A Star Among Planets (Star Wars Rebels Fanfiction)

Chapter 79: I Don't Trust Them

    Halftail awoke to someone shaking him. He lifted his head and realized that it was Kanan. "Hey, you can sleep later. Right now I need you help finding the Commander. Do you think that Keen could scout out ahead?"

    Halftail attempted to lift his head, quickly finding that Keen's head was still flopped on his. "I can ask him, but don't expect much. We haven't worked on wolf tracking yet," he confessed as he rose to his paws and Keen's head fell forward. Keen slumped as he woke up, his eyes hazy with sleep. "Keen, it's time to wake up."

    Keen rose to his paws shakily, shaking his head madly to clear it. "Sorry," he yawned, his teeth showing at Halftail. "Do you need something?"

    Halftail nodded as he shook out his own fur. "Do you think that you could track someone in this desolate place," he asked hopefully.

    Keen immediately woke up and his tail wagged madly behind him. "I can try," he exclaimed as his ears lifted on his head. He leaped down from the seats and padded toward the back of the Phantom. Halftail leaped down beside him, padding after him. He opened the back and he was glad that they weren't that high up so that it would be easier for Keen to fly.

    "I'll come and find you as soon as I find something." Keen then jumped out and he spread his wings powerfully behind him. Halftail watched him take flight before drawing back and twitching his ears. He waltzed back to the group and prayed that Keen would find something.

    They continued on for a while around the ship, preforming numerous duties, but Keen never came back. Halftail had looked around for what seemed like forever, yet he couldn't see Keen. He leaned backwards and began to pace as worry made his paws prickle in unease. "I'm sure that he'll be fine," assured Molis as he took a step forward and pressed his nose to Halftail's ear to try and calm him. "He probably just wants to impress you and he's doing everything possible to find what you want him to."

    Halftail wished that was all, but something just felt wrong. He couldn't quite place his paw on it. "Yeah, I'm sure," he meowed confidently.

    "Hey, what's that?"

    Halftail leaned forward and narrowed his eyes to see where Swifttail was pointing. It was something that Halftail had seen before, just not in a long time. It was a Republic tank, but it certainly had a little twist to it. He had no idea why anyone would decorate a tank like that. It looked like someone actually lived in in, which was weird in itself.

    Kanan turned the ship sideways for them to get a better look at it. Something about it made Halftail's fur stand on end. It also didn't help that he still couldn't find Keen. Bluefeather would kill him if anything happened to Keen and Halftail would actually kill himself if anything happened to Keen.

    Kanan then landed in front of them and surprise shone in Halftail's eyes. Ezra rushed to open the back, surging out. Zeb and Molis followed right behind while Halftail hesitated. He turned his head and saw that Birchfoot's eyes were as worried as his were. "Let's walk out together," suggested Halftail. He was trying to comfort Birchfoot in anyway he knew how even as his own thoughts spiked in concern.

    Birchfoot nodded and he hopped forward with Halftail following. Swifttail brought up the rear while Sabine and Kanan brought up the rear. Halftail padded out into the sandy place and he immediately coughed to clear his lungs. The dust aggravated his eyes as well and he lifted a paw to claw the sand from his eyes. He hated this weather and he desperately wanted to leave.

    The tank suddenly stopped and Halftail couldn't help but allow a growl to roll in his throat. Swifttail did the same and Molis looked as guarded as both of them felt. It wasn't long before three older men stepped out from the tank. They were certainly older than Halftail would have thought to come out from a Republic tank, but he wasn't about to judge.