Katelyn 'Kit' "The Wildcat" Lancaster

This Was Not Part of the Plan

Katelyn was pissed

Being captured by the enemy was not a part of the plan. In all of her outlaw years she hadn't been caught more than once or twice. Never this stupidly though.

Katelyn had been camping out in the wilderness, due west from a small ranch in the New Hanover Heartlands, near a town called Valentine. She had her camp set up on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the Dakota River. Off to the far you could spot Cumberland Falls, it's roar could be faintly heard when the wind was quiet.

Katelyn knew there was a group of O'Driscolls in the area and she wanted to ambush them before they had time to move on. From here she could overlook the river road down below without being spotted. It was a pretty nice vantage point she'd have to remember for later uses.

One afternoon Katelyn was keeping watch when she spotted the group below. There was four of them as far as she could tell. She watched as they idly and unknowingly rode south past her, far below her in the valley. When they had gotten a distance ahead she quickly readied her horse and guided him down a particularly steep trail to the river road. They had to take it slow or risk a broken leg or two. Once she reached the bottom Katelyn guided her horse to the road and followed in the O'Driscolls' direction.

Soon enough she saw them again on the road ahead. She made sure to keep her distance so she wouldn't draw their attention to her. They seemed to be taking their time, their speed just a brisk walk. She had to wait back when they went through a covered bridge, she didn't want them to hear her hoofbeats echo off the wooden planks behind them and get suspicious.

In the late afternoon the group turned off the main road and into a copse of trees that was growing near the cliff wall. By now they were practically in the shadows cast by the tall stone spires of Caliban's Seat.

Katelyn dismounted her Missouri Fox Trotter, Augustus, and slapped his rump to urge him out of the area. He was the best horse Katelyn ever had. He was unusually brave, and had great stamina and speed. He knew to stay outa the way and to come rushing in to her on her signal. If she didn't come 'round to collect him, Gus knew to head back to where camp was, and to wait there for her. He was the closest thing Katelyn had to a friend for quite some time now. Many times her life depended on him, and he had yet to fail her.

Katelyn decided to spy on the camp of O'Driscolls in a group of large boulders. It was near a section on the cliff that was not connected to the rest. The camp was ahead of her to the left through the clump of trees. She watched as best she could as the O'Driscoll's started pitching two tents on opposite sides of the beginnings of a fire.

Katelyn did a quick check of her weapons. She had brought along her two pistols, her sawed off shotgun, and an assortment of knives. She knew this would have to be a fast firefight and her rifles would be no good. Those she left on Gus. Katelyn made sure the guns were fully loaded and in proper order. She wanted to take this small group out as quickly and efficiently as she could. She took a moment to admire the worn engravings on one of her pistols, it's intricate designs bringing a sad grin to her lips. She effortlessly put it away in it's holster a way her hand had memorized years ago.

Turns out the group was bigger than she thought.

Two more had snuck up behind her as she was spying on the camp and got the drop on her before she had time to react. She heard a skittering of stones sliding down the slope and turned around right in time to see the stock of a rifle coming down on her head. After that it was black.

When she came around her head felt fuzzy. The first thing she noticed were the voices.
Second was the ropes around her wrists and waist.

It all came flooding back to her. The O'Driscolls she found. Her following them. More of them finding her hiding out, waiting to ambush them. Her getting knocked out.
That would explain why her head hurt so much. She could already feel the bump above her right eye where the butt of the rifle had made contact with her head.