It was a cool day, one where the air was crisp and nippy, yet still warm enough to go without a jacket. The animals were coming out less and less, because of the cooler weather. Most of them were suited better for warm climates. They all had their own caves or cave-like environments to hide in. They were heated- a hefty cost for me- but it was worth it. I woke that morning with an anxious and jumpy feeling, which I assumed was only due to the weather change. I went about my daily preparations: eating breakfast, getting dressed, thawing meat from the freezer and feeding my African Grey parrot, Loki. The meat thawing usually took an hour or so, so I flipped on my television. Often, I would check the news to see the latest crime scandals that went on in Gotham City. The cape-crusader Batman managed to capture a notorious villain, The Scarecrow, a few days prior and he was now locked tight in Arkham Asylum. I admired Batman, but not like most people. I admired his courage to stand up against criminals instead of cowering back like most civilians. The bat suit and "themed" façade seemed a bit vivacious and flashy for my taste, but to each his own.

There was nothing particularly eye-catching on the news that morning, so I decided to give Amelia a buzz on the telephone. She answered on the second ring, as I expected, because she barely ever went anywhere without her cell phone. She claims that it is her "connection to all things civilized". Amelia was a true city girl, through and through. Anything that is remotely wild and/or not in the latest magazines disinterests her. How we became friends- me being obsessed with all things animal and her being obsessed with all things designer- is still a mystery to me.

"The Joker has been relatively quiet lately," She informed me immediately, "He only blew up one building this week."

The Joker was Gotham's latest loony, who ran around dressed up like some circus clown on crack. He was apparently the most dangerous criminal that Gotham had so far. He was a skilled opponent, even for Batman, and had managed to avoid him for one whole month. He didn't impress me with his childish antics and obvious vies for attention.

"Maybe he died," I murmured sarcastically, "Or perhaps he grew a heart and realized all of his bad deeds."

"Yeah, right," I could hear Amelia snort on the other line. She never was the most lady-like of females.

"I still don't see why everyone is wrapped around this guy," I sighed, half in annoyance, half in boredom, "Yes, he is dangerous, but other than that, he seems too obvious to be interesting."

"Says the girl who is absolutely fascinated by watching animals kill each other over food and lick their own private parts," Amelia shot back and I could practically imagine her rolling her eyes.

"At least animals are real and don't hide behind costumes and fake identities," I countered, quite happily.

All of a sudden, there was a rapid knocking at my door, in the rhythm of some cheesy tune. Sighing, I informed Amelia that someone was beckoning me and sat the phone down. My door has no peephole, since one was never needed, so I opened the door brazenly to face whoever was knocking. Immediately, I could tell it was a man because of the build, the clothes and the stance. He stood, sort of hunched over, in an odd stance. I couldn't quite see his face at first; his body was positioned half turned away from me. He wore a suit which I assumed was black, until I looked closer. It actually was a deep purple color, like plum. It looked rather expensive, too, like it was custom made. A hat was perched on his head, tipped down over his eyes.

"Can I…help you?" I asked after taking in his appearance. He didn't answer me straightaway, but only stood on my front step. Irked, I tried again, "Sir?"

A bark of harsh laughter escaped his throat, "No one has called me sir in…ever."

His voice was distinctly nasally, easy for someone to remember. It was apparent that he was odd; he didn't even state his reasons for being on my property.

"Yes, well, good for you," I said sarcastically. Manners were never my strong suit, since my human interaction was limited and animals didn't expect good manners.

He giggled then, yes, giggled. Anger flared in my veins, burning viciously. I went to slam the door shut, without saying anymore, but his hand shot out and gripped the door. I couldn't make it budge in his iron grip, so I growled in frustration.

"Is there something I can help you with? If not, then I have things that I need to attend to," I snarled harshly.

"Is there-ah, any way that you are renting out rooms?" He asked.

I stared at him. Was this guy for real? My house was a farmhouse and in no way looked like a motel. The sheer absurdity of that situation made me laugh.

"Does this house look like a motel?" I gestured around, my face twisting into a sneer.

"I dunno, I've never been to one," I could see a grin stretch beneath his hat.

"It's not," I stressed, rolling my eyes, "So get off my property before I make you."

"Oooooh," He laughed suddenly, throwing his head back. His hat flew off and fluttered to the ground. I was left staring at his face, painted ghostly white with greasepaint. Black kohl circled his eyes, which were as dark as the makeup that outlined them. Ruby red paint was smeared onto his lips, popping against the white makeup. They accented two long scars that stretched from his lips to his cheek, pulling his face into an eternal smile. His greasy, green tinted hair fell stiffly around his head like some sort of sick halo. I may not have lived in Gotham, but I knew that face.

"What do you want?" The fact that my voice came out cold and not fearful, surprised even me. It must've caught the Joker off guard as well, because he didn't respond at first.

"That's not very nice," He chastised me, a frown creasing his features.

"I never said I was a nice person," I glared, "Actually, I'm not a nice person at all. I don't really like other people."

"Oh yes, I know-ah," He grinned again, "You're the, uh, Animal Whisperer. But it doesn't matter if you're nice, I like mean people."

With that, the Joker shoved me into my house abruptly, the door locking swiftly behind him.

(Okay, here's chapter two of The Animal Whisperer! Sorry it's rather short and I kind of left it at a cliffhanger type situation, but oh well. Review!)