(I do not own Avatar/ Letters From Iwo Jima or any of its properties/chemicals.)

It was a deep cave, not too steep, but sturdy enough to explore in. The young paleontologists ventured to and fro, looking for something to discover. Many of the abandoned forts and catapult positions on Crow Bay were still intact, but they didn't tell a very satisfying story. The paleontologists always saw some kind of story from every stray mark made in the cave, which drew them even deeper into it, but only to the fellow civilian's dismay.

"You guys better find something," said the writer, hoping that the paleontologists' discoveries could make a good story for him to bring home.

"Then why don't you grab a shovel and join them?" a young man said, pointing to two paleontologists that were hard at work, digging in the corner.

Suddenly, a man started shouting to a discovery.

"Hey guys! I think I found something!" The others crowded around him and another fellow digger as they dug around the corners of what seemed to be a knapsack.

"Be careful!" said the head paleontologist. "You might rip it!"

The digger bent down and picked up the knapsack, rummaging through it. "It's just a bunch of letters!"

The head palaeontologist's eyes lit up. He took the knapsack and dumped the letters onto a tray. Dozens and dozens of handwritten letters started to fall down to the tray, immediately ensuing a flashback.

1
Hakoda

Dear Katara and Sokka,
I am at my first war front, and it isn't far away from home. It is at Crow Bay, a small atoll that surrounds a lagoon on three of its sides.
We soldiers are hard at work, but it is fun to get a chance to talk to fellow friends, such as Bato. We talk, dig, build, and train together. We even sometimes eat together. Sokka, you would have been bored to death if you tagged along; all we talk about is what home is like, what we like to eat, where we hunt. Speaking of hunting, make sure you catch an arctic hen every day and make sure the two of you remind Gran-Gran to cook it.
Katara, listen to your brother and help the women in the tribe organize the huts. I will be expecting a clean village to come home to.
As for me, I will most likely be gone for about a month, but there is nothing I can confirm right now. Do not fret; this war may be long, but this battle will be over before it starts. We are strong men and we will never accept defeat. I will hopefully see you soon.

-Dad
Hakoda, 1st Division, Shard Squad

-

"Put your backs into it!" the overseer yelled, making sure that the soldiers placed the catapults in the right position while facing the right direction. "There will come by sea, ground, and maybe even air!"

Hakoda and his fellow friends dragged one catapult tied to a rope up a berm, grunting as they rolled over potholes in the ground. They finally made it to the top, resting.

"Do not rest!" the overseer yelled at Hakoda and his squad. "The fire nation is on his way!" Hakoda smirked, wiped the sweat off his forehead, and grabbed the rope, continuing to pull the catapult up the mountain.

"I hate that guy," Bato managed to say to Hakoda as they worked. "Why doesn't he take off that hat and join us?"

"He's a woman," Hakoda said, making the others laugh and almost forcing them to let go of the rope. "That's why."

Five catapults were being hoisted up the mountain; Hakoda had no problem tugging on the structure of the launcher. He made it to the top of the mountain with the others, waiting for the rest of the catapults to arrive.

"What are you waiting for?" the overseer yelled. "Set up the catapult!"

The squad pulled the lever back until the dipper touched the ground. Hakoda took the rope that was attached to the dipper and tied it around the launch post. Bato and the other men set barrels of water beside the launch post. The other catapults were far behind.

"Which ever group is the last one to reach the top of the mountain will have to run around the entire atoll!" The overseer hollered at the individuals that were still hoisting the catapults. "You men!" He pointed to Hakoda's group. "Take a rest at the bottom of the mountain. This will get messy." The soldiers, without hesitation, went to the foot of the mountain.

-

"Crow Bay," Admiral Koi spoke to the tired soldiers, "Or more appropriately, Crow Atoll, is the only line of defense we have that will protect the Southern Water Tribe from being conquered by the fire nation. We have an advantage... we are deeply entrenched in this atoll and are patiently waiting for the fire nation navy to attack first. Our atoll surrounds Crow Bay by all three sides. There is no excuse why we shouldn't sink every single ship in the armada."

A messenger entered the clearing and handed Admiral Koi a scroll, bowed, and left.

"We are in decent numbers," the admiral continued, not opening the scroll. "500 men, 44 catapults, and a hell of a lot of courage." The admiral began pacing in front of the soldiers. "But, the fire nation is in even bigger numbers... an estimated amount of 2,000 men, 92 ships, and a possible air advantage."

The warriors' jaws hit the sandy floor.

"But they have no idea what the Southern Water Tribe is made of," reassured the admiral. "They don't have a clue of what this atoll looks like, and they have no idea of what kind of numbers we are in. We have the upper hand."

Admiral Koi finally opened the scroll, silently reading it in front of the entire division. He then rolled up the scroll and gave it to his assistant.

"The invasion is in three days."

-

"It's so cold..." Giru, a waterbender, complained to his colleagues. "It's colder than the Southern Plate."

"Nothing's colder than the Southern plate," a nearby water tribe warrior scoffed. "For all I know, you Northerners have no idea what cold is. The Southern Water Tribe is the coldest place on Earth."

"I've seen your 'village,'" Giru intimidated the other Southerners. "You people have no sense in architecture."

"Well, have you ever experienced a full-scale invasion?" Bato rebuttled. "And don't ever talk about class."

"What do you know about class?" Giru back-sassed. "You're tribe looks like the fire nation's backyard dumpster!"

The warrior snapped and punched Giru across the face, tackling him down on the snowy ground. Giru fought back, but didn't succeed before the warrior punched him once more. Bato pulled the warrior off of Giru as they both amateurishly rose to their feet, both heated up.

"Both of you, knock it off!" Bato yelled. "I've had enough of your childish quarrels. All of you need to calm down and enjoy the remainder of your leisure time rather than to demolish it."

Bato looked at the two adolescents and went back to his business. The two contenders walked away from each other.

Dear Nala,
The soldiers are very childish. Hakoda and I are the remaining warriors who have stayed focused on our tasks. The fire nation is knocking on our door. But don't worry, the Admiral says that we have a strong advantage against them.
Crow Bay is a very difficult place to cope with. The weather is very cold. Blizzards strike the atoll at almost every hour. It may be cold enough to freeze up the entire bay, but I wouldn't count on it. These warriors are strong, but they tend to betray their strength. The weather may be disorienting them...
I have a good feeling about our future in this upcoming battle. My squad is a sufficient bunch of fighters and are very close; almost like family. The battle should end quick, but like I said, there is nothing I can count on at the moment.
Try to keep your mind off of the war and help around the village. Make sure the kids stay out of trouble. I myself have trouble sleeping, but only because of the loud snoring that the soldiers ensue. I cannot wait until I return to the tribe and be by your side again. Survival is paramount and I will see you soon.

-Bato

Hakoda and Bato joined a fire inside of their squad's cave during the quiet night. The fire nation could bombard them with their fireballs at any second; it was just a matter of when. The patience was constantly broken due to this matter; it sometimes broke out quarrels that turned ugly. Psychological warfare could easily get the best of any contender, but it was the fear that really hurt the warriors.

Warriors... that title was thought of every day. They say that the greatest of warriors gain a spot on the starry sky, just like Orion. But like every bedtime story, the ending always seemed that reaching the goal was near impossible...

"It's pretty nice inside the caves," Hakoda said, looking up at the old grooves on the cave ceiling. "I think a pair of badger moles ventured through here. The tunnel system is really complex."

"Which is why we're in it, right now," a voice behind Bato replied, turning out to be Giru. He joined the fire. "I'm tired of waiting out here in the cold like this. When will they come get us?"

"I don't know," Bato said, looking into the dancing flames. "But I don't want to know, either."

Giru, satisfied with the amount of heat he received, went back to his post at the corner of the cave.

"I've been catching on some rumors that were circulating throughout the Atoll," Bato started. "People have been saying that the fire nation is making some kind of superweapon."

"It's hard to believe anything in this type of weather..." Hakoda answered, shivering. "I don't know what will kill us first: the fire nation, the weather, or the overseer." Bato chuckled. The other eight men in the cave were busy writing away in their journals, sleeping, or just staring up at the blank ceiling.

"Thinking is even harder," Bato replied. "I wish that a warm gust of air would just melt away all of this snow and sleet."

Hakoda coughed and let off a weak laugh.

"What's so funny?" Bato asked.

"Nothing..."

"No, seriously, what is it?"

"Well," Hakoda began, "We've been living through this type of weather for years, and now, during a life-or-death situation, we're suffering from it."

That thought made Bato chuckle once more, but the two couldn't keep exchanging fake laughter any longer...

Dear Brother,
You're really lucky with that injury you had last month. I wish I would have warned you to stay away from those icicle caverns, but getting stabbed in the leg is better than venturing out here in Crow Bay.
It can get tiresome at times, and very tranquil during nighttime. You would have made good company for me, but spending time inside caves and out in the frozen tundras of the atoll aren't bad as they seem. We miraculously get a good amount of food. Water isn't much of a problem either; we just get a pot, a couple of twigs, and melt the snow.
But enough about food. The warriors and other waterbenders out here are either friendly or stubborn. To be honest, I've already gotten into a couple of quarrels myself. Something stupid as deciding which territory is the coldest can get the juices pumping in your veins.
I hope you heal fast. Maybe you'll be strong enough to even fight out here with me. After all, having you out here in the frontlines while fighting some fire nation scum would be plenty of fun. It would be just like old times, like when Dad was around...
I'll be back towards the end of the month, but I can't really say so right now... I'll see you later, bro.

-Giru