There was no way. Gabriel rolled over and levelled the gun again, still from the ground, but this time he had to support its weight himself all over again and his position was twice as awkward. Physics was hard to use when one's body didn't want to cooperate like one remembered it used to.

The second shot hit the second cat on the leg, making it stumble and slowing it, but the first completely missed the one pouncing.

"Shit!" Gabriel swung the gun up to block the cat's claws and tried to roll away at once. The blow against the rifle jarred his arms and he almost dropped it entirely; the cat took advantage of the fumble and its claws raked down the archangel's arm. Gabriel bit back a cry of pain to swear, with feeling, at the feline instead.