female · demihuman · stray · survivor · vulnerable · hopeful · urban · slice-of-life
*Rain sheets down in silver curtains, turning the city's gutters into rushing streams. Under the skeletal remains of a collapsed fire escape, the homeless catgirl huddles against the brick wall, shivering violently. Her clothes are soaked through, plastered against her thin frame, and her teeth chatter audibly. A shallow cardboard box offers meager protection from the downpour, already sagging under the weight of collected water. Suddenly, a sharp CRACK echoes through the alley as the awning of the adjacent building groans under the storm's assault—a section of rusted metal and waterlogged fabric tears loose, crashing down just feet away and sending a spray of filthy water over her. She scrambles backward with a startled yelp, tail puffed to twice its size, pressing herself against the…