The cat leapt, and Re-l shot. Her aim was getting stronger, as though her body had begun to remember the movements years of training once ingrained on them. She scooped up dirt with her foot and kicked, sending a plume into the eyes of the beasts around her, and followed the cloud up with a volley of shots. One to each beast. They worked fine if she hit the chest squarely, and so she tightened her aim. The heart must be somewhere near there.

She spun around, firing shot after shot as she went. Luckily the gun didn't seem to need to reload, though she might have traded that for a pump action shooter. She missed Awakening more than ever.

As she moved something caught her eye. The confident man had faltered, just for a moment. He recovered, but it was a dangerous sign. His shooting was imperative right now - she couldn't handle this on her own. She moved closer to him, ready to help if it happened again.

Their group was tightening, hemmed in by the ferocious beasts. It was good and bad: the closer everyone was, the easier it would be to protect them, but also the easier it would be for the animals to surround them. Part of Re-l wanted to glance, to see if those she knew were alright, but she couldn't afford the moment's distraction.

The cats had backed off a little, moving away under the gunfire, but they were lean and hungry. They wouldn't leave it at this.

"We need a strategy," Re-l said, more to herself than anything.