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She was completely surrounded by the thugs at this point and there really seemed to be no escape for her. All she could be happy about was that Samara and Rhamos had escaped but what did that mean for her now? Would she die by their hands? No! She was a druid and she had magic. She didn’t believe in harming anyone, even if they wished to do harm to her but she was also not going to allow them to hurt her if she could help it. Her heart was racing as she tried to think on what exactly she was going to do as the ruffians surrounded her, grabbing at her and causing her to dodge their dirty hands. They were toying with her, Catalina knew this and in a way that was a good thing because it meant they weren’t planning on running her through with their swords. She had nothing of value and the men surely knew that but they were pigs and the lust that resonated in their eyes and body language was enough cause for concern. How was she going to get out of this situation without killing anyone?

It would figure her brilliant sense of direction would have led her to stumble across a camp of bandits, if she lived through this than Samara would never let her forget this. The ‘if’ was definitely the operative word at this point as she dodged yet another grimey hand that sought to snag hold of her wrist. They were closing in on her and it seemed that help was not coming over the hills in the form of her Uncle or the other druids. A spell, she needed a spell but even with a well-placed spell she wouldn’t be able to immobilize them all. If she could take down a few of them than she’d hopefully be able to run away and escape them. She surely knew the forest better than them… Well, one would think except it had been her lack of knowledge of the area that had placed her in this mess in the first place so perhaps that was a rather bold and foolish statement to make. Still, she was quick and would be able to escape if she got a lead on them. The question was how to get that lead. All in all, the distraction worked cause Samara had gotten away so at least that was good.

“We’ll take good care of ya.” One of them cooed at her as he reached forward to brush his hand against her face. She flinched back and he laughed, his black teeth showing as he did. He was disgusting, they all were. “Don’t touch me,” she snapped as she shrunk back from the lot of them. There was more behind her but she had already decided that if she was going to go down, she was going to go down fighting. Magic was not meant to harm others but she would use it to protect herself. “hrycg áhrisian.” She whispered, her hand extending towards the one who had tried to touch her. Her eyes flashed gold and she felt the spell take affect, blowing back three of the men who stood in her way. The look of surprise on their faces was absolutely priceless as they landed hard on their backs. It wasn’t a particularly powerful spell but it did it’s job. The ruffians surrounding her seemed to be completely taken aback at what she had just done. Foolish men just thought her to be a little lost girl. Their mistake.

Taking very little time to give them a time to react, Catalina took her chance and moved through the gap she had made as the others stood around as though unsure how to react. If only they could have remained in such a status but the moment their leader, whoever he was since Catalina didn’t look back to see, shouted for them to run after her, she could hear them behind her. “fealdan.” She yelled out as she ran, trying to concentrate as well as keep her pace constant. It wasn’t easy, running and casting a spell especially when she had to have such focus when using her magic but it seemed to do the job as vines grew forth from the ground to catch the legs of some of the men running after her, lessening the numbers that were still running after her. She had absolutely no idea where she was running to, all she knew was that she had to get a safe distance from the men or she’d be overtaken.

Avoiding tree branches and jumping over fallen logs was definitely not easy but she was lucky she was small and able to move quickly while those behind her were quite cumbersome. She could hear the sound of running water not too far off in the distance and hoped that it wasn’t a fast moving river so she could wade across it. Perhaps a creak or something like that but what she found caused her heart to sink. Breaking through the edge of the forest into a clearing, Cat found the river but it was beneath her, about a fifteen-foot drop for she now stood at the top of a cliff. She had led herself into a trap for the bandits who remained behind her. This was worse than having just been surrounded in the forest, now they had a cliff that she could fall off of if they felt the wish to push her off it. How was she going to escape this now? She wouldn’t beg, she wouldn’t plead for them to spare her life cause she knew full well how that ended. No, she’d keep silent and hope that she could think up another spell that her uncle taught her. Why did her mind seem to go blank at the worst time?

He smiles politely back at you, you stare politely right on through

When it came to just suddenly approaching someone in the forest, there was some danger to it but given the condition that Lancelot was in at the time, Catalina was not worried for herself. She had seen all that had happened and she could see that Lancelot had already given up hope of surviving. How easily it had been lost, his hope for survival, surely he had a wish to live. If he did, she could not see it. What she could see was what the blood loss was doing to him even as she led his stallion to where she felt was best to tend to his wound, his body trembled and he was in a great deal of pain. His pallor was ashen and every so often she would hear a small voice in the back of her mind telling her that despite her determination and magic, he just wasn’t going to make it. Of course she couldn’t believe that, she had seen how strong he had been in battle so surely he had some strength left to fight for every breath he took. A warrior, regardless of title was surely too stubborn to give up so easily. Of course Cat knew nothing about this man though at least she was given his name eventually. Lancelot Du Lac. He had once been a Knight of Camelot though for only a short time. What had he done to lose such a prestigious title as that? She wished to ask but it was not her business and hopefully if she thought of it, she’d ask later.

"Why are you out here in the first place. Its far too dangerous here, with all of these bandits about. If just one comes back, how will you defend yourself, or are you actually a sorceress with special powers," For one that seemed to be dying, he did ask a lot of questions. It was a show of his good and noble nature that he would worry about her when he was the one injured. “Such questions you ask,” she said lightly with a smile, choosing not to answer his questions right now. She had to focus on the task at hand so that she had a chance later to answers any other questions he may ask. Of course the forest was dangerous but she had very little worry about bandits and such, if more came than she would do what she could to defend herself and her somewhat unwilling charge but that was a problem best left for later if later should happen. Any and all attempts at him wishing to get rid of her and go to die were ignored because while she was a respectful and polite druidess, she was quite stubborn when she wanted to be as well. The horse worried for it’s master, Catalina could see that as she so gently led the horse, it trusted her and wanted her help. Catalina was used to this sort of reception with animals, they were a lot keener on judging people than humans were, animals seemed to be able to see into people and know those who wished to help from those who wished to harm.

Lancelot needed to save his strength rather than choosing to waste it in talking but Catalina had no right to order anyone to be silent so she simply listened to what he had to say. Take him to die? “Enough life has been lost in these woods today, I won’t let yours be another.” His words were so sad; she couldn’t help but look over her shoulder at the wounded former Knight, a pang of grief resonating from him. What pain had befallen him before the wound that now threatened his life? She could think of no words to say that would reassure him so instead she simply chose to nod her head in understanding. He could think what he wished and try to make it seem that it wasn’t worth it but that wouldn’t change the fact that she was going to help him.

Removing his upper clothing was definitely not easy considering how heavy it was. It was no wonder that warriors were in the shape that they were with the weight of the clothing and armor they had to bare. Being a druid was simpler really. She could not hide the worry on her face when she saw the wound no matter how she tried and his attempt at humor was weak much like him. She did not respond with any sort of banter, she had to keep her mind on the wound and how to care for it. Of course he wouldn’t understand the way she worked, the fact that he had been a Knight of Camelot, even if only for a short time must mean that he knew very little about magic and perhaps he even hated it. She couldn’t know and she had no time to ask either. Magic would save his life and he would simply have to trust her. His questions were ignored for the time being, not out of rudeness but rather because she was very focused on her tasks. If anything, he would simply believe he was hallucinating with her magic words and such. That would actually benefit her in the long run. She didn’t need bounty hunters after her because a good deed on her part was returned with treachery. She didn’t wish to think that of Lancelot but she didn’t know him.

He responded to her answers with a response that made her smile. She knew very little of Knights other than they followed their King and were men of valor and bravery. She had been taught to fear them of course, at least those that were in Camelot because of Uther and his decrees against magic. As she worked her craft, she couldn’t help but laugh somewhat as he asked yet again what she was doing. He was as curious as she was though his was more concern for himself moreso than mere curiosity she was sure. “I’m saving your life.” She answered simply with a smile as she instructed him to rest. Thankfully he didn’t argue though whether he had decided to give in to the druid girl or simply because he had no energy left to argue, she couldn’t be sure but it didn’t matter so long as he listened. Draping the cloak over him, she looked down on him as he lay down. He would survive; she had faith in her magic and healing poultice so she didn’t have to worry so much. “You’re going to be alright Lancelot.” She whispered softly as she took a seat next to him. She had already decided that she would remain until Lancelot was able to ride. She couldn’t leave him, she had worked too hard to allow him to fall victim to some wild beast.

He was fading, slipping into unconsciousness but that was good. He needed his rest so that he could regain his strength. “You asked me earlier what my name meant. It is nothing too special. It means innocence.” Looking over to Sher-Fore, she sighed as Lancelot started to fall asleep. “I’ll be here when you wake.” She said softly before he finally faded off into sleep. With Lancelot tended to, Catalina gathered some firewood for a fire and tended to his horse as well.

Given the severity of the injury, it was no surprise that Lancelot had slept for as long as he had. When he would wake, he would find that he had slept the afternoon away and the sun had long since slipped over the horizon. Bright stars dotted the sky above and here on the ground Lancelot would see that he now rested beside a warm fire. His horse was not too far away, tethered so that he wouldn’t roam free. Sitting close to the fire sat the druidess who poked at the burning logs with a small stick, a thoughtful look on her face as she contemplated things. Her Uncle would worry for her; she knew that but she didn’t wish to risk her people by bringing Lancelot to their encampment but she could leave him either, so she remained.

Catalina couldn't help but giggle as she thought back to the day she had had a few days earlier. It had started out quite disastrous really, she had nearly been taken by a bunch of ruffians who would have done who knows what to her before taking her away from her family but she had been saved by a very surprising stranger. Prince Arthur himself. Or Prince Pinky as she thought in her mind. Her magic had kind of gotten crossed and she had ended up giving Arthur pink hair. It had been a complete accident but the Prince really hadn't thought it was all that funny. No sense of humor at all! She had thought it was hilarious and even now, after three days times, she still thought it was funny. The look on his face when he saw his reflection in the water... Priceless. She was so glad she had such a good memory. She wanted to remember that for a while.

Still, ever since that whole incident, Catalina had been in trouble. Unable to venture too far from the safety of their moved encampment, Catalina felt tethered and imprisoned despite having a little freedom. She didn't believe that Arthur would go against his word and betray the druids to his father. Her Uncle was not so trusting, she could understand of course. He had been alive a lot longer and he was not being selfish like Catalina was. He was thinking about them all while Cat was only thinking about herself. She was young so really she couldn't help but think of herself and her freedom.

When she complained that she was bored out of her skull, her Uncle Aldriv sat her down near the fire and had her make poultices. It had been decided by this time that due to Catalina's mistake, they would be leaving Camelot earlier than intended and head towards Mercia. It wasn't fair. Catalina loved being in the forests of Camelot, loving seeing the sun rise over the towers of the castle and just being there. Of course Aldriv knew this. It was his own way of punishing Catalina for her reckless behavior. He knew of her restless behavior and knew of her dislike of their secrecy but she would have to learn that some things were the way they were for a reason. She had to learn to think of something other than what she simply wanted. Her decisions affected more than she realized.

After an hour of sitting by the fire and making poultices, Catalina was near the point of insanity as far as she was concerned. She couldn't remain still much longer. So Cat got up and grabbed her basket. She was at the edge of the encampment when she heard her Uncle's voice, causing her to stop. "Catalina, where are you going?" His voice was sharper than usual, which was one reason she had stopped as quickly as she had. "I'm going to collect some mushrooms." It was a lame excuse to say the least but she had to get on her own. She knew that normally when she felt the need to be on her own that she got into trouble but she figured that that wouldn't happen. She could only get into so much trouble at a time.

"Uncle," she started as she turned to face the aging man. She had a great deal of respect for him but she was angry with him as well. "When will you stop treating me like a child?" She demanded, clutching the handle of her basket tightly, waiting for his response. She had a feeling she wouldn't like it and Aldriv did not disappoint. "When you stop acting like one." Predictable answer and yet it was not without it's sting. She sighed and stormed off into the direction of the castle. She wouldn't go into the City but she did like to look at it from a distance. It calmed her and right now she was so on edge that it may be the only thing that could calm her down. She was not acting like a child, her Uncle simply was not able to give her the space she needed to grow up.

It was really such a joy to meet someone who actually knew about Camelot. She wondered if Gwen knew what Catalina was or maybe she was one that it didn’t matter to. There were some that weren’t bothered by druids but than again, there was a good chance Gwen figured Catalina for a simple traveler. Druids were supposed to be secretive people who kept to themselves but Catalina…well she was just different. There was no other way around it Cat was just different. She couldn’t help but notice the look on Guinevère’s face when she looked at Camelot; she seemed to really love the City. Seeing Gwen’s eyes light up was enough to make Catalina wish even more that she could see the city for herself. Servant in the castle. So Gwen wasn’t a noble-born or anything like that. Really Catalina preferred it that way, some ladies that she had seen before were such stuck-up snobs, completely absorbed in themselves. “Nice to meet you Gwen.” She said quite happily.

Cat was definitely happy that Gwen had stopped to chat with her because she enjoyed listening to how the servant talked about the city. The druidess could close her eyes and picture everything that Gwen said. Of course she had seen things through her mirror but it wasn’t enough. It didn’t do the city justice as far as she was concerned. She needed to see it but it was too dangerous… wasn’t it? Her Uncle seemed to think so but he wasn’t always right. He had his off moments of being wrong. She was sure of it. She just hadn’t caught him during those moments. “It sounds beautiful.” Magical… That was what she wanted to say but she best not. Not that it would give her away, people used that word she was sure but still. “You speak of it with such love.” Cat noted as she went back to peering at the turrets of the castle. It was a good thing that Gwen hadn’t spoken her thoughts aloud in terms of Uther and magic or Catalina would surely have balked at the thought of ever going inside.

Perhaps she had gawked at the city for long enough. Gwen would most likely want to head back to the Camelot and once she was gone the druidess would really have no reason to bide. Cat was about to announce her departure but it seemed that Gwen had another idea. She was inviting Catalina to come to the city with her. Could she? Her eyes widened slightly as she peered at the city once again. Could she really take such a risk? She was scared and yet there was such a feeling of exhilaration. Had it simply been her on her own, she would have turned around and returned to her encampment and chosen simply to imagine how it would be but she had someone to go with. A possible new friend. She shouldn’t go, should play it safe but she wouldn’t be Catalina if she played it safe now would she be? The answer of course was no.

“I would love to!” She squeaked excitedly before calming herself down. “I mean, yes, I would love to accompany you to see the city.” Oh gods…she was actually going to go into the City. Her sister had been inside before but she had been with other druids, Cat was going on her own. Scary but exciting. “I would enjoy that a lot. I fear I’d easily become lost in the City, it would be nice to have a guide.” She followed Gwen with an excited smile on her face. Of course there was times she would slow as they got closer to the city, clearly showing hesitation in entering but she was too close, couldn’t turn back. “How long have you lived in Camelot, Gwen?” She asked Gwen, choosing to focus on her new friend rather than the trouble she would get into with her Uncle later on.

It had started out like a day like any other for the two druid sisters. "Yes Samara, I know exactly where I am going." The blond haired druidess snapped uneasily as they headed further into the forests of Gwent. A sigh fell from Cat's older sister's lips and she clutched her young son Ramos in her arms. "Are you sure?" Samara was not stupid, she knew full well that questioning her younger sister would further irritate her but considering that they had been walking for what seemed like hours, the fact that they may be lost was becoming increasingly obvious. Yes they were druids and have traveled a great deal but Gwent was one place they didn't visit often so they didn't know the area all that well. That and Catalina didn't exactly have the best sense of direction. "Of course I'm sure, I know exactly where we are." More irritation and frustration on Cat's part, Samara was really not helping...

"Yeah, we're lost. That's where we are." Samara remarked sarcastically as she shifted her son on her hip. Blah blah blah. Cat rolled her eyes as she brushed stepped over a log and than took a seat on it. "Well then you take the lead if you know so much." The two sisters might have bickered more had it not been for Ramos' cries of protest. He was tired and wanted to sleep and he couldn't with the constant traveling as well as the fighting between his mother and aunt. Peering at her nephew, Cat's crankiness lessened and she walked over to her nephew and kissed him on the forehead. "I'm sorry little one, I know you're tired."

Looking up at her sister, she didn't have to verbalize her apology, it was in her eyes and her sister smiled and nodded. "Let's go Cat, I'm going to start crying next if we don't find our encampment soon and he's not as light as he used to be." Catalina couldn't help but laugh as she turned to start walking again. It was no surprise that her nephew would know exactly how to end their bickering. If that wasn't magic than Cat didn't know what was. "Next time we go out walking, we should bring your husband since he has a better sense of direction than either one of us do." Cat wasn't kidding either, Samara's husband always seemed to know exactly where he was regardless of whether he had been to that place or not. It was eerie and so would have been helpful at this time.

Their laughter was abruptly cut off the moment they entered a clearing that was currently being used as a camp for bandits. Oh yeah...definitely the wrong encampment.

The ruffians seemed to be just as shocked that the two women just wandered into their encampment as they sat sharpening their weapons. Catalina's main worry was not for her own safety but that of her sister Samara and her nephew Ramos. "Run!" She yelled and the two headed back into the thick of the woods with the bandits on their tail. Why was it always bandits? Like seriously?! Couldn't they have stumbled into the camp of a bunch of peace-loving minstrels or something like that? But nooo of course not, this was Catalina and that just wasn't her luck. Ramos was crying again though this was more out of fear and the dislike of being jostled around as his mother ran with him. This wasn't going to work... They were going to be overtaken in time unless Catalina did something.

"Keep going Samara, I'll hold them off." Of course Samara wanted to argue but she saw the determination on her sister's face and she nodded. Of course her heart went out to her sister but she had to keep her son safe, he was an innocent and had no way of protecting himself. Catalina did.

Wasting no time, Samara disappeared into the forest, hopefully she would find their encampment. With Samara gone, Catalina stilled herself for a fight and most likely her demise since there had to be at least seven or eight bandits that had been following them and probably more within the small camp. She could handle herself to a certain degree but she wouldn't kill anyone. Her spells would slow them down or incapacitate some of them but she couldn't kill them all. As she thought, it didn't take long before she was surrounded by the bandits. They made rude comments regarding her and what they would do with her. It scared her of course but she tried her hardest not to show her fear as she peered at those gathered around her. All that mattered to Catalina was that her sister and nephew were safe.

Rising with the sun was something that Catalina had gotten quite used to in all her years of traveling all over Albion with her people. She loved it, rising before everyone, even her Uncle Aldriv and that was a feat to be proud of. It couldn’t be helped really; her restlessness seemed to reach her even in the midst of her sleep and would rouse her as the fiery orb rose high in the sky. It was always a sight to enjoy. Especially when it was rising over Camelot, it seemed to set fire to the towers and give the beautiful city a sort of alluring quality to it. She no longer wondered what the city was like because she had been inside before though she didn’t allow herself the joy of going often because it was a risk to herself and her people.

The Darkling Woods was a place that Catalina loved to explore despite the fact that it was considered dangerous to some. Anything could be dangerous really. The city of Camelot held more dangers within than any forest in Albion as far as Catalina was concerned. At least the forests had their laws that one could abide with, it didn’t have a tyrant who would change and bend the rules to suit themselves. The forest may be cruel but it was fair, Uther could hardly say the same thing for himself. There it was again… Catalina sighed as she led her horse from its place with the others, running her fingers lightly through the stallion’s ebony mane. Catalina was not a hateful young woman, quite the opposite really but it seemed that as of late, she was allowing herself to become more and more judgmental and even angry when it came to Camelot and it’s ruler. It was not her right to judge neither others nor their actions but she found herself doing it often and she couldn’t stop herself. She had found this out the hard way when she had come face to face with none other than Prince Arthur himself.

He had chosen to intervene on her behalf when a bunch of thugs had sought to take her away and her repayment for his kindness had been to mock him. Such was not Catalina’s way of doing things and so the revelation of hidden anger surprised herself. She didn’t like to believe that she was capable of such feelings but whether she had magic or not, that didn’t make her any less human than someone without magic. She was prone to as many emotions and flaws as anyone else and the few days earlier when she had encountered Prince Arthur, she had caught a glimpse of a part of herself that she hadn’t liked in the least. It was because of that meeting that she was striving to be less judgmental of others but sometimes that was easier said than done. Despite having learned her lesson in how to be civil to others whether she felt they deserved it or not, she couldn’t help but giggle to herself when she thought about the look on his face when he realized that he had pink hair. Such was a memory that she would hopefully always have for it always made her laugh. She had fixed her blunder for that was all it had been but still, Arthur with pink hair made for an amusing sight.

“You thought it was funny, didn’t you boy.” She said with a smile as she brushed her hand over Cobalt’s dark neck, pulling a leaf from his mane. The horse whinnied in response and Catalina grinned. “I thought so.” Finding a stump nearby, she swung her leg up over Cobalt’s back and steadied herself before looking back at the sleeping camp. One would think that Catalina would learn her lesson in remaining with her people, being the secretive druidess that she had been born to be but that wasn’t her. She hated hiding herself away from the world, couldn’t stand feeling like she should be ashamed of what she was and what she could do. She was a druid and proud of it and no one, crown or not, could take that away from her. She’d sooner die…

Given that the druidess didn’t have much of a wardrobe to speak of, she wore her usual pale blue dress beneath a bright red cloak, the hood pulled up over her golden hair. Freedom. How she loved it. If her Uncle had been awake, he would have given her a scolding look that would have immediately brought her down from atop her noble steed, magic not needed. He would have had her remain within the safety of the camp and study more magic and such. After the mess she had brought upon herself in regards to Prince Arthur, it was obvious that she needed to get a better handle on her magic so that something like that didn’t happen again. She agreed of course but she simply wished for a ride, she could study afterwards. Cat knew she just couldn’t sit still, not for a moment. She had to feel as though she was flying.

With one last look back at the camp, Catalina urged Cobalt into a canter and took off. Gods, there was nothing like the feel of the wind whipping at her hair, throwing back the hood she had up. Cantering around trees was not always the easiest feat but her horse was as used to these woods as Catalina and so he maneuvered himself very well. Avoiding the dirt paths was her best chance of keeping away from anyone who might have entertained the same thought as Catalina in terms of a ride through the forest. Even more than that, avoiding those that may be hunting for the druids. Ever since the Lady Morgana had vanished, Uther seemed desperate in finding her and they had already thought that the druids had kidnapped her once. They didn’t need that again. Simply being what they were was enough cause for Uther to want them dead.

The smell of a storm approaching caught Catalina’s attention and she halted Cobalt, looking to the sky. She so loved storms but she knew that Cobalt did not. Dismounting her horse, she took hold of the reins and turned to head back to her encampment. It seemed that her decision had been made in just the right time because the storm began without warning. Rain never bothered Catalina, she actually enjoyed it but the sight of lightening and the roaring sound of thunder caused Cobalt to fight her hold on the reins. “Easy boy.” She whispered, doing what she could to calm her horse. It took a few attempts but the horse finally calmed and she was able to start heading back.

Catalina stopped when she heard the sound of another horse. Tightening her hold on the reins, she stilled herself until she saw the horse in question. It had been spooked, that much was obvious due to the panicked way it ran and it seemed to be heading towards Camelot. It wore a saddle but was riderless. Did that mean that it’s rider was still in the woods? Was she in danger?

It would have been easier just to head back to her encampment and forget that she had seen anything but she couldn’t do that. She was curious. What if whoever had been riding the horse had been hurt. Could she live with herself if she left someone to die simply because she was too afraid to help? No, she couldn’t. The rain continued to fall and a wind blew as the storm lashed out. “Come on Colbalt.” She said firmly and tugged him in the direction that the horse had come from. She wasn’t too far off and if she found nothing that it would mean that whoever the rider had been was alright. Not like she could really hide herself with the big galoot at her side but one might think of her as a traveler and not a druid.

Peering from behind a tree, Catalina watched the Princess start down a path that would surely lead her further into the forest. Was that her destination or was she wishing to go to Camelot? Was she from there or simply passing through? So many questions in Cat’s mind and there was only one way she could get answers. By asking. “Are you lost?” She called out, remaining against the tree as it was comfortable to lean against and it provided from relief from the torrent of rain.

He smiles politely back at you, you stare politely right on through

Perhaps it was best that Catalina had not been granted the ability to look into the minds of others. Had she such a gift, Lancelot’s thoughts surely would have left her in tears. Seeing Lancelot dying of a loss of blood was bad enough but the knowledge that he had all but given up as well was just heartbreaking. There was a chance that her magic and her healing poultices wouldn’t be enough to save his life, he had been very badly wounded and he had lost so much blood. There was a good chance that he was nothing but a lost cause and she was merely wasting her magic and time on a dead man riding but she wouldn’t accept that as truth. No one was a lost cause, not ever and she would do all she could to help him. The beautiful stallion didn’t seem to mind her presence, perhaps realizing that she was there to help it’s master or perhaps it was too focused on the distress it could so easily feel from Lancelot.

It seemed that Lancelot did not notice her presence just yet for he weakly sought to turn the horse in the direction he wished to go. Didn’t exactly make sense either, considering how wounded he was, why would he wish to go deeper into the forest? Perhaps she would ask him that later if she remembered, for now she had to focus. The poor man was so confused, combination of blood loss and his lack of being able to see her, she wasn’t sure how much time she had but she had to do this quickly. She held the reins tightly though not enough to cause the stallion any discomfort, just enough to make the horse follow her lead and stop when she stopped. “Thank you for the offer, but I'm afraid I may be too far along," Nope, she didn’t believe that at all. She shook her head to show that she was determined. He wasn’t too far gone until he was at death’s door and even then she would try to save him. She didn’t really need a reason why other than that it was the right thing to do and she’d hope that if she were in the same situation that someone would do the same for her.

The thought of danger hadn’t even occurred to the druidess as she halted the horse. Of course there could be bandits still around but her mind wasn’t on that. Seeing the amount of blood he had lost was definitely disheartening, he was so weak and so pale that she was scared that he would be dead before she got him off the horse. She figured that her presence would be quite sudden and unexplained but he could wonder more on that when he was doing better, for now he just had to trust that she genuinely wanted to help him and just accept that. Once he was down from his horse, she quickly tied Sher-Fore up so that he wouldn’t get away and than turned her attention back on Lancelot. Her heart was racing but she was doing well to remain calm the whole time, though she had been rather silly about forgetting the clothing that was over the shirt. She meant remove the clothing covered his wound but not like she was going to waste breath or time in correcting herself. He spoke and she simply nodded.

It didn’t take too much effort to remove his heavy jacket, tossing the bloody thing to the ground before getting to his shirt. She did her best not to jerk him around too much, as she didn’t wish to cause him further discomfort. Even still, she knew what would happen upon removing his shirt, it would reopen the wound and he would bleed more but it had to be done. Catalina removed it quickly and winced somewhat at the sight of the wound. It was worse than she had originally thought but it was not beyond her skills. Cat was able to use his already bloody shirt to cover the wound for the time being. Thankful for her clumsy nature for once, she set her small bag of supplies down, her poultices as well as a small bowl that she carried with her always. Placing it down next to her, she looked down at it and whispered. “æwielm.” Her eyes flickered gold and the once empty bowl filled with cool soothing water. There was no doubt that Lancelot would feel a lot of pain as Catalina worked on the wound, doing her best to clean it with a combination of the water and her healing poultices. His question caused her to arch a brow. “Why?” Why would he ask such a silly question? “Because it is the right thing to do.” She finally answered as she continued to treat his wound; she had gotten the bleeding to stop. “I could never let someone die if I could help it.”

Once the bleeding had been stopped, she pulled his bloody shirt away from the wound on his shoulder and placed her hand on the wound. It was hot to the touch but with this spell it would at least be closed off. It would still hurt him and she’d treat it with one of her poultices but it wouldn’t require sewing up. “remæn.” Her eyes flickered and Lancelot would feel an intense pain in his shoulder coming from her hand before the pain dulled to an ever-throbbing pain. Considerable effort was put behind the spell due to the severity of the injury so it took a lot out of her but she was happy to do it. The next step she took was applying the poultice to the wound and removing her red cloak to make a makeshift pillow. His shoulder had been mended but he would need to rest. His shoulder wasn’t completely healed, she wasn’t that good. Her Uncle would have been able to heal it up completely but he was stronger than she was. She worried for Lancelot especially since she didn’t know how much blood he had lost. There was still chance that it had been too much but she wouldn’t know just yet. She would stay with him until she was sure that he was alright. “You need to rest.” She said softly but sternly, handing his cloak to him to use as a blanket. He wasn’t fit to ride anywhere, not yet anyway.

“I wish I had something to help ease the pain more but I do have some water.” Only injuries she had been prepared for were the ones she usually got, small scrapes and such. Cat pulled a small water pouch from her bag and handed it to Lancelot, helping him if he needed help with it. “I’m Catalina.” She said with a gentle smile, finally introducing herself.