The eastern grasslands of Zebrabwe are vast, beautiful, and a pain to cross. If you want to move your cargo quickly, you use a train. And this far from the cities, a payroll train is a very a tempting target for potential thieves.
Nyama Mpya is a guard, hired as part of a team to protect this particular train. She's never been in this part of the country before, but that doesn't matter. She has experience. She has skill. She has grit. She has determination.
And tonight, she's going to need every last ounce of it all. Bandits are on the prowl.
Written for the 2024 Non-Pony Writing Contest.