A Star Among Planets (Star Wars Rebels Fanfiction)

Chapter 93: Follow The Loth Cat

    Halftail stretched out his paw across the board as he moved one of the pieces after much consideration. He then smiled as he looked at the cat across from him. Birchfoot then moved one of his pawns and smiled back to him, a look of challenge in his eyes.

    Once a week—or sometimes every night—Halftail and Birchfoot would play a game of chess. It was something that would relax both of them when everyone else was asleep. Birchfoot didn't sleep much because of the cramping in his injured hind leg and Halftail had nightmares that woke him almost every hour on the hour. So, chess was a nice way of relaxing about everything around them. Also, it was nice just to spend some time with one of his oldest friends now.

    Suddenly, there was a cry as both Keen and Ezra came forward. Ezra suddenly stepped on Birchfoot's leg and Birchfoot gasped as he leaped backwards, hissing in agony. Keen then slipped on the chess board and it soared and slammed right into Halftail's head. Halftail gasped in pain as he fell nearly sideways, landing on the ground with his mouth partially open.

    Ezra spun a bit as he took in the chaos. "I'm sorry. I...um....I didn't mean to."

    Kanan kneeled down and gingerly touched Birchfoot's leg. Birchfoot hissed, pulling his leg toward him, shaking his head limply. "I'm okay. I'm fine," he rasped painfully.

    Halftail then managed to haul himself to his paws. Kanan's face swam in front of him as he shook his head to clear it. "Great Forcr that hurt, but it's okay, Ezra. I just hope that you two have a very good reason from bolting in here and probably waking up the entire crew," he grumbled as he came over to Birchfoot.

    Ezra nodded madly as he gripped Keen's shoulders, almost hoping that he would egg him on. "I saw my parents. We saw our parents!"

    "Are you sure," muttered Birchfoot as he kicked out his hind leg in an effort to straighten it out. "I know that sometimes things can get a little strange in dreams. I've dreamed of those that I have lost, but that doesn't mean that they're really there."

    Keen turned on him with his wings nearly spread in defiance. "But, I saw them too! They were in prison or something like that. We know what we saw."

    "You have to believe us," pleaded Ezra as he fixed Hera and Kanan with pleading eyes.

    Halftail sighed with his shoulders tensing. "I think that it's time to show them what we know."

    "What do you know," asked Keen cautiously.

    Birchfoot forced himself to his paws with his leg nearly stiff as a board behind him. "Follow me," he urged as he limped forward with the rest of the group following.

    They made their way into a room, tucking in close, closing the door behind them as thousands of planets showed from a hologram. "These are all of the Imperial prisons on numerous planets. There's no way of knowing which one that they're in, but we know that we're in one of them," explained Halftail as he watched Keen looking intently at each one, even though they looked the exact same.

    "So, there's no way that we can find them," asked Keen with his ears folded against his head and his eyes round.

    Kanan shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Not this way."

    Keen lowered his wings and dragged them forward. He made his way out with Ezra following, both looking downcast.

    "Game night isn't seeming so fun anymore, is it," commented Birchfoot as he continued to massage his hind leg with his other hind leg.

    Halftail looked in the direction that they had went, hearing them go to the one place that they had escaped. "Give them a little bit. I'm sure that we'll be able to help them, somehow."