Night Perch on the Meter

Night had settled deep into the alleyway, bringing a chilly draft that made me crave shelter. I scrambled up a vertical iron conduit along the damp brickwork, seeking higher ground until my claws hooked into the painted steel frame of an electric utility meter. A tiny red optical sensor was blinking steadily behind the glass dome, humming with low, mechanical warmth. Crouching low on my haunches with a sharp rattle in my throat, I thrust both foreclaws down onto the hinged metal latch locking the side panel. The latch popped open with a heavy metallic clack, swinging the heavy sheet metal outward. I backed into the dry, sheltered recess behind the open door, letting the faint electric hum vibrate straight into my chest carapace.