A Star Among Planets (Star Wars Rebels Fanfiction)

Chapter 107: Dawn

    Brook's eyes widened. "Kanan, what's wrong with Halftail," she asked as she crept toward the convulsing tom hesitantly. She couldn't even detect his breath anymore.

    Kanan looked up through the helmet, squinting slightly. "I'll keep him. Just go and help everyone else. Now!"

    Brook turned her attention up to Ahsoka, begging for her to tell her what to do. Ahsoka reluctantly nodded as she looked to Brook. "Come on, Brook. Let's get up there and stop them from making a huge mistake."

    Brook twitched her right nicked ear, sighing as she began to climb the rock with burr sharp claws. They suddenly heard the sound of heavy, mechanical breathing accompanied by the sound of a lightsaber activated and snarls.

    "Keen! Swifttail! Ezra!" exclaimed Brook as she pelted forward with her paws barely connecting with the ground, muscles fluid and rippling as she streaked through the temple. She soared forward with Ahsoka pounding the ground right behind.

    They climbed the temple and Brook's jaws parted to taste the air. A mechanical sound combined with the familiar presence of the Dark Side was enough to set Brook's fur on end. "Who's there," she snarled to the silhouette looming in front of them.

    Ashoka lowered into a protective stance around Brook when she saw the frame of Darth Vader standing over Ezra's and Swifttail's body. Keen's body was strewn aside with his wings fallen over his face.

    "Perhaps I was wrong," breathed Vader as he raised his lightsaber, red blade sending a sickening glow against the ground.

    "Wouldn't have been the first time," announced Ahsoka as she stood erect.

    Darth Vader stopped dead as he deactivated his lightsaber. He turned and didn't seem surprised at all to see Ahsoka standing there with Brook at her side.

    "I thought that I sensed your presence here. Both of presences here. Can't say that I'm not surprised that you followed her here, Brook. Your mother would be very proud."

    Brook's blind eyes hardened. "You killed my mother!"

    "Your mother attacked Anakin Skywalker and tried to save him and couldn't. She stayed in my way and I had to end her. You understand that," Vader murmured silkily.

    "I wanted to believe that Anakin Skywalker is under that mask, but he's not. Now I will avenge him," Ahsoka told him while Brook hissed beside her.

    "Revenge is that the Jedi way," pointed out Vader.

    Ahsoka's eyes hardened as she took out her lightsabers while Brook lifted her lightsaber. "We're not Jedi," announced Ahsoka before the two of them darted forward, beginning to battle with Vader.

    As soon as the two drew Vader away, Ezra drug himself over to Swifttail, nudging his friend's shoulder. "Swifttail, wake up," Ezra urged. 

    Swifttail's one eye opened and dilated as he lifted his head. He shook out his flank as he rushed to his paws, shaking his head. "I don't mean to be rhetorical, but this was a terrible idea."

    Ezra sighed as he rubbed his fingers through his hair, looking down at his lightsaber. "I know. I know. See if you can wake up Keen. We have to get that holocron before Vader does."

    Swifttail obeyed as he padded over to Keen, sighing as he saw his lightsaber broken on the ground. He kneeled down and nudged Keen's cheek harshly with his cold nose. "Keen, wake up. You need to get up."

    Keen moaned in agony as he flicked a paw over his face. "I don't want to. It hurts," he complained as he shifted slightly, his wing now at another awkward angle.