The air was dry, and hot. A warm breeze drifted lazily in the air, carrying the heat to offer no relief to any unfortunate enough to be found within the desert. A lone sandshrew poked its head up from the ground, peering about for a moment. It could feel a rumbling in the ground, but what was it? Food? Predators? The sandshrew spun his little body around, but still could see nothing in the cracked desert around him. Maybe that suspicious-looking cactus was a cacturne…?

With his little nose twitching, the sandshrew raised his head a little bit higher to get a better look, eyeing the cactus warily. It stood with an impassive stance; arms raised in perpetual surrender. Or perhaps that was the trick! The rumbling started to shake the ground more, and a sound reached the sandshrews ears. It was like an aggressive growl from a large Pokémon… but where it was coming from was still so hard for the sandshrew to deduce.

Sticking his head even higher up from the sand, the sandshrew got a clearer look at the world around him. The nearby cactus still did not move. There didn't seem to be anything he could see, still, though he did notice an approaching dust storm. It would be better to duck back into his burrow and wait out the storm.

But the rumbling was getting more intense, the growling sound only clearer so… curiosity gripped at the little Pokémon as he continue to look this way and that, struggling to find the culprit.

And suddenly, it was upon him.

"Wooooo!" A yell was carried behind the roaring of an engine. The sandshrew screeched in fear and surprise and frantically ducked back down to burrow as deep as he could under the sand, a dune buggy drifting over his hole a mere second later. The cactus was smashed against the side of the vehicle, its driver getting sprayed with its juice, though he seemed hardly phased by it.

The dune buggy revved loudly as it righted itself, concluding a drift, before it shot forward, spraying sand behind it. This vehicle was the cause of the sandstorm the sandshrew had noticed- well, partly responsible. Another moment later, and several other dune buggies roared over the sandshrews burrow, men within yelling out profanities and curses as they pursued the first buggy.

"Come get iiiit!" the man in the first buggy yelled back to the others. He appeared to be no older than nineteen, and if he was any younger he could certainly pass off as an older gentleman. Er- perhaps "gentleman" wasn't an accurate term for such an uncouth individual. His hair was ragged and unkempt, a sandy brown in color. Even if the wind weren't actively blowing it wildly, it would still maintain its windswept look. A pair of goggles covered his eyes, tinted green, concealing his almond-shaped emerald eyes underneath. His skin was tanned, even a little burnt along his forehead and bare shoulders. His face was relatively square, with a five o'clock shadow growing in. His grin was wild and manic as he drove the dune buggy, rattling it over a hill with enough speed to give it airtime. Sand sprayed upon landing, the wheels kicking the grain all about. He was wearing a simple black tank top, though it was stretched with use over time, giving it a loose-fitting look as it flapped, leaving very little to imagine beneath, failing to conceal his slim though toned build, betraying a certain lifestyle. His look was complete by a pair of gray cargo pants, pockets closed and seemingly full of items.

More yells came at him from behind, the man pulling up the emergency breaks as he spun the steering wheel quickly to the left. The buggy sprayed up copious amounts of dirt and sand as it skid, drifting in a complete circle before he released the brakes and slammed his foot on the gas pedal. The dune buggy roared out of the cloud he'd just generated, going eastward now, whereas he'd been heading north before. The other buggies were consumed in the cloud, blasting out of the other side before slowing as the men tried to relocate their quarry. The man's gamble had paid off, as the distance he'd lost to do a donut spin had just granted him even greater distance to them than he'd had before.

"Hahahaha!" He laughed, looking into the rearview mirror, before he turned his shielded eyes to his companion in the passenger's seat beside him. "Ayana, do your thing!"

Ayana gave an eager nod, her own smile of excitement rivaling his. She was not human, like the driver. Instead, she was a Pokémon covered in white-green fur, a dark sage cape extending from her shoulders, most of her face concealed by a star-shaped black mask. She similarly wore green goggles over her magenta eyes, and as she twisted in the seat, she climbed up to stand, her upper half sticking out of the top of the buggy. Ayana was a meowscarada, and just as mischievous as what was presumed to be her trainer.

Ayana eyed the approaching buggies eagerly, waiting for them to get closer, before she casually leaned with one arm against the dune buggy's metal frame. "Scaraaaa~" she yelled out toward the approaching men as she pointed a finger lazily at the lead buggy, and snapped her fingers. The flower hovering over her shoulder suddenly flung away, sailing toward the lead vehicle.

BOOM!

The flower erupted when it hit the hood of the leading dune buggy, and the vehicle bounced, its front end smashing downward as its back end rose into the air, dark smoke puffing from its engine. The men aboard yelled as they all leapt from the buggy just before it flipped completely over, skidding to a halt upside-down on the sand. Ayana smirked, a gleeful glint to her eyes beneath the goggles. Flower Trick- her favorite move, and a signature one for her species. She'd flung her flower bomb, and it did all the real work.

Another flower bomb emerged from under her cape, hovering up to her shoulder, and Ayana's grin widened as she snapped her fingers again, pointing at the second buggy.

BOOM!

The second flower bomb sent el segundo buggy reeling, its front end smashing down and spinning the vehicle, one of the wheels popping off and bouncing wildly into the distance, leaving only a third dune buggy to deal with. Ayana stuck her tongue out at it before feigning a yawn, sure to put on a show as she patted her mouth tauntingly.

The men on the last buggy yelled some more, before one threw out a pokéball. In a flash of light, an imposing figure appeared, its long arms slamming into the sand before flinging itself forward with a triumphant roar. A darmanitan, and it looked angry.

Well, those things always looked angry, so it was honestly hard to tell.

Glancing in his sideview mirror, the man let out a chuckle. "Up to the challenge?" he called over the wind to his compatriot.

Ayana had straightened up fairly quickly upon seeing the darmanitan, and at her trainer's words, she gave him a confident nod, a serious note etching her face, though her grin remained undaunted. Raising her paws, her claws flashed out, glinting with a surge in power as she used Hone Claws.

The darmanitan was closing in, fists thundering against the earth as he hurled himself, bound for bound, the distance dwindling at a rapid pace. Yet just as he lunged for their buggy, Ayana darted over the bar of the buggy, swinging both of her claws downward. The darmanitan was halted in his tracks, airborne one moment, before the attack slammed him into the earth. A dark energy welled in the meowscarada's paws, and just as she touched down on the ground, she slashed with her left arm. A burst of dark energy slugged into the darmanitan, launching him off the ground and tumbling backward, Night Slash hitting him hard.

Ayana cheerfully waved at the darmanitan as he slammed into the front of the dune buggy he'd been called from, the vehicle skidding to a halt. The meowscarada turned tail and darted over the hot sandy surface of the desert, her speed unmatched by any of the buggies as she reached her trainer' vehicle in seconds, leaping back into the passenger's seat before spreading her arms grandiosely. "Meeeow~!" she beamed.

"Killer! Gimme five!" the young man cheered, throwing out his palm. It collided with Ayana's in a high-five.

Seating herself, Ayana cast a glance back at the damage she'd caused. None of the buggies were pursuing them now.

Driving through the desert, the pair left a trail of kicked-up dust and sand in their wake, the hot sun beating down on them from above. Ayana leaned back in her seat with her eyes closed, her flower hovering in front of her before squirting some water into her mouth. Opening one eye, she looked at her trainer. "Da?"

He glanced over at her, then at her flower, before he quickly shook his head. "Hell nah, I don't know where that's been."

"Sca!" Ayana frowned, sitting up slightly.

"Homegirl, I ain't touching your flower water, that's grody."

She folded her arms and gave a pout.

He glanced again at her. "Look, I don't ask you to drink my sweat, and that's what this feels like."

Her mouth went agape in mock hurt. "Meowsca!"

"I said sweat, not piss."

Their conversation was cut short as they crested a hill- only to find a blockade waiting for them on the other side. Police cruisers were lined up, forming something like a wall, with officers standing in front of their blockade. A man in a black suit stood in the center of them, calmly watching them as the young man slammed his foot on the brakes. The dune buggy skid to a halt, spraying sand about.

Ayana let out a groan and leaned against her seat. "You said it," her trainer muttered, before he put his hands up in surrender. "Alright, you got me!"

"Ross, get out of the buggy," the man in black called.

The young man, Ross, rolled his eyes before he swung his legs out of the vehicle and got his feet on the grainy rock beneath, climbing out of the buggy while keeping his hands raised.

"Recall the Pokémon."

"Can't!" Ross called back to the man in black, a smug look appearing on his face. "Lost it ages ago! You'll go gray lookin' for it."

Not entirely true, but not a lie either. While the meowscarada did belong to a specific pokéball, Ross had buried it, years back when she'd still been a floragato. They'd made a pact that day, becoming equal partners while also disallowing anyone from capturing her in any ball of any sort. At the time, they'd thought the idea to be genius. She still felt that way.

The man in black didn't say anything in return, so Ayana climbed out of the dune buggy, similarly putting her hands up as she trailed after Ross, who stepped with a purposeful swagger, his arms up in an almost mocking attitude.

The man in black didn't seem the least bit humored, speaking with his slightly broken English: "You're lucky I find you, and not the LOA."

Ross paused in his approach, cocking his head to the side somewhat, appearing to be listening to something. Ayana's ears twitched, and she tuned in as well. Revving engines… it seemed the men were catching up. Either their buggies had fared better than expected, or more had followed the first three from their base.

"Funny you should mention 'em," Ross said. The sound of engines became impossible to ignore, and the police nervously put their hands on their weapons. "Got a few on my back right now. You fine gentlemen wouldn't mind taking care of them for me, would ya?"

Barely a second later, several buggies crested the hill, flying a few feet off the ground before falling back down. The men aboard let out shouts of surprise at the sight of the police blockade, and Ross wasted no time in making a mad dash to the right edge of the blockade.

"Ross!" the man in black shouted, but was forced into a cruiser by one of the officers as they made frantic efforts to get into their vehicles and out of the way of the ROA buggies.

Ayana walked backward, keeping pace with her trainer as she watched the ROA engage the police, both sides bewildered and excitable. They also happened to be bitter enemies, so all in all, this was working out in her and Ross's favor nicely. Ross hopped onto the roof of the rightmost police cruiser just as its engine revved to life and it took off, kicking up a cloud of sand in its wake. Ayana followed suit, quicker and nimbler than her trainer, landing deftly on the roof and helping Ross get a good hold on the police lights.

Looking up, Ross pointed forward with a laugh. "Almost there, Ayana!"

She followed his gaze, seeing the edge of the desert as it made way to a gradually more wooded area, where the sands faded away into rough dirt, hard rock, and a sea of shrubs dotted with dry, dead trees. It was considered the city limits to Rojomaj, the city itself being a few miles further within. The tips of its skyscrapers could be seen reflecting the intense glare of the sun overhead.

"Darm!"

Looking back, Ayana could see the same darmanitan from before barreling after them. A cloud of dust had risen up around the other buggies and cruisers in their engagement. Darmanitan had singled them out, no doubt seeking revenge for before. Ayana smirked as she flashed her claws at him. Type disadvantages were seldom a fear of hers.

Quickly leaping down from the cruiser, Ayana used her legs this time to keep her opponent on his toes, the meowscarada sweeping low before she swung upwards while Darmanitan was in mid-jump. The kick landed, and he was knocked backwards through the air with a grunt, his exposed belly quickly targeted as Ayana flung her flower bomb at him. It erupted, the force sending the darmanitan sprawling across the ground, finally falling still in defeat, having fainted. Ayana leapt back to Ross's side.

"Righteous!" Ross laughed, though unfortunately, the cruiser began to slow down, the driver's side window rolling down.

"Get down, kid! You'll get hurt up there!"

"We need to ditch these guys," Ross muttered to his companion, both of them looking around for something- anything- to get them out of this next bind as the cruiser came to a stop. "C'mon, think think…"

There was always a solution to any problem.

"I can't think of a way out of this one, Ayana…" Ross muttered nervously, sitting on a bench shoulder-to-shoulder with his meowscarada, packed like sardines by the LOA men on either side of them. Like them, the men were handcuffed, but unlike them, they appeared far more furious than they did nervous.

"Sca…" Ayana replied.

One by one, men were hauled off to get their mugshots taken, before being transferred to another room. Their number whittled down, until one remained, and when the officers came to collect him, he glared daggers at Ross. "Te encontraremos," he promised before he was hauled from the room.

Not being surrounded by hostile men anymore left Ross a little bolder than before. "Puedes probar!" He taunted as Ayana stuck her tongue out at the man, who started rattling off curses before he disappeared around the corner.

Turning back to Ayana, Ross let out a chuckle. "Get a load of that guy."

"You're lucky you were found," a voice intruded. Ross and his meowscarada turned their gaze to the other side of the room, where a man stood in the entryway. His hair was short, military regulation, and a deep profound black in color. Every feature about him was business, lines in his face etched with experience and knowledge. He wore a set of desert fatigues.

Upon seeing him, Ross let out a deflating sigh as he leaned back, almost like he was trying to hide behind Ayana's head.

The man strode forward, his combat boots echoing against the floor with each step, until he stopped in front of Ross, staring down at him with disapproval. "Get up."

Ross wasn't allowed much room to argue as he and Ayana followed quietly behind the soldier, who led them out of the station after getting them uncuffed, offering a few short words to some of the officers, before they arrived outside. The sun was starting to set, offering cool wind to pass though Rojomaj. This police station was located near the outskirts of the city, so the roads were old and covered in dirt, surrounded by cacti and rock. The vehicle they approached was a jeep, which seemed just as old and dirty as Rojomaj itself. "Get in," the soldier ordered.

Ross did as instructed, opening the back door for Ayana to climb aboard before following her inside. The soldier slid into the driver's seat and ignited the engine, before he reached into a breast pocket and pulled out a thick stack of ID's. The first one was a picture of Ross, though the name was "Edard Jeoffrey" and the age indicated he was twenty one years old. The ID's under the stack were all much the same. False identities. The soldier tossed them into the passenger seat as Ross gulped.

"You just can't seem to get your head outta your ass," the soldier growled. "Your pockets were full of shit when the police searched you. Rare candies, fake IDs, bits of junk and chocolate. All of it stolen, I'm sure."

He looked around to stare Ross in the eyes with his own hardened gaze. "You shouldn't be messin' with the LOA. It's a goddamn miracle you're alive. Are you listenin' to me?"

"Yes, sir…" Ross muttered.

"Don't mumble."

"Yes, sir," Ross uttered more clearly.

Shaking his head, the soldier turned back around to face forward as he began to drive the jeep out of the station's parking lot. "I got you that damn cat because you needed to socialize, and you refused to find real friends. All you done is use it to get into more trouble."

Ayana felt her blood freeze beneath her fur at these words, the possibility of being taken from Ross becoming a very real possibility. Ross recognized this as well, becoming defensive. "She's a great friend, better than any person I've met!"

The soldier looked through his rearview mirror at Ross. "Did I give you permission to mouth off?"

"…No… no, sir…" Ross dipped his head, glaring out of the window beside him.

Ayana truthfully hadn't interacted with this man very much. He had indeed collected her as a sprigatito years ago, provided as a gift to a much younger Ross. They'd become instant friends, and were practically inseparable after all these years. She loved him, and he loved her, and that was how the world was meant to work.

This soldier was, in fact, Ross's very own father. He spent most of his time away, on military bases, going under black operations, mostly hush-hush stuff nobody was supposed to know about. That left Ross in the care of his aunt, who'd never gotten married or had children of her own. She was the sister to Ross's mother, who had passed away in childbirth. So, his father and aunt had come to an arrangement regarding Ross. She would do the raising; he would do the disciplining- given he was around for it.

They all lived in the southern district of the Tripus region, called simply "The South." Almost all of it was some kind of desert, be it rolling hills of sand, vast dry canyons, or expansive flat landscapes of cacti and shrubs. Heading further north, one would begin to encounter wetlands, full of swamps, green forests, waterfalls, and meadows. Ayana had always wanted to go there, but as of yet, she'd never had the chance.

Heading eastward one would find the mountains, which took up almost the entire East, with valleys pocketed around for cities to be built in, right up to the coast, full of pine trees, some extending so high they'd be impossible to climb. Going west would lead to a more tropical side of Tripus, where society had first began when the region had been settled by colonists long ago. Vast oceans penetrated the land, forming great rivers, and even greater lakes. The land was lush and fertile, given you were out of the cities. The West had the biggest and grandest cities in Tripus. It was where civilization was both at its finest, and its darkest. Everything was in the West, and the North was second-best. The East was harder to settle in, but quickly catching up, while the South came in last. It was certainly the largest of the four territories, easily larger than the other three combined, but most of that was unlivable desert. Toward the coast was where most major cities resided, but the LOA, also known as the "League of Anarchy" occupied many aspects of the South. Ayana hadn't a single idea how or why the LOA had attained power and presence, and why they persisted, but they were an ever-present threat- that neither she nor Ross took seriously.

North of the north, however, above Tripus itself was an even greater landmass than the South, by several times. A vast arctic landscape that seemed to stretch forever. Nobody lived there, as far as anyone knew. It was so cold that most crops couldn't grow, and the further north one went, it only got significantly colder. It was believed that at least the entire norther side of the arctic territory (called simply "The Tundra") was actually just great stretches of glaciers, where no creature could live due to how cold and barren it was.

Ayana leaned closer to Ross, using her comfort and the touch of her head against his shoulder to try and ease his nerves a little. It worked, like always. His tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and he let out a sigh before tilting his head to rest his cheek against her.

Their relationship was very much one revolving around friendship, and companionship. Ayana hadn't a clue if there were any romantic feelings involved, if Ross was capable of seeing her as more than his best friend… his only friend. She would be a fool to deny her own feelings. The almost palpable love she felt for her human. She had been with him since she was a sprigatito, and they were the main source of comfort and friendship in one another's lives. She couldn't imagine life without him, and she was certain that feeling was reciprocated. In their early days they'd spent a lot of time wandering the high desert, battling wild Pokémon where they could. That eventually led to proper Pokémon battling- and together, they were quite the duo. Among the other kids, they'd made a name for themselves as something of an unstoppable force. But after a while, people started to learn they could beat the powerful meowscarada by simply… having a full team. Then they started to lose battles, they lost their reputation, and Ross became bitter towards it and lost interest in battling.

He had considered forming a proper team, once, and while it wouldn't have bothered Ayana much… Ross didn't seem to want any Pokémon but her at his side. It was sweet, in a way… but also a little sad. They'd become, for lack of better terms, codependent on one another. Exclusive.

The jeep rolled up the driveway of Aunt Betty's home, and almost immediately the woman was striding outside. She was a tall and thin woman, with bony, malnourished features. She claimed it to be a result of anorexia, but Ayana and Ross had seen the hospital papers concerning that. The woman simply didn't take proper care of herself. She was somewhat obsessed with her body, so she starved herself to maintain thinness. She'd tried to force this lifestyle on her nephew and Ayana once, but… that hadn't gone over well. Ross and his meowscarada had made a big habit of sneaking out and stealing red meat, then filling the fridge with it while tossing out all the "scorbunny food." After the third time, Betty relented and didn't try to force her lifestyle on them.

"I just got the call!" Aunt Betty exclaimed when Ross's father opened the jeep door. "Had I known I would have collected him myself!"

"Relax, Betty. I have it handled," the father replied in his southern drawl, before he looked back around. "Get out!" He concluded by slamming his door shut.

Ayana looked at Ross, whose shoulders tensed again as he unbuckled, before he opened his door and dropped to the ground. The meowscarada followed. Her friend was not 21, as the fake IDs listed. He wasn't even 19, which was how he appeared. He was 17, a bit younger than one would initially presume.

They'd first been united when Ross was 11 years old. Ayana was just a baby at the time. Going by human years, she was almost 7 years old. Not very old at all, but her species didn't age exactly like humans did, as was the case with most Pokémon. Ideally speaking, given her mental age and species age, she was a lot closer to his. Using human terms, she was somewhere around 15, or 16. Given a couple years, she'd certainly be equal to her human, and then eventually surpass him.

"I am beside myself with what to do with you!" Betty announced when Ross came around the car. "Meddlin' with the LOA? Are you mad?"

"Maybe a little," Ross replied, his tone sardonic.

"Boy," his father gave him a look of warning, and Ross's defiance slipped away as he bowed his head again.

"I'll go to my room," he replied in a drab tone.

"That would be best," Betty said, hands on her hips. "You wait up there while we figure out what to do with you."

Ayana kept herself from making eye-contact with Betty or Ross's father, following closely after Ross as he entered the house, shuffling his way to the right past the living room and down a narrow hallway to the end, where the door to his room waited.

Inside, the room was a lot cleaner than one would expect from Ross's "bad boy" persona he often exerted. This was in part due to Betty, who compulsively cleaned to an obsessive degree, but also because Ross himself wasn't fond of living in a pigsty. His bed, leaned up against the back wall and sticking into the center of the room, had been made, its pillows fluffed. A queen-size. His closet door was closed, concealing his hanging shirts and the row of old, ratted shoes at the bottom. He was quick to open it up and kick his shoes off inside.

To the wall on the right was a desk, where a cup full of pencils sat, and a small desk lamp. Many nights he could be found rushing through homework assignments before they were due the next morning. The desk had drawers on one side, where other office supplies were kept- as well as several wadded rolls of paper. Blunts, to put it simply. Ayana happened to be a pretty decent enabler when it came to weed. Her own pheromones had the potential to induce a "stoner-like" mindset on others, if she overproduced such pheromones into an aroma, but with her plant manipulation abilities… getting weed was hardly an issue, and had become one of the ways Ross coped with his situation.

The walls were mostly bare, save for the wall in front of his bed, which had a poster of "Kinney Six," a modern band that had risen in popularity the last couple years due to their heavy use of synth, a new kind of "futuristic" instrument that had been gaining major traction. It was their favorite band, and given the small radio player underneath the desk, they listened to Kinney Six as often as they could.

"We need to get outta here…" Ross grumbled, closing his door shut, then flopping onto his bed. "Go as far away from Rojomaj as we can."

"Mm…" the meowscarada hummed as she sat on the edge of the bed beside his legs.

"I know you wanna go north. Maybe we could head that way."

"Scara?"

"I… don't know. I mean, maybe. We could find a way. Nab some money, take the bus. Steal a motorcycle. I dunno… just… anything to get outta this dump."

Ayana decided now would be a good time to produce heavier pheromones. The scent would be less pungent than weed, and while it would be exhausting for her after a little bit, it would help ease Ross's nerves without the need for weed, which would no doubt get him into even more trouble with his father.

When the human detected the scent, he drew in a deep breath before rolling over onto his stomach. "You're the best Ayana…" he muttered, his face in his pillow.

The meowscarada stared at him for a moment, feeling the weight in the air slowly lift as his mood leveled out, thanks to her pheromones. He'd probably take a nap, now. He usually did after getting high, so Ayana made an effort of pulling his blanket out from under him, then sliding it over his body, tucking him in.

His eyes already seemed glued shut. The last times his father had visited, Ross had either spent as much time away, or sleeping. He'd sleep until his father left if he could. It was something of a defense mechanism, Ayana guessed. A way to deal with situations he didn't want to be part of.

She found herself smiling down at him. Her human, that's what he was. She liked to take care of him, to make him feel better. Because when he felt better, so did she. Besides, the sooner his father was gone, they could get back to the things they enjoyed. She highly doubted he was serious about his talk of fleeing north. Ross was a lot of things, but he wasn't the type to leave. He'd get cold feet at the last second as the weight of his actions would begin to affect him. He'd start thinking about all of his comforts he'd lose, and that would be enough to hold him back. This was far from the first time he'd talked about abandoning Rojomaj. However, Rojomaj happened to be the entire world to them. They'd be fish out of water anywhere else. Or, well… fish out of the desert. That one made less sense, actually, never mind.

Ayana could hear the muffled voices of Betty and Ross's father talking outside, discussing ways to deal with the situation, and to deal with him. She'd have loved to tuck herself in right beside Ross, to snuggle up to him and dream the hours away as well- but the last time she'd been caught in his bed with him, there'd been… trouble. Was Betty aware of Ayana's deeper desires? Or did she simply come to vague conclusions and want to dismiss the possibility altogether? Would it be different if the meowscarada was male? Betty was a bit traditional, so that could have been it. Whatever the case was, Ayana typically had to sleep on the ground. Fortunately for her, Ross stowed some blankets and pillows beneath his bed for her, so she could pull them out and curl up whenever- not that she couldn't sleep on the ground, but Ross felt really bad when she did. He made sure he shared any of the privileges he had with her.

It was another thing she found sweet about him.

Ayana bent down and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek, before she pulled out her bedding from under his bed, and curled up on it, looking up at him. He had been lulled into a deep sleep, and so she stopped pumping out her pheromones. The production had tired her out enough, too, after such a long day of pissing off LOA. Once Ross's father went back to whatever military base he'd head to next, she and her human could get back to the fun of life.

As her eyelids closed, the meowscarada and Ross were painfully unaware that this may very well be their last day of the life they'd been living. Things were soon about to change forever.