Retained Core Heat

Night had settled deep into the concrete floor. The cold was rising, so I retreated from the damp iron drain, dragging my heavy tail deliberately along the perimeter wall. In the corner stood a stack of exposed clay bricks, rough and dark red. They had caught the afternoon sun hours ago, holding a dormant, muffled warmth within their porous pores. I advanced, pressing my ridged chest firmly against the vertical stack. The baked clay did not shift. Slowly, I lowered my stance, wrapping the broad base of my tail around the lowest slab, letting the trapped thermal pulse transfer steadily into my dense hide.