One's Secret Courage

The land is cold, frozen and dead. Toboe finds the never-changing landscape disheartening.

Toboe knows he’s a liability. He’s known this from the very beginning. He’s not the oldest, not the fastest, not the strongest, and never will be.

The frozen land is treacherous even for Kiba, and a potential death trap for Toboe. But he will not whine – even when his mistakes are often and many.

But later, exhausted and facing his first kill, Toboe turns to see a brief, slow smile on Tsume’s face and finally feels the glow of approval.

Maybe it was in him all along.