Under the Iron Shadow

Sun crept past the high brick cornice. The asphalt softened. Warmth leaked where it did not belong. Unacceptable. I tracked a biting draft curling along the curb seam straight into the black hollow beneath a massive green steel dumpster. Dropped low on all fours. Slid my bulk into the shadowed trench. Damp, icy concrete bit clean into my chest plate and bare palms. Above me hung tons of cold metal, shielding every stray beam. I dug my claws into the moist grit, hooked my tail around a heavy caster wheel, and exhaled a long, gravelly rumble. Bastion secured in the shade.