"Calming His Storm" ~Book 1: Gathering Clouds~ (TMNT 2012 Fanfiction; RaphxOC )

Prologue

"It's too early for this," said the unknown man. He looked at the green numbers of his car's clock and sighed.

'6:30'

The long line of traffic in front of him had clogged at the merge of two highways. Off in the distance, he could see a rise of skyscrapers and the smog that trailed off of their slender forms. For the first time in his life, he longed to be already under their shadows instead of in this blasted traffic. He furrowed his brows and slumped back into his seat, keeping his foot slammed against the break.

"We'll never get there in time now. She'll be leaving for work soon."

His little Toyota Corolla's grinding engine was the only reply. Boxes of harnesses and colorful pamphlets with swords on them littered the back seat and vibrated along with the old engine. The man turned and moved some of the boxes in order to retrieve his phone from his jacket pocket. He was about to dial a number when he looked up and saw that the line of cars had moved forward. He tossed his cellphone behind him and quickly moved to close the gap between him and the little Nissan in front of him. Though sluggish at first, the traffic slowly picked up, and he began to make up for the time he had lost.

A loud shudder came from the crate in the passenger seat. A wing beat against the little, metal cage door in a burst of energy.

"Calm down, Prithee. I know you're excited to see Beth too," he said. He put his hand near the bars and the shuddering stopped. A beak peaked out and chirped at his gesture.

"I know you're restless. You'd usually be out and getting ready for the first performance by now, wouldn't you?"

The beak affectionately pecked his thumb and retreated back inside the kennel. The man's hand patted it's roof affectionately and then returned to the steering wheel.

"It's nice to get a day off from the rush though. We've been doing performances non stop in the heat for the past 6 days and I don't know about you, but I needed a rest. Plus, I get to surprise Beth," he said, cheerfully. Prithee seemed to be settling, so he kept talking.

"She doesn't even know we're coming to see her," he continued. "I called her on the phone this morning and told her about how we got rained out with the thunderstorm, but she doesn't know we got the day off. It's an hour and half drive to the city, but it's worth it. It'll probably be the last chance you and I will have for a visit for a while... the Renaissance Faire's biggest crowds are supposed to be coming in for the next three weeks."

Prithee had ceased from making any noise. He glanced at her through the small holes in the sides of the kennel and saw her large form had settled into the bottom.

Good. She can sleep until we get into the city.

Soon, the man turned off at an exit for New York City. It was always a long drive down from Tuxedo, but he enjoyed the time away from the rough, rugged characters that he worked with. His fellow austringers weren't particularly hard to get along with, especially when they all cared for the birds together. These were the few people on the planet who understood his love for birds, and he respected that enough to not dread being in their company. If at a loss for conversation he could simply turn to topics of hawks and falcons, an easy, non-committal conversation.

The rest of his co-workers, however, always seemed to make him uneasy. The other performers at the Ren Faire were jousters, horseback riders, or some other variety of intimidating pastimes. He would usually just stare at the ground and scurry past them in passing, trying to avoid eye contact at all costs. On the occasions he was unlucky enough to be captured in an inquiry, he would mumble half-witted replies whilst thinking of the quickest way to escape. The few times Beth had gotten off from work to come see him perform, she told him he should make more of an effort to befriend his peers, even if they seemed like they wouldn't understand him. He promised he would try.