Thanks to Amberhawk, Siamese Surfer, Zukofan5, twiztidchick508, and Tarrina for reviewing! And Bard Child and beware from DH! I actually get some of these "ailments" from my wonderful vet novel and my own experiences with goats (especially this chapter's ailment).

The only reason why the warning is in the front is because of some strange person freaking out and reporting this story for no real reason (it's happened to several which were good and not breaking any rule). That, and I don't get hate letters from overprotective moms who demand to know who I am so they can sue me for "endangering their child's innocence." I'm just being cautious.

Disclaimer: I own…Lian. Oh, and the Wooly Goats. Wow, that's a whole bunch…not really.


Chapter 3 – Bison Woes and Sleep Depravity

"Bison?" she gulped, staring at the mountain of fur. Never had she seen such an animal. He had to stand about as tall as her house with clumps of fur just hanging off of him. In all honesty, she would've thought he was a massive and overgrown Wooly Goat.

"Yeah, can you help him?" the kid asked again, looking at her with bright grey eyes.

"I don't know, kid. I've never dealt with," she paused, trying to find something that wouldn't sound too insulting, "big."

At that moment, the creature groaned loudly and fell to the ground. He lay sprawled out, his entire body moving with his heavy breathing. The earth seemed to tremble under his weight and she bit her lip.

"Please?" he begged, giving her puppy dog eyes. She looked down at him and back at the bison.

Dammit, she could never resist those eyes.

"I can't put him in the barn but if we can get him around the barn, I've got a sheltered area he can sleep under," Lian said.

The kid grinned widely and immediately yelled at two kids she hadn't noticed. Both looked like they were from the Water Tribe just by the clothing and the dark skin. The girl was holding a strange looking black and cream creature that purred and curled around her shoulders. She watched as they pulled on the reins and pushed on his mass to try and get him moving. Their efforts were in vain as he did not want to move anymore.

Lian's eyebrow rose and she shook her head. Disappearing into the barn, she came out a moment later with a strange pair of tongs. The kid seemed slightly frightened when she slid the two blunt ends into the beast's nose. Snapping the ends shut, she gave a hard yank on his nose.

He let out a loud grunt, six legs moving underneath him. Almost snarling, he shook his head violently, nearly dislocating her arm in the process. It still hurt but she stamped her foot, snorting at him. She knew how to deal with horned creatures. They were always in need of a herd leader and she was going to be sure she was that.

The bison groaned again, head bowing slightly. Scratching underneath his wide chin, she smiled. Lian jerked her head and led the way.

Technically, the land behind the barn wasn't hers anymore. She had to sell land off to keep paying for the farm. Her duties and official job had never paid real well as people were incredibly poor nowadays. Even the sum she scraped up from being the war animal trainer for her nation didn't pay off. She was sick of war.

Nodding, she waved her arm and the creature settled underneath the roof, rolling on his side. He fell like a tree and sounded like a mighty one falling. The kid patted his nose, whispering to him. She glanced at the two Water Tribe natives and shrugged

"Why couldn't we have put Appa in the barn?" the girl asked.

She assumed that was the giant bison's name. "I've got a new mother Komodo Rhino with calves. I don't need them stressing," she replied. "Now, let's see what's wrong with you."

Lian pushed her hand through at least a foot of fur to his throat. Her fingers pressed down on what felt like his jugular, feeling the heartbeat. It seemed slightly faster than normal. She moved to his face and pushed his hair back, checking his eyes. They looked normal though, no dilation or whites. His nose was wet and he seemed to be fine except that something was off.

Frowning, she poked the pads of his feet, watching each leg jerk. His last leg moved less, almost sluggishly. Lian scaled the mass of fur, feeling around the hind leg for anything unusual.

It didn't take long before she found a large lump in front of his hind leg. With all of the hair, it was hard to find anything wrong with him. She slid down, knowing she was going to need her rhino knife for this.

"Keep him comfortable. I need to get a few supplies."

"What's wrong with him?" he asked, grey eyes gazing at her.

"Giant cyst. It won't take long to get rid of," she soothed.

She heard the boy whispering to the bison still and smiled.

"It's okay, Appa," Aang cooed. "You're going to be all right."

"Yeah, Appa. Even if she does seem crazy," Sokka muttered.

"Sokka!" Katara warned, nearly slapping him upside his head. "She's the only animal healer for miles. Stop being a jerk."

Appa groaned loudly and panted.

"Having fun?" she asked, holding the large knife in one hand and a bottle of clear fluid in the other. The kids looked at her, the older boy's eyes landing on the blade immediately. He reached for a weapon on his belt but she waved indifferently. "It's not for you."

Lian crawled back on top of the bison, setting the knife down on his side. Popping open the bottle, she poured the clear liquid out and onto the lump, scrubbing it in with her free hand. Capping it, she took the knife and pressed the blade down on the skin.

She blinked up at the ceiling as she lied on her back. Coughing, she was extremely happy she hadn't landed on her knife when the creature bucked her off. Hissing out a breath, she rubbed her head and glared at the beast.

Handing the knife to the girl, she went back around into the barn. Ignoring the grunts of the Komodo Rhinos, she grabbed another bottle and her rhino needle.

"Let's try this again," she grumbled as she returned. The kid gave her an embarrassed grin but she ignored that as well. Lian parted his fur and pinched a vein in his leg, bringing it to the surface. The animal healer stabbed the needle into it, ignoring the jerk and poured the small sedative into the needle. It wouldn't fully knock him out because of his mass but it would keep him calmer.

Appa grunted less and stayed quiet, breathing evenly and deeply.

"You just lay there," she grunted, climbing back up to the large lump. Taking her knife, she cut a long slice right above the cyst, nodding when very little blood spilt. The animal healer pushed the two flaps of skin back, wincing slightly at the sight.

Nasty, white pus trembled with his breathing. It was a lot larger than it felt and she pressed and squeezed the area, nose wrinkling as it spurted out. She flung the excrement behind her, not really caring if she hit the kids. Being that she really had no instruments to clear it out, she had to use her hands. Picking the knife up, she carefully scraped the rest out and found what was causing the pus.

"Well, here's the problem," Lian mumbled, holding up a clump of debris. "Must've gotten stuck in there from a wound."

When she turned around, she found the three kids' faces grey. Smirking slightly, she tossed the clump back and checked the wound. It would be fine for now.

"He's going to have to stay here for a while. I need to let this drain a little bit more. I'll sew it up sometime tomorrow or the next day." The woman wiped her hands off on her pants and watched the older boy sputter.

"But we need to make to the North Pole in a week!" he cried, staring at her.

"I'm sorry." The woman shrugged. "He should recover by tomorrow but that's if that was the main problem," she elaborated. "If he isn't doing better in the morning, I'll see what I can do." Her promise was slightly empty. She could do no more than what her supplies could handle. Jerking the blade, she watched the kids' expressions carefully. "I'd suggest you try and get some sleep and come back sometime tomorrow night. I can give you an estimate on how much longer he'll need to stay down then."

The older boy grumbled something but nodded all the same.

Lian gave a slight bow and whistled for her mastiff. He lumbered out of the house, almost grumbling himself at being dragged out of bed. The large dog led them to the gate before immediately turning around and heading back to the house.

"He'll be fine, Aang," Katara soothed, wrapping an arm around her friend's shoulders.

"Yeah, we'll head back tomorrow night and, before you know it, we'll be on our way to the North Pole," Sokka put in. A rumble echoed in the night. "But let's fine something to eat first."

Aang chuckled and cheered up slightly. Momo leapt to his shoulders and curled around his bald head. The lemur seemed slightly jumpy, ears twitching and moving constantly.

The Avatar slowed down slightly, remembering an old superstition Monk Gyatso had told him.

An unhappy lemur meant unhappy times.


Zuko had walked to the…quaint farm alone, wanting to question the woman without his uncle's stern looks. It was a foggy morning, humidity clinging to him. He wished he hadn't worn his armor today as the moisture was making his clothes stick to his skin.

As usual, Shing met him at the gate and showed him the way. The dog's eyes were slightly cloudy and his limp seemed worse than ever. But he trudged onward down to the barn and sat stiffly by the door.

"Welcome back."

A small piece of jerky flew through the air, instantly being snapped up by the old canine. He stood back up after a moment's rest and returned to his watch.

The Firebender strode into the barn, watching the woman as she rubbed the calves' faces. Both were grunting happily, the mother staring at Lian as she ate from a trough. She scratched underneath the rhinos' chins and down their necks, sitting on a simple stool. The two looked happy enough, eyes bright and shining at the new attention.

"What are you doing?" he asked, moving slowly around his rhino. He was surprised that his steed was taking the woman so lightly.

"Getting them used to being touched," she responded easily. "It trains them to accept human touches." Lian caressed their legs, shushing them when the limbs jerked.

Li grunted and lumbered up to him, pushing the side of her head to her human. Zuko stroked her gently, gazing at the woman before he started his interrogation.

"You're a Firebender." It was a simple statement and did sound slightly stupid when he realized it.

"No shit," she replied easily again, not taking her eyes off her clients. "And you're the exiled Prince Zuko."

He frowned, glaring at her now. "You work for Admiral Zhao."

That got her attention. She paused in her work, hands resting on her knees. "Admiral now?" she whispered breathlessly. Slight fear crossed through her eyes, the only expressive area he could ever find. "I work for all of the Fire Nation if I must," she managed to ground out, turning back to the Komodo Rhinos.

Li sensed her human's irritation, shifting noticeably. The animal healer held still until the creature's stance changed to a less threatening one.

"But Zhao is the only one you've dealt with," he growled.

Her eyes closed tightly, wincing slightly. "Yes," she admitted. "I train war beasts for him."

"Why?" Zuko asked, leaning forward on the wooden panels. "Why do you work for him? It can't be because he pays you well."

"An agreement. I train animals for him; he doesn't wipe my family's farm off the face of the planet." Lian began rubbing the creatures again, faster though. "I can't let them be killed for my mistakes."

"What?"

"Dammit!" she screamed, standing up faster than he thought she could move. His rhino shook her head, nearly goring the woman. Lian leaned in closer than Zuko thought she should have, eyes wild with fury. "Do you know what we have to go through everyday? This farm used to thrive with three times the amount of animals now! I have had to sell off parts of the land to the Fire Nation to pay my taxes because you're damn father can't pay for his war himself. The people I help can barely pay me for my services, nonetheless pay for everyday necessities. I have to take whatever jobs I can to pay to keep my animals alive. It may not be what I usually charge, but that damn admiral can give me enough to pay off six months of taxes."

He stared at her, taken aback by her outburst. No one had really yelled at him before, at least, not until now. She looked tired though, dark shadows visible under her eyes. She pinched the bridge of her nose, sucking in a breath before backing up.

Lian sat down on the stool again, rubbing her face. One of the calves head butted her, nuzzling her leg. Absentmindedly, she petted it and squeezed her eyes shut. "It would be best if you left."

Zuko clenched his jaw to avoid making another scene. If he had learned anything from his uncle, it was to keep his mouth shut in certain situations. He gave a curt nod before exiting, giving Li one last pet.

The Firebender would give her a little time to calm down before he went back.