanan nodded. "We're still at Lothal, so we should be able to find some," he told Halftail.

Halftail gave him a solid nod of thankfulness. "Thank you."

Kanan turned to Zeb, Sabine, Sorrel, and Molis. "Come on. Let's give them some space and find some milk," he told them before he hit Zeb on the shoulder.

"Now that's the strangest thing I've ever stolen," muttered Sabine as Sorrel pranced after her. Molis smiled at Halftail, but Halftail looked away. Now was not the time to be cheered up. Zeb abandoned his meal and followed Kanan and the rest of the group. Once they left, Halftail twitched his ears as he heard Hera.

"May I see Bine," Hera asked hopefully. Halftail had to keep reminding himself that Hera was Bine's closest friend beside Halftail.

Halftail dipped his head to her. "Yes. I'll show you where she is. Be careful, though, she's in a lot of pain," he meowed as he kinked his tail over his back.

He showed Hera to where Bine was curled in the back of the cargo bay. Her fur was clumped in sweat and her eyes were strained wide. Halftail went to take a step forward, but Hera nudged him back with her foot. "Maybe you should give her a bit of space," she offered.

Halftail looked at his paws and nodded as he took a step back, wanting to argue but knowing that he shouldn't. "Okay. Call me if you need anything," he rasped as he bit his tongue.

He watched Hera lower down and creep toward Bine. He watched them talk for a while before he took a step back. He watched them talk for a while before he settled down and rested his head on his paws. He longed to be able to hear what they were talking about, but he wasn't about to go any closer to Bine when she was in labor.

He suddenly heard Bine let out a wail of agony and Halftail darted to his paws. He whimpered, wanting to surge forward as he struggled to keep his composure.