Grid Over the Grain

I scaled the wicker rung of a dining chair to reach the summit of the round wooden table. Laid across the center was a freshly placed checkered cotton placemat, its crisp red and white grid dividing the territory into neat quadrants. I halted at the fabric hem, planting my heavy claws into the hem to test the friction. Each square offered solid footing, free of hazardous folds. Methodically, I paced from coordinate to coordinate, measuring distances against the wood grain beneath. Finding the perimeter quiet and completely secure, I settled my weight directly in the center grid, resting my snout flat against the soft weave to log the newly mapped expanse.