inspired by EscapeMeNot
Once upon a time, there was a cat whose passion in life was painting. She didn’t know exactly why she loved to paint, but ever since she was a kitten and painted a streak of dirt on a piece of bark, painting became her obsession. While the other cats in her litter were learning how to hunt and mark their territory, this cat, whose name was Peinto, would find every opportunity to sneak away from the group and crush berries to make paint. Within the trees and shrubs of the forest, Peinto would find stray pieces of bark on the ground and transform them into masterpieces of blue, red, and purple. Or at least that was how she’d see them.
To the rest of the world, Peinto was the kind of cat that no one ever remembered. Most cats had scars on their muzzles, tattered ears, or flecks of color on their pelts that no other cat in the clan had. Peinto’s muddy brown coat was nothing special, except for the occasional splash of red under her paw. And most cats were skilled at hunting, or fighting, or had dazzling personalities. Peinto’s hunting skills were satisfactory at best, and she spent most of her time painting instead of socializing.
Many moons passed, and Peinto’s painting skills progressed as she got older. In this era, the only animals who were allowed to paint were the owls. These owls, especially the snowy owls, gathered above the treetops annually and showed off their masterpieces for all the other owls to see. Occasionally, Peinto would catch glimpses of these owl’s paintings as they flew among the branches, clutching a piece of bark in their talons. What she wanted more than anything in the world was to be able to share her painting with the owls, and be a painter instead of a fisher, which was the profession of most cats.
Most cats would abide by the structural rules and abandon their passion of painting. But Peinto couldn’t fish for her life, and couldn’t hunt without getting distracted by the luscious berries and feel the urge to stomp on them. So Peinto selected her best work, and began the long journey up to the top of the treetops.
Unfortunately, Peinto also missed the lesson on how to climb trees. An enormous piece of bark between her teeth only made things worse. Peinto fell down several times, and ended up with many small gashes on her fur. But through many hours of perseverance and cursing, Peinto made it to the top of the trees. When she popped her head through the leaves, she almost fell backwards in delight.
Barn owls, elf owls, great horned owls, and of course snowy owls were soaring all over the sky, their paintings hanging on for dear life in their sharp talons. Peinto was able to make out landscape paintings etched on with small leaves and pebbles, colorful abstract paintings made from the juices of berries, and even a few self portraits. “Hello!” she mewed cheerfully.
Every single owl stopped in midair at the sound of her quiet mew. “Did I just hear a cat?” a barn owl asked.
“A cat? Up here?”
“It must be your imagination. Cats would never climb all the way up to the top, they’re pussies!”
“But I could’ve sworn I hear a mew…”
Peinto decided to speak up. “Hello, I’m Peinto! I know only owls are supposed to come during the annual paintings event, but I wanted to share mine,” she meowed, pushing her piece of bark across the leaves.
The owls crowded around the piece of bark. “What a weird way to use the berries!” one of the owls hooted.
“Why are the colors being mixed together?”
“What is that blob over there?”
“This painty paws has no business interrupting our annual ceremony. Painty paws, your painting is nice and everything, but I’m afraid you have to go back where you belong. Cats are not allowed to be painters; imagine the catastrophe!”
Peinto dejectedly clambered unceremoniously down the tree, leaving her painting up amongst the treetops. For the next few months, she was dubbed the name “painty paws” by all of the owls in the forest and even most of her littermates. She had no idea what to do!
But even though the owls and cats mercilessly teased her with the name “painty paws”, she still pursued her love for painting and brushed crushed berry paint onto bark whenever possible.
And that is the story of the illustrious cat painter Clawed Meownet.
Once upon a time, there was a cat whose passion in life was painting. She didn’t know exactly why she loved to paint, but ever since she was a kitten and painted a streak of dirt on a piece of bark, painting became her obsession. While the other cats in her litter were learning how to hunt and mark their territory, this cat, whose name was Peinto, would find every opportunity to sneak away from the group and crush berries to make paint. Within the trees and shrubs of the forest, Peinto would find stray pieces of bark on the ground and transform them into masterpieces of blue, red, and purple. Or at least that was how she’d see them.
To the rest of the world, Peinto was the kind of cat that no one ever remembered. Most cats had scars on their muzzles, tattered ears, or flecks of color on their pelts that no other cat in the clan had. Peinto’s muddy brown coat was nothing special, except for the occasional splash of red under her paw. And most cats were skilled at hunting, or fighting, or had dazzling personalities. Peinto’s hunting skills were satisfactory at best, and she spent most of her time painting instead of socializing.
Many moons passed, and Peinto’s painting skills progressed as she got older. In this era, the only animals who were allowed to paint were the owls. These owls, especially the snowy owls, gathered above the treetops annually and showed off their masterpieces for all the other owls to see. Occasionally, Peinto would catch glimpses of these owl’s paintings as they flew among the branches, clutching a piece of bark in their talons. What she wanted more than anything in the world was to be able to share her painting with the owls, and be a painter instead of a fisher, which was the profession of most cats.
Most cats would abide by the structural rules and abandon their passion of painting. But Peinto couldn’t fish for her life, and couldn’t hunt without getting distracted by the luscious berries and feel the urge to stomp on them. So Peinto selected her best work, and began the long journey up to the top of the treetops.
Unfortunately, Peinto also missed the lesson on how to climb trees. An enormous piece of bark between her teeth only made things worse. Peinto fell down several times, and ended up with many small gashes on her fur. But through many hours of perseverance and cursing, Peinto made it to the top of the trees. When she popped her head through the leaves, she almost fell backwards in delight.
Barn owls, elf owls, great horned owls, and of course snowy owls were soaring all over the sky, their paintings hanging on for dear life in their sharp talons. Peinto was able to make out landscape paintings etched on with small leaves and pebbles, colorful abstract paintings made from the juices of berries, and even a few self portraits. “Hello!” she mewed cheerfully.
Every single owl stopped in midair at the sound of her quiet mew. “Did I just hear a cat?” a barn owl asked.
“A cat? Up here?”
“It must be your imagination. Cats would never climb all the way up to the top, they’re pussies!”
“But I could’ve sworn I hear a mew…”
Peinto decided to speak up. “Hello, I’m Peinto! I know only owls are supposed to come during the annual paintings event, but I wanted to share mine,” she meowed, pushing her piece of bark across the leaves.
The owls crowded around the piece of bark. “What a weird way to use the berries!” one of the owls hooted.
“Why are the colors being mixed together?”
“What is that blob over there?”
“This painty paws has no business interrupting our annual ceremony. Painty paws, your painting is nice and everything, but I’m afraid you have to go back where you belong. Cats are not allowed to be painters; imagine the catastrophe!”
Peinto dejectedly clambered unceremoniously down the tree, leaving her painting up amongst the treetops. For the next few months, she was dubbed the name “painty paws” by all of the owls in the forest and even most of her littermates. She had no idea what to do!
But even though the owls and cats mercilessly teased her with the name “painty paws”, she still pursued her love for painting and brushed crushed berry paint onto bark whenever possible.
And that is the story of the illustrious cat painter Clawed Meownet.