Submission (#6684) Approved

Vinny wasn’t used to having so much free time on his paws. He was used to waking up early in the morning, washing up and having breakfast, then heading out to help Miss Honeybee with her Juice Bar. However, now that the season of gifting was over and miasma season kept travelers from coming and going, Miss Honeybee had told Vinny the day before that there wasn’t enough business to need an extra set of paws on deck. ‘Go have fun!’ she said to him, smiling softly. ‘I’m sure there’s some things you want to do or catch up on.’

The kittom still woke up early that morning and mindlessly went through his early day routine. When he was done with breakfast and finished washing the dishes, he found himself staring blankly out the kitchen window. The pink leaves on the large tree that sat in his front yard moved gently in the breeze, brushing up against several of the purple and blue faerie shrouds that had grown on the branches of the tree sometime last year. He turned his attention farther out from his lawn and took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the rolling hills and orchards nearby. Some of the trees in the orchard had green leaves, but for the most part the trees there also had pink leaves like the tree in front of his house. Harvesting season was over, so all of the fruits in the orchard had been picked clean. Vinny was used to seeing several elnin make their rounds through the orchard, collecting fruit, but now the orchard was rather empty. There was a feeling of loneliness to the scene, and also a sense of beauty as well.

Remembering Miss Honeybee’s words, there was an activity that Vinny hadn’t been able to do for a while. He supposed he’d call it his only real hobby - painting.

The kittom moved away from the window and trotted over to his storage closet. He opened the closet and saw it was rather empty, only one of the many shelves actually holding something. Having less things made finding what he was looking for easier, he supposed. Vinny reached out for his paint brushes, one of the small blank canvases he never got around to painting on, and his small collection of paints. He opened the lids to each of the containers of paints to make sure they hadn’t tried out. Thankfully, each color of paint was still good to use. With a satisfied nod he held all the art supplies in his arms and managed to close the closet door with his foot before heading outside.

Vinny decided to set his things down under the soft shadow of the tree that stood in front of his kitchen’s window. The kittom sat down and organized his paints to his right, his paint brushes to his left, and the blank canvas in his lap. He looked back up and studied the orchard out in the distance. Something strange caught his eye. The kittom squinted and pondered what was amiss. Was that a rogue apple in one of the trees with pink leaves? Nah, certainly not.

Vinny looked back down at his canvas, picked up a paint brush, and began to get to work. He started off with painting the crystal blue sky, followed by the rolling green hills. As he worked his way from the background to the foreground, he switched out his paint brushes, going from thick brushes to cover more space with each stroke to brushes with smaller and finer ends to get in small details.

By the time he was done painting the morning had passed into the early afternoon. Vinny took a moment to admire his work. He was proud of how accurately he had managed to paint the wooden fence that surrounded the orchard, and how he also painted every single flower in the grass that sat between the orchard and his house. Vinny looked at the trees he painted and realized that he had painted the rogue red apple in one of them. A part of him wanted to paint over it, but ultimately he decided to leave it there.

The kittom set aside the canvas and leaned back, allowing himself to lay fully in the green grass. He actually felt rather relaxed now. Vinny enjoyed working and keeping himself busy, but taking breaks and indulging in hobbies was fun, too. He closed his eyes and mentally told himself that he’d have to paint something else in the near future. For now, though, he decided a nap outside was in order.

Zzz…