Nick had been sitting in class for about half an hour when the feeling hit him. His mouth went from normal to slightly dry to the Sahara District in less than a minute. He tried to ignore it. Class was going to be over in twenty minutes which meant he could get a sip of water on the way to his next class. But the mammal in front of him picked her water bottle and took a big swig.
He held in his whimper as he imagined that cool, refreshing water hitting his lips. Moistening his tongue. Soothing the suddenly sandpaper dry of his throat. Had he any moisture left, his mouth would have begun to salivate. All of sudden, the last twenty minutes of class seemed to be impossible to survive.
His paw shot up and the teacher gave him permission to leave.
Like lightning, he bolted from his seat and dashed for the water fountain…..
Only to stop dead at the sight of another todd, this one well known on campus for his… less than desirable hygiene issues, with his mouth fully covering the spout. The other todd gulped down water and his tongue lapped the spout in a very unseemly display. Finally sated he raised his head with a satisfied sigh and strutted back to class.
"All yours, buddy!"
Nick decided to wait until he found a vending machine.