101 Dalmatian Street:

The Artist Finds a Friend

You would think that in a big family like hers, she would have something in common with at least one of them. After all, she had 98 siblings, all living under the same roof. Her love of art had to come from somewhere.

That wasn't to say that she didn't get along with her fam. Of course she did, she loved them very much. But if she was being honest with herself, she sometimes felt like no one in this crazy house really understood her.

Her two eldest siblings, Dolly and Dylan could be very warm and loving ; that is when they weren't trying to keep the house in order for mum and dad or trying to strangle each other. But they were growing up quick as teenagers do, so they had their own lives.

The second oldest was Dawkins, the go-to fixer upper inventor. He was definitely a great help to the household, and was very smart. Perhaps too smart. Whenever he felt the need to correct some piece of misinformation, she wondered if maybe all that knowledge kept him from seeing the beauty in life.

With Dante, it was a little different. She was sure he didn't even know the meaning of beauty. Now she could get a little dark herself sometimes, Art was all about self expression after all. But constantly thinking about the end of the world and always living like your in a horror movie was not for her.

There was Deepak, who was probably closer to her own peaceful nature and sensibility than the rest. Like him, she often preferred quiet, solitary time to create. And while his meditation practices always helped her relax, she wasn't quite ready to start acting like a cat ( much less think of herself as one.)

Among her younger siblings, well, most of them were still too young to really get any of her interests. The closest one had to be Diesel, which may seem odd at first, but they did have one thing in common. Neither of them mind getting a little dirty for the sake of their passion(as evidenced by her unique spots.)

And as for the two sets of triplets; the local celebrities Triple-D, and the trouble making Dimitris? She had about as much in common with them as Dolly did with their obnoxious neighbor Clarissa. Sure, triple-d were technically actors, and acting can be an art. But she doubted that ever crossed their prima Donna minds. The Dimitris meanwhile, we're just typical boys. Way too obsessed with looking cool and causing mischief in order to look cool.

As for the rest of the family? Delgado was an awesome little trooper, but he idolized Dolly. It was the same with DeeDee and Dizzy. Sometimes she could relate to Dylan (who she was sure secretly wished someone would look up to him.)

The only other sibling who she maybe would call a fellow artist was DJ. But music was an entirely different art form, and while he was clearly talented enough to do any genre, he seemed content to stick with upbeat party music.

Finally, there was mum and dad. The leaders of their very large pack. On the surface, dad seemed the more sensitive of the two, so it's possible it came from him. But being a firedog, his soul tended to be more practical and grounded, so perhaps not. Mum was also the same way, since she too had a very demanding job that didn't leave too much for the imagination.

So in the end, she was very much alone. Everyone admired her art, but no one here really understood her art (and thus her.) No one wanted to go to an art museum, or go city walking to check out all the street creations. And because everyone knew her as the artist of the family, guess who was always expected to fix the family portrait, or help make decorations for every holiday, and of course make every birthday card by paw? (remember, 98 siblings!)

All these thoughts went through her head as Dorothy sat by her watching her paint. The youngest of all her siblings, she had just learned to talk, she idly wondered if perhaps this little one would grow up to appreciate art. Then perhaps she would finally have someone to relate to. But she knew the chances of that weren't great. With so many other siblings who were more exciting than her, Dorothy was bound to attach herself to one of them.

These thoughts were interrupted by the loud voice of Dylan.

"Has anyone seen Dorothy?"

With a deep sigh, she answered back.

"Yes she's with me."

Dylan came around the corner and found them.

"Oh cool, thanks Davinci. Cmon Dorothy, it's nap time."

The puppy giggled as he carried her off.

She smiled at them. Once again, she was alone. She had always tried hard not to let this bother her. But the previous thoughts lingered in her mind. In a family of 101, she was the odd one out.