By her estimation Finley was about one and a quarter moon cycles through her pregnancy, which only seemed to be getting harder every passing day. Her sides were becoming swollen and plump and a wholly unflattering manner and she could only imagine how hard she would have to work to get her thin frame back. It had not been something that had come naturally to begin with, it had come from years of self discipline and though she would never admit it, it was a product of vanity. Now she looked disgusting, she could hardly stand the sight of herself. The only plus side to there being almost no water was that she could not see her reflection.

That being said, Finley was growing more and more concerned about the beginnings of this drought. She was having to travel far to quench her thirst, and even when she did her nausea and vomiting meant she only kept it down half the time. The woman had yet to speak with her travel companions about her worries, she was the weakest link and she knew it. If she brought up how hard it was to stay hydrated, what would stop them from ditching her? They didn’t owe her anything.

The sky was just beginning to grow a little dim, though they still had another hour or two of light, when Finley finally found what she was looking for. A source of water that had not dried up yet. Letting out a sigh of relief she strode forward, lapping at the cold water, crushing the ice that clung desperately to the shore despite the fast moving water. Once a raging river full of dangerous rapids, the water moved quickly now but it's original volume had been cut nearly in half. Her stomach gurgled in protest, but her dry throat and mouth felt instant relief.

The pregnant woman drank her fill with gusto, the cool water doing wonders to instantly improve her mood. That was until the nausea struck. Finley did not know whether or not it was because she was pregnant or because she drank too fast, but, it didn’t matter. The liquid came back up as quickly as it went down, leaving her retching and trembling as she took slow deep breaths.

A few minutes later she returned to the once mighty rapids, this time drinking in small sips and waiting to see if her stomach could handle it. Finley carried on this way for the majority of the afternoon until she felt like she had enough to keep her going. Then she looked around, trying to memorize the area, and head out. She needed to return to her traveling companions.