A Star Among Planets (Star Wars Rebels Fanfiction)

Chapter 68: Comfort From Friends

    The Phantom boarded the Ghost and everyone left except for Swifttail. He still cowered where he was with his fur plastered against his sides. "Swifttail, do you want me to stay with you," offered Adlerleaf with sympathy lighting in her eyes.

Swifttail didn't say anything as tears fell onto his whiskers before falling onto the ground. "Can you go and get Birchfoot for me," he asked.

Adlerleaf dipped her head before she scrambled out of the Phantom. She bounded to Birchfoot's room and poked her muzzle inside. Birchfoot hopped over to Adlerleaf. "Is something wrong? Is anyone injured?"

Adlerleaf's eyes turned hollow and misty. "Halftail and Kanan were captured," Adlerleaf confessed as she hung her head and her tail drooped.

Birchfoot's heart dropped in his chest. "H-How," he stammered as shock overwhelmed him and made his whole body shake in grief and terror.

"The Inquisitor," replied Adlerleaf before she threw her head sideways. "Swifttail is taking it really hard. He wants you, and I really think that you should try and help him."

Birchfoot wasn't sure that he was going to be that much help, but he knew that he couldn't just not go see him. "Alright, let me go check on Swifttail."

Adlerleaf touched her nose affectionately to her brother's. "I'm so sorry, Birchfoot," she rasped as she turned with her tail dragging as she went.

Birchfoot limped toward the Phantom while the scent of grief and loss filled the air. Everyone was talking quietly, mostly about Swifttail. Birchfoot hated that they would talk about Swifttail at a time of grief like this, but he decided not to push it. They all had experienced a scare that he hadn't. had so he knew that they were probably spooked out of their minds.

Birchfoot drew forward and pushed his head into the Phantom, his claws gripping the outside so that he didn't fall forward. "Swifttail?"

"Birchfoot," wheezed Swifttail and Birchfoot could practically feel the grief clinging to his fur. "Is that you?"

Birchfoot looked where he could step and he gingerly lowered himself down, his working hind paw supporting his body weight for a heartbeat. He then lowered down and drew toward Swifttail. He was hunkered under one of the seats on the side and Birchfoot realized how small Swifttail looked.

"Yes, it's me," he meowed as he crawled toward Swifttail with his limp and battered hing leg dragging. "What are you doing hiding under here? Don't you think it's a little uncomfortable?"

Swifttail sniffed before he looked away from Birchfoot. "I don't care. I don't deserve to be comfortable when my father is probably being tortured right now. He promised that he would come back!"

Birchfoot pressed closer against Swifttail and licked him between the ears. "We will get him back," Birchfoot promised as he tried to calm his apprentice down. He feared it wasn't working.

Tears shone in Swifttail's eyes as he rose to his paws and lashed his tail. "Don't make promises that you can't keep," seethed Swifttail as he stormed forward and out of the Phantom.

Birchfoot realized that he probably shouldn't have promised Swifttail anything. He had been let down before and this was just another let down in his mind. Birchfoot grumbled to himself as he stalked to the front of the Phantom and realized with a pang, that he couldn't get up. "Wolf-scat!"

Sabine came over and looked down into the Phantom. "Is that you, Birchfoot?"

Birchfoot didn't want to ask for help, but he knew that he couldn't get up on his own. "Yeah, it's me," he confessed as he shuffled his paws. "Do you think you could lend me a paw er hand?"