Cait's snowmobile skidded to a halt beside the second. "Come on, let's get her inside". Vi slid off, Kat still on her back, and trudged through the snow to the large tent they had set up for preparations. She laid the woman down in the center and sat cross-legged beside her. Caitlyn had already entered the tent, and was rummaging through a medical bag. "I need you to get her undressed" she said.
"Undressed?" Vi asked stupidly. Cait glared up from the bag.
"Come one Vi, she's covered in blood."
"Right." She slipped off gauntlets and attended to the woman. She removed the medallion and unclipped her cloak. "What's with this outfit anyway?" she asked. Cait made an "hmm" sound, not paying attention to what Vi was saying. The Enforcer started to pull off Katarina's body suit.
"I don't know how to use a gun…" she muttered, shifting a little.
"Yeah it's a little late for that, Red" Vi chuckled.
"Red?" The brunette looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Who's, Red? You give your little friend a pet name?"
"Please" Vi scoffed back, "My friend? I give everyone nicknames, you know that, Cupcake".
"Here, take this." Cait handed the lantern lighting the tent to Vi. "Move over, and hold this so I can see.
"Yes ma'am" she said sarcastically. She revealed a needle and injected it into Kat's side.
"What's that?" Vi asked.
"Exaphoratin."
"What's…exa…"
"It's going to keep her conscious and reduce swelling, Jayce had it prepared yesterday".
"Conscious?" Vi asked, displeased. "Why's she gotta be conscious?"
"Come on, Vi, the light, I can't see." She lifted the lantern over Kat, who was now stripped to her underwear. She was trembling. Caitlyn took some moist rags, and cleaned the dried blood off Kat's stomach. She retrieved some cotton swabs from her pack and doused them in an antiseptic. Carefully, the brunette cleaned the deep gashes in the pale flesh. "This is about all I can do until we get her back, go ahead and wrap her, I'm going to go prepare the sleds." Cait handed Vi a roll of gauze and slipped out. Vi sighed and began wrapping the gauze around the woman's torso, but paused for a moment. The same feeling from when she first saw her returned. Kat didn't have the usual scowl on her face, she almost looked innocent lying there with her eyes shut. Vi examined the exposed wounds more closely. Without thinking she brushed her hand across the assassin's stomach sympathetically. She wondered if Katarina had given others anything similar. At that moment, the Sinister Blade inhaled sharply and her eyes darted open. Her jaw hung slightly in confusion. She stared at Vi, peered down at her practically naked body, then looked back at Vi.
"What. The fuck. Are you doing?"
"Great, looks like the drugs kicked in. Calm down", she said with aggravation, "I just saved your stupid life".
"Drugs?" she began to sit up "what the hell did-" She winced with pain and fell back again.
"Just be quiet and let me get theses bandages on you" Vi said with a chortle. Kat quickly snatched the roll of gauze out of her hand.
"I'll do it myself, just give me some privacy", "please" she added after. Vi nonchalantly threw up her hands,
"Whatever you say, Red, but we've gotta get movin' soon". Kat glared at Vi for the nickname as she slipped out of the tent. About ten minutes later Katarina interrupted Caitlyn and Vi's chatter by limping out.
"It's about time" said Caitlyn. "Vi, help me pack up, we are getting the hell out of the Freljord."
"The Freljord?" Kat asked?
"Yes, Katarina, and unless you plan on staying, kindly step aside." Caitlyn brushed past her and began breaking down the site.
Caitlyn strapped a bag onto the back of her snowmobile. It gleamed of blue and gold, and was clearly powered by Hextech.
"That should be everything" she said. "Let's go".
"Finally" mumbled Kat. She was leaning up against Vi's sled, shivering. The Enforcer pulled a blanket out from the back of Cait's sled and shoved it in Kat's arms. "Ouch" she said under her breath.
"Take this, and please just be quiet." Cait and Vi mounted their vehicles and started them. Katarina dragged herself on the back of Vi's, faced the rear and crossed her arms. The pink haired woman took a deep breath looked down at her seat.
"Kat. You are going to fall off."
"No I won't." she snapped back. Vi shot forward and Kat barley managed to stay on. With a grumble she turned around reluctantly wrapped her arms around Vi's waste.
"Comfortable?" Vi asked with a giggle. Cait, fed up, revved and darted off, Vi quickly followed.
"Vi, keep up."
"I can barely see you through this blizzard, Cait" Vi responded over radio. She struggled to keep up racing through an icy forest. She dodged tree after tree, unable to stay close to her sheriff. Katarina leaned forward and examined her right hand still holding Vi's torso, it was scarlet red.
"Vi" she said in her ear "you're bleeding. Were you shot?"
"No, not really" she responded awkwardly. "Stabbed and shot actually."
"Vi...we need to stop".
"Nah I'm fine, Red. Only an hour or so before we get out of this place" she said faintly.
"It isn't safe for you, we've got to find a place to rest" she said in a concerned voice. She quickly changed her tone. "You know…I don't want to die out here because you crash this pile of junk into a tree. Just stop". Ten minutes later Kat pointed to a cave protruding from the frozen plane they were gliding across. "There". Vi tried to radio Caitlyn, she had lost sight of her for a while now.
"Cait, come in Cait." Only static. "We're stopping, don't come looking, we are just gonna be held up for a little while".
"What?!" Kat shouted "no, no, come back. We're both going to die out here!" she shouted into the mic.
"Shut up, Kat", Vi hissed as she pulled slowly into the cave. She left her headlights on to illuminate the rocky interior. The two women slid off the vehicle and sat in the center of the small enclosure.
"Hope you're ready to die out here" Kat mumbled. "Kat. Just shut up, why didn't we just leave you to die?" Vi retorted."
"Good fucking question" she yelled back. "Because this is so much better. You got shot and stabbed but were too stubborn to do anything about it."
"Oh excuse me princess, I was too busy trying to make sure you weren't dead already, yourself." Kat rummaged through the various bags on Vi's sled. "Hey, stop that!"
"Quiet, Vi". The red head threw a collection of gauze, antiseptic swabs, painkillers, and a set of medical pliers next to the enforcer.
"Thanks sunshine" Vi said whimsically.
"No problem, dearest" Kat spat back. Vi looked at the pliers and realized she had to get the bullet out. She swallowed uncomfortably, feeling nervous.
"Wait" she hesitated "can…you help me? I'm not the best with this stuff."
"No" she responded softly. Vi glared back at her, for the first time on the voyage genuinely angry.
"I don't know what I expected, a monster like you would never help anyone." Kat turned away to hide the pain in her eyes. Katarina was strong, but those words struck a wrong chord. While Vi attempted to aid herself, the sinister blade was able to start a fire with supplies from the sled. She sat in its heat and watched the massive snowflake frenzy outside for several minutes. The dots of white whirred around on the deep blue northern sky. She took interest in the silhouette of a fox that pawed at a rock on the horizon. The Noxian made sure Vi couldn't see her crying silently as she watched. She held her stomach, and wheezed, her lungs still irritated by the poison. Vi's words hurt marginally, but it pushed Kat to a breaking point. She couldn't believe she was just tortured. "Does Vi think I deserve this?" she thought. She heard Vi gasping and breathing heavily from pain behind her, and couldn't stand it any longer. She wiped her eyes and approached the women. She snatched the pliers and placed a hand on her stomach. Vi inhaled sharply.
"You're cold" she said.
"No kidding" Kat responded. Katarina's dexterous hands pulled out the bullet with the pliers. She disinfected both the bullet wound and the gash on her leg, wrapping them in the gauze afterwards. When she was finished Kat looked Vi in the eyes while handing her the bottle of painkillers. She returned to the fire. Vi could tell her words hurt the Noxian, she just didn't think it was possible. After a while she broke the silence.
"You know, my life wasn't always full of the most honorable moments. Well, I guess it still isn't. I was raised as a thief. I didn't choose it. We stole from people. Took what we wanted. We…hurt people." She looked at Kat who was still watching the snowfall outside. "I'd be lying if I said there weren't times I enjoyed it. You and me, we really aren't that different." Kat said nothing. Vi stood up and retrieved a sleeping bag from her sled. "Come on, that snow isn't stopping anytime soon, let's get some sleep." Vi laid down the single sleeping bag for one.
"If you think I'm getting in that thing with you you're crazier than you look. I'm fine right here" the red head said blankly. Vi sighed and lied down. "When that fire goes out you're going to freeze your little butt off. Come on." Kat scowled over back at the pinkette.
"No."