His fur felt like it was boiling under the scorching sun, and the pads of his paws had gone numb a while ago with the ground feeling almost twice as hot. Despite the massive discomfort of their surroundings, the young warrior dragged himself forward like his life depended on it. "What are we supposed to be looki-?" he broke off only to half-heave, half-laugh. He stopped for a second to clear his throat before turning his green eyes, sparkling with life, to Brightdawn. He didn't know her well, but she was still powering through this date the same as him, which meant she was probably a keeper. "We're not looking for anything. Just being out here and exploring, maybe going farther than anyone's ever been before, that's why we're here!" He paused for a moment before letting out a nervous chuckle. "You know, among other things..."

He felt some of his confidence return as the she-cat became more playful and he picked himself up a bit. "A race?" He wasn't sure if running was the best way to counter a potential heat stroke, but who was he to turn down a game? "You're on!" He met her side at the rocks, allowing them an equal starting point. He glanced at her, unable to stop himself from smiling even once he began the countdown.

"On your marks, get set, GO!" A puff of dirt sprung into the air behind him as Tawnyowl pushed off the stones and into a full sprint. Although, the numbness in his paws made his form awkward and he almost wiped out on a loose rock soon after starting. It didn't slow him down much though, and he continued forward with adrenaline coursing through his veins. Just because he was on a date, didn't mean he was going to go easy on Brightdawn. "You'll never beat me!" he shouted, too excited to notice the change in the air around them.

Tawnyowl was in a similar situation. Sand stung his skin like a thousand wasps and he closed his eyes a second too late. Crouched low against the ground, he tried to keep his head away from the worst of it, but his eyes burned so much already. "Tawnyowl?" Brightdawn's call sounded from ahead and he started crawling over to her. "I'm here," he shouted back, instantly regretting the influx of sand in his mouth. Spitting and coughing, he kept going until his head brushed blindly against her fur. "We need... to find cover!"

Sticking close to her, Tawnyowl followed Brightdawn into the cavern. Relief washed over him as he realized the buffeting sand couldn't reach them here and slowly, he opened his eyes. The whites of them were a stinging pink and with the spluttering mess he'd become, he was sure any ounce of attractiveness he had was gone for the time being. "That was awful," he exclaimed between coughs. He wasn't sure how much more of that he could take. Luckily, Brightdawn was able to lead them here. It hadn't even occurred to him how cramped the space was until he'd regained his bearings enough to notice there was hardly a mouse-length between them. Suddenly, he felt a lot more shy. "I think I'm a little better now. How are you holding up?"

"Oh, it's okay," he muttered, feeling flustered by her concern. He wasn't really used to others caring about his comfort or anything about him for that matter, partially because he was always out by himself. But if this was what it felt like then maybe he could get used to it. He swallowed before he took what he believed to be an invitation, and curled up beside Brightdawn. "You know, I couldn't feel uncomfortable with you around," he whispered to the ground, unable to make eye contact despite the flirtacious comment. "Thank you by the way."

A low purr sounded in his throat as he followed her gaze to watch the storm. When he wasn’t standing in the middle of it, it actually was kind of mesmerizing. “Sure, that sounds fun. I can start if you want,” he offered, already raking through his mind for some ideas. “Okay, here goes. I had two mentors before becoming a warrior, I was born under the dreams sign, and I’m an only child.”

"Ah ha! I got you! I'm actually a water sign!" he laughed, giving her a playful nudge. "Although, I might have messed up... I'm not really sure if I'm an only child or not." Tawnyowl rolled his head back and groaned. "Darn! Maybe you were right after all! But that's okay, I'll make sure to guess yours right, and then we'll be even again."

"Oh? That is good news," he replied, laughing along with her. On Brightdawn's turn, his brow furrowed in deep thought as he tried to work out which was the lie. He wasn't well-versed in much of SunClan's history or anyone else's so really, any one of them could be true or false. Although, that was kind of the whole point of the game. "Well, I sorta hope you did make Bloodystar cry, so I'm gonna say that's true. And uh, between the other two... I guess that your mom being the High Priestess is a lie?"

Tawnyowl let out a long "ahhhh" and then nuzzled into her neck. "I should have known that was a lie. You're way too nice to make him cry," he purred. After a second or two, he pulled back a little too quickly. He'd just been acting on instinct there and well, his desire, but had he just crossed a line? It was only their first date and he wasn't very good with social cues. "Um, sorry if that was a bit much," he said, visibly abashed, but then he tried to laugh it off. "You're gonna have to tell me about these pranks before I go again though."