(Original disclaimer posted on Chapter I.)

2
The Last Sun

Dear Nala,
This may be my third letter to you, and I am not sure if you have received my previous letters, but I will write anyway.
The soldiers... are famished. I as well. Our rations have been cut off today due to conservatory purposes. Water, however, is a necessity, and our Admiral has not denied water supply. There is plenty of water...
I mustn't speak of the war, but I doubt that this letter will get to you. The weather conditions are very wild and the Admiral will not allow any messengers to go out in a situation like this. The war... we are in small numbers compared to the fire nation. I am sad to say that we may not take full control of the upcoming battle. But, I will do what is necessary and I will fight for the Southern Water Tribe, my family, and my people.
I only pray that you do not worry about me. I will not accept defeat, and I will not accept death. Like I have said in my past letters, keep your mind off the war. Try to enjoy what is in front of you.
How are my two angels? I hope they aren't creating too much trouble. Tell them that Papa said to listen to their mother. I will be home soon.

-Bato

The weather conditions at Crow Bay were so tough that every warrior's empty stomach felt full. All they ate were stale biscuits filled with nuts. The soldiers were thankful for their water, but the source of their water also played their part as the problem. Snowfall has doubled over the past day, but stopped falling significantly over the past hour.

Admiral Koi is careful of how the warriors dispose their urine. All "things" were to be deep in the forest where the snow is dirty with mud and dirt. The warriors are careful not to venture to this area; it already seemed full of what it was there for.

Two days until the invasion, two days until battle, but what was to strike them first: ships or soldiers? No man ever wandered around the coasts of the atoll. Fire nation naval ships can spot anything that was on the horizon, no matter the size. They are rumored to have a 100-percent dead-on accuracy with their launchers. Every single soldier in their invading army is a firebender; only a few hundred are waterbenders in their line of defense. The rest of the Water Tribe army are warriors. Skilled warriors: warriors with swords, daggers, arrows, clubs, boomerangs, and even batons.

There weren't many reinforcements to consider. The Admiral reacted in fear and took in more than half of his back-up warriors, due to the fire nation's large numbers...

Bato, now able to reconnoiter the island due to a rare sunny morning, approached a group of soldiers who were sitting on a steep hill and looking out into the endless ocean. Bato leaned against a tree and gazed out with them.

"Better day," Bato said.

"I've seen better," a warrior on the ground replied, taking a sip of water.

The ocean seemed as clear as the sky, but the lagoon that pushed into the atoll was snowy and full of glacier-like ice.

"Wait 'till you go to an Earth Kingdom skirmish," the same warrior announced. "The weather's always nice while you're clipping a fire nation soldier."

Bato took out a small jug from his satchel and filled it with clean snow, getting what he came here for. "Try to retrace your steps on the way back down. I heard that it won't be snowing for the rest of today..." He sluggishly walked down the hill and made the trip back to camp.

The warriors tried to make the best out of this day. It may be the last sunny day they will ever see on the island, and probably in their entire lives. They saw the sun as a sign of peace as it beamed down on the white sheets of snow, creating a very pleasing sight. They just wished that it would use its powers for good and melt away all of the snow.

Precipitation has caused two major problems. One: a bad grip on the terrain and the constant possibility of being snowed in while in the catacombs (vast system of caves.) And two: the destruction of external weaponry, such as launchers, catapults, and caches, including the few remaining liquid projectiles, which are now frozen.

"I got the water," Bato said, emerging from the snowy plains and into the warrior-filled camp. He walked towards Hakoda.

"I got the fire," replied Hakoda, sitting by the fire while writing in his journal. Bato took a small plate and placed it over the flame, then placed the jug on the plate, finalizing the job.

"All you've been doing is sitting around and writing," Bato finally remarked. "This is a rare day. You should probably go venture through the plains. Some of the evacuated villages are a pretty site when it's covered with white."

"Maybe you should draw that," Hakoda chuckled.

Bato yawned and began exiting the camp, making his way towards the deep forest. "Call me when the snow's done."

Hakoda had met some new warriors. One of them was Giru, and the others he had encountered were Leo, Sage, and Pinto.

Leo was a waterbender. He was an ice sculptor and an architect who worked in the small archipelagos in the Northern Water Tribe. Leo has a wife, three kids, and a deceased mother. His father lives in the Earth Kingdom.

Pinto was a small man, about 5 feet, 6 inches, but was very strong and fast. He resided in the Earth Kingdom and came to Crow Bay to fight alongside his fellow friends.

Sage was a young teenager, around 17 or 18 years. He has a father and three brothers. His older brother was part of the Water Tribe navy, but was killed during a small invasion on a fire nation island. Sage is now the oldest of the remaining three.

-

It was the dead of night; pitch black outside. They could hear violent gusts of wind and snow. The violent sweeps of snow that penetrated the exits of the catacombs forced them to move camp deeper into the cave where it is safer and warmer.

Leisure time was always quiet, almost mute. The only sound they heard was the weather and the chuckling of the fire in the center of the cave. Pinto, Sage, Leo, Hakoda, Bato, and two other anonymous warriors surrounded the fire while they wrote away in their journals or drew on their notepads. Very few read; it was a difficult time to read.

Giru had returned from the outside. He was covered in ice. In his right hand, tugged snug into him, was a sack of biscuits. In the other, a knife.

"Look what I got," announced Giru. The seven men glanced at Giru, the sack of biscuits, and resumed their business. Giru tossed the sack of biscuits aside is disgust and threw himself onto his sleeping bag. They weren't craving any food right now.

Dear Soli,
Life is hard at Crow Bay. We are scarce of food. The weather and climate are rough. Our heads ache due to the constant howl of wind that brushes its hands on the caves. We cannot take any medication due to conservation of the battle. My entire body is sore and cold.
I am not sure how the Admiral can live like this; he is a wealthy man, though I have no knowledge of his past and, honestly... his present. He is a mysterious man who always reconnoiters the atoll, walking back and forth along the coasts while writing in his journal, taking notes of the unknown. The fellow warriors and I want to speak up and tell the Admiral of the horrible living conditions, but we rather not complain to our leader.
It is hard for me to picture myself in warmth and comfort of the Northern Water Tribe. I am far away from home, at the other end of the world. I will fight for my life and my tribe, and I will grasp onto the awesome gift of life.
This may be hard for you to consider, but if I do not make it, go on with your life. Have fun enjoying the present rather than reflecting off the past, and try not to think about the future. Only past. Tell the kids I love them, and kiss them good night every day. I will try my best to hang on to life and return to the Northern Water Tribe, where I belong.

-Leo

The blizzard outside began to calm down. Bato left the campfire and made his way towards the cave exit. He sighed. They were snowed in. A block of ice stood in front of the cave entrance, only revealing a tiny opening at the top of the block. A horrible whistling noise made its way through that opening. He took a nearby shovel and stabbed the snow block; it didn't even budge. He tossed the shovel aside and proceeded back to the camp. He would demolish the block later in the night.

"I've got bad news," Bato announced. "We are snowed in."

"Great..." replied Hakoda. "As if bad food isn't enough..."

Bato rubbed his eyes in exhaustion and took a stale nut biscuit out of the food sack that Giru had brought earlier. He took a bite, grimaced, and threw the biscuit over his shoulder, making it land on the cold hard cave floor.

"I'll be damned if I ever see dry land again," stated Leo, making his mustache huff. "At least we're not sitting on an ice shelf. We'd be bleeding heartless."

"You sound like my grandpa," Sage replied.

"And you sound like the son I've never wanted," back-sassed Leo.

"Enough!" Bato yelled. "If you guys want to fight, save it for the battle. I'm tired of all of this quarreling."

Leo angrily frowned as Sage avoided any eye contact with Leo. An old man...

Dear Father,
Crow Bay is a tough place to be at. I'm sure that you'd be cruising along these living conditions. You've been through a lot of tough times during your fights in the war. I just hope I can do the same and accomplish my objectives simultaneously.
I'm being a man and living up to my strength, just like you said I should. I'm freezing my ass off, though. This place is colder than the Northern Water Tribe. It even snows more, too. In the basins of the island, the snow's so deep that it reaches my waist. We have to shovel our way through some areas.
Being at Crow Bay is not all bad. The scenery's cool, once it is sunny. But, everything has its ups and downs. I just hope that during the battle, we're on the up side.

-Your Son
Sage, 1st Division, Shard Squad